Hempitecture, a company specializing in hemp-based building materials, has received an $8.42 million Department of Energy grant that it said will help fund the creation of an industrial fiber hemp processing and manufacturing facility in northeast Tennessee.
The plant will initially focus on making products, like its flagship HempWool and PlantPanel, that can be applied as building materials, packaging, and automotive parts.
The facility will create 25 full-time jobs and the company has promised to pay wages that are 15% above the local prevailing rate. It also said the use of hemp fiber could reduce carbon intensity by up to 80% in the products it manufactures.
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Hempitecture said its new facility won’t just be about scaling production, but also about creating economic opportunities along the agricultural supply chain.
By sourcing renewable, carbon-sequestering resources directly from southeastern farms, Hempitecture transforms agricultural feedstock into high-performance, sustainable insulation. This process starts with partnerships with local farmers committed to regenerative practices, cultivating a resilient supply chain that supports rural economies while reducing carbon footprints. Hempitecture’s new production facility then enables eco-friendly manufacturing processes to create bio-based insulation materials that perform exceptionally in energy efficiency and carbon reduction across a variety of industries – Construction, Automotive, Cold Chain, and Consumer Goods.