Can Responsible Hemp Be a Practical Alternative to Organic?

As fashion brands look to transition toward low-impact and regenerative materials, hemp has emerged as a frontrunner, offering durability, carbon sequestration, and a natural alternative to resource-intensive fibers. For many sourcing and sustainability teams, the instinct is to look for certified organic hemp. However, on closer inspection, that path comes with more limitations than most realize.

The Challenge With Organic Hemp

Organic certification plays a critical role in many agricultural systems. It prohibits synthetic inputs, promotes soil health, and aligns with the values many brands share. However, when it comes to hemp—especially hemp grown for fiber—organic certification presents some practical hurdles:

• Limited global acreage: Certified organic hemp is scarce, particularly in the fiber category. Most organic acreage is allocated to high-value crops like cotton, which can command premiums.

• Difficult farm transitions: Transitioning land to organic certification is a multi-year process that requires the entire farm to comply, not just the hemp field. That’s a big ask for many growers.

• Built for food, not fiber: Most organic systems are structured around food crops, with less relevance or traceability built into textile supply chains.

• High costs, niche availability: Where organic fiber hemp exists, it's often prohibitively expensive and available only in small, boutique volumes.

The result: sourcing certified organic hemp at scale for fashion applications is currently more aspiration than reality.

A Scalable, Verifiable Alternative: The Responsible Hemp Standard (RHS)

That’s where the Responsible Hemp Standard (RHS) comes in. Developed by INCCert, RHS is the first global chain-of-custody certification designed specifically for industrial hemp. It fills the gap between the sustainability ambitions of apparel brands and the realities of agricultural production.

RHS aligns with many of the core values of organic, including soil protection, synthetic input restrictions, and responsible land use, but doesn’t require farms to overhaul their entire operations. Instead, it allows for crop-specific certification and focuses on what brands and regulators care about most:

• No highly hazardous pesticides or banned chemicals

• Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP)

• Responsible labor and social compliance

• No toxic chemical use in processing

• Verified chain of custody from seed to finished fiber

RHS is third-party audited, traceable across the supply chain, and recognized as a strong complement to organic or regenerative efforts, especially in systems where organic isn’t viable.

Why It Matters

For brands striving to meet Climate+ goals, shift toward sustainable natural fibers beyond organic cotton, or embrace circularity, RHS offers a realistic way to bring hemp into the mix, without the sourcing roadblocks of organic.

Because Responsible Hemp isn’t a compromise. It’s the path forward.