Made On Earth, For Earth

Hempster — The Backstory

In 2008, two friends decided to bring durable, environmentally friendly hemp bags to market. After a few iterations, they introduced the Hempster blend — a combination of recycled polyester and 100% organic hemp. This long-lasting, eco-friendly material is the basis of all Dime Bags today.

You’ve probably heard “eco-friendly”, but you may be wondering what it really means. “Environmentally friendly” or “eco-friendly” simply means there is no harm being done to the environment. We’re all stewards of our environment, and it’s our duty to protect it, by living and consuming consciously.

Simple steps such as recycling, using reusable water bottles and straws, and even purchasing all-natural, eco-friendly products can help in more ways than you might think. This is why we created these awesome multi-use Hempster bags.

But why hemp? Surprisingly this agricultural plant has been used for years and in many different ways; textiles, paper, medicine (CBD), biodegradable plastics, protein, insulation, clothing, milk, concrete, biofuel, paint, beauty products, and more. That’s a lot of uses out of one plant. What makes hemp so eco-friendly is its biodegrading abilities and its small ecological footprint –– it doesn’t require a ton of land to produce hemp. This is due to its renewable ability — it grows quickly. Actually, hemp is considered “one of the fastest growing plants in the world.”

With hemp textiles we’ve been able to create eco-friendly, durable, reusable, and stylish bags for the last ten years. However, what makes our bags so stylish and soft is our second ingredient, recycled polyester. Why do we use recycled polyester? First, let’s go over what polyester is. Polyester is a common term used in referencing textiles or fabrics; it’s most commonly known as a man-made form of plastic. Today, polyester is being created with recycled plastic water bottles that would’ve otherwise ended up in a landfill. When developed into a fabric, it’s extremely durable, easy to clean (perfect for outdoor use), and resistant to abrasions, many chemicals, stretching, mildew and even shrinking.

Generally speaking, polyester isn’t considered an eco-friendly material, due to its inability to decompose. However, because polyester fabric is used throughout the world and is often thrown out after it’s no longer needed or in style, much of it just sits around. Polyester can (and should) be recycled. That’s where we come in. We take recycled polyester and blend it together with organic hemp, thus creating our signature textile known as Hempster.

Lastly, the interior lining of our bags are 100% cotton. In short, cotton is a plant that is grown for its fiber. Today, cotton fiber is used more than any other fibers in the world, making it the largest supplier of natural fiber. Like hemp, cotton is renewable and biodegradable. One of the main eco-friendly components of cotton is that it requires less amounts of water than most major crops in our country. It can withstand droughts and extreme heat, unlike many other crops.

When you combine our unique Hempster blend (organic hemp + recycled polyester) along with 100% cotton interior, you get Dime Bags: The best eco-friendly lifestyle bags in the world.

Not Just Our Bags

Knowing that we have a kick-ass product that’s stylish, durable, and completely eco-friendly is great news for everyone. However, here at Dime Bags, we take it a few steps further when it comes to putting our environment first.

Environmentally friendly steps we have taken within our warehouse and offices:

• Within our warehouse and offices, we consciously pay attention to our energy usage; we utilize low energy bulbs to conserve energy.
• We recycle everything we can. From trash to materials, if we can recycle it, we will.
• We don’t use plastic straws. They may seem small and insignificant, but millions of un-recycled straws go to landfills, and inevitably end up in our oceans, which affect our marine life. Not to mention, some straws are still made with toxic and carcinogenic materials.

The next time you need to carry your stash and other essentials in style, while promoting a healthy planet, be sure to use Dime Bags. Made on Earth, for Earth.