The hemp business is booming and here’s a snapshot of how one plant is transforming multiple industries.
Cannabis legalization has opened the door to a wide range of industries that have nothing to do with consuming cannabis. Hemp, in particular, has jumped onto the scene to offer a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to mainstream products that have held the spotlight for decades.
Well, jumped back onto the scene because Hemp has been used for thousands of years in agriculture and construction, textiles and paper. References in classic works (like James Hogg’s 1824 The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, to name just one) show that the use of hemp clothing is hardly novel.
Yet, it can be shockingly difficult to find hemp products to replace your daily items. And incredibly expensive. For some, it’s simply not feasible to replace all of their clothing and home items with hemp. For others, it’s difficult to find the right hemp business.
Well, we may not be able to help with the cost – that will hopefully decrease on its own – but we can help you find the hemp business you’re looking for.
Eco-Friendly Flushing
Seems an odd one, but think of how many trees are used up every year for toilet paper. Actually, it’s around 27,000 per day.
Hemp grows faster than trees (it can be harvested around 70-90 days after seeding) on smaller lots of land. So, more paper, less space, and quicker turn around time. Thankfully, companies are catching on.
In the US, Hempies Paper creates 100% tree-free sustainable toilet roll from hemp and other biodegradable sources. They have the Socially Responsible Consumption (SRC) stamp of approval. And they can promise their products won’t touch the rain forests.
Image credit: Hempies Paper
Help the Earth… And Your Skin
One big business making headlines for its transition to hemp and CBD products is The Body Shop. In fact, they have an entire line of hemp beauty products that includes lip, face, and skin care; body butters; manicure and pedicure products; and accessories for beauty care.
Similarly, Dr Bronner is a UK-based beauty care company that focuses on soaps, and offers a diverse selection of hemp products. These include lip balm, bar and liquid soap, lotion, hair rinse, shaving cream, and even baby soap for those sustainability-seeking parents.
Meanwhile, Perricone MD has released a hemp-based line specifically for men. CBx for Men uses extracts phytocannabinoids from hemp stalks to create skincare products that combat oily and sensitive skin, dehydration, skin tone imbalance, wrinkles and facial lines, and shaving rash.
Image credit: Ebay
Create a Soft, Durable, Sustainable Wardrobe
Within America you’ll find companies turning to hemp to design clothes. Not only is it sustainable, but it’s also soft and comfortable. Take, for instance, Bryan DeHaven of Colorado. His company Chiefton Supply Co produces and sells T-shirts that are made out of a hemp and cotton blend. He’s now looking to expand into sportswear. This is especially intriguing as the blended material contains anti-bacterial qualities – a big benefit for athletic clothing.
Another American company that is making headway for sustainable clothing is New York-based Amur. While they haven’t yet started to make 100% hemp products, they blend hemp with silk and cotton for anti-bacterial, soft, fashionable clothing. A visit to their site might surprise you. Basically, their clothing line is a far cry from the traditional hippie hemp clothes. And this is a good thing. It opens the door for a wider population to embrace sustainable fashion.
Patagonia has a hemp line for daily and outdoor wear. They have options for fashion wear, active wear, casual wear, and outdoor wear so you definitely have choices in what you buy. Patagonia is based out of the US, and promotes hemp as a sustainable option for the future.
And of course, who could forget Levi’s recent collaboration with Outerknown? Levi’s original hemp designs from the early twentieth century have made a jean-busting comeback with their Water<Less Collection.
Hemp Homes Protect Your Health and the Planet
If you think that the construction industry isn’t picking up on the sturdy viability of hemp, then you’re in for a surprise. A big one.
One of the big industries starting to turn to sustainable options may shock you – oil companies. While this hardly reverses the major issues that face the oil industries (and their side effects) today, and though they hardly deserve a pat on the back for their influence on the environment, their use of sustainable products in drilling is a step towards something positive. Hemp Inc.’s DrillWall is non-toxic and biodegradable, and is used in drilling as a borehole stabilizer and lubricant.
Image credit: ArchiExpo
Finally, Black Mountain offers sustainable options for insulation. They provide building insulation made from sheep’s wool and hemp with recycled material as binder. Not only are these sustainable products, they are also ‘carbon negative’, meaning they soak up carbon dioxide. They’re a UK-based company that strives to eliminate the health risks of construction, control your home’s moisture content (particularly important if you’re looking to grow your own cannabis!), and is carbon-zero or carbon neutral. They signal to a growing trend in home construction that is looking to hemp to cut costs, eliminate environmental impact, and improve the health of homeowners.
This is only a snapshot of hemp’s entrepreneurial spark. Did we miss one of your favorites?
