In this interview I’m joined by Mandi Kerr of ‘The Global Hemp Association’ for a discussion about making big leaps towards a circular economy and less dependency on fossil fuels through establishing new uses for the hemp plant. Hemp is incredibly versatile and can be used within all manner of applications from insulation and construction materials, to textiles, food and even tyres!

Mandi recognised a huge opportunity here and created her non-profit organisation, The Global Hemp Association to connect together all manner of people; from researchers, farmers, manufacturers, government, haulage, educators etc. to increase the pace of product development and new supply chains through discussions and collaboration.

Note: Hemp is related to the marijuana plant however it doesn't contain enough THC to cause intoxication. Despite this the relation causes legal complications when growing or using the hemp plant, which has historically been utilised for its fibre rather than its intoxicating compounds.

Use the time stamps below to get a sense of what’s included:

00:00 – Intro

02:44 – Start of Interview

04:14 – Why Hemp?

05:13 – The Varied Uses of Hemp

06:12 – The Parts of the Plant

07:04 – Moving Past Legal Barriers?

09:10 – A Great Crop For Carbon Storage

10:33 – Where Can It Grow?

11:53 – Bringing People Together

15:07 – Evolving Through Communication

21:27 – Progress Around Sustainability?

24:32 – ‘The We Are Carbon’ Project!

26:12 – Winning Through Collaborating

28:32 – Recurring Concerns

30:53 – Evolving Through Technology

36:37 – Benefits to Farm Land

37:43 – Get Involved!

Find full details of the 'We Are Carbon' project over at the website:

https://www.wearecarbon.earth

Or follow on Instagram: @wearecarbon.earth