How Hemp Paper Could Bring Life Back to Degraded Land

In a world increasingly dominated by screens, big and small, it is easy to forget paper. 

But can anything compare to the crisp pages of a novel or the scribbled notes after a lightbulb moment? 

Though paper is indispensable it is made at a tremendous cost to the environment. 

Deforestation, chemical pollution, and unsustainable land-use practices take a terrible toll on Mother Earth. However, there is a suitable alternative – hemp paper. 

Hemp paper has emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional paper. In this article, we explore the role of hemp paper in restoring degraded land and replenishing the soil. 

The impact of traditional paper production on land degradation

There are many ways in which traditional paper production degrades the land. 

It heavily contributes to deforestation, generates toxic waste, and releases air pollution from manufacturing, making it one of the most polluting industries globally. 

Let’s look at these in greater detail. 

1. Deforestation and Soil Erosion: Stripping the Land Bare

The paper industry depends on wood pulp. This requires large-scale deforestation for the raw material. The sheer volume of wood required is staggering.

Producing just one ton of paper consumes approximately 17 trees. 

The removal of the trees and root systems exposes the undergrowth to wind and water. The topsoil is washed away taking with it nutrients for plants.

Large-scale deforestation leads to barren landscapes as vegetation cannot grow back without the protective canopy. In places like Borneo and Sumatra, the conversion of natural forests to pulp plantations has caused massive soil degradation.

2. Toxic Waste Contamination: A Chemical Legacy

Raw wood is converted to pulp in paper mills. The pulp is then spread evenly and dries to form paper. 

The process is far from being pristine. The mills use plenty of chlorine dioxide, ammonia, and heavy metals to make the paper smooth. 

After the process ends these are dumped into the nearest landfill or river. In 2015, the US pulp and paper industry released 79,000 tonnes of pollutants. A staggering 24% of this went to landfills. There is little doubt that these toxic waste matters end up in the food chain and ultimately are ingested through food and water. 

3. Monoculture Plantations: An Oversimplified Ecosystem

To meet the growing demand for paper, dense forests are being replaced with monoculture pulpwood plantations.

Natural forests have a mix of flora and fauna species. Together they form complex ecological systems. This gives it resilience. If one species is impacted by a change, others can still contribute to the overall health of the forest. 

For making paper, forests are cleared and replaced by softwood trees. This simplified ecosystem is unable to sustain many species resulting in a loss of biodiversity. What follows is land degradation. 

In recent years, India has lost 97.85 million hectares of land to degradation. This is 2.5 times the size of Rajasthan. 

This frightening trend cannot be allowed to continue and it is time for a green paper industry to take shape. 

Exploring the environmental benefits of hemp paper

Hemp offers a sustainable alternative to traditional wood pulp paper. The hemp plant is a variety of the Cannabis sativa species. 

Hemp is a hardy plant and it can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. It easily grows in less-than-ideal soil, making it ideal for arid regions. Hemp paper is made from the fibrous stalks of the hemp plant. The fibers are processed into pulp, which is then used to make hemp paper. 

By shifting to hemp for eco-friendly paper production, we can address the key issues caused by the traditional paper industry. 

Combating Deforestation and Erosion

Do you know hemp matures in just 90–120 days? This is significantly faster than softwood trees, which take many years. 

Over a decade an acre of hemp can produce far more paper pulp than an acre of trees. This huge productivity can completely remove the need for further deforestation. 

Hemp has deep roots, over two meters in length. These penetrate deep inside the soil and bind it firmly. Using hemp in land restoration efforts could transform barren land into fertile, productive soil. 

Eliminating Chemical Pollution

The traditional paper industry heavily depends on harmful chemicals to bleach wood pulp and remove lignin. These chemicals contribute to soil and water pollution.

But hemp has 85% cellulose, the main raw material for paper production. Compare this to 30% we can obtain from wood pulp and it is easy to see why hemp paper is environment friendly. 

Hemp also has a lower lignin content. It has 5-20% lignin compared to 20–35% in wood. Thus making hemp paper requires very little bleaching. 

Restoring Soil Health

Hemp farming benefits include soil phytoremediation. The deep and extensive root system can extract and absorb pollutants from deeper soil layers. 

That is not all. Hemp shives can be used as mulch to help maintain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Cultivation of hemp also causes diverse kinds of microbes to grow which ultimately improve soil health. 

Unlike monoculture tree plantations, hemp can be grown in crop rotations with other plants, such as beans and potatoes. This enhances biodiversity and ecological balance within the cultivated area.

It is important to note, that unlike traditional paper, hemp paper is highly resistant to decomposition and does not yellow with age. Nor does hemp paper turn brittle after a few years of exposure.