Turkey's gross minimum monthly wage has risen more than 146% in lira terms over three years, and the country's textile exporters are responding by pushing hemp-based fabrics into commercial production as a premium niche for European and North American buyers.

The macro picture is stark. World Bank inflation data shows an item costing 100 Turkish lira in mid-2023 now costs roughly 267.5 lira. High interest rates and aggressive competition from lower-cost production markets have squeezed manufacturers at every tier. Textile and apparel exports generated approximately $26 billion in 2025, and apparel exports reached about $6.61 billion in the first five months of 2026 — down slightly from roughly $6.7 billion a year earlier, a figure that suggests stabilization rather than recovery.

The hemp pivot was visible at Texhibition Istanbul, held March 4-6 at the Istanbul Expo Center. The Innovation Hub featured working commercial hemp fabrics and hemp-cotton blends from exporters already producing and selling them, not concept displays.

How does Turkey's hemp strategy differ from China's?

China dominates hemp textile manufacturing, France leads European cultivation, and India is positioning itself as a low-cost challenger. Turkey is pursuing a different route: leveraging its existing textile and apparel infrastructure to become a preferred near-shore hemp garment supplier for European brands. The effort now spans farming, spinning, weaving and blending technologies, including hemp-organic cotton combinations that improve softness while maintaining durability.

Egedeniz Textile, Turkey's first organic-certified textile manufacturer, has invested directly in domestic hemp cultivation as part of a vertically integrated strategy. "We are seeing increasing interest from brands in Europe and North America in traceable, low-impact raw materials," Mehmet Ünsal, director of Egedeniz Group, told Sourcing Journal. "At the moment, it's true that hemp is the rising star."

Ünsal flagged the risk of hype cycles for suppliers locked into cultivation. "Many new materials can often attract people for a year or two, and then the hype slowly vanishes. That is kind of sad, especially in terms of cultivation, and for the farmers, that assurance and continuity is essential," he said. He reported commercial traction in woven fabrics for T-shirts, underwear, sweatshirts, women's dresses, casual wear, activewear and home textiles — and demand from European companies even for hemp waste streams.

Is denim the commercial proving ground?

Çalık Denim, a supplier to H&M, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and GANNI, has developed hemp-blend denim concepts targeting reduced water consumption and agricultural inputs without losing mainstream comfort and durability. Other confirmed supplier programs include:

• Adasya Denim: hemp, flax and bamboo-blend fabrics at large-scale production facilities
• Bossa: international hemp-denim innovation projects with Fashion for Good and technology partners on cottonized-hemp processing to raise hemp content in denim

Ahmet Şişman, chairman of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters' Association (İTHİB), framed hemp as an old material returning under new regulatory pressure. "It has been used in Anatolia for centuries and offers significant potential due to its durability, longevity, and versatility," he said, adding that hemp currently sees primary use in technical textiles, upholstery fabrics and selected apparel products.

Şişman tied the shift directly to compliance: "Regulations introduced under the European Union's Green Deal are making sustainable production a strategic necessity across industries. Hemp provides significant advantages in this regard."

What still blocks scale?

Hemp remains a tiny share of Turkey's textile and apparel exports, and few expect it to displace cotton as the dominant natural fiber. Pricing is the open question. Hemp costs significantly more than conventional options, particularly polyester blends that still dominate large segments of global apparel. Exporters report European brands appear more willing to absorb higher costs because sustainability claims support premium retail pricing.

The supply chain's binding constraint sits at farm level. "Without getting that commitment from the brands, we cannot give an assurance to the farmer. It creates a vicious circle. Farmers are more hesitant to grow hemp unless they know they can sell it," Ünsal said.

Mustafa Gültepe, chairman of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM), described the broader repositioning: "Turkish exporters increasingly need to position themselves as strategic partners rather than simply manufacturers. We are moving beyond being just sellers."

For sourcing teams, the decision hemp forces is concrete: brands wanting traceable, EU Green Deal-aligned natural fiber from a near-shore supplier must decide whether to sign multi-year commitments that give Turkish farmers the continuity to scale cultivation — or watch the fiber stay a niche, premium-only option.