Natural Fiber Production Slips in 2025: Why Traceability and Certification Are More Critical Than Ever
The Discover Natural Fibres Initiative (DNFI) has released its August 2025 World Natural Fibre Update, revealing a significant downward revision in projected global natural fibre production. Production is now expected to reach 32.1 million tonnes in 2025—a decrease of 700,000 tonnes from 2024 and 600,000 tonnes lower than prior estimates in July.
With demand for sustainable materials growing, not only does this decline represent a supply constraint, but it also underscores the urgent need for traceable, certified hemp supply chains to bolster resilience and credibility in the industry.
What’s Behind the DNFI Numbers?
DNFI’s data highlights several key points:
Broad-based declines: Significant drops across abaca, cotton, and jute outputs were reported. For instance, cotton production projections fell by 400,000 tonnes, while jute was lowered by 200,000 tonnes compared to July estimates.
Other fibres hold steady: Wool and coir are estimated at around 1 million tonnes each, with all other natural fibres combined at another 2 million tonnes.
Weather variability, climatic shifts, and geopolitical factors—including regional harvest timings—are influencing these projections.
Rising Risks Amid Falling Volumes
This downward revision introduces several risk factors for brands and traders:
Supply chain vulnerability: Lower global supply reduces source consistency and increases price volatility.
Transparency challenges: With shrinking volumes and fragmented data, distinguishing verified hemp fibre becomes even more critical.
Strategic sustainability gaps: As natural fibre availability constricts, claims of responsible sourcing can be easily undermined without independent verification.
The Responsible Hemp Standard Solution
As these projections illustrate, the natural fibre landscape is changing—raising the stakes for traceability and integrity. The Responsible Hemp Standard (RHS) addresses these needs by delivering three key advantages:
Traceability — rigorous documentation from seed to fabric ensures transparent supply chains even amid supply fluctuations.
Certified hemp fibre — transaction certificates and third-party audits validate claims with trusted verification.
Resilience & credibility — RHS enables brands to manage risk, secure supply, and confidently support sustainability narratives.
Why Now Is the Time to Act
In a moment where global natural fibre volumes are contracting, strengthening traceability and certification is not just a best practice—it’s essential. Brands that adopt RHS now can:
Guard against supply risk and volatility
Build and maintain consumer trust through verified claims
Navigate emissions reporting and due diligence with confidence
The DNFI’s August 2025 Update serves as an important signal: even natural fibres are subject to supply instability. In such a climate, verified traceability and certified sourcing become cornerstone strategies for business resilience and brand integrity.
Together, RHS raises the standard—not just for sustainable hemp, but for responsible hemp that can be seen, verified, and trusted.
Learn more about how RHS builds transparency into hemp supply chains