Bill Althouse believes hemp has great potential to change the world, but he cautions against the common rhetoric — that hemp can magically fix all the world’s problems.
Instead, he said, the industry must focus on legitimization.
“This means meeting all the rules, regulations, material specifications and testing standards of the non-hemp materials we’re trying to replace with hemp,” he said.
For hemp to succeed, it must be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the people outside of the hemp space — builders, engineers, textile manufacturers, etc.
“After legitimization, we must compete, delivering higher performance at a lower price,” he added.
On the Hemp Podcast this week, Althouse talks about the issues involved with bringing hemp into the mainstream and shares opinions that will make many people in the hemp industry uncomfortable.
For example, he talks about why the American hempcrete industry can’t definitively say what the R-Value of hemp is, and how making claims about hempcrete's insulating properties violates FTC rules.
He describes the value chain of hemp as a textile and makes his case for why, in its current state, it will never be able to compete with cotton.
He calls the hemp industry an “echo chamber,” saying that repeating the same unsubstantiated claims about hemp only damages the future of hemp.
His experience in engineering, green building and hemp farming gives him credibility, and he uses that perspective to inject a shot of realism into the conversation.
He’s not all doom and gloom, though. He sees great promise in hemp, especially in emerging “lignin first” technology that he says has the potential to eliminate the need for decortication and degumming, the two steps in the process currently keeping hemp from competing with cotton.
A voice in the wilderness or a cranky old man with an ax to grind? Decide for yourself.
Learn More about What Bill is up to:
Fat Pig Society
Industry group aims to develop high-CBD varieties that won’t go hot
https://hempindustrydaily.com/industry-group-aims-to-develop-high-cbd-varieties-that-wont-go-hot/
Cutting out the middleman to help small organic farmers
https://hemptoday.net/cutting-out-the-middleman-to-help-small-organic-farmers/
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