Exploring The Sustainability Of Hempwood & Other Hemp Building Products

It was only in the 1990s that hemp found its way back into building materials. So far, it has mainly been used as insulation and roofing to create a positive impact on the environment. Hemp-sourced materials have a number of environmentally-friendly upsides when compared to their conventional counterparts. For one, they’re more sustainable, biodegradable and easier to make than most other building materials, such as asphalt, shingles and concrete. Hemp’s sustainability makes it perfect for eco-friendly homeowners that want to save money while helping the environment at the same time.

Hemp is more than an excellent source of CBD to infuse into blends of custom flavors (1), terpenes or strain profiles. As early as the days of Rome, hemp has been in use for the construction of everything from bridges to village walls. This is because of its rapid renewability, low cost and sturdy nature.

Today, the use of hemp has helped the building industry to be more sustainable. Hemp is more environmentally friendly than other materials, such as concrete, and can only make the industry more green from here on out. In this post, we go over two standouts from hemp’s revolution of the construction space, as well as their benefits on the environment long after use.

IMAGE SOURCE: HempWood

HempWood® is environmentally friendly, locally sourced and made in the United States. It’s available in everything from blocks, boards, flooring, cabinet sets and turning blanks. HempWood® is priced competitively with black walnut, with up to 20% more durability than hickory.

In addition to the durability and cost advantages, HempWood® is also much more sustainable than its natural lumber counterparts.

Aside from plastics, wood is one of the most frequently wasted materials (2) when building a house. With the alarming rate of deforestation, hemp building materials like HempWood® are becoming highlighted as a more sustainable building material. This is because Hemp grows in an impressive 120 days, whereas oak requires 50-100 years before it’s ready for use. Because of its sturdy, low-impact nature and negligible impact on the environment, HempWood® has a bright future in sustainable building. For more details about HempWood® and its properties, check out HempWood® Documents.

IMAGE SOURCE: HempWood

Hempcrete is a building material that mixes slaked lime, water and hemp fibers. It’s also commonly called “hemp bricks” or “hemp blocks.” Hempcrete is sturdy, flexible and a great choice for homes in areas prone to earthquakes. It makes excellent insulation because it’s fire-resistant, pest resistant and waterproof. Hempcrete can be used for exterior walls, foundations and floors. They’re available in three different kinds of modular masonry units – blocks, planks or straws – depending on your project needs.

Hempcrete absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, so it can be seen as a sustainable and eco-friendly building material that is relatively easy to produce. One of the key benefits is its low cost – something that makes it an attractive option for people looking at creating environmentally friendly homes or offices.

The biggest advantage of hempcrete over concrete is that it’s environmentally friendly. It uses less energy, releases less carbon dioxide and has lower levels of volatile organic compounds. Its production also avoids the use of toxic materials like formaldehyde and asbestos, which are often found in concrete. Hempcrete is also cheaper than the production of concrete, which makes it accessible even to builders, companies and families with restrictive budgets.

IMAGE SOURCE: Carmeuse

Hemp captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing carbon in its roots and foliage. As hemp plants are exposed to low levels of CO2, more and more excess CO2 is taken out of the environment. This means hemp is an excellent option for helping to halt the effects of global warming, especially when you take into account the carbon it stores beyond its natural growth cycle.

Captured CO2 in hemp which is then sourced to make alternative building materials remains trapped for the longevity of those materials. When a building is built using blocks of Hempcrete, the accumulation of captured carbon in the plant matter used to make those blocks will stay sequestered from the environment for the lifespan of that building. In this way, building with hemp actively helps the environment throughout every step of the process: from growing the hemp itself to construction and maintenance — even long after construction is complete.

We hope you had as much fun as we did exploring the sustainability of HempWood & other hemp building products! Want to learn more about other sustainable building materials? Check out our 7 Eco-Friendly Building Materials blog post!

(1) TRUE BLUE CO.
(2) BIG RENTZ