Fashion for Good's Beyond50 Denim project combines SEFF’s Nano-Pulse cottonised hemp fibres with FIBRE52’s proprietary green chemistry formulations to address key barriers that have limited hemp adoption in denim.
Typically, hemp content in denim does not exceed 20% due to challenges in meeting consumer demands on softness and aesthetics. Beyond50 Denim aims to demonstrate that hemp content can reach 50% or more without compromising on quality.
“Our goal at Reformation is to help drive the kind of innovative solutions that have the potential to transform fashion,” said Carrie Freiman Parry, senior director of sustainability at Reformation. “Beyond50 Denim is a chance to really put promising solutions like hemp and green chemistry to the test: to learn, validate, and hopefully help open the door for a more sustainable future for denim.”
The project will also involve manufacturers Bossa (Türkiye) and Nice Denim (Bangladesh). According to Fashion for Good managing director Katrin Ley, hemp’s limited adoption highlights how entrenched industry practices can prevent transformative innovations from scaling.
“By strategically combining breakthrough fibre technology with green chemistry, the project shows how different innovations can work together to tackle long-standing challenges in the denim industry,” she said.
The global denim market is projected to surpass $115bn by 2029, yet much of its growth is said to be tied to conventionally grown cotton, a resource-intensive crop associated with heavy water use and pesticide reliance. Hemp offers a more climate-resilient alternative, requiring fewer inputs and improving soil health, but its integration into mainstream denim remains low.
Through Beyond50 Denim, Fashion for Good, and its partners aim to prove hemp can meet or surpass cotton’s performance and aesthetic benchmarks, while reducing the fibre’s environmental impact and expanding sustainable fibre options for the denim industry.
