Environmental Benefits of Hemp

July 9 2020

Hemp or as it's also known as ‘Cannabis Sativa’ originates from Asia but has a rich history across the globe and is one the oldest cultivated crops we know of.

It's been used for thousands of years as a nutritional food source in it's seed, and a great source of fibre for rope, paper and textiles. The resurgence of this wonder crop will have a huge positive effect on the environment and the industries affected by its use.

Hemp can clean the environment naturally

Growing this crop is a great way of sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it takes in as much as 4 times the amount of CO2 as trees do. The CO2 that is absorbed by the plant (around 22 tonnes per hectare) then binds itself permanently to the fibre within. It's short grow cycle, 12 to 14 weeks, makes it a very renewable and sustainable crop and will also improve soil quality wherever it is grown. This process is called bioremediation and will play a massive role in fight against global warming.

Hemp is naturally resilient to pests

This means you can grow hemp with little to no environmentally harmful herbicides or pesticides. So, if we can replace paper and textile production from trees and cotton, we can drastically reduce the amount of harmful chemicals we release into the planet each year. These chemicals are killing the planet and population of natural pollinators like Bees.

Hemp fibre can replace cotton and protect against deforestation

The fibre you get from the hemp plant is one of the strongest natural fibres and has thousands of different uses in thousands of different industries. If we can replace the need to cut down trees for paper production, we can dramatically reduce the rate of deforestation. We can get 4 times the amount of paper per acre from hemp then we can from trees, in a fraction of the time. Using the fibre as a substitute for cotton will not only reduce the amount of wastewater but also the amount of chemicals used to grow it.

Hemp is recyclable and biodegradable

Paper produced from hemp can be recycled 2 times more than conventional paper and is completely biodegradable. Hemp can be used as biomass fuels - growing hemp for fuel can provide us with coal, oil and gas ending the need for fossil fuels.

When we burn these biofuels less CO2 is released into that atmosphere helping combat global warming. It is also the number 1 producer of biomass per acre in the

world. We can convert the oil extracted from the hemp seed into ethanol and methanol via an environmentally friendly procedure called thermo- chemical conversion.Hemp plastics are the future. Plastic pollution and the state of our sea and landfills are at breaking point and hemp is the answer. It's becoming a viable option as an eco-friendly alternative to carbon-based plastic. Not only is it safe and sustainable it is also typically biodegradable and recyclable.

Hemp is a great natural and sustainable food source and the seed is a great source of plant-based protein and dietary fibre.

It also contains all the essential amino acids that our body does not produce, along with omega 3 & 6. CBD can also be extracted from the hemp plant which has many health benefits and both the seed and fibre can also be used in animal feed and bedding, which is a chemical free and environmentally friendly alternative.

Hemp in cosmetics

the shell from hemp seed can be used as a natural replacement to micro plastics in facial scrubs and the fatty acids in hemp seed can help restore and smooth your skin, so is a great additive to skin care products.

The environmental advantages of using hemp could and should change

the state of our planet for the better.