The European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) is a consortium of the hemp-processing industry representing the common interests of

industrial hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

farmers and producers, both nationally and at the European level. EIHA is the only consortium in the industrial hemp sector in Europe. This sector includes, inter alia, the use of hemp fibers, shavings, seeds and

cannabinoids Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found in the cannabis plant primarily and most animal organisms (although insects lack such receptors) or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tet ...

. Although focused on hemp industries of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, EIHA also has members based in non-EU countries.

History

EIHA was founded on 14 September 2000 in

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's he ...

, Germany by seven hemp fibre-processing companies. On 23 November 2005 the entity was officially registered in Brühl as an association under registry number VR1397. EIHA started in 2003 organizing the International Conference of the European Industrial Hemp Association, one of the largest of its kind with over 400 attendees from 49 countries. The number of attendees in the past years has increased consistently with the growth of the sector. Since 2011 EIHA has been a member of the technical committee on

bio-based products Bioproducts or bio-based products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological material. Bioresources Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically-derived waste, and there are many other renewable ...

of the

European Committee for Standardization The European Committee for Standardization (CEN, french: Comité Européen de Normalisation) is a public standards organization whose mission is to foster the economy of the European Single Market and the wider European continent in global t ...

. EIHA also joined the Expert group in 2013. That same year, EIHA joined the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

"Bioeconomy Panel" and the working group “Sustainable Bioresources for a Growing Bioeconomy” of the EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research. More recently, EIHA has joined the D37 Committee on Cannabis of

ASTM International ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, ...

and provided contributions to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

in its review of Cannabis and Cannabis-related substances.

Activities

EIHA members come from EU and non-EU countries, and comprise players in industrial hemp processing and distribution, the car manufacturing, construction, food and feedstock industries, as well as the pharmaceutical sector. Research institutes and financial investors are also amongst those represented. Organisations, research institutions, companies and individuals in the industrial hemp sector and the other natural fiber sectors are associate members; hemp producers are full members. The EIHA often publishes information about the European natural fiber industry.

Publications

See also: Karus, M., and Desanlis, F. (2002). ''The Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA).'' Journal of Industrial Hemp 7 (1), 2002.

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.eiha.org
International Conference of the European Industrial Hemp Association website
2000 establishments in Germany 2005 establishments in Germany 2000 in cannabis 2005 in cannabis Cannabis industry trade associations Business organizations based in Europe Organisations based in Germany Pan-European trade and professional organizations