The Production Chain of Hemp and Flax Textile Yarn and Its Environmental Impacts

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study presents the production chain of hemp and flax textile yarn from crop production up to the spinning of yarn. It aims to quantify major environmental impacts associated with the production of hemp yarn using Life Cycle Analysis. A reference scenario of traditional Hemp warm Water-retting was compared to: (1) Bio-retting, i.e., hemp green scutching followed by water-retting, (2) BabyHemp, based on stand-retting of pre-mature hemp, (3) Dew-retting of Flax. Overall, neither of the alternative scenarios was unambiguously better than the reference. The impacts of the hemp reference scenario and the flax scenario were similar, except for pesticide use (higher for flax) and direct water use (higher for hemp). Bio-retting had higher impacts than the reference scenario for climate change and energy use, due to higher energy input in fibre processing. BabyHemp had higher impacts than the reference scenario for eutrophication, land occupation and pesticide use. A reduction of the environmental impacts of hemp yarn should give priority to reduction of energy use in the fibre processing and yarn production stages and reduction of eutrophication in the crop production phase.