The advantages of using hemp are that it grows without artificial fertiliser or pesticides, hardly requires any water to grow and absorbs a huge amount of CO2 whilst doing so, therefore being a carbon negative material.

Hemp can be used as an eco-friendly alternative to wood chipboard. It has many other applications such as cladding material, fabric, chair forms, insulation and resin veneers. When combined with a bio-resin or binding agent hemp becomes an incredibly strong product due to its fiber like structure. Many material researchers are using innovative bio-resins such as ones made from sugar cane or others made entirely from agricultural waste (see Margent Farm).

Hempcrete has been developed in the last 20 years as a ‘better-than-zero-carbon’ material which sequesters carbon, even accounting for the production of lime to bind the material, meaning its use will result in active carbon capture. Hempcrete walls also have a much higher thermal performance than many lightweight or synthetic alternatives like polystirine.