Hardly any natural product is more versatile than the hemp plant. The wide range of applications of industrial hemp extends from its use as a raw material in the textile industry to the production of hemp seeds as a foodstuff and its use as a building material.
A true all-rounder hemp not only serves as an ecological alternative in the industry, but can also prove its worth through increased CO2 binding positively on our climate at the same time.
Hemp fields have a negative CO2 balance
Unfortunately, climate change is not just a buzzword - by overexploiting nature, we are destroying the basis of life for current and future generations. This process can only be stopped by a consistent rethink, the reduction of greenhouse gases and the creation of sustainable alternatives. Hemp makes a significant contribution to this because of its amazing ability to bind CO2.
That's why we've been growing hemp in Germany since 2018! Starting with one field, we have been able to greatly increase our cultivation areas to date. In 2020, together with our partner farmers, we have already cultivated 100 hectares of hemp! If you consider that 1 hectare of hemp stores 20 tons of CO2 - 10 tons of which in the long term through humus build-up - we manage to bind 1000 tons of CO2 in the soil with our fields every year!
That's roughly the amount produced by a mid-range car with a combustion engine after 5 million kilometers - not bad at all, right?
Other fields of application for hemp and hemp products
In addition to this direct effect on the global climate, industrial hemp has great potential to protect our planet through indirect effects. For example, forest areas that are important for our climate because of their CO2 binding can be protected by hemp. Every year, large areas of rainforest fall victim to slash-and-burn agriculture. In addition to livestock farming, soy is often grown on these areas for the production of animal feed.
The protein in hemp seeds is not only nutritionally superior to soy protein, it also grows nationwide and can contribute to feeding the world.
Large areas of forest are also cleared every year to produce paper, but the hemp plant produces significantly more paper on four to five times less acreage with a drastically shorter growing time. In addition, tons of highly toxic sulphur compounds are emitted during the production of paper from wood, which can be largely dispensed with in the production of hemp.
Further advantages of hemp cultivation
In addition to the climate it is primarily subsequent crops that benefit from the cultivation of hemp fields. In crop rotation, it is usually grown before winter cereals. Thanks to its strong root system, it loosens the soil, suppresses the growth of weeds and has a positive effect on soil tilth. As the hemp is a self-tolerant crop, it is suitable for cultivation as a monoculture without leaching the soil.
Conclusion
Whether as an ecological alternative in industry or as a vegan superfood: Hemp offers us a solution to tackle issues such as growing world hunger and climate change. As a useful plant, its range of applications and potential is almost limitless. That's why we have decided to use hemp as the main ingredient in our products - because of its ingenious nutritional values and because of the environment!