Industrial Hemp Cellulose is a Game Changer for the Planet
Industrial Hemp cellulose could replace all conventional plastics currently used.
All of them.
And in a very environmentally friendly way.
Why is plastic pollution problem an exponentially growing concern worldwide? People are recycling plastic all over the place, and using recycled plastic things, right?
1.At the moment, most conventional plastics in the world are made from petrochemicals.
As most people already know, this process is resource intensive and environmentally damaging when taking into account what it takes to extract petroleum from the earth, process it into petroleum chemicals, and then make it into plastic. There are also many harmful toxins that are released into the environment such as phthalate, plasticizers, and flame retardants during the plastic making process and as it decomposes in landfills.
2.It turns out it’s a myth that recycling really helps the environment since only 9% of this is recycled, since most plastics can’t be recycled, as reported by Braun in his deep dive into plastic recycling for DW.com.
3. Compounding matters, the amount of plastic waste thrown out each year is increasing.
This year alone,Ourworldindata.com reports that it is estimated that 450 million tonnes of plastic waste will enter landfills worldwide this year. There is an island of plastic that is three times the size of France floating between California and Hawaii, with 1.8 billion pieces of plastic in it, as reported by Ibertolla. They call it the eighth continent.
4. It takes an estimated 500 years to decompose conventional plastics, although this is just a guess. The truth is, they really don’t know yet how long hard plastics take to decompose. In fact, researchers Modi and his team have concluded in their study of plastics that there is no evidence that any of the conventional products is breaking down in landfills to date.
But it is known that conventional plastics release toxic chemicals (e.g. ENE compounds) into the air, and create leachate which seeps into, and contaminates the soil and our water systems.
5. And it gets worse. According to research by the Plastic Soup Foundation and PerkinElmer when plastics are mixed with the environment, they degrade onto nanoparticles and bind with pollutants such as persistent organic toxins such as PCBs and dioxins, which don’t breakdown easily and which collect in animal fats and tissues. This is how plastics enter the food supply chain for humans.
The good news is that this doomsday scenario doesn’t have to continue to be the case.
By switching to hemp plastics, this growing problem of plastic pollution could be stopped in its tracks.
In comparison to conventional plastic, hemp derived plastic (made of 100% of hemp) decomposes between 20 days (for single use plastics), and 90 days (for harder plastic items). And it breaks down completely, unlike other plastics.
Since Industrial hemp doesn’t need chemicals to grow (it is naturally pest resistant, anti fungal and hardy), and does not contain or release any harmful chemicals such as the ENE compounds and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, it is a very eco-friendly alternative.
Hemp actually heals the soil in many ways, which is a topic discussed in another article on this site and how Industrial Hemp heals the planet.
Furthermore, the compost created from Industrial Hemp is healthy for use on farms and in gardens. The same can’t be said for landfill soils which will lay contaminated for an unknown amount of time.
In a nutshell, switching to hemp plastics would be a huge improvement over what we doing now.
By doing this we could instantly stop contributing to the contamination of the land,air, water table and oceans.We would still act to deal with the mountains and islands of conventional plastic polluting the globe, but stopping the exponential pollution trend caused by conventional plastics would be an excellent start.
It is obvious that current efforts being made to be eco-friendly in terms of plastic use are not enough and not effective.
It makes little sense to ban the use of conventional plastic bags to carry your groceries home when everything in the store is packaged in it.
Let’s take a moment to imagine a future in which our groceries stores were stocked with items packaged in industrial hemp plastic, and the bags in the produce section and bakeries were replaced by hemp plastic,instead of conventional plastic. Imagine that the bags used to take everything home were made of attractive and durable hemp material instead of the eco-friendly bags they often provide in stores that are only partially made of recycled materials.
We would feel much better about shopping knowing we aren’t harming the environment with our plastic food packaging and bags and trash.
So at this point as you read you may be wondering if there are any downsides to using Industrial Hemp.
The answer is no.
There are no downsides to using Industrial Hemp.
Some critics say it is not as long-lasting as conventional plastic, but it lasts until composted. This is what we need; we want plastic to break down when it is not needed anymore, not plastic that hangs around forever.
There is no compromise on quality and in fact, Industrial Hemp plastic is superior to conventional plastic.
Hemp plastic looks visually indistinguishable from petrochemically derived plastics. Industrial Hemp plastic is flexible and not brittle, like many other bioplastics.
Photo: The Hemp Plastic Company website products list.
It has been tested by multiple organizations and companies and found to be 4.5 times stronger than conventional plastics.
In fact, it is so durable and versatile that Henry Ford made an entire car from it in 1941. He used hemp derived plastics and hemp fiber derived materials for the exterior and interior. He even fuelled it with hemp ethanol, a very powerful and efficient fuel. You can see him hit the car with a sledgehammer in this video with historic footage, with no damage.
If Industrial Hemp is so great, why aren’t we using it for everything already?
Historically, according to historic documentaries, there was pushback from companies such as DuPont, who had just released nylon, a petro chemical based product. They didn’t want competition from Industrial Hemp textiles and plastic. Around this time the ‘Reefer Madness’ campaign was released and marijuana was demonized, followed quickly by legislation that made growing any plant in the cannabis family illegal to grow.
The legislation was relaxed for some years around WW2, to supply the textiles industries, it was reinstated thereafter. With this legislation, and the invention of the Cotton Ginny which made mass processing of cotton less labour intensive, the centuries old industry of growing hemp (mostly for sail cloth and textiles) dwindled and died.
Fortunately, since the legalization of Marijana in Canada 1998, and recognition that industrial Hemp is a distinct plant, Industrial Hemp has undergone a revival.
The use of Industrial Hemp cellulose for plastic has been developing slowly since the 90s.
There are a few reasons why growth hasn’t taken off like a rocket.
One is lack of awareness of the value of harvesting hemp cellulose.
Another is hesitation.There was a boom and bust related to growing Medicinal Hemp a few years ago that has made many farmers cautious.
Industrial Hemp is being promoted for use as a cover crop to help revitalize deleted soils, but it could be used for so much more.
The cellulose is found in the stems of the Industrial Hemp plant.
Seventy percent ( 70%) of the stem is cellulose,which is more cellulose availble to harvest than is present in other plants.
However, right now, most cellulose is not being harvested. Most farmers are cutting the plants six inches from the soil, and letting the stems dry, which means the cellulose dries up inside the stem and isn’t used, and can’t be used once it has dried inside the stems.
Changing farmers’ harvesting practices would help create more hemp cellulose that could be processed into plastic.
Farmers also need a way to quickly transport and sell their hemp cellulose and processing facilities nearby.
Other blockages in the supply chain are on the manufacturing side.
Industrialists in the USA have said that there isn’t enough Industrial Hemp being grown to fill the large contracts a factory needs to make it worthwhile to switch production contracts and retool the facilities to handle hemp.
Due to economies of scale, and because the conventional plastic factories are so established, it is very competitive and cheap to make conventional plastics.
However, the amount of Industrial Hemp being grown is steadily increasing worldwide, which could tip the balance more in favour of making hemp plastic.
Alberta, Canada, is poised to become a hemp powerhouse, as reported by Alberta Farmer Express, since two hemp processing plants have been slated to open in 2024.
The plastics derived from Industrial Hemp are a game changer in so many ways.
And the fact that we could stop contaminating the earth, which would help all living beings on the planet, is only one of the significant ways Industrial Hemp helps improve the quality life for all living beings on the planet. We will be posting more articles with deep dives into different aspects of hemp in the coming weeks and months.
Sources
Braun, S. “Why most Plastics Can’t Be Recycled” DW.com. Mar 17, 2023.https://www.dw.com/en/why-most-plastic-cant-be-recycled/a-64978847#:~:text=With%20only%209
“Hemp Plastic: American History and Environmental Benefits”.The History channel. https://youtu.be/9UI0OmGoP2I?si=eTp-PIbEcPHgBPx7“
Industrial Hemp Market Industry Analysis” Technavio. June 2024. https://www.technavio.com/report/industrial-hemp-market-industry-analysishttps://canadagazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2024/2024-04-20/html/reg2-eng.html
“Industrial Hemp Market: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges”https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/industrial-hemp-market-84188417.html
https://www.precedenceresearch.com/industrial-hemp-marketKienlen,A. and Cheater, G. “Alberta Farmer Express “Alberta Poised to Become a Hemp Processing Powerhouse’ https://www.albertafarmexpress.ca/news/alberta-poised-to-become-hemp-processing-powerhouse/
Modi A., el al. “Hemp is the Future of Plastic”. E3S Web Conferences 4. 03002 (2018) https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2018/26/e3sconf_icacer2018_03002/e3sconf_icacer2018_03002.html
Nebula. “Why Hemp CanSave Us”.https://youtu.be/E6GoyeTBEFs?si=fB3OGdk2ekR6cuOJ
“Plastic Pollutants & Chemicals”. PlasticSoupFoundation.org. N.D.https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/what-is-plastic/plastic-pollutants
PerkinElmer. “The Environmental Impact of Microplastics” Infographic. N.D.
“Plastic Pollution: Facts and Figures” SAS.com https://www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/plastic-pollution-facts-figures/
“Plastic Island Floating in the Pacific” Iberdola.com N.d. https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/plastic-island-in-pacific-eighth-continent#:~:text=Lying%20
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Schmid, Lea.“The Ten Best Uses Of Hemp- A Versatile All Rounder”. 16 Sept. 2022https://blog.signature-products.com/uses-of-hemp/amp/.
“Why Hemp Plastic?” the Hemp Plastic Company. N.D. https://hempplastic.com/facts/
