China Surging Ahead With Hemp: What About Britain?
A massive Chinese one, and a tiny British one. I'm not comparing steel industries, we're talking about hemp. And it's growing fast. The industry as well as the plant.
Figures released in a report published in the US show industrial hemp is accelerating in a incredible period of growth in China.
Will Britain get in on this fast growing, plant - and market?
It's a critical part of many new retrofit measures, from insulation to fabrics (every day in the tube you sit on it - it actually does kiss your ass figuratively speaking).
The legendary rise of hemp is well documented. Up to 4 metres of growth in 3 months in optimal conditions (sic).
It sequesters carbon - actually captures it.
And the Chinese industrial behemoths are investing in this sector with projected growth of over 23% in revenues by 2032, a whopping USD 6,703.50 million of revenue.
Largely unreported outside of China, the national assembly have quietly been supporting increasing levels of investment in this cash crop which has enthusiastic backers here in the UK. But some equally enthusiastic blockers.
The Seed of The UK Hemp Story
We spoke to Dr Lydia Smith at Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping. They are examining not just hemp but other crops that capture carbon and can benefit the economy.
It's being supported by the British ministry DEFRA investigating seed growth and carbon sequestering benefits of hemp. A recent study looking at the benefits to UK farmers found;
"Farmer gross margin for industrial hemp alone could be between £600-900/ha under ideal conditions"
We spoke to Dr Lydia as she walked through a field of hemp in a domestic farmers field in the UK. Her organisation is seeing change, from the root up;
"Actually one of the challenges of Hemp production in the UK has been the licensing system, which historically has been slow and expensive for farmers, with a time limits on the application process and license duration. But that has changed."
In fact it seems that grown ups with decision making skills that reward British innovation, are hidden away in the Home Office.
Dr Lydia Smith works on the CHCx3 Project as part of NIAB
Previously this was the critical friction point for farmers who want to grow crops of Hemp but were feeling worried by the regulations. As Dr Lydia says;
"It might not be obvious from the Home Office website, but restrictions have been lifted on many aspects of the license process in just 12 months. It's easier to apply [for a license] and you can plant your crop at quite short notice. Plus, your license can last longer, which makes the crop less of a gamble."
There are still some weird slightly unhelpful rules in place, we had to get the Dr to explain why she couldn't retrieve samples from her client farmers test fields and take them to a lab, it seems there is still some arcane rules about taking a hemp leaf from a field to a lab - which would mean Dr Lydia might get arrested!
But that should change we would hope.
Hemp Production In The UK - Can It Happen?
So the next stage in the journey of the hemp from a field to a factory is the bit that the Chinese have really been concentrating on. But we haven't.
As a crop which can dramatically increase in price once you add road miles. In the UK, we have limited processing capability, but that could change. And change quite quickly, with a bit of a nudge.
For a government that wants growth, they are currently directly and indirectly - subsidising manufacture of insulation products made from mineral wool and oil products, consuming vast amounts of energy, to make insulation that in some cases, features in Grenfell reporting.
Whereas the nascent hemp industry is currently hamstrung.
To understand this hold up, we contacted Jamie Bartley, CEO of Unyte Group, who has been planning for and campaigning for a huge processing plant in central England. It seems to be tantalisingly close. Jamie explained to us;
"Hemp is processed in two stages, primary and secondary. One part deals with the hemp which comes from the field and can be separated out to useful constituent parts. That's primary. Then taking those raw parts and making them useful for hemp products comes next."
Things haven't moved fast enough since we spoke to Jamie on our podcast last year, but he is incredibly stoic, in fact optimism is his fuel.
Matt Milloy
"There is an appetite for this in the UK. We need the processing plants to be built, which could take just 2 years."
That's right. Just half the time a US president stays in power. And we could be processing vast amounts of UK grown hemp for products innovated and made in the UK.
It seems relatively easy for this log jam to be shifted, but Jamie and other manufacturing companies can't quite overcome the barriers they are finding. Jamie was circumspect about how close he was to closing in on his first major facility, but with 23% growth signalling China is going all in, surely it's only a matter of time before private investors throw themselves into this home grown success story waiting to happen?
But, you might ask. Is actually anyone buying hemp products in the UK, aren't they just a niche product? Well the Chinese don't think so, and neither do these British companies.
Successful British Hemp Products - They Already Exist
The list of successful hemp products in the UK, grows every year. Using hemp sourced for their products(in limited cases across the UK), they have grabbed innovation by the kahunas and built enviable reputations for products that aren't just winning awards, they are in international demand.
The Adaptavate Story - Bristol Based Bio Material Experts
Adaptavate are a cast iron success story. Born out of some brilliant minds and world class thinking, they have over 10 years of experience of engineering building materials out of bio materials that are changing the face of retrofit, building and bio materials.
So they know the challenges. We spoke to Tom Robinson, CEO and founder at Adaptavate;
"Using renewable and regenerative resources like industrial hemp to manufacture building materials is the only way forward — a powerful method to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it within the built environment. Hemp is sustainable, durable, and offers excellent performance in construction applications, including improved insulation, reduced weight, and enhanced moisture regulation. As part of a circular economy, hemp-based materials can be reused or recycled at the end of their life, supporting a closed-loop system that minimizes waste."
The range of products that his company have and are developing mean they have back orders stretching out, demand for their products are so high that when we went to interview their staff at the recent FutureBuild show we had to ambush the stand out of hours to get access because of the throng of visitors.
Tom introduces his products, which use hemp, and are very good, say his customers!
Tom has a revolutionary hemp product, that is a breathable board, able to replace conventional plaster board, made of hemp, but there are delays.
Like the rest of the hemp production process, Tom has some significant roadblocks to overcome;
"One of the barriers to wider adoption is how Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) currently account for biogenic carbon. This is slowing acceptance among contractors and specifiers. There is no better way than plants to draw down atmospheric CO₂ over the critical next 10–20 years as we strive for net zero. Addressing this regulatory challenge would unlock the full potential of bio-based materials — including hemp — and accelerate their role in the mainstream construction industry, contributing to a truly circular economy."
Adaptavate aren't the only success story out there too.
Indinature And The Scottish Connection
Their brand is pretty well known in the eco build sector, for retrofit experts that need breathable insulation that sequesters carbon.
Indinature have built a solid reputation with the products gaining BBA approval and adoption in some major projects across the UK. There insulation boards, batts and rolls that are being developed at phenomenal speed.
IndiNature Wins Big Retrofit Challenge, Showcasing the Power of Hemp Insulation in Home Decarbonisation
Alex McLeod CEO at Indinature told us;
"One of the greatest barriers facing innovative low-carbon construction companies like IndiNature is the accreditation and warranty process. The time and cost involved can be prohibitive for many smaller companies. We’re scaling rapidly but there’s much more to do to highlight the great benefits of hemp products in construction in carbon reduction and helping to keep buildings warm in winter and cool in summer."
So we have these incredible products. Burgeoning demand. Farmers who can much more easily produce crops, that earn cash and sequester carbon. Buuut.
What's Holding Us Up?
The mis direction of the last few weeks have been quite a distraction. But energy, and the role of manufacturing have never been more important. Someone with bigger better ideas, and hands on the levers of power, might well be asking themselves.
Why aren't we manufacturing British hemp from British farmers in British factories, for Britain?
Punitive controls and regulations on the accreditation of products, poor investment in the critical infrastucture that is needed to process this viable, profitable and carbon negative crop, is missing.
And if home owners had the choice of an affordable, UK made product, produced at scale, that made their homes healthier, more affordable and more comfortable place to live in, wouldn't they choose that?
As Jamie Bartley at Unyte Group says;
"We are ready, and their is appetite for change. We just need to get started."
But the last words have to be from Dr Lydia Smith, who spoke to us from her UK hemp field.
"Bio materials are very much part of our future, I'm standing in it now. The future."
For once, it might be a good idea to follow China's example, rather than our friends we had a special relationship with.