Helped by an EU-funded initiative, stakeholders in France are working to strengthen the hemp textiles supply chain, engaging farmers, processors, and textile producers from north to south in a regionally grounded but internationally networked revival.
The project is part of Hemp4Circularity, an EU-wide three-year program launched in March 2023 that aims to advance circular, competitive, and scalable hemp textile value chains—from field to fabric—through collaborative pilot experiments in cultivation, harvesting, scutching, spinning, weaving, and recycling.
From seed to yarn
The French initiative is bringing together a broad coalition of private companies and public institutions. Farmers in Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Anjou and the South-West are reintroducing hemp into their rotations with the technical and agronomic support of GNIS, a national seed specialist; Terres Inovia, France’s public agricultural research institute; and Interchanvre, the country’s main industry association for industrial hemp.
“France has all the assets to become a European leader in hemp textiles: strong agronomic heritage, restored industrial expertise and committed stakeholders across the value chain,” Safilin, a yarn producer that is part of the initiative, said in a press release.
The company, a spinner headquartered in northern France that dates to 1778, operates factories in Béthune, France, and in Szczytno and Miłakowo, Poland. It said its aim is rebuild French hemp spinning capacity needed to scale fiber production for apparel and home furnishings. Safilin said the industry needs investment incentives, scientific research, training programs and, “above all, trust from brands and consumers.”
“With sustained effort, the hemp textile sector will be able to offer luxurious, technical and truly sustainable products,” the company said.
Centuries of expertise
The revival of hemp textiles in France, to a large degree, is being driven by legacy companies that are leveraging centuries of technical expertise while embracing modern sustainability imperatives. Processing in the French initiative is led by companies such as La Chanvrière, a long-established scutcher developing modern lines to optimize fiber finesse, length and uniformity, all of which are essential for consistent, high-end textile applications.
Downstream, textile producers are actively transforming spun hemp into finished fabrics:
- Tissage de France develops woven hemp fabrics for apparel and interior use.
- Tissages d’Autan combines artisanal techniques with technical innovation.
- Lemaitre Demeestere, founded in 1835, is focused on luxury hemp-based textiles.
- Lepère Oursport specializes in knitted hemp fabrics for various uses.
Hemp4Circularity also funds knowledge-sharing activities, training, and field visits, and is designed to benefit local farmers, processors, textile brands, and sustainability-focused consumers. It is emerging as a model for EU-backed, locally rooted industrial revival, built around natural materials and circular systems.
Massif Central project
In parallel to national efforts, stakeholders in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France are also exploring hemp’s potential as a raw material for locally produced textiles. Under the leadership of Aura Chanvre, a Lyon-based association dedicated to hemp industry revival, 11 farms in the Roannais and Forez areas planted 18 hectares of trial fields this season.
The Aura Chanvre-led initiative is designed to assess the feasibility of creating a regional textile fiber chain rooted in the Massif Central, where traditional agriculture dominates. Fabric makers Linder and Tissages de Charlieu have expressed early interest in sourcing hemp fiber from the project, which is backed by local governments and expected to continue in trial phase for up to five years.