Hemp Paper

Hemp paper isn’t a new concept and the oldest dated hemp paper is from the Western Han Dynasty 200-150 BC. It was used by the founding fathers of the United States when they were drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  Unfortunately, it’s popularity died out in the early 1900’s when the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 put a tax on all cannabis plants. Things have only gone downhill from there for hemp but on December 20, 2018 the Farm Bill Act was signed which included the Hemp Farming Act which federally legalized the farming of industrial hemp in the united states! This is a huge win for the hemp industry and we expect great things to come of it!

• Hemp has higher concentration of cellulose than wood, the principal ingredient in paper.
• Trees are made up of only 30% cellulose, requiring the use of toxic chemicals to remove the other 70%. Hemp, on the other hand, can have have up to 85% cellulose content.
• Hemp has lower lignin content than wood. Hemp contains 5-24% lignin whereas wood has 20-35%. This is advantageous as lignin must be removed from the pulp before it can be processed as paper.
• Hemp paper is more durable than trees. Hemp paper does not yellow, crack, or deteriorate like tree paper.

Wider use of hemp paper can help sustainability efforts to reduce deforestation (Their full article can be found here: https://ministryofhemp.com/made-from-hemp/paper/)

The deforestation of our planet is a huge issue and so much of the problem could be solved transitioning to hemp paper for all paper products.  Saving trees aside, growing hemp is amazing for the environment in so many different ways. We’ve linked them here in our article about the environmental benefits to growing hemp! Need some ideas for shopping for hemp paper products?

Tree Free Hemp

Greenfield Paper Co

Rawanique