The Environment
At Hemp Technology sustainability is not a department or simply an idea – it is what we do. Sustainability is about the continuously renewable Hemp crops that we grow, it is embodied in the waste-free and pollution-free method we use to process the crop, and it is given real meaning through the manufacture and use of Hemp-based products.
In this section you can find out about the environmental benefits of Hemp and the role that Hemp can play in helping to create a greener and more sustainable future.
Hemp Crop Production
Hemp is a fast growing annual crop, which is planted in spring and harvested in August. During this short growing period, hemp can reach heights in excess of 3m and can produce yields of up to a remarkable 12 tonnes/hectare. With the possible exception of a mild herbicide to clear the ground prior to sowing (at the farmers discretion), no herbicides, fungicides or pesticides are used to grow the Hemp crop. This zero agrochemical requirement is rare in agriculture today. Hemp can certainly be grown under a fully certified organic regime.
As well as providing attractive financial returns to the grower, Hemp has many benefits to the grower. Hemp is an ideal break-crop in an arable rotation and Hemp’s deep rooting system is good for soil structure. The vigorous growth of Hemp also helps to rid fields of invasive weeds such as black grass and bromes.
It is also possible for growers to extract a seed yield from the crop. Hemp seeds are renowned for their health benefits and consequently find their way into a number of health food and cosmetic products.
There is no other annual crop that can return so much from so little input.
Hemp Processing
The hemp crop contains three fractions; the tough and durable Hemp fibre, the woody core (called shiv) and the fines. These different products are separated and refined in our state-of-the-art processing facility in East Anglia. The bales of Hemp straw are fed in at one end 
and converted into baled Hemp fibre, bagged shiv, and extracted fines which are compressed into a fuel log for burning in solid fuel stoves. The process is based entirely on mechanical energy; it requires no chemicals, creates no waste products, and emits no pollutants into the atmosphere.
When this clean method of processing is considered alongside the low input agronomic system, it is easy to understand why Hemp is becoming an increasingly important raw material for modern sustainable industries.
Hemp Products
To make a sustainable product you really need to start with a sustainable raw material. This is one of the reasons why our Hemp fibre has become an established raw material in many new industrial products.
For example, our hemp fibre is used in automotive door panels where the green credentials of Hemp are considered alongside other benefits such as low weight, high strength, passenger safety and recyclability. Or consider, the use of our Hemp fibre in natural fibre thermal and acoustic insulation, which is healthy, easy-to-use, a non-irritant, durable and has exceptional performance characteristics. Or perhaps consider the use of our Hemp shiv in Tradical Hemcrete to make one of the highest-performing and lowest environmental impact walling systems available to UK construction professionals.
The success of the Hemcore bedding brand is in part due to the environmental story. The exceptional absorbency of the hemp shiv means that less is required and the rapid 
biodegradation means that, unlike wood shavings, Hemcore bedding makes exceptional compost very soon after use.
For more information on the performance and environmental credentials of a specific Hemp product please visit our Products section.
Hemp and Climate Change
As Hemp grows, carbon is locked-up through the process of photosynthesis, and is used by the Hemp plant to build the cellulose-based plant cell walls. Consequently, the carbon that is sequestered by the Hemp plant is helping to reduce the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. An obvious point, but one that is all too often missed, is that non-renewable materials cannot perform this function.
In the case of products made from hemp such as composites, insulation and walls, the carbon is locked away, which makes these products either very-low carbon, or in some cases better than carbon neutral. That is, more carbon is locked-up than is consumed throughout the whole production process (from farming through to end product manufacture and delivery).
The following table shows the independently certified figures for the energy consumption and CO2 emission associated with hemp farming and hemp processing. The table shows that for every kilo of hemp straw grown and processed, 1.46 kg of CO2 is removed from the atmosphere. Thus hemp is even better than carbon neutral.
| Impact | Unit | Hemp Farming | Hemp Processing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | MJ(lhv)/kg straw | 1.86 | 1.92 | 3.78 |
| IPCC GWP 100 | Kg CO2/kg straw | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.22 |
| Net GWP Incl. sequestered carbon |
Kg CO2/kg straw | -1.56 | 0.11 | -1.46 |
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
GWP 100 – Global Warming Potential over 100 years
Industrial Hemp and Food Displacement
The ongoing debate about whether the growing of industrial crops (such as rape for bio-diesel) has the potentially negative consequence of displacing food production is not relevant to Hemp crop production for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if industry were to build all the new houses required in the UK (200,000 per year) with Tradical Hemcrete and replace all insulation products with hemp fibre, it would still only require 250,000 Hectares of land on which to grow the hemp. This is a small fraction of UK agricultural land.
Secondly, cereal crops cannot be grown year after year on the same land. Consequently cereals such as wheat are grown in rotation with other crops. Hemp is an ideal break crop in a cereal rotation.
Thirdly, as hemp seed is used as an ingredient in many food products, Hemp is not just an industrial crop.
