Just stopped cotton

Just Stop Oil T-shirts now made with organic hemp after pressure from tabloid media

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Published: June 1, 2025
This Article was written by: Katie Hill - My Green Pod
activism, activists, art, celebrity, cotton, design, fashion, textiles

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Find out why THTC ethical T-shirt is a My Green Pod Hero.

Main image: Benjamin Zephaniah in THTC’s Bling Reaper design

Direct action group Just Stop Oil has immediately ended all sales of new cotton campaign T-shirts and has partnered with My Green Pod Hero The Hemp Trading Company (THTC) to produce organic hemp T-shirts instead.

THTC is Europe’s longest-running hemp streetwear label. It has been producing sustainable grown organic hemp clothing since 1999, and is currently ranked the UK’s joint most ethical clothing company by Ethical Consumer.

Addressing hypocrisy

Profits from the sales of these designs go towards supporting those facing government repression in the courts and prisons after taking action with Just Stop Oil.

THTC is also pledging 25% of proceeds from several of its own range of hemp T-shirts from its charity range to Just Stop Oil, including The Reapest and Bling Reaper.

The T-shirts are made from a fine blend of 55% organic hemp and 45% organic cotton, in a 180 gram weight.

‘We’ve been accused of hypocrisy in the past by billionaire-controlled mouthpieces in the media and government for selling T-shirts made of cotton. The real hypocrisy is from those pretending to be ‘free speech warriors’ while calling for those that disagree with our government to be thrown in jail. Having said that, we need wholesale changes to avoid catastrophic societal breakdown. If hemp T-shirts can make a difference, then great. Just don’t try and smoke them – it doesn’t work. We’ve tried.’

Just Stop Oil spokesperson

Why switch from cotton?

A conventional cotton T-shirt requires around 2,500 litres of fresh water to be produced, whereas hemp can be grown with a fraction of the water of cotton, and without the use of pesticides.

With thousands of byproducts, hemp is widely regarded as the world’s most environmentally beneficial crop. It grows quickly, maturing in three to four months, and absorbs toxins from the soil while improving soil structure

Hemp absorbs more carbon per hectare than most crops or trees, and every part of the plant can be used.

It’s a wonder crop that has been used by brands including Levi, Giorgio Armani, The Body Shop, Audi, BMW, Audi, Wholefoods and Nutiva.

‘The biggest threat to life on Earth is the continued use of fossil fuels. We founded THTC to encourage people to buy less synthetic fashion. We must embrace sustainable hemp as an alternative to synthetic, petroleum-based fabrics which make up around 70% of global textile production. These products are very energy intensive with a massive carbon footprint – they take hundreds of years to break down and release microplastics into the water supply. It is a huge pleasure to be working with Just Stop Oil to provide them with the most sustainable possible fabrics for their merchandise.’

GAV LAWSON
THTC founder

Artists & activists in THTC

In the last quarter of a decade, THTC’s clothing has been worn and supported by hundreds of musicians, actors, artists and activists, from actors Woody Harrelson, Danny Dyer, Hugh Grant, Jason Flemyng, Benjamin Zephaniah and Ed Skrein to rappers Method Man, Redman, The Foreign Beggars and Lowkey, not to mention a wide array of reggae and drum & bass artists.

THTC has produced ethically built merchandise ranges for over 100 bands, labels, businesses and NGOs from Asian Dub Foundation, Boomtown, UB40 and Morcheeba to The QPR Trust, World Land Trust, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), The Angola 3, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Refugee Community Kitchen.

The brand came runner-up in the first ever Observer Ethical Awards in 2006, and THTC founder Gav Lawson won a P.E.A. (People and Environment) Award in 2012.