Hemp is an environmentally friendly diaper choice. Hemp is a fibrous material from the cannabis plant (and no you can't get high from it and yes it is legal in Canada and the US). It grows very quickly so it is considered renewable. To make fabric from hemp it is mechanically processed (as opposed to chemically processed like bamboo), and generally blended with cotton. Being a natural fabric it has a washability of 10/10. A simple straight forward wash routine will get your hemp fabrics clean wash after wash. Hemp is hypo-allergenic and antimicrobial (bamboo is not and can be fined for making claims that it is). In my fabric reference page you will find several types of hemp fabrics (listed with their cotton counter parts). Hemp Terry, French terry, BKT and hemp fleece are the main hemp diaper choices.
Hemp is more expensive then cotton, it is also 2-3 times more absorbent. So although you would spend more buying the fabric, you would use less layers so price wise it should come out about the same (unless making flats).
Preparing to sew with hemp fabric:
First you need to prewash for shrinkage before sewing. After sewing you will need to prep by washing several times (5 minimum) to get out the natural oils.
Using hemp in your diapers:
You can use hemp for any absorbent part of your diaper. Being a natural fabric you can use it for the entire absorbent part if you like although bkt would be very thick. You could make a very trim and absorbent diaper with hemp. If you wanted a very eco friendly organic diaper pair hemp with wool and raw silk.
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