Hemp Black eco6 carbon. © Hemp Black.

Hemp Black has announced it has been awarded a Platinum Level Material Health Certificate as part of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program. Hemp Black worked with MBDC on assessing and optimizing Hemp Black/eco6, and an independent non-profit third party, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, issued the certificate.

“Hemp Black/eco6 is a first in class carbon-negative alternative to traditional petroleum-based carbon black that is produced from the carbonization of hemp: a sustainable, rapidly renewable resource.” Hemp Black said today in a press announcement.

“The review for Material Health generates material assessment ratings based on the hazards of chemicals in products and their relative routes of exposure during their use and end-of-use product phases. A platinum ranking, the highest achievable, confirms that the material does not contain, at any dose, any components that have not been optimized for human and environmental health during any intended, or unintended, use,” the company said.

“From our yoga-athleisure line launching this Spring, to working with well positioned industry partners, to essential manufacturing inputs, Hemp Black is navigating change to be a positive disruption is a wide landscape of industries. Driven by research and science to finding inventive, sustainable answers driven by the power of hemp and hemp technologies,” said Mark Andrew Sunderland, Chief Innovation Officer for Hemp Black.

“Hemp Black/eco6 is a great example of delivering a cleaner, greener, renewable plant-based product that can be a one-for-one replacement in a multitude of uses. We expect demand to be high as companies look for easy to implement sustainability solutions and delivering performance.”

Hemp Black Shirt with cube lighting to show how the pigment can be conductive and used for printing. © Hemp Black.

Hemp Black/eco6 can be used to colour, reinforce, or add conductivity to different components during the manufacturing or product phase. Potential applications include:

• Screen and analogue print technology with variety of eco-friendly bases and finishes
• Safe and eco-friendly pigments for health and beauty products and other household items
• Electrical and conductive components for wearable textiles, magnetic tapes, and semiconductors
• Reinforcing agent in rubber products like footwear and tyres
• Colour additive for ink-jet toners used for printing
• Pigment for heat-moulded plastics, car fenders, electrical wires, and other products
• Masterbatch and polymerization fibre and composites

 “A Platinum Material Health Certificate is a critical and exciting first step in our goal to reach full Cradle to Cradle product certification, which we are actively pursuing for eco6 and our other technologies,” commented Michael Savarie, Hemp Black’s Sustainability Enterprise Catalyst.

“After the completion of our manufacturing facility in Kentucky this April, which itself is targeting a LEED Platinum Certification, Hemp Black will begin working towards full Cradle to Cradle product certification. It is important to us that our entire process is as sustainable as possible with minimal impact.”

"It was wonderful working with the Hemp Black team on this first product assessment. Their eco6 product can safely return to soil or endlessly recirculate in the technical nutrient cycle," said Victoria Walsh, Environmental Chemist at MBDC.

"Typical carbon black is fossil-derived; innovations like this in intermediate materials give manufacturers and designers the chance to develop products which are safe first, then circular. We’re looking forward to working with Hemp Black on full Cradle to Cradle certification."

Hemp Black, Inc. describes itself as a hemp technology company with the aim of benefiting people and bettering the world through sustainable hemp derived technology. The company’s current platforms are: Hemp Black/origin, Hemp Black/element, Hemp Black/ink, Hemp Black/nano, Hemp Black/hide, and Hemp Black/eco6. “Hemp Black serves B2C and B2B customer bases through its core values; scientifically proven, explorative design and honestly sourced,” Hemp Black concludes.

www.hempblack.com