IOrganic cotton is generally understood as cotton, from non genetically modified plants, that is certified to be grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides.[1] Its production also promotes and enhances biodiversity and biological cycles.[2] In the United States cotton plantations must also meet the requirements enforced by the National Organic Program (NOP), from the USDA, in order to be considered organic. This institution determines the allowed practices for pest control, growing, fertilizing, and handling of organic crops.[3][4] As of 2007, 265,517 bales of organic cotton were produced in 24 countries and worldwide production was growing at a rate of more than 50% per year.[5]

Up

The history of hemp cultivation in Italy 
The cultivation of hemp for textile use has a long tradition in Italy. Hemp has been used since ancient times for resistant materials and rope and its use was closely linked to the expansion of the maritime republics that used it widely for the ropes and sails of their war fleets. The tradition of using it to make cloth for household use is very old. The hemp tablecloths in Romagna, decorated with copperplate stencils in two classic colours, rust and green, are handcrafted objects still produced today.  
It is estimated that in 1910 in Emilia-Romagna alone, there were 45,000 hectares of terrain on which hemp was cultivated, particularly in Ferrarese, while the overall figure for the whole of Italy brought the total to 80,000 hectares.
The industry of processing hemp into yarn and then fabric also has an ancient origin. In 1876, the Linificio e Canipificio Nazionale was already a stock-listed company, one of the oldest and most long-lived.
Cultivation met with crisis due to competition and among the less noble uses was the production of sacks, jute and subsequently cotton and synthetic fibres.
In 1975, when the ban on cultivation of Indian hemp, Cannabis indica, was tightened and at the same time strict regulations were put in place on hemp textiles, the sector was completely abandoned. Concurrent causes of this were the growing cost of labour, ecological problems arising from the heavy environmental impact of the pressing plants.
The morphological similarity between the two species of cannabis is an objective difficulty, given the tightening of drug regulations, despite the extreme difference in content of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the mind-altering ingredient.
There is now the possibility that things may change due to the increased sensitivity toward non-food agricultural production, improved production processes and, particularly, the adoption of European Union regulations. With an evident contradiction, these regulations, with the EEC regulation no. 1164 of 1989 foresaw a community contribution of 1,300,000 lire per hectare. In the same year the 9 October 1990 DPR law no.309 was passed in Italy citing the "consolidated laws governing drugs" which mentioned the prohibition of cannabis indica cultivation but said nothing about cannabis sativa. The current interpretation was indeed of an extension of the ban.
The subsequent EC Regulations 1672/2000 e 1673/2000 ribadivano le sovvenzioni comunitarie e le autorità italiane si dovettero adeguare alle regole europee. 1672/2000 and 1673/2000 reiterated that community subsidies and the Italian authorities had to comply with European rules. From here, the first modest attempts to reintroduce the crop began: 290 hectares in 2002, 857 hectares in 2003, 1000 hectares in 2004 with locations in Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Tuscany.
Agronomic features
Hemp prefers temperate climates, although it can survive in various climates. It is sown thick to grow the bast, which when pressed and combed gives the textile fibre, with a production of very tall stalks, as much as 4 metres tall, from the seedlings, and shorter, squatter plants, which besides being used for sowing, can also be used to produce oil which is particularly popular for use in cosmetics and reaches commercial prices comparable with those for extra virgin olive oil.
Regulations on textile labelling
In Italy the matter is governed by Legislative Decree 22 May 1999, No. 194, "Implementation of Directive 96/74/CE on textile names":

• hemp fibre from the hemp bast (Cannabis sativa) Symbol CA

Bibliography

• La canapa: una cultura seminnovativa per l'agricoltura italiana in Spazio Rurale, August/Spetember 2006
• David Celetti Canapa e potenza navale. L'approvvigionamento dell'Arsenale di Venezia
• David Celetti, La canapa nella Repubblica Veneta. Produzione nazionale e importazioni in età moderna, Venezia, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed. Arti, 2007, p. 345.

• David Celetti, Filati di canapa: attuali sviluppi di una tradizione antica. Il caso Stylfil Spa, in Annali di storia dell'impresa ASSI, vol. 19, Marsilio Editore, Venezia 2007, pp. 229-292.
• David Celetti, Produzione, trasformazione e commercio della canapa nelle province venete in età contemporanea, «Archivio Veneto», 170 (2008), pp. 91-124.

Up

Linen is a textile made from composite fibres derived from the bast of Linum usitatissimum (flax), composed of approximately 70% cellulose.
Like all bast fibres, flax elementary fibres have an average length which ranges from 20 to 30 mm, and its width is approximately 20 to 30 micrometers; the fibre has a polygonal cross-section.
The number of fibres in the bark of a single plant can vary from 20 to 50.
The fibre has a shiny appearance and is cold and slippery to the touch. In humid conditions, this fibre absorbs moisture, swelling slightly; being composed primarily of cellulose, when burned it produces ash.
The flax fibres are contained in the inner stalk. To obtain it, the dried stalks are left to soak for a few days in tanks of water or, using a quicker method, processed using water vapour or special bacteria: the substances that bind the fibres together are decomposed and dissolved thereby releasing the fibres. The stems are dried and then subjected to scutching, or crushing between metal rollers, operated by hand or by machine, which crush and grind the woody part. The next step is heckling, which involves combing out the broken pieces of wood and separating the wood fibres to separate the long fibres from short, broken fibres, which are called tow. Linen is classified according to the fineness of the fibres. Flax fabrics are used for the manufacture of household linen (tablecloths, sheets, towels) and for both male and female summer clothing. As it is a rigid fibre, clothes assume a wrinkled appearance, the main feature that distinguishes products.
In addition to textiles, flax tow is used to create rope and twine and for the production of paper.
Linen fabrics are used in cross-stitch and other types of embroidery. FlaxFlaFlax can be mixed with cotton fibres, which give the fabric greater durability and a more regular weave pattern.

Up

Ramie is a vegetable fibre that has been used for thousands of years in the Far East.
It is aÈ una fibra bianca, fine e lucente. white, fine, glossy fibre. The Chinese used it long before cotton was introduced in the east. In the last decades of the twentieth century it was widely used in the West, especially mixed with cotton; its limited diffusion in the West is mainly due to manufacturing costs, particularly the cost of the laborious extraction of the fibres.
The world's largest producers are China, Taiwan, Korea, Brazil and the Philippines.
It is obtained from the stems of two plant species of the Urticaceae family: Boehmeria nivea (or white ramie) and Boehmeria utilis (or green ramie).   
Fabric features
The textile fibre is very long, about 120 mm, with an average diameter of 50 micrometres. It is soft, shiny, uniform, and elastic and is resistant to twisting. The coarse fibres have a whitish gray or greenish white colour; the refined fibres are silky white. Ramie contains about 60% cellulose, the rest is made up of rubber and resinous substances; after de-gumming treatment, the cellulose content can reach up to 95%.
The advantages of ramie:

• resists attack by worms, bacteria and mould
• highly absorbent
• easy stain-removal
• resists very high temperatures
• does not shrink
• easy to whiten

The disadvantages of ramie:

• not very elastic
• low resistance to abrasion
• easily wrinkled
• rigid and fragile

Ramie’s usesUtilizzo della ramiaRamie
The fibre is usually mixed with other natural or synthetic fibres (especially cotton, hemp, wool, silk, viscose) to give greater strength and lustre to fabrics. It is mainly used for tablecloths, handkerchiefs and napkins, but is also used for ties and summer clothing. It is also used for fishing nets and straw hats.
Lavaggio e manutenzioneCleaning and maintenance
Ramie fabrics (or mixed ramie fabrics) can be washed or dry-cleaned. Ramie cloth can be easily whitened with bleach or chlorine and withstands ironing at temperatures above 100°C.