So, what is hemp paper? It is paper made from pulp manufactured out of the fibers in the hemp plant. Hemp pulp can be manufactured into all sorts of paper including but not limited to rolling papers, printer paper, currency, filter papers, and packaging paper.
Moreover, hemp paper also possesses many superior qualities and advantages compared to paper manufactured from wood pulp. One of the advantages being that hemp is a more sustainable option for paper manufacturing. For example, hemp is an annual crop and can be grown every year, whereas trees take many years to grow before they can be cut for paper. What’s more is that unsustainable logging and illegal logging in some forests like the Amazon is detrimental to the environment.
Does Hemp Make Good Paper?
Does Hemp Make Good Paper? Yes, Hemp makes very good paper. There are many advantages and reasons to use it instead of paper from trees. We will list some of the properties that make hemp paper a better option for paper uses below.
Here are some of the qualities of paper manufactured out of hemp pulp:
- Higher cellulose percentage
- Longer fiber length
- Low lignin
- More tear resistant
- Higher tensile strength
Compared to wood pulp, hemp pulp offers a four to five times longer fibre, a significantly lower lignin fraction as well as a higher tear resistance and tensile strength. Because the paper industry's processes have been optimized for wood as the feedstock, production costs currently are much higher than for paper from wood.
What Has Hemp Paper Been Used For?
A number of important and historically significant documents and texts have been written on hemp paper. The use of hemp paper dates back to ancient times. In fact the first identified and confirmed hemp paper dates back to the early Han Dynasty in China.
The first copies of the Bible were notably made out of hemp paper. In modern times there is a type of paper sometimes called India Paper that is bleached hemp paper that produces a tough and opaque but very thin paper.
Currency is another example of one of the historic and modern day uses of hemp paper. Hemp provides many advantages for use in currency since paper monies need to be durable to be able to remain in circulation in good condition.
Another type of hemp paper that has sustained continued popularity today is hemp cigarette rolling paper. Most of the hemp cigarette rolling paper is grown in Europe in countries like France that have traditionally grown and manufactured the rolling papers.
