Hemp offers new growth opportunities
February 1st, 2023
An industrial hemp field at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. The variety of cannabis cultivated for hemp has only small amounts of THC relative to that grown for the production of marijuana or hashish. Photo: UK College of Agriculture Hemp fiber is gaining traction for its medicinal and industrial applications. How far this […]
Sustainable bicycle helmet
January 1st, 2023
A prototype bicycle helmet made of mycelium and hemp that is fully compostable. Photo: StudioMOM Bicycle helmets have been shown to decrease the risk of a serious or fatal head injury by 70%. But bicycle helmets are made of plastic and expanded polystyrene (EPS), both fossil fuel-based and bad for the environment. StudioMOM, a product […]
Start-up makes hemp clothing
September 1st, 2022
Photo: Vollebak London-based high-tech clothing startup Vollebak has just launched hoodies and sweatpants made entirely out of hemp and black algae. Carbon black, a pigment derived from petroleum, is “one of the most harmful yet invisible substances on the planet,” the company says. It will replace this with color made from black algae, which grows […]
BastCore partners with Texas Tech University
May 6th, 2022
BastCore has partnered with the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute at Texas Tech University (TTU) to create a new platform that will deliver novel fiber solutions utilizing their Mcore product in addition to an environmentally friendly process for degumming, or delignification. The initial scope of work is to assess BastCore's chipped core wood (hurd) composition. "We are […]
IND HEMP and Hempitecture announce supply partnership
March 31st, 2022
Hemp can capture and remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per acre annually than a forest or other agricultural crops. IND HEMP and Hempitecture announce the coordinated supply chain partnership for the production and manufacture of natural hemp fibers for Hempitecture’s nonwoven Hempwool® insulation to be grown, processed and manufactured in the western United […]
Hemp derivative market growth forecast
August 31st, 2021
According to The Insight Partners’ research study on “Hemp Derivatives Market to 2028–Global Analysis and Forecast–by Type and Application,” the hemp derivative market is projected to reach US$ 20,977.94 million by 2028 from US$ 4,585.43 million in 2019; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.4% from 2022 to 2028. In 2021, Asia […]
Bear Fiber launches first U.S. farm-to-fiber hemp socks
April 1st, 2021
Hemp fibers are blended with organic cotton and REPREVE® recycled performance fiber Nylon 6 in socks from Bear Fiber. Photo: Bear Fiber. With proprietary methods that produce a soft, stronger, cotton-like hemp fiber, Bear Fiber of Wilmington, N.C., is producing socks made from U.S.-grown hemp. The socks allow wearers to treat their feet to “luxurious […]
Hemp on the horizon
March 1st, 2021
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of natural products like cotton. As cotton farmers look for new market opportunities, natural fibers such as hemp (at right), flax, coir and jute offer advantages for certain high-performance applications. Photo: ©Leekaomeng, dreamstime.com. COVID-19 has upended a way of life that we may have taken for granted. With the […]
Is hemp fiber the new sustainable knit for footwear?
November 5th, 2020
Zoe Newman, a graduate student from North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles, shared her research on the impact of introducing hemp fiber into more sustainable knit footwear during IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. Newman explained that sustainable materials are lacking in the textile industry, especially for footwear, and integrating natural fibers into the market […]
Panda Biotech selects site for hemp fiber processing center
September 17th, 2020
Dallas, Texas-based Panda Biotech has selected Wichita Falls, Texas, to be the home of the largest and most state-of-the-art industrial hemp processing center in the United States. The Panda Texas Plains Hemp GinTM will also be the first facility in the nation to cottonize hemp fiber on a commercial scale for the American textile industry […]