Identification of critical steps in the hemp fibre textile production chain

Hemp textile quality depends on many decisions and processing steps throughout the production chain, and starts with the primary agricultural production. In order to develop a competitive, innovative and sustainable hemp fibre textile industry in the EU, all players in the whole production chain have to aim at the wanted final textile quality. Within the Hemp-Sys project, the critical steps that have an effect on final hemp textile quality have been identified in order to facilitate the decision making throughout production chain.This presentation shows the highlights of the parameters that affect hemp textile products. The core quality for textiles, fibre fineness, is in particular determined by crop variety, the growing period and weather conditions, whereas seed density and stem section show limited influence. Regarding processing, de-gumming and fibre ‘loss’ strongly influence fibre fineness.The results form the basis for the design of an integrated quality system (IQS) that will help farmers and fibre processors to optimise the value addition of their product and secure hemp textile industries of supplies of quality fibre feedstock