9Fiber Accepted Into Colorado Nextcycle Program; 9fiber Created the First Ever 100% Cannabis Waste Fiber Cloth and Garments, and First Paper Made From Cannabis Waste
DENVER (PRWEB) May 08, 2019 -- 9Fiber Inc., a purpose-driven, sustainable agro-technology company dedicated to reviving the US hemp fiber industry through processing hemp and cannabis waste streams via its patented technology was selected as one of nine teams to participate in Colorado’s NextCycle program.
The Colorado NextCycle program, through Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment, provides funding, expertise and economic data to businesses, communities, universities and startups interested in turning recovered materials into marketable products. CDPHE introduced the program in October to overcome challenges in meeting statewide waste diversion goals, which would double the state’s recycling rate to 45 percent by 2036.
Earlier this year, 9Fiber created the first ever 100% cannabis waste fiber cloth swatch and garments of clothing made with 9Fiber cannabis waste fiber. 9Fiber also created the first ever 100% cannabis waste fiber paper in 2015.
“We’re excited to be among the 9 teams selected to be part of the NextCycle program,” says Adin Alai, CEO of 9Fiber. “Our company has had tremendous success in 2019 creating the first ever cloth swatch and garments made with cannabis waste, and we’re thrilled that the NextCycle program will allow us to build on these accomplishments.”
Alai says that a fully scaled 9Fiber processing plant will be able to divert 35,000,000 lbs. of hemp and marijuana stalk and stem waste from landfill or open field burning and into fibrous materials for many products. At an average waste yield of 3 tons per acre for hemp, Colorado produced well over 65,000,000 lbs. of stalk and stem waste in 2018. The legal marijuana industry produced over 3,400,000 lbs. of marijuana stalk and stem waste along with revenues exceeding $1B in 2018. With both industries booming and the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, mature market states like Colorado will continue to see an explosion of revenues. “At the rate that both industries are growing, we feel strongly that Colorado growers and processors can create circular economies with 2-3 of our processing plants across the state”, says Alai.
“All that revenue equals tons and tons of waste which needs to be addressed”, says Alai. “Other states that are just getting their hemp and/or marijuana programs off of the ground have no idea what the back-end environmental implications will be. With 9Fiber’s technologies, cannabis and hemp waste can be turned into economic development opportunities, new revenue streams, and new, bio-based material that reduce stress on the environment and can enhance our everyday products.
To learn more about the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s NextCycle program, go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/nextcycle
To learn more about 9Fiber, visit http://www.9fiber.com or follow on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @9Fiber.
Rick Abbruzzese, KO Public Affairs LLC, http://kopublicaffairs.com, 410-790-5002, [email protected]
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