MIAMI - IND Hemp and Hempitecture have announced a new supply partnership that will significantly advance the production of domestically produced hemp fibre nonwoven insulation.
Unveiled at last week's IDEA exhibition, the partnership will bring together the production and manufacture of natural hemp fibres for Hempitecture's nonwoven Hempwool insulation to be grown, processed and manufactured in the western United States with IND Hemp coordinating genetics, agronomy and contracting production acres of industrial hemp fibre in Montana, Oregon, Washington and now Idaho.
IND Hemp will perform the 'first touch' decortication processing - the initial separation of raw materials direct from the farm to produce a consistent supply of raw hemp bast fibre at scale. Hempitecture has market proven their Hempwool insulation product, branded as 'the most sustainable, high performing insulation material on the planet' for the past few years and is currently in construction of the factory that will make the nonwoven airlaid insulation product in Jerome, Idaho.
"Hempitecture's partnership with IND Hemp represents more than just a critical supply chain solution," explained Hempitecture Co-Founder and CEO Mattie Mead. "It represents the restoration of American manufacturing, the empowerment of rural economies and forward thinking innovation in sustainable materials. We look forward to innovating the building products of the future with IND Hemp's processed hemp fibre."
Sustainability
Announcing the partnership, the companies outlined their shared values and strong commitment to sustainability and doing better by the planet.
Hemp can capture and remove more CO² from the atmosphere per acre annually than a forest or other agricultural crops. In addition to the carbon sequestered into the soil while the plant is growing, the plant biomass above the ground is an average of 45% carbon. When the fibers are processed into insulation and built into a home, that CO² is durably sequestered and locked up into the material, while also offsetting more energy intensive processes and the carbon footprints of existing materials, such as glass fiber insulation.
The companies also said that are aligned and working together with other stakeholders to present industrial hemp and its use in products to compete in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal Challenge, which is funded by the Musk Foundation with $100 Million in prize rewards to spur innovation in technologies and products to remove and sequester CO² from the atmosphere, with modeled plans to scale to a gigaton of CO² removed annually.
"IND Hemp is dedicated to supporting rural economies and providing sustainable solutions to industry," added Trey Riddle, Chief Strategy Officer for IND Hemp. "We are excited about Hempitecture's products and use of natural fibre in construction materials. This continues to showcase how IND HEMP's products and sustainability benefits can be adopted successfully across a wide range of applications"
IND Hemp is a family owned, mission-driven agricultural hemp food, feed and fibre production and processing company with a dedicated focus on creating opportunities for farmers and rural communities in Montana and across the west. It has built a processing infrastructure- a 10 acre greenfield site with a 52,000 ft² production facility around a 5 ton per hour Laroche bast fibre decortication processing line that came online in the first quarter of this year.
Hempitecture Inc. is a Public Benefit Corporation specializing in the manufacturing and distribution of biobased building materials . Through the utilization of plant based resources such as industrial hemp and nonwoven manufacturing technology, Hempitecture says that its materials are designed to increase the comfort and health of our built environment.
