An Australian startup building homes from hemp has secured $2 million in NSW government funding to scale its manufacturing from a facility in Toormina, near Coffs Harbour. The investment aims to shift the construction industry away from carbon-heavy materials while supporting the state’s agriculture sector.
Living Canvas is a recipient of the funding through the Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program to help establish a regional industrial hemp processing and prefabricated panel manufacturing facility. The new facility will support regional manufacturing, create value from Australian-grown hemp, and help make hemp-based construction more accessible to homeowners, architects and builders.
Living Canvas Co-Founder Harrison Marsh says the team set out to make hemp accessible in the construction industry and prove it belongs in the mainstream.
‘We’re thrilled to receive this support, which will enable us to grow through the development of new plant and equipment, for Australia’s first large scale hemp based manufacturing facility,’ he said.
‘It marks the beginning of a significant change within the Australian construction industry, as we shift away from carbon-heavy materials and towards a biobased future.
‘It will bring jobs to regional NSW and enable our Living Canvas panels to be used on more building projects across the country. More hemp in construction doesn’t just build better homes, it supports an emerging agricultural industry for NSW.’
Benefits
Living Canvas says hemp offers homeowners, architects and builders a smarter way to build; faster to complete, better performing, and healthier to live in than conventional construction.
The new funding will support the establishment and commissioning of the new facility, including production equipment, factory setup, material handling and the quality systems needed to scale responsibly, directly supporting the growers and processors driving the industrial hemp industry forward in NSW.
Premier of NSW Chris Minns says, ‘Agriculture is one of the most important industries for our state. The sector contributes billions of dollars to our economy, underpins thousands of jobs in regional communities and puts food on our tables.
‘This co-investment model unlocks enormous potential for our state’s primary industries, driving private investment in projects that advance the sector and deliver real benefits for regional communities across New South Wales.’
Future implications
Fast-growing and naturally fire-resistant, hemp insulates well, requires no synthetic inputs, and supports healthier, more efficient buildings.
Hempcrete – the plant-based construction material made from hemp – sequesters more carbon than is emitted during production and installation, making it carbon negative over its lifecycle.
The Living Canvas Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are made from locally grown Australian hemp and include wall, floor and roof cassettes, offering a complete building envelope that naturally regulates heat and moisture and meets high bushfire performance ratings.
The new grant also advances hemp as a construction material more broadly, creating a higher-value use for hemp hurd – the woody core of the hemp plant – and helping move hemp construction from niche and experimental toward a scalable regional supply chain connecting growers, processors, manufacturers, builders and customers.
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