Versatile and environmentally friendly

Bioplastics made from hemp

The most striking thing about hemp is how amazingly versatile it is compared with trees and other fibre crops. It has been used to make thousands of different products. 

On top of that, hemp is also an exceptionally environmentally friendly crop that doesn’t need herbicides or artificial fertilisers to flourish. Its smell repels insects and pests, which means the plants don’t need pesticides to flourish. Products made purely from hemp don’t contain any harmful chemical substances. In short, the plant is invaluable for a sustainable future.

Once the fibres have been removed from the hemp stems, what remains is 77% cellulose: the building blocks of trees and plants and a source of plastic that is biodegradable. Hemp grows prolifically, making it an extremely efficient crop for these sustainable plastics known as ‘bioplastics’. They are lightweight, biodegradable and can replace many petrochemical plastics (oil-based plastics).

On display in the museum

Currently, the amount of hemp plastic products commercially available is somewhat limited, mainly due to the restrictions on growing industrial hemp in most of the world. Nonetheless, there are companies that successfully market scooters, consumer electronics, designer chairs and even musical instruments made from hemp plastic. The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum exhibits a selection of products made from hemp plastic, from a didgeridoo to a chair for an underground train.