We are ripping apart our natural resources for our daily needs. One of the items we generate more than we account for is plastic. Plastic, and the chemicals that accompany it, are invading our oceans, lands, air, and even our bodies.
The need to cut back our plastic use is being iterated over and over. But is that the only solution? The thing with humans is that what once was a luxury is now a necessity. Humans are dependent beings and they really can’t do without what they have once learned to do.
The convenience factor in the aspect of plastic is so deeply embedded in our lives, it often goes unnoticed. Plastic is so prominent in our lives that it is almost impossible to not buy it.
The Alternative
Like Mother Nature does for every problem, she has provided us with a very natural and healthy alternative—Hemp Plastic—that can easily be used as a replacement without any of the damaging effects of current plastic.
What is Hemp Plastic?
After we remove the fibres from the hemp stems, we get a remainder of 77% cellulose. This cellulose is the prime source of biodegradable hemp plastic. Because of its highest cellulose content in the entire plant kingdom, hemp can be used to create lightweight, biodegradable, and non-toxic plastics.
5 Super Powers of Hemp Plastics
Hemp is called a superfood because of the high amount of protein and nutrients naturally present in it. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of Hemp’s superpowers. When made into plastic, Hemp is:
Biodegradable
It is in our rote memory that plastics are non-biodegradable. But this needs to change because now we have alternatives to oil-based plastics that are complete, 100% biodegradable.
Traditional plastics inhabit the Earth for 450 to 1,000 years before fully decomposing. It begins to leave its chemical traces everywhere it goes during this time. Hemp Plastic, on the other hand, takes 3 to 6 months to decompose and can be recycled infinitely.
Solution for Pollution
The plastics we use today come from fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide into the air. The production of Hemp Plastic is environment-friendly because it does not admit any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
As a matter of fact, hemp plants actually capture the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere and turn it into oxygen. Every ton of hemp removes 1.63 tons of carbon from the air.
Versatile
We can recycle Hemp plastics infinitely. That is to say, we can mould them into anything for all possible purposes. Hemp plastic is versatile in the sense that it can make anything from water bottles, toys, and furniture to bags, electronics, and car parts.
Durable
Hemp plastic is 5 times stiffer and 2.5 times stronger than traditional plastic. The more the hemp plastic products last, the fewer number of new products we will produce.
Healthy
Hemp plastic is healthy both for the environment and humans. The hemp plant grows organically without any chemicals or fertilizers. The production of hemp plastic is a green process as well. This is in opposition to traditional plastics that contain high amounts of chemicals many of which enter the human body and lead to medical conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer.
The Isle of Man, is looking to diversify its economy with medicinal cannabis. This will be a turn in the traditional island economy which was majorly known for its offshore financial services. The British crown dependency is likely to license 10 firms by the end of 2025 to initiate economic growth in this sector. The same will also open avenues to grow and export medicinal cannabis products from the island.
CBD oil is a derivative of CBD that is extracted from the leaves of Cannabis plant or its cultivar hemp. This oil is helpful to provide relief for patients of arthritis, cancer, epilepsy, chronic headaches, anxiety, depression, drug addiction and other neurological conditions.