HempAge

HempAges clothing is not only sustainable but also ethical. The brand has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) since 2009, achieving leaders status. Fair Wear Foundation is an organisation that monitors and assesses working conditions at factory sites. In addition, HempAge is also a member of the German federation for fair sourcing, Fair Band.

Some 90% of the collection is made by two production partners in China. The remaining 10% is made in Tunisia, Germany, Hungary and Turkey. All these producers were audited by FWF to make sure they meet the strict social standards. In addition, these producers also hold the GOTS certificate, which also checks for ethical conditions. 

On top of that, HempAge regularly visits production sites in China. In this way, the brand maintains a direct and personal relationship with the farmers and producers. This facilitates communication and ensures that the brand has more control over the production processes and the quality of the clothes.

The most commonly used material in the collection is of course hemp. Hemp is a sustainable plant because growing it requires little irrigation water or chemical pesticides. The plant is resistant to different climates and can therefore be grown in many places. No chemicals are needed during the textile production process either because the processing is mainly mechanical. At HempAge, part of the process is even done by hand, saving energy as well. Discover the COSH! Blog about the pros and cons of hemp textiles.

To give the clothes a softer touch, HempAge combines the hemp withorganic cotton. Thanks to the cotton, the textile is less stiff and therefore more pleasant to wear, for example as a T‑shirt. The cotton is always certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This organisation checks the production for use of chemicals and ethical working conditions.

Despite hemp needing very few chemicals, chemicals are still sometimes used. Therefore, hemp can also obtain a GOTS certificate. HempAge deliberately chooses not to do so, as the brand believes the expensive certification process is unnecessary within hemp production. The brand works with very small-scale Chinese hemp growers for whom it is prohibitively expensive to get each certified. Apart from that, the brand believes that large-scale, organic, hemp production has a bad ecological impact in other aspects. To ensure the hemp is grown without chemical pesticides, HempAge visits farmers several times a year.

Finally, all other supplies for finishing the clothes are certified by OEKO-Tex Standard 100, which means that the zips, yarns, buttons, etc. do not contain harmful chemicals and are therefore safe for skin contact.

Hempage is a circular brand because only natural materials are used in its clothes. Because the brand uses organic cotton, wool and hemp without chemicals, the clothes are easily recyclable and even biodegradable. However, haberdashery such as zips or buttons must be taken into account.

Unfortunately, HempAge does not have a short supply chain. Because the German brand works with Indian and Chinese producers, the clothes travel a long distance to be sold in Europe.

HempAge does ensure that all contact with its production partners is direct and not through intermediaries. This way, the brand keeps more control over the production process and the quality of the clothes.

Much of the collection is vegan. The clothes are made of plant-based materials that are grown sustainably.

Yet there are also several garments that are partly made of wool. Especially in the winter collection, HempAge uses merino wool to make warm and soft garments. To take care of animal welfare, the clothing brand only uses mulesing-free wool. Mulesing is an animal-unfriendly practice in which skin from the sheep is cut away (often unanaesthetised) to prevent parasite infections.

HempAge makes timeless clothing and basics for men and women. Besides a winter and summer collection, the brand also has a range of yoga clothing. Ideal for exercising in a sustainable work-out outfit!

The German brand designs according to slow-fashion principles. The brand releases only 2 collections a year, of which several designs remain year-round. This way, HempAge ensures that their production partners have time to produce the clothes.

Due to its certification by the Fair Wear Foundation, the brand scores well on transparency, although they don’t share the names of their production partners. To improve their transparency, the brand also works with a transparency tool to provide their clothing labels with all production information.