In partnership with major global retailers including Bestseller, C&A, PDS, Reformation, and Target, Fashion for Good has launched the ‘Beyond50 Denim: Combining Cottonised Hemp and Green Chemistry’ project. The initiative aims to rapidly accelerate the use of hemp as a core, sustainable alternative to conventional cotton in the denim industry, a market projected to surpass $115 billion by 2029.
The current growth of the denim market is heavily dependent on conventionally cultivated cotton, a fiber whose resource-intensive methods - requiring substantial water and pesticide use = pose a significant environmental burden. While hemp offers a climate-resilient solution that uses fewer resources and improves soil health, its mainstream adoption has been severely limited. Historically, hemp content in denim rarely exceeds 20 per cent because manufacturers struggle to achieve the soft handfeel and aesthetic qualities that consumers expect from cotton.
To overcome this major hurdle, the project is validating the synergistic power of two pioneering innovations. These include the SEFF’s Nano-Pulse Technology, which transforms raw hemp into refined, cotton-like fibers. The second innovation is known as the proprietary chemistry Fihre52. This unique green chemistry solution is applied to impart a softer handfeel to the processed cellulosic fibers.
By combining these technologies, the project aims to demonstrate that hemp content can reliably exceed 20 per cent and reach 50 per cent and beyond in denim applications, all while maintaining performance and aesthetic parity with conventional cotton.
Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good, notes, overcoming barriers to adoption requires more than isolated technical advances. By strategically combining breakthrough fiber technology with green chemistry, the project shows how different innovations can work together to tackle long-standing challenges in the denim industry, she states.
The project includes key manufacturing partners Bossa (Turkey) and Nice Denim (Bangladesh), demonstrating a commitment to validating these solutions within the existing supply chain. This collaborative effort seeks to establish hemp as a mainstream, sustainable future for denim.
