Hemp Voices: Michel Provencher, Nature Fibres
Michel Provencher, General Manager, Nature Fibres, Val-des-Sources, QC, Canada
Our mission is to manufacture biobased insulation products with high energy performance that have a positive impact on the environment and people's health.
Since I come from the agricultural sector, my first interest in the Nature fibers adventure was hemp plants and their production. I believe in the importance of hemp to the agricultural and commercial economy of North America given its many benefits and varied uses. I then tackled the challenge of developing a new product and bringing it to market, a great stimulating adventure in all its aspects.
What I find most interesting in the use of hemp in buildings is the comfort that the material provides to people in their daily life. Participating in the creation and commercialization of a product that helps improve comfort by offering an insulation solution with unparalleled hygroscopic, thermal phase shifting and soundproofing capabilities makes me very proud. Knowing that this biobased product captures more carbon than it emits during its life cycle pushes me even further in the certainty that our solution meets the needs of both people and the planet.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
Certainly, Nature Fibers’ biggest gain last year was obtaining the very first technical guide on the manufacture of hemp-based insulation batts in Canada (CCMC). The publication of this guide was an essential step for us to obtain a certification adaptable to the North American construction market, accrediting that our products are effective and meet the highest standards in terms of safety-longevity, prevention, and user health.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago?
A year ago, I already knew a lot about hemp and its properties, but I did not yet have proof that a wall made of natural fibers was more effective and showed a higher effective R value than a conventional wall. I knew that hemp fiber could play an interesting role as a thermal and hygroscopic regulator, but I now know that a wall made up of a high-density panel of natural fiber, hemp insulation batts and vapor-permeable membranes achieves 11% more efficiency compared to a conventional wall for an additional expense of approximately 3.5%.
What was greatly surprising in this project led by a team of architects where 3 different models of walls were built and offered for rent for a year, is that the tenants systematically mentioned the comfort felt in the construction using natural fibers. It is very difficult to measure comfort since it is a subjective and personal feeling, but several scientists agree that comfort certainly depends on better control of humidity and temperature variations, two characteristics of hemp-based insulation.
What challenges does the hemp building industry face that it must overcome in the next five years?
First, the hemp building industry must break out of its niche to penetrate the world of construction in general. To do this, the construction industry will have to open to new materials and know-how. This openness would be as important at the level of political structures and professional orders than at the level of general or specialized contractors. It is in this sense that all parties of the hemp building community must work together to make the products known and to break down the barriers.
Then we must find a way to better coordinate the industry, from the seed of the plants to the commercialization of the products. It is important to structure the industrial hemp supply chain in North America at all levels. The challenge is to obtain quality raw materials and to ensure a sustained long-term supply chain for the hem building industry.
Michel Provencher
Nature Fibres Val-des-Sources, QC
Info@naturefibres.com
