At Heti, we believe hemp is more than just a plant. It’s a pathway to wellness, sustainability, and connection. While you may know hemp for its role in mindful drinking, its potential stretches far beyond what’s in your glass. One of the most exciting and impactful uses of hemp today is in sustainable construction, through a material called hempcrete.

If you’re hearing about hempcrete for the first time, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through what it is, why it matters, and where Heti fits into this growing movement.

What Is Hempcrete?

Hempcrete is a natural, eco-friendly building material made from just three ingredients:

• Hemp hurds (the woody core of the hemp stalk)

• Lime (a mineral binder)

• Water

When combined, these ingredients create a lightweight material that can be poured, packed or sprayed into walls, floors, and roofs. Hempcrete has a different role than conventional concrete. While it’s not typically used as the main load-bearing foundation, hempcrete offers impressive strength and durability when used for walls, insulation, and infill. Paired with a frame or shaped into hemp blocks, it creates structures that are breathable, fire-resistant, and remarkably long-lasting. In many cases, hemp-based materials reduce or even replace the need for conventional building material altogether.

Why Hempcrete Matters

The real magic of hempcrete is how it balances human needs with the needs of the planet. Here are some of its standout benefits:

Carbon-Negative
Unlike most building materials, hempcrete removes carbon from the atmosphere. Hemp absorbs CO₂ as it grows, and that carbon stays locked into the hempcrete structure for decades.

Healthy & Breathable
Hempcrete walls naturally regulate humidity, resist mold, and create a balanced indoor climate with no harsh chemicals required.

Safe & Durable
Hempcrete is fire-resistant, pest-resistant, mold-resistant and long-lasting. Its ability to “breathe” reduces problems like trapped moisture and rot that can damage conventional homes.

Sustainable & Regenerative
Hemp grows quickly, requires little water, and thrives without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Choosing hempcrete helps reduce the environmental toll of traditional construction.

Put simply, hempcrete is one of the few building solutions that actively improves both human and planetary health.

Hempcrete vs. Traditional Building Materials

To understand the potential of hempcrete, it helps to compare it with the materials we’ve relied on for decades:

• Concrete vs. Hempcrete: Concrete is strong, but producing it is highly energy-intensive and accounts for about 8% of global carbon emissions. Hempcrete, while not always a direct structural replacement, offsets emissions by absorbing carbon into the walls themselves.

• Fiberglass Insulation vs. Hempcrete: Fiberglass can irritate skin and lungs and doesn’t regulate moisture. Hempcrete provides natural thermal and acoustic insulation, is safe to handle, and helps stabilize humidity.

• Drywall vs. Hempcrete: Drywall is inexpensive but vulnerable to mold and water damage. Hempcrete is naturally mold-resistant and helps prevent those issues.

In short, hempcrete doesn’t just mimic traditional materials, it completely reimagines how we build and live.

Common Questions About Hempcrete

As hempcrete gains more attention, people are curious about what it really means for everyday building. Here are a few answers to common questions:

Is hempcrete expensive?
At the moment, hempcrete can cost more upfront in certain areas of the world than traditional materials due to limited supply and specialized labor. However, its energy efficiency, durability, and low maintenance costs often make it more affordable over the long term. 

How long does hempcrete last?
With proper construction, hempcrete walls can last for centuries. The material becomes harder over time as the lime binder continues to carbonate. If a hempcrete house needed to be torn down for any reason, it could easily be composted, diverting incredible amounts of landfill. 

Is hempcrete legal in the U.S.?
Yes, hemp was federally legalized in 2018, which has opened the door for hempcrete in construction. Building codes are still catching up, but progress is being made as states and cities approve its use.

Can hempcrete replace concrete entirely?
Not exactly. Hempcrete is not a load-bearing material, so it needs a supportive frame. Think of hempcrete as a healthier, more sustainable alternative to insulation and wall systems rather than the entire structural foundation.

Where is hempcrete being used today?
Hempcrete homes and buildings exist across Europe, North America, and even in tribal and rural communities in the U.S. exploring sustainable housing solutions.

Hempcrete and the Future of Green Housing

Housing is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, energy use, and waste. Hempcrete offers a chance to rewrite that story. By combining natural materials with modern design, hempcrete homes can be:

• Energy-efficient (reducing heating and cooling costs)

• Resilient (able to withstand fire, pests, and mold)

• Planet-friendly (capturing carbon instead of releasing it)

For Indigenous and underserved communities, hempcrete also represents more than sustainability. It offers sovereignty, healthier living spaces, and pathways to affordable housing rooted in cultural values of reciprocity with the land.

Where Heti Fits In

So what does hempcrete have to do with a mindful beverage? More than you might think. Heti is part of a larger hemp ecosystem, one that’s not only about what we consume, but how we live and build.

Before entering the hemp space, our founder, Dana Thompson, built her career in the restaurant industry, where she focused on food, hospitality, and community. Her work has always centered on nourishment and connection. With Heti, Dana carries that vision forward, embracing hemp as a plant that can fuel both wellness and sustainability. Heti beverages are one piece of that larger story. By choosing Heti, you’re supporting a future where hemp inspires not only mindful drinking, but also sustainable construction and stronger communities.

Hemp connects us from soil to sip, from home to habitat. Every can is a reminder: hemp isn’t just a crop but a catalyst for change. We weren’t kidding about “celebrating the plants around us”. 

Final Thoughts

Hempcrete might be new to many of us, but its promise is clear. It’s a building material that is safer, healthier, and kinder to the planet. It’s a solution rooted in nature, offering us a way to live more lightly and sustainably.

Heti celebrates hemp in all its forms, from the can in your hand to the walls that may someday shelter families across the world. Because when we honor the full potential of hemp, we’re not just building homes. We’re building a future.