Eco-friendly packaging solutions and apparel manufacturer GreenTek Packaging has launched the first disposable utensils made from hemp.
Named as Hemptensils, the utensils are made using natural elements, including US grown industrial hemp. Hemptensil products are 100% bio-based and compostable.
The company sources processed and decorticated hemp, which are transformed into petroleum-free hemp pellets and combined with decomposition accelerating enzymes.
Following this, the resulting mixture is heated and injection-pressed into a custom mould to produce Hemptensils forks, spoons, and knives at the company’s Long Beach facility.
The technology has been developed by GreenTek Founder and engineer Jordan Hinshaw and the utensils have a shelf life of more than four years.
As of now, Hemptensils products are available online and e-commerce channels, such as Amazon, and the new “Shop” channels on Facebook and Instagram.
Hinshaw said: “Hemptensils offers a sustainable alternative that leans into the reality of our failing recycling systems to minimise our impact.
“Using Hemptensils greatly reduces the amount of plastic produced, and as a result, reduces the amount of long-term waste created.