Even Absorbing Carbon? The Rapidly Growing Hempcrete Market

Wildflowers filling the fields and a panoramic view.

[Darren Strauss / Homeowner: This is where we are going to spend our retirement.]

In the home this couple is building,

[I drew the plans myself.]

There is something special about their new dream house.

The material used to coat the walls is hempcrete.

[Eric Milburn / General Contractor: This has been drying for about a week now. It feels similar to leaving oatmeal outside to dry.]

Hempcrete is a mixture made by combining hemp stalks, lime, and water. It boasts excellent insulation performance, is biodegradable, and notably has the property of absorbing and trapping carbon, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

[Eric Milburn / General Contractor: The hempcrete walls used in this house have perfect fire resistance. They are also mold-resistant. It absorbs and sequesters carbon. It actually captures carbon from the air, much like a tree, and stores it inside the walls.]

Because of this, countries around the world are recently making efforts to establish policies that promote the use of hempcrete.

In particular, the United States provided more than 8 billion won in subsidies to related organizations in 2024.

Buoyed by these efforts, the hempcrete market, valued at 25 billion dollars in 2024, is growing rapidly at nearly 5 percent each year, and is projected to approach 40 billion dollars by 2033.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.