new hemp manufacturing company aims to grow sustainable practices

JON BECKER FOR MICHIGAN GREEN STATE

Hemp, an often misunderstood plant whose origins as an industrial commodity can be traced back to ancient times, is making a comeback. The wildly versatile plant, which stems from cannabis but owing to its very low levels of THC (0.3 percent or less) does not produce the high that marijuana does, is the genesis of a new niche manufacturing practice. iHemp Manufacturing, co-owned by equal partners Tony Solano and Dave Crabill, says the timing is right for sustainable manufacturing practices centering on a tried and true fiber that offers profound health benefits for people and the planet. The company has spent the last 8 years, in conjunction with partner groups, perfecting the supply chain for compounding alternative materials like hemp fiber which is suitable for some existing injection molded products depending on intended use. iHemp specializes in manufacturing sporting good products and distinctive outdoor recreational products. Its first product, made with 25% hemp fiber & 75% post-consumer recycled plastics, is “a flying disc in the form of an Ultimate Frisbee. We also have PDGA certified Disc Golf models available,” Solano said. “Our second manufacturing priority is making putters using HempWood. Instead of steel, aluminum or other hard materials, we have developed a formaldehyde-free wooden head putter through a strategic partnership.” Patents exist to protect the putter, which retails for $499 and comes with a variety of accessories. “To my knowledge, we are first in the world to use HempWood for a mainstream sporting good product,” Solano said. “It all centers on my appreciation of golf. I’m teaching my 3yr old daughter how to play the game. We both play Frisbee and golf now. We love it.” Natural fiber composites align with the company’s desire to reduce dependencies on virgin petrochemical compounds in manufacturing for plastics and HempWood is proving out to compete with commoditized forms of lumber especially in the world of flooring and home remodeling. “Is this the beginning of the end for a segment in fossil fuels?” Solano asks. “I don’t know. What I do know is that you can convert trash into cash.” It’s true. How many times per day does the average American consumer touch something that contains plastic? Can we reduce our dependency on oil with plant-based, farm-grown solutions? The answer again is yes.” Rope, clothing, shoes, food, paper, biofuel and bioplastics are but a few of the uses that proponents of hemp say can be refined into so many different commercial products. With over 25,000 potential applications, proponents believe we are still at the beginning of a new era due to the fact that we lost about 100yrs of entrepreneurial development with this natural resource. “We are doing what we can to reduce post-consumer waste,” Solano, a native of Colorado Springs now living in Los Angeles, said. “We’re impacting a scalable manufacturing practice that has global implications. I’ve been working on this craft with a religious fervor and an unrelenting zeal for 13 years.” In the United States, Hemp’s origins date back to Colonial Times. In Asia it is said to be used in a variety of ways since 6,000 B.V. Hemp began falling out of favor here in the 1930s and became illegal in 1970 when marijuana and hemp, as part of the ill-fated War on Drugs, were classified as a controlled substance. That changed in 2014 & 2018 when Congress passed the Farm Bills. This legislation legalized it agriculturally, opening the door to a wealth of possibilities for farmers, processors, distributors and manufacturers like iHemp. “I had to get out and get into a bigger fish pond,” Solano says of his move from Colorado to L.A. It was similar to Finding Nemo where I was looking to ride bigger waves.” The Olympics offer a potentially huge market for the company’s Frisbees. Solano explains: “The World Flying Disc Federation and the United States Olympic Committee are based in my hometown of Colorado Springs. Ultimate Frisbee is going through the process to be considered as an Olympic Sport. They have their sights set on the 2028 Games. This could be very, very interesting to shift a global sport predicated upon virgin plastics over to a circular economy based products from post-consumer and agricultural waste.” The increasingly popular sport of Disc Golf is another avenue the company is pursuing to peddle its flying discs. “The Disc Golf market is roughly five times the size of the Ultimate Frisbee market,” Solano said. “If you’re competing in Disc Golf, you can carry about 1020 discs or more. The volume through consumers is understandably higher. You have a backpack full of discs, you’re playing in nature. It’s cultish and a great way to get back to being earthy.” The company strongly advocates for #GrowingTheSportResponsibly campaign. He added: “People’s tastes are changing over time. Instead of drinking a can of beer on the course, people are walking and smoking either hemp or marijuana. People want alternatives, they want to get out and interact with nature. They want to walk & talk, get earthy and bond the beauties of nature and the conditions of being Human.” To learn more about iHemp Manufacturing and its MI based resources whether product oriented or contract manufacturing, please visit https://www.ihempmfg. com OR email Tony@ihempmfg.com

10 | www.MIGREENSTATE.com

IHemp Manufacturing, a design-to-production facility in Fenton, specializes in producing sporting goods products by refining hemp fiber. This 10 inch classic ultimate Frisbee is one of the new company’s signature products.

This alternative putter, a handmade in the USA collaboration between iHemp Manufacturing and Hempwood (r) USA, is the world’s first mainstream sporting goods product made of hemp wood, according to company officials. The two outdoor recreation products are representative of iHemp and Hempwood’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing processes that demonstrate the versatility of alternative eco-friendly resources like hemp fiber. fall 2021| MIGreenState