The Hemp Trading Co. (THTC Clothing Ltd) have announced they will not continue to produce clothing for the public in 2020, citing that the ethical nature of the company means that they should not be operating in a consumerist market.
Despite being awarded ‘Most outstanding eco brand of 2020’ in the SME News Business Elite Awards and the Ethical Consumer ‘Best Buy’ tag, they say that they are currently operating in an industry that by its nature promotes immoral labour practices and unsustainable techniques. They feel it would be hypocritical to continue their operation of trading in public sale clothing.
The decision seems to be in tandem with the launch of the ‘New Fashion Boycott’ movement by Extinction Rebellion, which aims to encourage the fashion industry to look at its production practices.
The THTC team stated, “We spent a long time trying to figure out how THTC could support that campaign” and “When it came down to it, our decades utilising hemp and organic materials, combined with our buying practices has meant that we’ve been better than most. But the fact remains that we can’t consume our way out of the climate crisis.”
Consequently, after 20 years of being at the forefront of the alternative clothing industry, the company is to move to “into private label hemp products for bands, charities and the cannabis industry” citing that, “without external funding, trying to run an ethical business in one of the world’s least ethical industries has proven to be too much of a challenge.”
