Produktionen av syntetiska textilfibrer har lett till stora konsekvenser för miljön, bland annat i form av utsläpp av mikroplaster samt stora koldioxidutsläpp. Textilbranschen har i och med globaliseringen centrerat produktionen till ett fåtal låglöneländer och avståndet mellan producent och konsument har gjort det svårare för användaren att förstå vilket avtryck en vara lämnar på miljön. För att kunna ställa om till en mer hållbar textilindustri, finns inom EU en strävan efter innovativa lösningar och nya affärsmodeller. Ett område som fått ett stort genomslag inom hållbara material är biokompositer, som helt eller delvis är tillverkade av förnybara råvaror och är biologiskt nedbrytbara. Högskolan i Borås koordinerar projektet Biobaserade restströmmar med potential i teknisk textilindustri och har för detta köpt in spillmaterial från företaget Svensk Hampaindustri (SHI), i form av hampastjälkar. Som komplement till tidigare studier inom projektets ramar, syftar denna studie till att undersöka spillmaterialets potential utifrån estetiska aspekter, för att kunna bredda dess användningsområden till att omfatta heminredning och således förbättra möjligheterna att tillvarata lokalproducerat växtmaterial. För att ta reda på detta framställdes tre biokompositer av spillmaterialet. I två utav materialen tillsattes även behandlade hampafibrer respektive ull, för att undersöka om och hur det förändrade resultatet utifrån ett estetiskt perspektiv. I syfte att undersöka kundintresset utvärderades dessa materialprototyper genom en liten marknadsundersökning. På grund av det knappa underlaget, kan inga långtgående slutsatser dras utifrån resultatet men det ger dock en indikation på att det finns ett kundintresse för materialen utifrån dess estetiska aspekter och framför allt i kombination med dess fördelar avseende hållbarhet, däribland lokal produktion. Respondenterna kunde se en rad potentiella användningsområden för biokompositerna inom området heminredning. Resultaten stärker således tesen om att spillmaterialet från SHI kan utgöra en lokal källa till hållbara produkter, där det estetiska har en avgörande roll och att det är befogat med satsningar på infrastruktur och ny teknik för att kunna ta tillvara och förädla detta. Att möjliggöra för odlarna själva att bereda fibrerna för framställning av kompositer eller textilier, skulle dessutom kunna stärka den lokala kunskapen om råvaran och kunna bidra till ökad lokal självförsörjning. Resultaten av studien kan således vara ett steg i rätt riktning mot ett systemskifte där hållbar lokal produktutveckling och design ersätter globala värdekedjor och mot omställningen mot en mer hållbar och fossilfri ekonomi vilket EU eftersträvar. / The production of synthetic textile fibers has resulted in major environmental impacts, including large emissions of carbon dioxide and microplastics. Along with the globalization, the textile industry has concentrated the production to a few low-wage countries and the distance between producer and consumer has made it more difficult for the user to understand the environmental impact of a product. In order to promote a more sustainable textile industry, there is a quest for innovative solutions and new business models within the EU. One significant area when it comes to sustainable materials is biocomposites, which are made entirely or partially from renewable and biodegradable sources. The University of Borås coordinates a project called Bio-based residual streams with potential in the technical textile industry, and has for this purpose purchased waste material from the company Svensk Hampaindustri (SHI), in terms of hemp stalks. As a complement to previous studies within the framework of the project, this report aims to investigate the potential of the waste material based on aesthetic aspects in order to expand the areas of use to also include interior decoration. This could improve the possibility of making better use of locally produced plant material. To investigate this, three biocomposites were produced from the waste material. In two of the materials, treated hemp fibers and wool were added, to find out whether it affected the result from an easthetic perspective, and in that case how. In order to investigate the customer interest, these material prototypes were evaluated through a small market survey. The result indicates that there is a customer interest for the materials based on its aesthetic aspects and especially in combination with its advantages regarding sustainability, including local production. The respondents could see a wide range of potential uses for the biocomposites in the field of home decoration. The results strenghten the thesis that the waste material from SHI can contribute as a local source of sustainable products, where the aesthetics has a major role and that investments in infrastructure and new technology according to the processing of the raw material, is justified. Enabling the farmers to prepare the fibers themselves for the production of composites or textiles, could also strengthen local knowledge of the raw material and further contribute to increased local self-sufficiency. The results of the report can therefore promote a system shift where sustainable product development and design replaces global value chains and further support the transition to a more sustainable and fossil free economy, in accordance with the ambition of the EU.

The current anthropogenic practices of generating single-use waste streams in agriculture, forestry and manufacturing industries have created a host of environmental health problems. Humankind's reliance on non-renewable resources for the production of food and materials, and its current approach to product design and development, are clearly unsustainable. One mitigation strategy to reducing industrial and municipal solid waste, as well as environmental pollution, can be found in using white rot fungi to valorize our planet's most abundant and regenerative natural resource – plant biomass containing lignocellulose. From residual dry plant matter, white rot fungi can be employed through a solid-state fermentation process to produce a variety of edible, nutrient-dense saprotrophic mushrooms in addition to biologically augmented composite materials. Under the framework of the circular economy, agricultural and forestry byproducts with fibers containing lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose may be used as a feedstock for the production of both food and biomaterials – keeping plant biomass revolving through multiple cycles of use and reuse for a variety of product outputs that are biodegradable and help to sequester carbon. In this study, mushrooms were grown on a variety of lignocellulosic substrates derived from agricultural and forestry residues. Hemp-based substrates performed the best of the feedstocks with regard to mushroom yield and mycelium colonization time. Additionally, a number of mycelium composite products were designed and fabricated in this study using residual lignocellulosic plant biomass, including: insulation bricks, acoustical panels, and biodegradable planter pots. In particular, spent mushroom substrate containing hemp hurd and other agricultural and forestry residues showed significant potential in upcycling lignocellulosic plant biomass for the production of both mushrooms and mycelium materials. Regenerative design practices demonstrated how food and materials can be generated from the same lignocellulosic feedstock; therefore, reducing waste, circulating products and materials, and ultimately regenerating nature. / Master of Science / Environmental pollution and natural resource scarcity have encouraged exploration into using biologically based materials for the production of more ecologically friendly products. By valorizing the Earth's most abundant, renewable natural resource for the production of food and materials– dry plant matter containing lignocellulose – waste is reduced, carbon is stored, and materials can remain upcycled through multiple generations of production. Lignocellulosic residues – natural fibers containing the biopolymers lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose – have recently been given increased attention due to their ability to be aggregated and grown into low-cost, lightweight materials using white rot fungi. Mushroom farming has historically valorized lignocellulosic agricultural and forestry residues to grow an edible, nutrient-dense food crop. This thesis investigates the potential of various agricultural and forestry residues for the production of mushrooms and mycelium-based lignocellulosic composites. Furthermore, this study explores the utilization of spent mushroom substrate for the production of several mycelium-based composite products within the framework of the circular economy. Hemp-based substrates demonstrated significant potential in both mushroom production and mycelium composite fabrication, outperforming other agricultural residues in this study with regard to mushroom yield and speed of mycelial growth of Pleurotus ostreatus. More research into the tunable lignocellulosic substrate compositions will continue to help advance mushroom production and mycelium-based composite generation as environmentally friendly materials and production practices continue to gain interest.

The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in securing a more sustainable livelihood for the world's growing population. An expanded cultivation of multifunctional and environmentally smart crops like industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) can thus be part of the solution in meeting the increasingly high demands of sustainable development. However, earlier research indicates that the global cultivation of industrial hemp is hindered, and that hemp is an underutilized resource relative to its potential benefits. During the 20th century hemp cultivation was banned in large parts of the world. Sweden lifted the ban in 2003, later than most other European countries. In 2017, Swedish hemp cultivation was by far one of the smallest in the European Union. This study thus aims to analyze the position of industrial hemp in Sweden – by using the theoretical framework of political ecology – to investigate which social and societal structures and processes that dictates the access to and the control of industrial hemp in Sweden today. A historical analysis of power relations as well as ideological and cultural contexts – with significance for the cultivation of hemp – is done to make the relationship between Cannabis sativa L. and Swedish society appear more clearly. The material for the analysis has been collected through a literature search and qualitative method using in-depth interviews with Swedish authorities and a national hemp association. The study discusses the relationship between hemp and human society, which is found to be characterized by a complex interconnectedness.  Furthermore, the study shows that Swedish industrial hemp production is negatively affected by, among other things, cultivation bans, strict regulations, government controls, drug conservatism, and group as well as state conformity. Through a more progressive policy, industrial hemp is expected to become a positive contributing factor to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and to a growing fossil-free bio-based industry.

This report covers a preliminary life cycle assessment (LCA) on imitation leather made from hemp fiber (hemp leather) and a comparison to bovine leather, to examine whether hemp leather is an environmentally sustainable alternative. The bovine leather industry is responsible for heavy chemical use and emissions, detrimental effects to the environment as well as to human health. The United Nations (UN) and other organizations call for immediate action against the animal product industry sector to greatly reduce emissions and protect the environment. Hemp is a versatile plant that can be used for many things, including paper, composites, textiles, food and medicine, and is probably a suitable material for imitation leather. The hemp plant requires little inputs, grows fast and without pesticides, has positive effects on the environment and can be cultivated on every inhabited continent. The preliminary LCA was based on a patent describing the manufacturing process of hemp leather completed with data from literature and a few assumptions made. LCA-results for bovine leather were collected from literature and the two leather fabrics were then compared. The comparison showed that hemp leather is superior to bovine leather in all compared categories except for water consumption and hazardous waste. Bovine leather had 99% more energy use, 78% higher acidification potential (AP), 99,9% higher eutrophication potential (EP) and 83% higher global warming potential (GWP) than hemp leather. The large water consumption in the manufacturing phase of hemp leather is possible to be explained by over dimensioning of inputs. The report concludes that hemp leather would be the environmentally and ethically admirable choice between the two leathers and that more research on more modern methods of manufacturing it should be performed. / Denna rapport omfattar en preliminär livscykelanalys (LCA) på syntetiskt läder gjort av hampfiber (hampläder) och en jämförelse med nötskinn, för att undersöka om hampläder är ett miljövänligt alternativ. Nötskinnsindustrin är ansvarig för stor kemikalieanvändning och tunga utsläpp, skadlig inverkan på miljö samt människors hälsa. Förenta nationerna och andra organisationer fordrar till omedelbar handling mot djurindustrisektorn för att drastiskt minska utsläpp och skydda miljön. Hampa är en mångsidig växt som kan användas inom många olika applikationer, såsom till papper, kompositer, textiler, mat och medicin, och är förmodligen ett passande material till imitationsläder. Hampan behöver liten mängd tillförd energi, växer fort och utan bekämpningsmedel, har positiva effekter på miljön och kan odlas på alla bebodda kontinenter. Den preliminära LCA:n är baserad på ett patent beskrivande hampläders produktionsprocess, kompletterat med data från litteratur samt några antaganden. LCA-resultat från nötskinnsproduktion samlades från litteratur och resultaten från de två lädertyperna jämfördes sedan. Jämförelsen visade att hampläder är överlägset nötskinn i alla jämförda kategorier utom vattenkonsumtion och farligt avfall. Nötskinn har 99% högre energianvändning, 78% högre försurningspotential (AP), 99,9% högre övergödningspotential (EP) och 83% högre potential till global uppvärmning (GWP) än hampläder, enligt resultaten. Hampläders produktionsprocess stora vattenkonsumtion kan troligtvis förklaras av en överdimensionering av indata. Denna rapport drar slutsatsen att hampläder skulle vara det mest miljövänliga och etiskt försvarbara valet mellan de två lädertyperna och att modernare produktionsmetoder för hampläder bör studeras.