Potential for research on hemp insulation in the UK construction sector

Hemp based thermal insulation has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings and to be 'carbon-negative' in its production and manufacture. Hemp has been in use to produce biobased natural fibre insulation in the UK in recent years. With further development in hemp agronomy, production process and selection of raw materials in the production, hemp-based insulation materials are likely to become environmentally and functionally superior products to other insulation materials developed from petrochemical and mineral based sources. This paper looks at the research works on the present and future housing scenario in the UK, reductions in embodied energy of insulation materials, techniques for increasing thermal performance and ways in which the environmental impact can be lessened.