By Lars Lützhøft, CEO, Hemp Copenhagen Co.
For years hotels, even luxury hotels, have encouraged their guests to use their towels more than once. So, guests put their towels back on the rack or drop them on the floor for replacement.
This is in order to reduce negative impact on our environment, to act more sustainably, of course. On the other hand, if you look at what concerns consumers most about their towels is: “Why do my towels smell ?”
Towels smell because they are made of cotton. Because cotton is not antibacterial, at all. Cotton towels tend to smell if they are not washed almost immediately after use. Not the case with hemp towels, who are antibacterial by nature.
The natural antibacterial properties of hemp (and cotton’s lack thereof) are scientifically verified and proven in practice. The hemp plant repels bugs and most fungi in the field. A hemp towel does the same in the bathroom.
Really? Yes. The undersigned and many others experience that their hemp towels never smell bad in the bathroom. We have also experienced wet and dirty golf towels, forgotten in the bag for days or weeks, coming out smelling like a meadow. Really.
– With hemp textiles you actually can ask your guests to use their towels more than once, without compromising on their feeling of luxury or comfort.
What is the snag?
Hemp textile cost more. Not because it requires more natural resources, like land and water. On the contrary. Hemp uses only 1/3 of land per kg fibre and needs no irrigation, making it the most sustainable textile on the planet. The bug-repellant plant needs no pesticides or herbicides to grow efficiently, so hemp is "always" organic... Hemp costs more because a great amount of manual labour is required to produce this magical textile. The extra manpower is mainly for “retting”. That is, the 2-4 meter stalks are soaked in water for 3-6 weeks so the fibres can be freed from the bark. Retting and difficult harvesting make hemp costly.
On the other hand, the meter-long hemp fibres are typically cut to 8 cm for spinning. Egyptian Extra Long Stable Cotton fibres are max 4 cm long. One reason why hemp textile lasts 3 times longer – and ages with grace.
The need for hotels and other businesses to improve on sustainability will not go away, but guests may. Less so, for hotels that can offer better, sustainable services. Like supplying super-sustainable luxury towels and bed linens their guests happily will use more than once.
Hemp Copenhagen Terry Towel Natural White. See collection for Hospitality.
With hemp towels and linens guests will experience a clean feeling and a clean, clear conscience. We call it pure luxury with a pure conscience. What are you waiting for?