The production acpacities of Cannabis sativa and its growth possibilities

The authors report a detailed system analysis of the reasons why prod-
ucts derived from Cannabis sativa have found use as materials for green building.
The causes of the greater attention to sustainability also in the building sector are
discussed: (i) use of highly renewable resources, (ii) reduction of emissions, (iii) rein-
tegration of waste into the production cycle, with a tendency toward zero waste. The
evidence of these advantages is causing an effective diffusion of hemp in construc-
tion. In this regard, the authors report the data relating to the production and use of
hemp in construction at a national, continental and world level. The analysis of these
data demonstrates an evident increase which, however, appears to be characterized
by considerable temporal fluctuations. In light of these historical data, the authors
envisage on the one hand (i) the limited capacity to increase the production of C.
sativa and on the other hand (ii) the increase in the requests for hemp-based products
by the building sector. Also on the basis of the historical analysis of a case study
(that of the Edilcanapa Company, Teramo, Italy), the authors demonstrate that the
limits to the increase in the production of C. sativa can in turn represent a limit
to its use in construction in the next years. The authors demonstrate an imminent
imbalance between limits to production growth and an increase in the demand for
hemp derivatives for construction purposes. In fact, despite the paucity of avail-
able data, our preliminary analysis highlights how the market of derivatives of C.
sativa for construction purposes represents a critical production system and—at the
same time—a rapidly expanding market, endowed with extraordinary incremental
potential.