Can hemp help save the environment?

We don’t like to keep our readers hanging, so the short answer is… yes, it can! Below, we’ll explain the facts about it. Aside from being beneficial for our health, CBD products include many indirect benefits for the environment.

What can we produce with hemp?

CBD is obtained from industrial hemp, a crop that is essential to keep the world clean and healthy. Besides CBD products, hemp is also employed to produce biofuel, which represents an alternative to fossil fuel and a viable option to reduce our carbon footprint. For instance, it can be used to power vehicles and electricity generators. Hemp is also a fast-growing plant as compared to other ones, and its biomass can be used for the production of high-quality paper, fabric and even bricks for houses. Since it grows faster than other shrubs, hemp represents a great and greener alternative to large-scale deforestation, which affects the natural habitats of wildlife animals and contributes climate change.

Is hemp sustainable?

There are other ways in which hemp does good for the environment. It can have a very positive impact on land preservation as well. First of all, the taproot of hemp plants contributes to counteracting soil erosion. It holds the soil strongly to the ground, preventing it from being chipped away by rainwater or carried by the wind. Secondly, it also builds up the plant’s resistance to drought, thanks to the deep reach that this taproot has in the soil. Most crops can easily drain the land and leave it infertile: hemp has the capability to absorb its water supply from very deep down in the ground and carry nutrients to the top layer of dirt, thus increasing soil fertility. This is why, for hundreds of years already, it has been planted also in rotation with other crops.

Is hemp reusable?

Hemp is also very biodegradable, and this makes it useful for the environment, also because the whole plant (conceived of, in the industry, as ‘biomass’) can be exploited. Those components that do not go into CBD extraction can be repurposed as organic fertilizer for the next season, resulting in a much more sustainable type of agriculture.

Is hemp ecological?

Finally, hemp has a great carbon-retention capacity, which means it can help reducing the impact of the greenhouse effect. Currently, carbon is named as the biggest contributor to the ozone hole growth. About half of the hemp biomass is carbon; so, the plant locks the carbon in and does not allow it to leak up into the ozone. After harvest, hemp leaves and stems are employed to produce highly resistant fibers that still have the live plants’ capability to entrap carbon molecules.

Let’s save the world with hemp!

It is safe to say, when we consume CBD products such as CBD capsules or oil, we are not only rewarding our body with good health. Instead, at the same time, we are also doing good for the environment, since CBD comes from a zero-waste and sustainable crop. So, provided companies comply with existing regulations and commit to sustainable agricultural practices, the more hemp is produced, the better it will be for the environment!