Hemp & Company was establish in 1999 and has experienced steady growth that can be paralleled to a raised awareness, a social acceptance of environmental issues and the Canadian government's approval of a long misunderstood agricultural crop. We now have 3 stores, two in Victoria, B.C., and one in Nelson, B.C. Hemp & Company specializes in selling environmentally sustainable products that are well known for their effective use of land and water resources. We manufacture our own clothes using hemp and organic cotton blends and we manufacture in Vancouver, Canada.

Environmental Education
Little is known about industrial hemp and many misconceptions prevent hemp from realizing its potential as a catalyst for our continued survival. Hemp is a sustainable source of fabric, food, bio-fuel, paper and natural beauty products. It is grown without polluting toxic chemicals. In partnership with the Federal Government’s ECO Canada, Hemp & Company has recently added an environmental education program that will provide access to information for consumers, students and the public who seek to discover more about the sustainability of industrial hemp. This represents only part of our response to urgent requests for businesses to develop deeper, more responsible practices. Education for sustainability, from both a business and an environmental health perspective, is seen as a link in working to resolve tension between perspectives. Bill Finley talks to young entrepreneurs at LifeCycles. Listen to the whole series on our Resources page. The first part of the series: (MP3 Audio File - 10 MB - 08:44)

Environmental Excellence
The opening of the new store on Craigflower Road in Victoria was outfitted with recycled flooring, shelving and antique furniture. Staff recycles boxes, cans, cups, paper and makes a special delivery every month to recycle plastic collected from products and packaging. Some packaging material is given to a local glass shop that re-uses it for shipping fragile items. Every Hemp & Company store uses and distributes biodegradable bags. At Hemp & Company, business and environment are not mutually exclusive, we practice a triple bottom line. Environment is not an expense, a fad, or a fashion and as stewards of the earth, everybody benefits from a sustainable perspective.

Community
In an effort to involve community and celebrate environmental excellence, every month, at both the Craigflower store and the store in Nelson, a local artist features their work. The focus of each show is encouraged to highlight a relationship with the environment and the public is invited to be a part of the opening event. The artwork is then displayed in the store for the remainder of the month inspiring new perspectives and dialogue. Workshops are held at the store where individuals in the community are encouraged to develop new skills and use sustainable resources, like learning how to knit with hemp yarn. By employing practical activities using sustainable materials, it empowers all of us with hands on experience. Hemp & Company encourages a strong local economy by buying from other businesses selling products with sustainability in mind. Hemp & Company on Craigflower Road is a distribution outlet for ‘The Soap Exchange’: A service in Victoria that reduces waste and damage to the environment by re-using packaging and providing 100% biodegradable cleaning products. This is one example of many where Hemp & Company supports a business with a shared value system.