Can hemp truly be seen as an environmental hero?

At Gecco Interiors, we have always carried a range of beautiful, soft and vibrant hemp fabrics that worked equally well for curtains as domestic upholstery – Hardy Organic Hemp. Recently we launched our 2^nd hemp fabric range, this time a textured, hard wearing yet gorgeous upholstery fabric mixed with wool – Hemp Plus. We thought it was time to examine the wonderful properties of this amazing plant for it is slowly becoming known as an environmental hero.

History

The first recorded piece of canvas is made of hemp fibres from 8000BC and it survives to this day! The Chinese created paper using hemp over 2000 years ago. During the great days of discovery almost all ships set sail using hemp ropes and sails. Pioneers crossed the newly found American frontier beneath wagons covered in hemp canvas sheets. Hemp seed was a mainstay in bread making in this country before wheat came along. It seems that hemp has always been a supercrop and yet it has been left behind with the advent of the industrial revolution and the introduction of foreign crops and fossil fuels, but all that may be changing.

Global Warming

As scientists and researchers look into new products to help tackle climate change, hemp, one of our oldest recorded crops, is taking centre stage. Here are a few key facts about this amazing crop

Pesticides & Pollution – Hemp can grow anywhere and needs much less pesticide control than other crops especially when compared with cotton which uses 25% of the world’s pesticides every year! Even more incredible is that hemp actually draws up toxins from the earth, almost cleaning it through a process called phytomerediation (1^st-ecofriendlyplanet.com)

Erosion – due to the long roots of the hemp plant, soil suffers less erosion when a hemp crop is grown

Carbon Emissions – according to a recent report for LBJ, an acre of hemp has been recorded to remove up to 10times the amount of C02 from the atmosphere as an acre of trees.

High Yield – the same acre of hemp can produce fibres to make four times the amount of paper that the acre of trees can produce. One hectare of hemp can produce 1 tonne of fibre which in turn can create 5,400metres of hemp fabric.

Fast Growing – Hemp is one of the fastest growing crops on Earth reaching 3 metres in just 120 days, making it much more sustainable to farm than trees which can take up to 25years to reach the same height.

Low Irrigation – Hemp does not need anywhere near the amount of water demanded by thirstier crops such as cotton

Clean production – both paper and cotton industries are a huge source of pollution not least of all due to the fact that their fibres must be bleached, traditionally with chlorine. Hemp fibres do not need bleaching which makes for a much cleaner manufacturing process.

Biofuel potential – the hemp seed itself is high is oil content that is easily converted into hemp plastics and bio fuel similar to ethanol, thereby reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. It also releases much less carbon dioxide when burned and almost no sulfur dioxide compared with burning fossil fuel.

It seems that there is no end to the environmental advantages of this supercrop and the industries now using hemp in their own manufacturing grows daily, here are just a few:

Fuel

Plastics

Cosmetics

Construction

Paints

Medicines

Health and Well-being

Paper

And of course……Fabric!

Hardy Organic Hemp is suitable for curtains, blinds and domestic upholstery, comes in 13 vibrant shades and costs £79.00/m

Hemp Plus is suitable for all kinds of upholstery and curtains, comes in 31 gorgeous colours and costs £32.00/m

The applications are endless but the choice is yours!

The debate regarding the best fabric for upholstery goes on and there are many factors to consider. Here are a few useful facts that may help you decide between the two main options Wool or Polyester.

The facts behind Polyester

This man-made fabric has been around since 1950’s and is made from an derivative of oil, here are some key facts

*non-renewable

*made from oil

* non-degradable

* non-absorbent

* prone to diryting

* dulls and flattens over time

* less inherent stretch

* needs toxic FR treatments

* upholstery limitations

Wool on the other hand has been around for millions of years and has many hidden qualities that our ever growing customer base love, such as

* rapidly renewable

* Grown, not man-made

* Totally bio-degradable

* Low energy footprint & Low CO2 impact

* Inherently soil hiding

* Does not attract dust & dirt

* Stretches and recovers

* Breathable

* Insulating

* Inherantly fire retardant

* Low smoke toxicity

* Low flame spread

* Self Extinguishing

Did you also know that the average wool fleece produces up to 4kg of fibre which can in turn make up to 10metres of fabric – enough to cover a large sofa or 15 work chairs.

Did you know that there is now a British Campaign for wool backed by The Prince of Wales, M&S, Harvey Nichols and Paul Smith among others.  Last year Savile Row, London was turfed over and given over to a herd of sheep to launch the Campaign.

For us the decision is clear, polyester is made from oil, oil is a precious commodity and there is no need to waste what is left on seating when we have a perfectly good alternative that actually out performs polyester and will be around long after oil reserves run out.  So, do the right thing and choose wool.

Our newly restored 1930's front door

Standing proud at the entrance to our 1930’s red brick semi we have a stunning original oak door with leaded windows that we love. Only problem is, the door is south facing and the hot sun bakes down on the lower half of the door all day long. Over the years,  past owners have repainted the door using petroleum based paint for exterior wood which has the terrible habit of expanding and contracting in the heat and then eventually cracking and flaking. At the beginning of this project the paint was beginning to peel away from the door and it looked awful.

Enter our green hero Chris Jenkins of Blue Sky Ecological Decor! I knew that painting with linseed oil based paints would prevent this cracking and would also last much longer than petroleum based paints and Chris is an expert in the field, so we chose Holkham Paints who import from Sweden a whole range of eco-friendly outdoor paints.

Front Door Stripped of paint ready for oil

Step 1 was to strip the door and window frame using a heat gun, which is energy intensive but removes the need for nasty chemical paint strippers.

Step 2 Chris sanded and then treated the bare wood with some warm linseed oil

The Front door gets it’s first coat

Step 3 First coat of the linseed oil paint followed by filling any holes or imperfections

Step 4 Coats 2 and 3 of the final linseed oil colour

We are thrilled with the finish and so pleased to know that our wonderful 80 year old door will last another lifetime and we haven’t harmed the planet with nasty chemicals or sent anything to landfill! For any tips on painting with linseed oil  based paints contact our in-house interior designer Angie Kraft

As the weather turns colder and the nights draw in warmer colours are dominating design schemes but in a new streamlined way. Take a clutter free approach with simple lines and pulled back curtains or blinds allowing as much light to flood in, thus reducing the amount of electric light needed.

Bring in the feel of nature with beautiful wood grain- FSC of course! -  and chalky paint, then add the strong colours and textures of warm fabrics and soft furnishings, rugs and cushions for a cosy autumn feel.

For inspiration check out some of the Gecco Interiors range:

Today sees the start of the second annual British Wool Week, backed by The Campaign for Wool and HRH the Prince of Wales. We are all aware of the incredible versatility of wool and its eco-credentials from clothing to bedding to carpets and accessories. Partners up and down the UK are getting involved and you can too with the LoveWool campaign at www.campaignforwool.org Also take a look at some of our incredible woolen upholstery fabrics such as Sting with 25%mix of stinging nettles, 100% wool New Blazer, now with co-ordinated checks and the lates contemporary edition Denim with a cellulose viscose and wool mix.

September is also the Soil Associations organic month celebrating all things organic and you are invited to join in on many different events and activities thorughout the month, or simply to discover organic produce for the first time yourself. Luckily for us, Soil Association do not just cover food, they also certify fabric and we are lucky enough to have a line or two of Soil Association organic bedding. It is wonderfully soft and so stylish you will never want to get out of bed!

If that wasn’t enough for you London’s Design Festival  later in September sees a collection of  interior design trade shows, some such as Origin and Tent are particularly ‘green’.  They are somewhat smaller than many of the other events but they showcase up and coming designers on the cutting edge of sustainable design and are well worth a visit. (For opening times to the public you will need to check out the websites as they are primarily for trade visitors.)

As the leaves begin to turn – and yes I saw my first conker fall from a tree this morning -  and memories of our holidays fade, may we wish you all lots of organic and eco-friendly fun in this ‘Green September’

The wonderful Organic Connections magazine introduced Jeff Hiller, the President of the non-profit coalition and reminded us that the ‘furnishing industry utilizes an enormous amount of wood from our forests as well as materials that off-gas and cause health problems, and substances that eventually find their way into waste dumps and do not biodegrade.’

Hiller explains that the council was founded in 2006 and has grown to a membership of over 400, making it the largest organisation of its kind in residential furnishings. Their primary mission is to provide standards for exemplary performance within the industry whilst also providing education, promotion and networking opportunities for those producers and retailers interested in putting the planet and people on equal footing with profits – otherwise known as the Triple bottom line.

In the beginning, the council set about establishing a basic standard called the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which has been largely adopted and covers areas such as material extraction, transportation, use and final disposition or reuse.

Hiller maintains that “20 years ago there were aesthetic problems with sustainable furniture. The number of options that were available was fairly limited….That’s simply not the case anymore.” Hiller goes on to mention the variety of sustainable products now available to the green consumer including organic textiles, bamboo furniture, linseed oil paints, recycled glass and metal products, bio-hybrid upholstery foams, water-based dyes for fabrics and leather and of course reclaimed timber.

At Gecco Interiors we revel in seeking out and sourcing newly created sustainable products for the home interior. The range of products out there grows more and more diverse and there is simply no reason to furnish our homes with toxic materials with a short life-span when we can protect the planet and have a beautiful home at the same time.

Is it time for a UK based Sustainable Furnishings Council?

Be it vintage designs, retro fabrics or ultra modern prints, Florals are a key part of any interior design scheme. Look around your high street this season to see how florals have captured the heart of we Brits to reflect the beauty and character of the English Spring and Summer. We love the variety of floral design on our summer frocks, bedlinen, table linen and walls.

Here is how to add a floral touch to your room scheme in a sustainable way. To find out more about these products or to check out many more,  simply click on the links to the Gecco Interiors website….

More Floral Wallpapers

Look out for our next Design Trend – the Eco Way ‘White & Wood’

Look out for our next Design Trend – the Eco Way ‘Decorating with Florals’

Walls

Paint

Wallpaper

Tiling

Soft Furnishings    

Disturbing news then, that the EPC is constantly being overlooked. A recent report from Consumer Focus, reported in the Guardian, claims that only 1-5 of the 2,000 house buyers interviewed, were influenced at all by the EPC in their final choice of property. The same survey found however that after price and size, 1in7 people put energy efficiency at the top of their list of priorities when buying a house.

Clearly energy efficiency is important and the running costs of a property are increasing year on year. Could it be then that the EPC itself is failing? Is it simply too difficult to understand? Many landlords complain that they pay out for the reports but tenants never ask to read them. Do any of us realize that the EPC in the particulars is merely a summary and the corresponding 6 page report has much more detail?

Next year, the government’s Green Deal will be added to the EPC report letting buyers know that the property has been substantially improved and should cost far less to heat, but it does carry a ‘Green’ loan. When you take on a property like this you will also be taking on the loan. The concern here is that the improved energy efficiency of a property will be overlooked and buyers will simply be put off by the added cost of the Green loan.

Perhaps it is time to take another look at the certificate itself and find a clearer way to inform a buyer about the running costs of the property and to incentivize the purchase of those houses that will keep us warmer for less.