Recent History

In 2018, a watershed moment in agricultural history took place. Congress passed its quad-annual farm bill, and in so doing, legalized the cultivation, sale and possession of industrial hemp. This enabled farmers to grow and harvest hemp for any number of domestic purposes, most notably the herbal compound cannabidiol (CBD), which is used to make CBD oil. 

An Opportunity for the Paper Industry

By legalizing hemp, paper producers now have a new natural resource to exploit for manufacturing paper. Hemp has been used to make paper for centuries, and it offers a number of advantages over timber. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of choosing hemp for the manufacturing of paper. We will also explore some obstacles to the adoption of hemp as the preferred raw material of producers, as well as some opportunities for its expedition.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Cellulose Content

Roughly 30% of the mass of trees are cellulose, while hemp can contain up to 85% cellulose. The much higher concentration of cellulose in hemp means that one acre of hemp will produce approximately four to ten times as much cellulose as one acre of timber. Choosing hemp also means that fewer chemical processes (and fewer chemicals) are required to remove the non-cellulose materials. More of the plant is used, and less is discarded.

Time Savings

A crop of cannabis can be grown and harvested in about four months. Trees, on the other hand, take about 20 years to plant, grow, and harvest, a factor of sixty. Trees require a tremendous amount of water, sunlight, nutrients, etc. The relatively short turnaround time means that harvested hemp can travel a shorter distance to the processing plant, as the land turns over its crops more quickly. 

Space Savings

Because timber requires more time to harvest and has less cellulose content per acre, you need a lot more acres to produce the amount of cellulose needed to meet the same demand for paper. Timber used to make paper comes from managed timberlands, and to harvest it, you have to travel to land with trees that are 20 years old. This requires additional travel time, labor hours, and fuel. 

Paper Quality

Hemp fiber is some of the strongest fiber in the plant kingdom, and hemp paper, not surprisingly, is durable and long lasting. Because wood fiber is weaker by comparison, wood requires more chemicals to be cured into paper. These “preservatives” are why wood paper tends to turn yellow and fragile after a few decades. 

Energy Costs and Waste

Paper production accounts for approximately 4% of the world’s energy expenditure. The process requires a lot of water, and generates several unpleasant waste products (such as lignin). Hemp paper manufacturing produces far less waste for the same yield. And the energy cost associated with removing those waste materials is less.

Wood’s Big Advantage Over Hemp

Because Congress took so long to legalize hemp, the paper industry has had many years to develop its infrastructure, and thus it enjoys a streamlined process refined by decades of innovation. As of this writing, the cost per unit is still considerably less for wood paper than for hemp paper, and it may take a few years for hemp paper mills to become competitive. In the short term, wholesalers may continue to turn to wood paper mills to fill their inventories.

Ecological Impact

For the realist, the positive impact of converting the paper industry from wood-sourced to hemp-sourced is not as great as some suggest. But the impact is still significant. Whether you care about the environment or not, the writing is on the wall.  

Consumption and the Conservation Myth

Although North America’s demand for paper has been in decline in recent years, it is still the highest in the world, and figures to be for some time. Despite the high demand for paper, North America is quite capable of producing all of the paper it needs without deforestation. The United States has developed timberlands for the purpose of harvesting wood for various purposes, and about 40% of the yield goes to paper manufacturing. Despite the 20-year turnaround, these lands are managed in such a way that the USA can leverage its efficient manufacturing process to produce enough paper to meet its demand.

In other words, the plan in place for producing timber is careful to replace every tree, and thus can maintain the 20-year life cycle without having to encroach upon new forest. So the United States does not have a “shortage” of trees, nor is it losing trees. Harvesting trees does not harm the environment, over the long term - at least not here.

A Global Problem, not a National One

Although deforestation is not a problem in the United States, per se, it is indeed a problem across the world. For that reason, we can consider the benefits of reducing the number of acres committed to timber harvesting. If the world can plant enough trees, perhaps we can offset those being felled irresponsibly in countries like Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. With a quantum leap in manufacturing efficiency for products such as paper, the USA can take part in this crusade, as can any country with whom we share our innovation.

 Hemp Surpasses Wood for More than Paper

Remember, the reason manufacturing favors hemp is its higher cellulose content. But cellulose is useful for more than just paper. It is used to make cardboard, cellophane wrap, rayon, coatings, inks, binders, pharmaceuticals, gelling, thickening, and binding agents, and cellulose films. Some of these compounds are used in building materials, some in textiles. With its high cellulose content, hemp is poised to revolutionize the manufacturing of these products as well.  

The Almighty Dollar Will Prevail

Those with the means to transform the cellulose industry know what that process entails, or can find out in short order. Processing plants will require new equipment and supply chains, with new optimization. In the end, for a new industry to rise, an old one must die. For that to happen, key players must acknowledge it as obsolete. As a society, our advantage lies in the fact that on the other side of that transformation, everyone saves money. Good economic practices will eventually carry the day.

What is our role? We can help this process along by choosing cellulose products (i.e. paper) that comes from hemp. Once enough people embrace hemp as an alternative to wood, key investors will become aware of the trend. At that point, change will be inevitable.

*The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from health care practitioners. Please consult your health care professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.