Hemp was one of the key building materials of the Middle Ages. Interest in hemp as a potential building material has increased lately driven by growing demand for eco-friendly building materials. Today it has numerous industrial applications particularly in paper and automotive industries. But hemp is gaining growing notoriety for its use in building materials and notably as a replacement for glass wool in insulation. Hemp plants are processed into hemp wool which is an easily used eco-friendly substitute for glass wool which is known to have numerous health risks. Furthermore, the hemp wool has a natural vermin-repulsive quality.
Hemp is produced in several areas of France such as Picardie, the Marne, Yonne and Côte d'Or. The largest single area of production is the Aube. A cooperative of hemp growers for the Aube region, La Chanvrière de l'Aube (LCDA), was formed in 1973 and today is the European leader boasting 75% of France’s hemp production. The cooperative groups 320 members who cultivate hemp over an area of approximately 5,000 hectares within a 100km radius of Bar-sur-Aube.
Hemp has been cultivated for many years but there are numerous laws surrounding its production. Article 8 of the law concerning the production of hemp states: “It is prohibited to cultivate hemp for the use in drug production. But it is not forbidden to cultivate or import it for other needs such as for the use in building materials.”
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Hemp was one of the key building materials of the Middle Ages. Interest in hemp as a potential building material has increased lately driven by growing demand for eco-friendly building materials. Today it has numerous industrial applications particularly in paper and automotive industries. But hemp is gaining growing notoriety for its use in building materials and notably as a replacement for glass wool in insulation. Hemp plants are processed into hemp wool which is an easily used eco-friendly substitute for glass wool which is known to have numerous health risks. Furthermore, the hemp wool has a natural vermin-repulsive quality.