Hemp is inherently more environmentally friendly and can be used for a wide range of products, from foodstuffs to biofuels, building materials, paper products and textiles. New uses are constantly emerging as we begin to better understand the potential of hemp. Proponents of industrial hemp around the world recommend using hemp as a substitute for wood and cotton as it offers products of comparable or superior quality while reducing or eliminating the ecologically negative properties involved in its processing.

Comparison of Hemp and Wood:

By replacing wood, hemp provides many eco-friendly benefits. Hemp provides better land use, as it yields three to eight tons of fiber per acre, four times the yield of an average forest. An acre of hemp produces 4.1 times more paper than an acre of trees. While hemp can also be harvested every year, trees take 20 years or more to harvest. Since hemp forms the topsoil, it can be grown on the same acre of land each year. Many acres of forests can be saved by the industrial cultivation of hemp for paper alone. Replacing wood fiber with hemp-based products can save forests for wildlife habitat, watersheds, recreation areas, oxygen production and carbon sequestration that will help reduce global warming.

Many construction products made from wood can now be made from hemp. Beams, struts, posts, oriented particleboard and medium density fiberboard made from hemp will be stronger and lighter due to the long fibers of hemp. Hemp fiberboard is produced to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard.

Unlike wood, hemp is low in lignin, which means that hemp can be pulped using fewer chemicals. Hemp can also be bleached using a mild hydrogen peroxide instead of the toxic chlorine compounds and dioxins produced as a byproduct of papermaking. Many of these toxic chemical waste products from wood pollute our streams, rivers and lakes. The discharge of heavy metals and toxins such as sulfuric acid and dioxin can be reduced by 60 to 80 percent by switching to hemp pulp.

Hemp can be made into quality paper. The long fibers in hemp enable hemp paper to be recycled several times more than wood-based paper. Hemp paper is of the highest quality, resistant to weathering and will not yellow with age when using an acid-free process. Hemp paper is more durable and will last for many years. For these reasons, hemp paper is often used for Bibles in Europe.

Comparison of Industrial Hemp and Cotton:

Hemp has few natural pests and grows well without herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. A high percentage of chemicals are used in cotton production. Some of these chemicals are among the most toxic substances classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In developing countries where regulations are less stringent, the amount and toxicity of herbicides and pesticides are generally higher.

Industrial hemp is also a very productive crop in terms of land. On an acre basis, hemp yields 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more than flax, without the need for toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Hemp bast fibers are one of the longest natural soft fibers. They are longer and stronger than cotton, with eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of cotton. Hemp fibers are also more absorbent, more mold resistant and more insulating than cotton. This means that hemp will keep you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than cotton. Hemp is more effective at blocking the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

The nature of hemp fibers makes them more absorbent to dyes, which combined with hemp's ability to filter ultraviolet rays better means that hemp material is less prone to fading than cotton fabrics. Like cotton, hemp can be made into a variety of fabrics, including high-quality woven fabrics. When mixed with materials such as cotton, linen and silk, hemp provides a stronger, longer-lasting product while maintaining its quality and softness.

Field Use and Hemp:

Hemp has a deep root system that helps prevent soil erosion, removes toxins and aerates the soil for the benefit of future crops. Hemp grows well in a variety of climates and soil types. It is naturally resistant to most pests, eliminating the need for pesticides. It grows quickly, is weed resistant, so herbicides are not needed. It also leaves a weed-free area for the next crop.

Industrial hemp cultivation also combats the growing problem of topsoil erosion. Hemp is an ideal farm crop to counter this loss. The slender root systems and long tap roots of hemp plants penetrate the soil between 1m and 2m, helping to protect and protect the soil from runoff and erosion.

Hemp creates and regenerates topsoil and subsoil structures. Cannabis plants shed their leaves during the growing season, adding rich organic matter to the topsoil and helping it retain moisture, making hemp more drought resistant. Hemp leaves the soil in perfect condition for any subsequent crop, especially when weeds can be otherwise troublesome.

Industrial Hemp for Renewable Energy:

As a renewable resource from living plants, hemp does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. Growing plants absorb enough CO2 to be released later when oil or other plant matter is burned. Unlike fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas or nuclear fuels, hemp can provide us with raw materials for thousands of years without ever changing our climate and producing waste that has remained radioactive for millions of years.

Hemp is a high yielding fiber crop that produces more biomass per acre than most other crops. As a result, the hydrocarbons in hemp can be used as a renewable, low-polluting alternative to fossil fuels. Hemp can be processed into fuel pellets, liquid fuels and gas, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Biomass can be converted into almost any type of energy used to power cars, including methanol. Since methanol is a cleaner fuel than petro-based fuels, this will lead to reduced automobile emissions. Corn is the most popular source of biomass today; but hemp can produce eight times more methanol.

Unlike fossil fuel, biomass comes from living plants, which continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Reaching a plant height of 50cm or more, cannabis creates a lot of oxygen and captures large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Hemp fields could become crucial in tackling planetary climate change issues.

When hemp is grown for biomass, CO2 is taken up and metabolized by plants, producing oxygen in the process. When biomass is burned as fuel, CO2 is released back into the air. This ensures a balanced CO2 cycle. By contrast, burning fossil fuels releases carbon back into the atmosphere, which has been "out of circulation" for millions of years and provides no mechanism for reabsorption.

On a global scale, hemp is perhaps the only plant that can produce enough biomass to provide an alternative to fossil fuels. As a biomass fuel source, hemp can curb a number of harmful effects associated with fossil fuels: mining, oil spills, acid rain and sulfur-based smog.

Biodiesel can be made from locally produced, renewable oilseed crops such as hemp. The hemp stalks are 80% hurd (the pulp byproduct after the hemp fiber has been removed from the plant). Hemp hull is 77% cellulose, the primary chemical feedstock (industrial raw material) used in the manufacture of chemicals, plastics and fibers. Biodiesel is the name for various ester-based oxygenated fuels made from hemp oil, other vegetable oils, or animal fats. The concept of using vegetable oil as a motor fuel dates back to 1895, when Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine running on vegetable oil. Diesel exhibited its engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using peanut oil as fuel.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that can run in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. Petroleum can be stored wherever diesel fuel is stored. Biodiesel is safe to process and transport because it is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt, and has a high flash point of around 150 degrees Celsius compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of 52 degrees. It is made from locally produced, renewable oil seeds such as hemp. Biodiesel is a proven fuel for over 20 years. When biodiesel is burned in a diesel engine, the exhaust smell of petroleum diesel is replaced by the pleasant smell of hemp, popcorn or French fries. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the United States to meet the Clean Air Act test, which provides the most comprehensive inventory of environmental and human health impact characteristics allowed by current technology.

Biodiesel is 11% oxygen by weight and does not contain sulfur. While biodiesel fuel consumption, auto ignition, power output and engine torque are relatively unaffected by biodiesel, the use of biodiesel can extend the life of diesel engines as petroleum is more lubricating than diesel fuel.

Industrial hemp has many wonderful properties and uses that can help our planet and people achieve a healthier, more natural, and sustainable existence.