Maleny locals are at the forefront of the emerging industrial hemp industry with advocates claiming this sustainable and multiuse crop is undoubtedly the way of the future. Heavyweight corporation AgriFutures Australia has thrown its backing behind the burgeoning sector, earmarking industrial hemp as a key emerging, high potential agricultural rural industry. Reports produced as part of AgriFutures Australia’s emerging industries program focused on high growth potential industries suggest with supported development; the gross value of Australian Industrial Hemp production could far exceed $10million per annum by 2026.
With a rapidly developing global market tapping into the myriad of applications and value-added products stemming from this versatile ‘wonder plant’ that include textiles, rope, fuel, oil, building materials, superfood and more, this traditionally utilised product is seeing a massive resurgence of interest across the globe,
Maleny agronomist, John Muir, said almost every university around the world was looking into the potential of the product, and while Australia still lagged behind other countries in terms of production and scale – industry and government support was steadily growing around this rediscovered resource.
John confirmed hemp was a great crop for both Queensland and Australian conditions, with almost all of the plant usable from the superfood ‘hemp seeds’ to the inner and outer fibre that can create a huge diversity of products from clothing, ropes and paper to bio-fuels and building materials. He predicts hemp could soon replace our current global reliance on plastic and wood as it produced numerous environmentally sustainable alternatives to many existing products.
“Industrial hemp produces one of the strongest natural carbon capturing fibres in the world.
People have been using hemp for centuries but now we are seeing a huge resurgence of interest in this traditional crop. Big manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes Benz are already using hemp for their car parts, and more industries around the world are looking to source more sustainable building materials and bio-plastics using hemp derived material,” he said.
Currently working closely with Agrifutures Australia, John is managing nine hemp trial sites across the country and has recently returned home to Maleny following hemp field trial work that had heralded positive outcomes and excited industry advocates.
As well as his own long-standing interest, he credits Maleny man Phil Warner, founder of Ecofibre Industries, Operations over two decades ago as being one of the pioneers of the Australian industrial hemp industry.
“Phil is like the father or old man of the hemp industry and has been working with and promoting hemp products for years. Any discussion around Maleny locals and their involvement in this industry needs to acknowledge him,” said John.
Maleny builder, Johan Tijssen, runs Hemp Block Australia and is also a key figure in the development of the hemp building industry in Australia. Speaking with GC&M News, Johan said his company supplies and builds with structural hemp crete blocks. He also operates Hemp Block New Zealand and USA and is currently overseas developing further interest in his product.
Johan said it was fellow Maleny-ite John Muir who initially sparked his interest around 15 years ago by suggesting that he look into incorporating hemp crete into the building process. Johan said he became very interested in discovering the numerous benefits of using hemp. In collaboration with Phil Warner, he looked to revitalise Hemp Crete Australia before switching over to a hemp block system approximately five years ago and establishing Hemp Block Australia. He said he was pleased that there had been a good response to the product with a number of houses around the Maleny and further afield built or planning to be built using the building product.
“There are so many benefits to using this product, it is a natural and sustainable product that bonds to an incredible strength. Carbon is captured within the blocks which transforms or petrifies into rock so it provides enormous benefit as a building product as it never degrades. It is a fantastic fire retardant (BAL FZ) and termite resistant, and it provides great insulation values of R4.8 so basically the homes are cool in summer and hot in winter,“ explained Johan.
Johan said he had built three houses in Maleny and said there had been increasingly positive interest in both using the blocks locally and internationally, as well as the possibility of manufacturing the blocks here in Australia. Currently the blocks are manufactured in France as Australia currently does not the processing plant facilities to support local production, however Johan said he would be keen to attract the investment to establish an Australian facility.
Main image: John Tijssen with one of his hemp blocks
