What Can Hemp Fiber Be Used For?

Home to iconic national parks and more miles of shoreline than Florida, South Dakota has recently earned a new claim to fame as a major player in industrial hemp production. South Dakota, despite being one of the most recent states to provide industrial hemp farming licenses, is currently producing more hemp fiber than any other state. 

Despite the federal legalization of cannabis plants classified as “hemp” — cannabis sativa plants whose parts contain 0.3% or less of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — with the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 US Farm Bill), South Dakota did not legalize hemp or begin issuing legal licenses for hemp crop production until 2021. Making up for lost time, South Dakota has since been making its mark by excelling at hemp production, with the state earning recognition as the US’s number one producer of hemp grain and seeds in 2022. Now in 2024, the state boasts another number-one spot for the production of industrial hemp fiber. 

Part of this success has been attributed to South Dakota’s summer temperatures and daylight hours, along with the region’s natural soil conditions, which seem to be optimal for hemp crops to thrive. In addition, more hemp farmers have emerged in South Dakota in recent years due to the revenue that can be made from industrial hemp.

The value of South Dakota’s hemp yield in 2023 reached over $23 million, and as competitive hemp farms continue to proliferate throughout the U.S. in response to changing legal complexities, hemp production levels are projected to continue expanding through 2030, at which point the U.S. hemp market is predicted to be worth $30 billion. 

With tens of billions of dollars tied up in hemp, we may be beckoned to question: what is all this hemp even for? From 1937-2018, all cannabis sativa plants, including hemp, were effectively illegal as a result of the Marihuana Tax Act (1937) and later the Controlled Substances Act (1971). So, after over 80 years of prohibition, how is industrial hemp such a hot commodity? What, after all this time, do people even use hemp fibers for in the 21st century?

Hemp Fiber: Production and Uses

Hemp fibers have diverse and surprising uses both historically and currently. The hemp plant is made up of two main types of fibers. The outer fibers, which are known as bast fibers, constitute the plant’s bark layer that extends down the length of the stem. Bast fibers are strong and stiff, and they are used in products that people usually associate with hemp, such as ropes, nets, and paper.

On the other hand, the internal hurd fibers that make up the stem’s woody core are much shorter and were once considered a byproduct of hemp production, yet innovative minds have found inventive uses for these underrated hemp fibers.

So, just how are these fibers put to use in our current day and age? The possibilities range from the traditional to the state-of-the-art, with some very surprising and promising options coming to light. 

Paper

Hemp fibers have been recognized for their suitability for making paper since as early as ancient China, when hemp was made into paper scrolls. Follow the history of hemp paper, and you will also find it in the writings of the first Holy Bible, the Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution. 

With their robust cellulose content, hemp fibers are among the strongest natural fibers in the world, which makes hemp an ideal raw material for producing high-quality specialty paper. As a non-wood fiber, hemp pulp can offer advantages over traditional wood-based pulp.

When compared against conventional tree-based paper, hemp paper surpasses wood-based paper in more ways than one. Paper made with hemp is known for its durability, outperforming tree-based paper in its resistance to decomposition and its tensile strength. Hemp fiber also results in a higher-quality paper product that is naturally acid-free. On top of these advantages, hemp is also a more efficient material for making paper than wood. Hemp plants, unlike trees, grow quickly, so cultivating hemp can be a more efficient alternative to growing trees for paper manufacturing.

Clothing

For centuries, humans have been using hemp fiber to craft durable and versatile clothing materials. Today, increased attention has been turned toward hemp fabric, particularly due to its antibacterial properties. Hemp fiber contains antibacterial compounds such as alkaloids, flavones, and saponins, which can be effective against many pathogenic bacteria. Evidence so far has also demonstrated hemp fiber’s efficacy in acting against pathogens like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These promising results are of particular interest in the healthcare sector, where hemp fabrics could potentially reduce infection transmission in medical environments. 

Plus, because of hemp’s natural antifungal and antibacterial properties, socks made from hemp fiber could help keep your feet odor-free!

Plastic

Hemp plastic, which is fully biodegradable, offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic. Traditional plastics are typically made from ethylene and polypropylene, which are derived from unrenewable fossil fuel hydrocarbons, making traditional plastic neither biodegradable nor sustainable. Hemp plants are 60-70% cellulose, which is a durable complex carbohydrate used in plant cell walls that can be made into various types of plastics, including rayon, celluloid, and cellophane. 

Although “pure” hemp plastic is still uncommon, there are mixed bioplastics made from hemp combined with other plant materials already in use. These hemp-based plastics are known for their strength, lighter weight, and sustainability, which make them an ideal alternative to traditional plastics used for packaging. They may even offer a replacement for technical products, such as wind turbine blades or BMW automobile parts.

Building Materials

Originally thought to be a waste by-product of little use compared to bast fibers, hemp’s hurd fibers are surprisingly useful in producing construction materials. Hurd fibers can be used to replace fiberboard, insulation materials, and even concrete building blocks. 

For example, “hempcrete“ (lime hemp concrete) is a sturdy building material made by mixing a pulp of hemp hurd fibers with a binder of water and lime. Hempcrete is a lightweight alternative to wood or concrete, while still being highly physically durable. Building with hempcrete also offers numerous other advantages, which include improved insulation, moisture regulation, as well as natural resistance to fire, rot, and insect infestation. 

With the rising urgency of environmental degradation and climate change, it has become increasingly important to find alternative building materials that can reduce the construction industry’s impact on the environment. Manufacturing typical construction materials, such as concrete and lumber, requires intensive carbon emissions and water use. On the other hand, hemp fibers are comparatively sustainable, and we have discovered incredible products like hempcrete to replace more environmentally burdensome products like concrete or lumber.

Environmental Sustainability

Increased use of hemp in the above products offers potential benefits for both preserving and repairing the environment. Many hemp-based products are carbon-negative, meaning the cultivation, harvest, processing, and manufacture of these products give off less than zero carbon emissions. In other words, hemp plants absorb more atmospheric carbon in their lifetimes than is emitted by processing them into various products. 

Because of their rapid growth rate and cellulose-rich stems, hemp plants are considered some of the most efficient converters of carbon dioxide to biomass. However, the plants’ exceptional capacity for carbon capture is not very advantageous if we do not make use of the hemp. Otherwise, the plants just die and release their stored carbon back into the atmosphere. To keep absorbed carbon stored in the hemp fibers, hemp plants must be processed into durable materials that can contain the carbon bonded within the hemp’s fibers for longer-term carbon storage.

Overall, by increasing our use of hemp fibers for various applications like the ones on this list, we can potentially remove carbon from the atmosphere by storing it in various materials derived from hemp fibers.

Final Thoughts

South Dakota’s rise as a leader in industrial hemp production marks a significant shift in both the state’s agricultural landscape and the broader U.S. market. As hemp continues to demonstrate its versatility in products ranging from paper and clothing to biodegradable plastics and sustainable building materials, it also holds promise as a key player in environmental sustainability.

By harnessing the unique properties of hemp fibers, we can not only meet rising consumer demands but also contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions, making hemp a vital resource for the future. South Dakota’s success in this field is just the beginning of what could be a nationwide transformation toward more sustainable, hemp-based solutions.