U.S. Industrial Hemp Leaders Form Working Group to Promote a Unified Industry Voice and Advance Market Development

Four leading national organizations in the U.S. hemp industry—Hemp Education and Marketing Initiatives (HEMI), the National Hemp Association (NHA), the Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC), and the U.S. Hemp Building Association (USHBA)—are proud to announce the official formation of the HEMI Working Group, a strategic collaborative framework to unify, strengthen, and accelerate the growth of the industrial hemp sector.

Denver, CO, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Created through a jointly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the HEMI Working Group reflects a shared commitment to enhance coordination, transparency, and efficiency across key hemp industry segments—fiber, grain, feed, and building materials. The voluntary, non-binding alliance will serve as a common platform to align efforts around policy, market development, education, funding, and stakeholder engagement.

“This is a pivotal step toward building a strong, functional ecosystem for American industrial hemp,” said Pierre Berard, Executive Director of HEMI. “The Working Group honors each organization's expertise while amplifying our collective ability to build a profitable value chain that delivers performance-enhancing biobased materials and ingredients to various sectors ranging from Food, Animal Feed, Animal Care, Building Materials & Construction, Textiles, Nonwovens, Composites & Plastics, and Packaging.”

Key Goals of the HEMI Working Group Include:

Promoting industry cohesion and a unified national voice for industrial hemp
Enhancing collaborative efforts in regulatory engagement, industry standards, and funding
Leveraging each organization’s area of leadership to maximize efficiency and avoid duplication
Advancing shared goals, such as market expansion, processing capacity, and consumer education
Establishing joint campaigns, events and trade shows, and public-private partnerships

“The HEMI Working Group brings structure and clarity to a promising sector long fragmented by misinformation and missed opportunities. By coordinating across our strengths, we create the foundation for a globally competitive American hemp industry that serves farmers, processors, and consumers alike,” added Geoff Whaling, Chair of the National Hemp Association.

Founding Members and Their Areas of Leadership:

HEMI – National marketing and education, data and facts, value chain integration, and cross-sector engagement
HFC – Scientific and regulatory leadership in hemp feed
NHA – Federal and state policy leadership, funding facilitation, and industry representation
USHBA – Building standards, construction policy, and material development

The Working Group is governed by a committee of representatives from each organization, meeting monthly to coordinate efforts, assess progress, and manage communications. Membership is open to nonprofit or association entities committed to advancing industrial hemp for fiber and grain in alignment with the MOU.

“This Working Group sends a clear message that the U.S. fiber & grain hemp industry is ready to speak with one voice and act with shared purpose,” said Andrew Bish, President of the Hemp Feed Coalition.

The early success of this collaborative model was demonstrated last year at Greenbuild International 2024 in Philadelphia, where a pilot event organized by HEMI and USHBA drew participation from 17 U.S. hemp building organizations—a milestone that highlighted both the growing momentum and the need for coordinated promotion of hemp in the built environment.

“Our joint presence at Greenbuild was a powerful demonstration of what collaboration can look like,” said Amanda Martin-Behrendtsen, Vice President of the U.S. Hemp Building Association. “It validated the need for a shared voice, and with the launch of the HEMI Working Group, we are now well-positioned to guide the development of sustainable materials and codes for climate-resilient, non-toxic construction.”

More Information:

For organizations interested in joining the HEMI Working Group or for more details, see contact below.

Pierre Berard
Hemp Education and Marketing Initiatives (HEMI)
pberard@hempinitiatives.org

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.