Developed by US-based company Fibonacci, HempWood is a wood-like alternative to tropical and domestic hardwood and suitable to make floors and furniture with.

While wood is an amazing material with a bright future, if sourced sustainably, one of the downsides is that trees take a long time to grow, especially tropical hardwood, which is disappearing at an alarming rate.

To offer an alternative, HempWood was created, which, as the name implies, is a wood-like material made of hemp fibres. Hemp grows 100 times faster than oak wood: in about 120 days the plant has matured and is ready to be used. The idea of using hemp as wood substitute was inspired by the bamboo industry, another fast growing plant species.

According to Fibonacci, they developed the material by reverse engineering the natural growth cycle of plant-based materials. Using biomimicry, they transformed hemp fibres and soy protein-based, VOC-free bonding agents into a wood substitute using heat and pressure. The material is said to be 20% stronger than oak wood and can be used in the same manner, including furniture and flooring.

The material is made from components sourced within 100 miles of the factory.

Photos: HempWood