Edible or Textile

After a long and prosperous growing season, the hemp crops are ready to be converted into sellable products. The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Industrial Hemp Research Pilot (IHRP) granted licenses to seven businesses for the production, processing and marketing of hemp. Now that the growing phase is complete, it’s on to production and processing, which only a handful of licenses were granted for this. Those licenses for processing and marketing were given to The Colville Confederated Tribes and Hang Liu, a Washington State University (WSU) researcher and assistant professor.

“I want locally made fabric, I want U.S. made fabric. Between the designers I know, and my own fabric needs, there is definitely a demand.”

The vast majority of the hemp and hemp seed, will be eventually manufactured and turned into an edible products. Another option however, is textiles. Hang Liu’s specialty is textiles, she lists her teaching interests on WSU’s website as, “Textiles, Textile Product Analysis and Product Development in Textile/Apparel Industry.” Liu’s research focuses specifically on manufacturing natural, sustainable fibers. So, participating in the Industrial Hemp Research Pilot with the intent to manufacture textiles would be a natural fit.

However, according to the WSDA, as of now, production costs are proving too prohibitive for those involved in hemp production, and most hemp grown in Washington is going to be sold for manufacturing food products. CULTURE reached out to Hector Castro, the communications director for the WSDA, and he explained that while many people had initially expressed interest in producing textiles from hemp, the cost of manufacturing has been steering them towards food production. Castro explained that the vast majority of the hemp grown in Washington State would go towards making edible products. He was unsure whether Liu had ended up pursuing textile production or not.

Castro also stressed that the program depended on being state-funded, as it’s a small pilot program. Since the WSDA’s programs are typically fee-based, fees cannot sustain a program that small. In fact, the fees only collected $8,100 this year, while the program has cost the department $146,000 so far in 2017. So, the IHRP’s future depends on whether or not it’s included and approved in the 2018 Washington State Budget.

It remains to be seen if producing hemp for use as a textile is in Washington State’s future, at least on a large commercial scale. There is a demand for it here however. Local sustainable line KFLY founder, owner and designer Katy Flynn spoke to CULTURE about her thoughts on using hemp products grown in Washington State. “I want locally made fabric, I want U.S. made fabric,” Flynn proclaimed. “Between the designers I know, and my own fabric needs, there is definitely a demand.”

Flynn also expressed an interest in using the waste from existing cannabis grows to create fabrics. “It would be rad to pulp that green matter and treat it like other rayon fibers and turn it into fabric. We need to connect the fiber creators with cannabis growers post harvest. It’s my understanding that [cannabis growers] just burn it, which is wasteful and adding carbon.” Flynn explained. “We are already using the water to make the herb plant. Let’s not be wasteful, the future is recycled materials, there’s already an industry making material, let’s use it.”

Hemp is a diverse, renewable crop that has potential to feed, clothe and house us if we want it to. Even using cannabis waste products to produce textiles would be an option worth looking into. If the research program is successful, it is clear there’s a growing demand for Washington-grown hemp.