Hemp based thermal insulation has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings
and to be 'carbon-negative' in its production and manufacture. Hemp has been in use to produce biobased
natural fibre insulation in the UK in recent years. With further development in hemp agronomy,
production process and selection of raw materials in the production, hemp-based insulation materials
are likely to become environmentally and functionally superior products to other insulation materials
developed from petrochemical and mineral based sources. This paper looks at the research works on
the present and future housing scenario in the UK, reductions in embodied energy of insulation
materials, techniques for increasing thermal performance and ways in which the environmental impact
can be lessened
