At GreenMatter Biotech, we spend a lot of time thinking about the future of everyday materials. We imagine a world where the products we use daily don’t outlive our great-grandchildren, sitting in landfills, leeching microplastics into the environment. We envision a better, cleaner future. To build that future, we had to look to the past, specifically to the misunderstood and underutilized plant: hemp. If you’ve ever wondered what hemp actually is, why it was criminalized for decades, and how it holds the scientific key to replacing traditional plastics, you are in the right place. Let’s dive deep into the history, the biology, and the future of hemp.
Hemp Defined
Hemp refers to Cannabis Sativa strains having 0.3% THC or less, by dry weight. Hemp has no psychoactive side effects but has incredible uses in everything from health & beauty products to clothing & food.
Hemp refers to strains of the Cannabis Sativa plant with 0.3% THC or less, but high quantities of CBD (Cannabidiol) and other Cannabinoids. This strict legal and botanical threshold of 0.3% THC is exactly what separates it from its intoxicating cousins. Unlike strains of cannabis with high levels of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) known as marijuana, hemp has absolutely no psychoactive or intoxicating side effects.
You cannot get “high” from industrial hemp. Instead, this remarkable plant is a highly versatile agricultural commodity. For us at GreenMatter Biotech, its most exciting application lies hidden within its tall, sturdy stalk: high-quality, renewable cellulose. The molecular structure of hemp makes it an absolute powerhouse for industrial applications, but to appreciate where it’s going, we must see where it has been.
Hemp- A brief history
The Hemp plant is arguably the oldest known cultivated crop, with a fabric relic made from Hemp dating back to 8000bc.
Industrial Hemp has been well known to have multiple benefits and uses throughout history, including textiles, food, plastics, paper, construction materials, fuel, health and beauty products, animal feed and bedding, and more.
In the US during the colonial and early American eras, Americans were legally required to grow hemp because governing bodies knew of its value to the health, wealth, and growth of this nation. Hemp wasn’t just an alternative option; it was a foundational pillar of early industry and daily survival.
A Cultural Shift Away From Hemp
So, how did a plant so vital to human history become a controversial, heavily regulated substance?
Unfortunately, the success and continued use of industrial hemp in the US were hindered by government intervention and the growing public perception that hemp and marijuana were the same. In the early 20th century, competing industries, specifically timber, synthetic textiles, and petrochemicals, recognized the massive financial threat that cheap, durable hemp posed to their emerging market shares. They began to aggressively lobby against it.
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 instilled a hefty tax on anyone wanting to grow any form of cannabis, including industrial hemp. This discouraged local farmers from cultivating the crop, and they converted their land to other uses.
In the early 1940s, a film renamed ‘Reefer Madness’ used exploitation tactics to portray Cannabis as a dangerous, psychosis-inducing drug. The film made its way into the newsreels at theaters worldwide, thus creating a false stigma and a negative perception of cannabis in the minds of a generation and their children.
The US government continued to recognize the value of hemp’s uses. After the battle of Pearl Harbor, Asian supplies of hemp used for rope, clothing, and other products for the military were shut off. In a sudden reversal of messaging, over a million acres of industrial hemp were grown in the southeastern US as part of the “Hemp for Victory” campaign. However, after the war, these farms were quickly shut down as the interests of oil, timber, and other industries with government interests prevailed. Petroleum-based plastics began their rapid ascent into everyday life, and hemp was pushed to the fringes.
Hemp Farming is Outlawed
Although the uses and benefits of industrial hemp and the differences between hemp and marijuana were well known in much of the developed world, the 1970 Controlled Substances Act classified hemp and marijuana as the same, and the industrial hemp industry died in the United States altogether.
For the next 48 years, Hemp products were legally imported from other countries, but cultivation in the US continued to be a crime.
Legalization of Hemp Farming
In 2018, the US Hemp Farm Bill removed Hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. Hemp is now defined as Cannabis Sativa having .3% THC or less, and an agricultural commodity once again.
The US is now able to produce one of the fastest-growing, most environmentally friendly, and highly valuable commodities known to humanity. Fields are once again green with towering hemp stalks.
But why does this specific agricultural renaissance matter so much to us at GreenMatter Biotech?
Why Hemp Makes Better Bioplastics
Traditional plastics are forged from fossil fuels, a finite, highly polluting resource extracted from deep within the earth. These synthetic plastics are designed to last virtually forever, meaning practically every piece of conventional plastic ever created still exists in some form today.
Bioplastics, on the other hand, are synthesized from biological, plant-based substances.
The secret to strong, reliable plastics, whether synthetic or biological, lies in long, durable polymer chains.
Hemp is composed of 60% to 70% cellulose, which is the organic polymer that provides plants with their structural integrity and rigidity. By comparison, wood is only about 40% cellulose, and while cotton is around 90%, it requires vastly more water, time, and harsh chemicals to grow. Hemp perfectly hits the “Goldilocks zone” for natural manufacturing. It grows to maturity in just a few short months, naturally outpaces and suppresses weeds, requires minimal chemical intervention, and acts as a massive carbon sink, absorbing tons of CO2 from the atmosphere while it grows. Not to mention the benefits it has for the soil as a bioremediator, removing harmful components as it grows.
When we extract this high-quality cellulose from the hemp stalk, we can use it to create highly durable, incredibly versatile bioplastics. These plant-derived materials behave exactly like traditional plastics when you are using them; they are strong, heat-resistant, and completely reliable. However, because they are born from nature, they are fully capable of breaking down and returning cleanly to the earth at the end of their lifecycle. Hemp doesn’t just make a bioplastic; it makes a vastly superior bioplastic that aligns with the natural cycles of our planet.
The Original Brown Straw: Enter Made2Degrade™
Knowing the deep science and the rich history of hemp is one thing; bringing it to the consumer market in a way that actually changes behavior is another challenge entirely. That is exactly why we built our Made2Degrade™ product line.
Think back to walking into any local coffee shop just a few years ago. You would inevitably find either flimsy paper straws that dissolved into a soggy mess in your iced latte before you could even finish it, or traditional plastic straws destined to outlive your grandchildren in a local landfill. We knew the market desperately needed a better, plant-derived option.
By utilizing unbleached hemp biopolymers, we engineered a durable, highly functional straw that wouldn’t disintegrate in your drink. It feels like plastic, it acts like plastic, but it comes entirely from hemp. Because we refused to use toxic chemical bleaches, artificial dyes, or unnecessary processing agents, the resulting product retained a natural, earthy, distinctively brownish hue, which is why we call it The Original Brown Straw.
That signature brown straw became our flagship proof-of-concept. It isn’t greenwashed; it’s exactly as nature intended. The Original Brown Straw proved definitively that we didn’t have to sacrifice functionality for a cleaner conscience. It paved the way for our entire expanding Made2Degrade™ line, allowing us to venture into sturdy cutlery, stir sticks and more. We are proving every single day that the oldest cultivated crop on earth genuinely holds the blueprint for the future of responsible manufacturing.
Join the Material Revolution
At GreenMatter Biotech, we believe that reversing the global plastic crisis requires bold, uncompromising innovation. Are you ready to ditch toxic, legacy plastics and join the material revolution? Explore the full Made2Degrade™ product line today and discover how GreenMatter Biotech is utilizing the power of hemp to create a cleaner, greener world for generations to come.
How We Create Our Content
This article was developed with AI assistance for research and initial drafting. All food safety information has been reviewed, fact-checked, and approved by Rhonda Peoples at GreenMatter Biotech. We cite authoritative sources throughout. Read our full AI & content policy →
