Blended hemp yarn processed on standard cotton equipment

NAT: Success enables mass production of hemp textiles

Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. (NAT) spun hemp yarn and knitted fabric on conventional cotton equipment with no modifications at North Carolina State University using CRAILAR Organic Fibers technology. The trials were sponsored by Hanesbrands Inc.

Tim Pleasants, Spun Yarn Lab Manager, NC State University, said, “We successfully carded and spun a blended CRAILAR yarn on our cotton ring spinning system. The resulting 20/1 Ne1 ring spun yarn was knitted into a 5-ounces per square yard jersey fabric. This is the first time in my 23-year yarn spinning career that I have seen hemp processed on conventional cotton spinning equipment.”

“CRAILAR’s success on the cotton system elevates hemp fiber from a niche market to the mainstream cotton market through the traditional supply chain, which enables mass production,” stated Ken Barker, CEO of NAT. “CRAILAR employs a simple, efficient 100% organic, enzyme bath and scales easily to leverage the global industrial hemp industry. In addition, CRAILAR Organic Fiber will be cost-comparable to organic cotton. Therefore, CRAILAR enables the transformation of hemp into a better sustainable alternative to organic cotton. “

About Naturally Advanced Technologies, Inc.
Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. is committed to unlocking the potential of renewable and environmentally sustainable biomass resources from hemp and other bast fibers. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Crailar Fiber Technologies Inc., is developing proprietary technologies for production of bast fibers, cellulose pulp, and their resulting by-products, in collaboration with Canada’s National Research Council and the Alberta Research Council. CRAILAR technology offers processing and production of natural, bast fibers such as hemp and flax. The Company is also a provider of fibers and fabrics through its apparel division HTnaturals.

1Ne (English cotton yarn number) = Number of 840-yard strands per 1 English pound of mass.

Source

Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. (NAT), press release, 2008-11-17.

Supplier

Hanesbrands Inc.
Naturally Advanced Technologies, Inc. (NAT)
North Carolina State University, College of Textiles (COT)

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