The Federation of International Hemp Organizations (FIHO) has joined a United Nations program through which it will work to position hemp as a source of sustainable building materials.
FIHO joined the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), which is advancing carbon neutrality for the built environment through major international activities, including annual meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the decision-making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Promise in biomaterials
“More and more companies in the world are developing hempcrete and other biomaterials for new buildings as well as refitting existing buildings at a reasonable price and with locally developed products,” FIHO said in a press release, underscoring the hemp plant’s ability to absorb CO2 in the field, and hempcrete’s ability to lock it up.
GlobalABC develops policy and technology guidance for the construction industry, addressing the sector at the global, regional, national and municipal levels. The Alliance tracks progress in decarbonization of the sector through its annual Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, and its Global Building Climate Tracker.
‘Showcase’ for hemp
“Global ABC will allow Hempcrete producers to showcase their products, develop contacts with other stakeholders including farmers, processors, architects, building companies and urbanists to share research findings and more,” said Ted Haney, FIHO Chairman.
Global ABC’s 2022 edition of the Global Building Climate Tracker report indicates that the construction sector remains off track to achieve decarbonization by 2050.
Running behind
“The gap between the actual climate performance of the sector and the necessary decarbonization pathway is widening,” according to the report. “The lack of structural or systemic decarbonization improvement in the building sector leaves its emissions reductions vulnerable to external factors.”
In 2021, the buildings and construction sector accounted for around 37% of energy- and process-related CO2 emissions, and over 34% of energy demand globally, according to the report.
