VPF EXPANDS SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME WITH 100 % HEMP PAPER

In cooperation with Gmund Papier, the adhesive materials specialists at VPF in Sprockhövel are developing the first self-adhesive label stock made from 100 % hemp. The 120g/m² hemp paper consists of pure European hemp fibre and is another sustainable paper alternative to conventional papers made of wood. The paper is remarkable for its soft feel, excellent printability and improved waste paper cycle.

Unlike trees, hemp grows quickly, can be cultivated without any problems and can be fully utilised. A hemp field has four to five times the yield of a forest of the same size. Hemp grows to a height of up to four metres within a year and can be harvested three times a year, producing more biomass than any other domestic crop. Since hemp fibre is naturally very light in colour, little bleaching agent is needed for subsequent paper production. Hemp is characterised by fibres that are five times as long as those of paper fibres, which means high tensile, tear and wet strength with accompanying long durability; at the same it time the long fibres means hemp fibres improve the waste paper cycle and can be recycled particularly often, reports the paper manufacturer GMUND.