Elevating Hemp Apparel through Certification and Traceability
Hemp is a natural fiber that can revolutionize the textile supply chain as a climate-smart material. The Responsible Hemp Standard (“RHS”) certification program spans the entire hemp textile supply chain, from farm to finished garment, ensuring the highest sustainability and ethical standards in cultivation, processing, and manufacturing.
RHS empowers apparel brands to demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing, allowing them to provide full transparency regarding the origin and sustainability of the hemp fabric used in their products. Further, RHS aims to improve and harmonize global hemp fiber production and manufacturing quality standards.
Additionally, RHS-certified raw materials can be tracked and traced through an immutable SaaS platform.
Cultivation Excellence: RHS ensures the use of sustainable, low-carbon, and minimal pesticide cultivation methods to produce high-quality hemp fiber and fabric.
Processing Integrity: RHS ensures that processing and manufacturing meet strict quality control measures, maintaining consistency and safety throughout production.
Distribution and Supply Chain Traceability: RHS focuses on transparency and traceability throughout the distribution and supply chain, allowing consumers to access accurate information about product origins and quality.
Ethical Labor Practices: RHS upholds fair labor practices, promoting worker welfare and social responsibility across the hemp fabric supply chain.
Environmental Stewardship: RHS encourages sustainable practices across the hemp fabric supply chain, reducing the industry's carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Product Safety and Quality Assurance: RHS implements strict testing and quality assurance measures to ensure that hemp textile products meet the highest quality and safety standards.
Legal Compliance: RHS ensures compliance with local and international laws and regulations, maintaining ethical boundaries in the industry.
Consumer Education: RHS educates consumers about hemp textile products, including their benefits, risks, and proper usage, promoting responsible consumption.
SaaS Track and Trace Platform: Through its partnership with Bext360, RHS can utilize a state-of-the-art SaaS platform to enable comprehensive traceability, monitor the movement of hemp raw materials throughout the supply chain, enhance transparency, and capture carbon footprint data.
Continuous Improvement: RHS encourages participants to continually improve their practices, fostering ongoing advancements in quality, sustainability, and ethical labor standards within the hemp fabric supply chain
Pillars of RHS
From Farm to Finished Garment
Why Hemp?
Here are a few reasons to consider choosing hemp as a natural fiber alternative for apparel manufacturing:
Protects skin by naturally filtering UV light
Natural moisture-wicking properties
Does not retain body odor
Four times the strength of cotton
Superior dye retention
Will not stretch out of shape
Soft on the skin
Wears in, not out
Will not shrink if washed with cold water
Natural antibacterial characteristics
Resistant to mildew and mold
Requires less water and fewer pesticides to grow than cotton
Sequesters CO2 in the soil and its biomass as it grows
The RHS program allows brands to demonstrate their commitment to responsible fiber sourcing by having a clear supply chain and sourcing policy. Develop internal policies that prioritize and support organic, preferred, or regenerative farming practices that avoid the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers for hemp production.
The RHS program allows brands to foster long-term relationships with farmers, investing in organic and regenerative agriculture projects developed in partnership with them to support responsible farming practices and fair prices.
The RHS program ensures a reliable system and identification process to verify sustainability claims and ensure traceability in sourcing hemp and other raw materials through to finished garments.
The RHS program allows for the continued development of environmental and social due diligence systems. Monitoring potential and actual impacts within fiber and material supply chains and supporting remediation where brands have caused or contributed to negative impacts.
What RHS Ensures for Apparel Brands
Take the First Step Toward RHS Certification
