Milestone UK Industrial Hemp Supply Agreement
Industrial Nature & East Yorkshire Hemp are delighted to have signed a long-term supply agreement for industrial hemp, the largest to-date for UK manufacturing.
Scott Simpson, IndiNature, and Nick Voase, East Yorkshire Hemp, signing the agreement for industrial hemp supply.
With the IndiNature Mill now operational, a new 5 year agreement secures a strong foundation for scaling the production of natural fibre insulation and a wide range of non-woven textiles applications in the IndiNature Mill.
This first of several supply agreements builds on our 3 year start-up arrangements in place since 2020, and is designed to underpin the next stage of IndiNature’s market entry with material to insulate 2000 - 4000 homes.
Changing the materials we make things with takes time.
For 21 years, East Yorkshire Hemp led by Nick Voase has farmed and processed industrial hemp - one of the few keeping traditional hemp farming alive in the UK. IndiNature’s co-founder, Scott Simpson said:
“We first met in 2012 while I was studying at the Centre for Alternative Technology and looking for local suppliers of hemp fibre capable of ensuring we could manufacture quality biobased materials for the construction supply chain.
Since then we’ve built a strong partnership with Nick and the team at East Yorkshire Hemp, and greatly respect their tenacity and patience, building their knowledge and making sure there is experience in the UK to grow and supply this extraordinary fibre crop which is vital for tackling climate change”.
The milestone was marked in a fitting moment - signing on a stack of IndiTherm flexible insulation batts made in the Scottish Borders from hemp grown and processed on the farm in Yorkshire. The signing was witnessed by 21 members of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for industrial hemp, including co-chair Ronnie Cowan MP, on a recent visit to the IndiNature Mill in May 2023.
Industrial hemp was a traditional and common crop in the UK for hundreds of years - with an incredible range of applications of the fibre, shiv and all elements of the plant. For the last one hundred years it has been cast in a negative context with the rise of petrochemical alternatives seeking to dismiss the biobased competition. But society is realising again the potential of industrial hemp as part of a more sustainable circular bio-economy.
Thank you to the whole team at East Yorkshire Hemp for the work that has been put in to get the fibre right for Insulation and for your patience over the years. We are also very grateful to the range of people involved in developing the agreement and potential for industrial hemp in the UK, including Jackie McNulty, Andrew Conod, Nina McKeown, Danielle Prado, MBM Commercial LLP, Sheelagh Duffield, Gary Deans, Joe Farren, Alex McLeod, SAC Consulting, SAOS, Elsoms Seeds Ltd and more. Thank you all.
This is a huge step and we are excited to now be working with more partners, growers and processors, to build the industrial hemp supply chain once again in the UK. Watch this space!
