For Your Consideration...

Green Plants Inside Greenhouse photo by Cannafornia

Hemp Could Revolutionize the Paper Industry

The passing of the 2018 Farm Bill was truly momentous, and optimism grew that hemp would gain traction as a renewable resource for the production of thousands of products to revolutionize the paper industry. According to Grand View Research, the global industrial hemp market is forecast to grow to approximately $10.6 billion by 2025 with a CAGR of roughly 14%. While the anticipated growth is positive, penetration into the global paper industry could offer significantly higher growth for industrial hemp.

Historically, hemp was used as a paper alternative until the 1930s when wood-based papers were introduced. An unknown combination of forces (some suspect financially motivated political maneuverings) pushed the hemp industry out of the mainstream in favor of paper produced from trees. Today, the paper market is truly massive. In 2016, in “Think Green News” it was cited that the average person in the United States of America uses in excess of 700 pounds of paper per year. IBISWorld estimates the global paper and pulp mills market size is $428.2 billion in 2022. With the support of improvements in production infrastructure, hemp could begin to capture a portion of this giant industry. More importantly, hemp offers tremendous value as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional paper made from trees.

One of the advantages is that hemp grows much faster than trees and can be harvested in roughly four months or less. Conversely, paper-producing trees require an average of ten years, and in some cases, depending on the type of wood, up to twenty years to cultivate. In addition, approximately four times the amount of hemp paper can be produced on the equivalent amount of land required by paper producing trees. This smaller ecological footprint reduces the need for deforestation and would allow forests to replenish and regain their capability to capture larger amounts of carbon going forward.

Looking at hemp paper from a sustainability perspective, we see that the majority of non-recyclable paper products come from trees which leads to faster deforestation and a reduction of those critical carbon sinks. Hemp paper also requires less energy during the recycling process than the initial production of tree-based paper. Further, tree-based paper that goes un-recycled ends up in landfills producing greenhouse gas emissions from methane, the last thing we need right now. Lastly, less water is required to produce recycled paper, with the obvious benefit of less pollution to our increasingly critical water supply.

by Leslie Bocskor

Reader,
We are excited to begin publishing a series of articles about the business environment today, and specifically my approach to it. The first one is a look at one aspect of disruption that the Hemp Industry will create. In this Blog we will begin to look at many other areas that present opportunity, some we are familiar with and others present new challenges. We are hopeful that this blog will grow, adding other forms and voices. We look forward to sharing our views with you.
Leslie

About the Author
Leslie Bocskor is the Executive Chairman of Electrum Partners, a venture development company in the legal cannabis industry. Please direct inquiries to the contact form on our website.

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State of the Industry Address by Leslie Bocskor at Canna World Expo April 2021

CANNA WORLD EXPO is honored to have cannabis industry policy maker, Leslie Bocskor – Chairman of Electrum Partners, deliver the April State of the Industry address. His vast knowledge of the global industry from finance to executive leadership and operations is a valuable resource as we venture forth into Q2 of 2021. Denise Mahaffey and Jessica Chandler co-host, moderated by Charles Horton.

Partial list of topics discussed:

  • Change as a theme
  • Pandemic impact
  • Technology
  • Comparison to other industries
  • Medical and veterinary applications
  • Hemp versus other industrial materials
  • Largest negative carbon industry on Earth
  • De-scheduling of Cannabis
  • Potential public market numbers
  • Q&A

Opioid Deaths Lower in Counties with Dispensaries discussion on The Budding Report with Leslie Bocskor and Dr. Rob Streisfeld

In Episode 133 of The Budding Report, Leslie Bocskor and Dr. Rob Streisfeld, NMD discuss the possible de-scheduling of cannabis, investing in the industry, and the lowering of opioid deaths in counties with cannabis dispensaries. The guests join hosts Melissa Nasits, Christian Shaw, MD, PhD, and Chris Perri.

North America USA Industry Update by Leslie Bocskor at Canna World Expo January 2021

CANNA WORLD EXPO is honored to have the renowned Leslie Bocskor, Chairman of Electrum Partners, as an Empowerment 2021 Speaker provide an update on the North American USA Cannabis Industry. His vast knowledge of the history of cannabis and hemp, business finance, and domestic policy change can be viewed in this video. Denise Mahaffey and Jessica Chandler co-host, moderated by Tasha Jackson and Charles Horton.

Partial list of topics discussed:

  • Brief history and culture review
  • Thoughts on Federal de-scheduling
  • Level set and industry predictions
  • Economic impact potential
  • Economic impact if Federal de-scheduling occurs
  • Public markets
  • Answers to audience questions

State of the Cannabis Industry Address by Leslie Bocskor at Canna World Expo November 2020

Leslie Bocskor addresses the State of the Cannabis Industry at Canna World Expo in an online conference broadcast November 7, 2020 with topics ranging from the history of the cannabis plant to what operators and investors should be doing in the industry. Denise Mahaffey and Jessica Chandler co-host.

Partial list of topics:

  • Personal background
  • History of the cannabis plant
  • US status today relative to Federal policy
  • International status, Mexico, US tipping point
  • US de-scheduling prediction
  • Drug development narrative
  • Agriculture and technology innovations
  • Transition from black market to regulated market
  • Hemp opportunities
  • The largest carbon negative industry that the world has ever seen
  • What should we be doing as investors and operators?