GREEN ROUTE: Hemp dreams — young South African pioneers create a new industry against all odds
South African startup Green Route is reimagining hemp as a commercial textile powerhouse, breeding local seeds to boost manufacturing and create sustainable jobs.
On a smallholding near Johannesburg, South African startup Green Route is planting hemp seeds in a bid to reshape the nation's textile industry. Founders Mahlatse Mohlala and Chad Ferlito, along with agriculturist Muofhe Kwinda, have been working since the mid-2010s to turn hemp fibre into commercially viable products. Mohlala, a Geography and Environmental Studies graduate, recognised the sustainable potential of hemp in textiles, and sought to bring Kwinda's investment management expertise to the project.
Hemp, unlike marijuana, contains negligible levels of the psychoactive cannabinoid chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is why it's been unfairly stigmatised under drug prohibition laws for decades. In 2018, South Africa decriminalised the personal use of cannabis, paving the way for new attitudes and regulations surrounding the plant.
Green Route's mission is to create a fully vertically integrated system for hemp production, providing textiles, building materials, food and packaging from local hemp farms. To achieve this, the team is grappling with the critical issue of sourcing sufficient hemp seed stocks, as the South African government currently struggles to meet demand from new entrants. For now, Green Route relies on imports from China, India, North America and the Netherlands.
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