Sustainable Eiland Zwijnaarde business park plants industrial hemp as future circular insulation material

Ecological building with hemp lime, the circular insulation material

While awaiting future developments at Ghent's Eiland Zwijnaarde business park, ReLife and EXIE are sowing a number of business parks classed as wasteland along the E40 with industrial hemp. The industrial hemp variant is totally legal and is being praised for its special qualities as sustainable building material. Hemp lime is, for example, energy efficient, recyclable, free from toxins, CO₂ negative and fully biodegradable.

“Hemp sowing and its processing afterwards to produce a local, environmentally friendly insulation product is a first for a building project in Ghent. With this natural product, we get two for the price of one. During the plant's growth, it absorbs a lot of CO₂and, after the harvest, the hemp will be used as raw material for insulation material. The hemp will be used in projects on site after having been processed, which fits in perfectly with the circular ambitions of Ghent City and the partners of Eiland Zwijnaarde nv.”

– Sami Souguir, alderman of Culture, City Development and Spatial Planning

“Thanks to planting the hemp, we resolve various problems. In addition to the storage of CO₂ from the air, hemp is also an extremely durable product. The plant grows no less than three metres in 100 days and is very effective in naturally controlling weeds. Thanks to the hemp, you can start to build on healthy and weed-free land. It is also a circular product that can be used in different sectors after being harvested,” says Frederik Verstraete of ReLife/B&R Bouwgroep

Sown today, harvested in autumn

ReLife and EXIE are today starting to sow hemp plants so that they can be harvested in autumn: possibly in October. After harvesting, the flowers are used to produce beer and the shives are used as insulation material. The shives are the woody inner portion of the hemp stalk. The shives are separated from the fibre after which lime is added and it is then all dried in just half an hour. EXIE, the Belgian manufacturer of sustainable isolation material, is guaranteeing the manufacture.

“Thanks to planting the hemp, we resolve various problems. In addition to the storage of CO₂ from the air, hemp is also an extremely durable product. The plant grows no less than three metres in 100 days and is very effective in naturally controlling weeds. Thanks to the hemp, you can start to build on healthy and weed-free land. It is also a circular product that can be used in different sectors after being harvested,” says Frederik Verstraete of ReLife/B&R Bouwgroep

In total, 2.3 hectares will be sown. This represents 3.5 million plants.

Depending on the future plans with regard to these wasteland sites, an assessment will be made to decide whether they will resume this cycle next year.

“We support this initiative: To achieve sustainable energy consumption by using sustainable materials fits in within the ambitions of Tech Lane Ghent and the Alinso Group”, says Ivan Lokere, chairman of the Board of Directors of Bedrijventerreinmanagement Tech Lane Ghent and the Alinso Group CEO.

Project partners

The sites to the south of the E40 are being developed by:

• ALINSO GROUP,

• The Ghent city development corporation (sogent);

• The Provinciale Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij (POM; Provincial Development Agency) for East Flanders

• The Flemish investment company PMV.

They have joined forces in the Eiland Zwijnaarde nv company.

De Vlaamse Waterweg nv is responsible for the development of plots to the north of the E40. The project is being supported by the Flemish government (the Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Agency for Roads and Traffic).