Yellow 108 Salvaged & Recycled Materials

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    At Yellow 108, our mission is to create headwear and accessories using materials that not only look and feel great, but are also sustainable. From cultivation to production, we have strived to leave as small of a foot print as possible. One of the most energy consuming and polluting parts of production is processing the raw materials into usable textiles. At Yellow 108 we pride our selves on using only salvaged or recycled textiles, which means if we didn't use these beautiful textiles to make our fantastic headwear, the fabrics would be on their way to a landfill, and that's "upcycling" in action. The majority of the materials we use are sustainable in their own right. The staples being hemp, organic cotton. and recycled plastic bottles.

   Hemp is the world's strongest natural fiber. It is ecologically superior to other harvested materials, such as conventionally grown cotton, due to only needing 1/4 the land and 1/2 the water. Being naturally resistant to insects, little to no pesticides are needed, where as conventional cotton uses 50% of all pesticides. As far as the advantages to using hemp as fiber, historically its been utilized for its strength and durability. With every wash it gets softer, but doesn't degrade or loose any of its strength. There is a saying; "Hemp doesn't wear out, it wears in." Adding to that, hemp is also UV resistant, anti-microbial, anti-mildew, and readily takes to natural plant placed dyes. Hemp is unfortunately not able to be grown or processed in the US due to federal laws, but for a brief period during WW2 the government actually encouraged hemp production. Check out this nostalgic propaganda film showcasing its cultivation and production in the USA. "Hemp For Victory!" 

                                                     


    For all those who ask, "Could you get a "buzz" off it." Here is a fun fact, Industrial hemp contains less than 1% of THC the psychoactive component of marijuana.  Trying to get high on industrial hemp is like trying to get drunk on non alcohol beer.

    The second most widely used material in our salvaged textiles is organic cotton, which is far more eco friendly than conventionally grown cotton. Some 50% of the pesticides used in the world are used solely on conventionally grown cotton and since the pesticides are so damaging, excessive amounts of water are needed to flush the contaminants from the soil. Where as Organic cotton uses no harmful pesticides and far less water is needed. See the diagram for a comparison that shows the advantages of organic cotton over conventionally grown cotton.



    Last, but not least the third most used material of our sustainable staples are recycled plastic bottles (RPET). The bottles are turned into a fiber thats blended with hemp into a textile that wicks away water, making it great for active headwear. Some of our bike hats incorporate this awesome technology. This means that the plastic bottles are saved from being trashed and new virgin plastic doesn't have to be created out of crude oil. 

    Now go out and wear your Yellow 108 hat with pride knowing what materials went in to making it!


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