Industry Profile

Jérôme Gallois, industrial hemp producer and advocate

Elected president of the FNPC (National Federation of Hemp Producers) in January, Jérôme Gallois has been farming in Echemines (Aube) since 2001 on the family farm, with 200 ha of arable crops including 25 ha of hemp. « Hemp has been grown on this farm since 1993 and is part of my DNA », he says. Involved since 2004 on the board of directors of La Chanvrière, he also joined the FNPC in 2010, first on the board, then on the executive committee as treasurer. Since 2018 he has been a member of the InterChanvre board and vice-president since June 2025. Jérôme Gallois also participates in the work of the Copa-Cogeca Flax and Hemp Working Group in the context of the future CAP. « My mission as a representative of French industrial hemp producers is to ensure that the French positions are reflected in Copa-Cogeca’s final proposal to the European Commission. »

As president of the FNPC, Jérôme Gallois intends to redefine the organisation’s missions in the service of producers, particularly on technical and agronomic matters, and the means to achieve them. « This follows in particular the FNPC’s withdrawal from Hemp-it ADN (the industrial hemp sector’s variety selection company). The other objective is to make hemp as profitable as possible for producers and to promote its attractiveness. On the technical side, we need to find levers to reduce production costs, increase yields and improve harvesting. This also involves developing tools such as the PES (Payments for Environmental Services) scheme launched by InterChanvre. »

Markets & Applications

Construction

Hemp construction: six award-winning projects

Organised by Construire en Chanvre and supported by InterChanvre, the 2026 National Hemp Construction Prize (PNCC) honoured six exemplary projects incorporating hemp as a construction material on 26 February.

● The Multi-family Housing Award recognises the transformation of the former Mellinet barracks, in the heart of Nantes, into a 7-storey building (ground + 6 floors, photo above), the first building of this height in prefabricated timber and hempcrete. It was designed by Atelier Ramdam architects and agence Palast.

● The Individual House Award recognises the renovation of a 1958 house in Lorient, with the Académie des Biosourcés as project architects. Hemp was used in all its forms: hempcrete (validated assemblies and new 2024 Professional Standards), hemp-earth (applied as interior lining on existing concrete block walls) and hemp wool (acoustic and thermal insulation between partitions).

● The Commercial Building Award was given to the extension of the Le Cèdre SME’s headquarters in Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire), designed by architect Julie Herrgott. Hemp is present in all the facade walls’ timber frames, via a hempcrete insulation system. The wall frames were cut by a carpenter, then sent to Wall’Up Prefa’s workshop for assembly, installation of the Fermacell bracing panel, hempcrete casting, and finally application of the lime scratch coat.

● The Public Building Award honours the renovation and extension of the Eco-domaine de la Fontaine aux Bretons (restaurant and 4-star hotel) in Pornic (Loire-Atlantique) by architect studio Can-IA. The envelope of the hotel extension was built with timber-framed facades insulated with sprayed hempcrete and lined internally with hemp/cotton/linen wool.

● The Social Housing Award recognises the rehabilitation of eight social housing units and a 3-level vertical extension of a building in the heart of the Marais district (Paris) by Nicolas Gaudard of Mir Architectes. The vertical extension uses a timber frame insulated with 35 cm of hempcrete sprayed on the exterior (over Fermacell panels). The existing building is insulated on the interior with 15 cm of hempcrete sprayed onto a timber frame.

● A Special Out-of-Category Prize crowns a 270 m² project across 7 levels comprising two stacked houses in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), on a footprint kept close to the original building, by Architecturestudio. Sprayed and poured hempcrete takes centre stage at 24 cm thick in standard sections, filling timber-framed facades. Inside, the breathable lime-hemp render reveals the hemp shiv.

A Hemp Collector issue for La Maison écologique

La Maison écologique will release a Hemp Collector issue on 27 June (on sale at newsstands until 30 September): 192 pages of the best articles the magazine has published on this subject over 25 years. It includes detailed case studies (7 renovations and 11 new buildings with technical data sheets and testimonials from owners, craftspeople, architects, design offices…), surveys and tables listing all hemp construction products available on the French market, and practical guides detailing the implementation steps for 9 hemp-based insulation or decorative techniques. The aim: to help as many people as possible (re)discover this very low-impact material with often unsuspected qualities. This Collector issue will undoubtedly interest building professionals and project owners alike, whether undertaking construction or renovation projects.

In memory of Jean Luc Huger, trainer for Construire en Chanvre

Construire en Chanvre announces the passing of Jean Luc Huger. « A pioneer in the development of hemp mortars and hempcrete, and a member of Maisons Paysannes de France and Construire en Chanvre, of which he was one of the first trainers, Jean Luc Huger devoted his entire career as a craftsman to defending built heritage and traditional craftsmanship, highlights Gérard Lenain, founding member of Construire en Chanvre and former head of training. Recognised as an expert in his craft as a builder and restorer, mastering techniques suited to preserving historic structures, he devoted the utmost care to his work, striving for excellence with all the passion that defined him, heart and soul. Dedicated to passing on his knowledge and sharing his skills, he was an exemplary ambassador — generous and devoted, selfless, discreet and humble. »

Plastics & Composites

JEC World 2026: hemp takes centre stage in composite materials

JEC World 2026, the international trade fair specialising in composite materials and their applications, was held from 2 to 4 March at Paris-Villepinte, bringing together 1 400 exhibitors from 52 countries. It confirmed the strong momentum around composite materials. The bio-materials village, organised with the European Flax and Hemp Alliance, showcased more than 20 sector players, with growing interest in hemp, presented as complementary to flax both agronomically and industrially. Discussions highlighted a strong international dimension and an acceleration of innovation around three major themes: materials recycling and reuse, development of bio-based fibres, and breakthrough innovations (new materials, 3D printing, new manufacturing processes). Several concrete applications incorporating hemp were presented: furniture, sports equipment, automotive parts, and design objects. Finally, players such as EcoTechnilin stood out for their strong partnership strategy and presence in numerous innovative projects at the show, including outside the bio-materials village.

Geotextiles

The Géo Drop in the hands of tomorrow’s designers and architects

The future of the hemp sector is also being shaped in design and interior architecture schools. InterChanvre’s collaboration with Procédés Chenel International for the « School Paper » competition illustrates this commitment to familiarising young people with the many uses of hemp. Around twenty students from nine design schools are currently working on the Géo Drop, a 100 % hemp felt with exceptional technical properties (M1 fire classification, exemplary carbon footprint…) born from the collaboration between Géochanvre and Procédé Chenel. The goal is clear: to create something useful, surprising and beautiful in order to demystify this bio-based material, encouraging these future specifiers to naturally incorporate it into their future thinking. The results of this marathon day on 13 June (7 hours to create the designs) will be unveiled on the day itself, at the innovation awards ceremony, alongside jury members: Procédé Chenel, InterChanvre, the Architects’ Council, the Mobilier National… Mark your calendars to discover these original creations!

Paper

A (hemp) page is being written: an exchange with Hahnemühle papermill

On 9 April, InterChanvre met with the Paris management of Hahnemühle, a German high-quality paper manufacturer that highlights the performance of French hemp fibre in the creation of supports for fine arts and artistic photography. By incorporating 60 % hemp into its products, the papermaker is betting on a resource that can regenerate far faster than traditional forests. Hemp, with its rapid growth of several centimetres per day, is emerging as a concrete answer to the needs of sustainable publishing, while offering archival quality and pigment rendering that make it the brand’s best-seller. This first meeting opens up a collaborative perspective for upcoming hemp sector events, such as photographic prints on hemp paper for the next All Hemp congress.

Food

A hemp seed baguette is on its way

Hemp cooperatives are rallying, at the initiative of Philippe Guichard, president of the Union of Hemp Processors (UTC), to develop a hemp seed baguette. Work is under way in partnership with bakers to develop a viable project, both economically and operationally: a traditional baguette with 100 % organic toasted hemp seeds, 170 g, at a price of €1.80. The remaining challenges are structuring the supply of hemp seeds to artisan bakers and defining collective communications, particularly to explain and promote hemp to the general public and bakeries. At once sustainable, nutritious and creative, hemp gives artisan bakers a way to stand out, meet consumer expectations and reconnect with an ancient plant firmly looking to the future.

In the Field

Towards a shared agronomic roadmap for hemp

The hemp sector is now looking to re-engage on agronomic issues in order to respond more coherently and effectively to the challenges faced by growers and processors. To achieve this, better technical coordination among the various stakeholders involved in these issues is needed, to facilitate the sharing of experience, the pooling of work and the dissemination of knowledge. An Agronomic Working Group has been set up with the technical managers of hemp cooperatives, producers represented by Jérôme Gallois, president of the FNPC, and seed company Hemp-it, to identify and prioritise the strategic agronomic challenges of the French sector and strengthen synergies among the various stakeholders. This collective organisation should consolidate France’s lead in an international context where investment and research programmes on hemp are developing rapidly. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a shared agronomic roadmap for all stakeholders, in order to better guide research, experimentation and support actions within the sector to improve producer margins.

In brief

Two videos to help you succeed with your hemp sowing:

In under 5 minutes, Franck Barbier, farmer and president of InterChanvre, explains the essentials for successful industrial hemp sowing: ideal weather conditions, sowing depth and density, type of seed drill to use…

Jérôme Gallois, farmer, vice-president of InterChanvre and president of the FNPC, shares his sowing tools.

Economy

Agricultural Compensation Fund: a promising lever for hemp

Since 2014, developers whose projects have negative impacts on local land use (significant consumption of agricultural land, impact on the agricultural economy…) must implement compensatory measures. This primarily takes the form of economic and collective compensation to sustainably support local farming activity, often through funding (€1 to €2/m²) via the Collective Agricultural Compensation mechanism.

A mandatory Prior Agricultural Assessment analyses the project’s effects on the agricultural economy (production, employment, supply chains) and defines appropriate compensation measures. In practice, these compensations can fund local initiatives such as innovative or collective agricultural projects, either through direct funding by the developer or through dedicated funds (often managed with public bodies such as the Caisse des Dépôts). Example of a project that benefited from this fund: Roche aux Fées Communauté (Ille-et-Vilaine) received €150,000 to support the creation of a hemp supply chain on its territory around a hemp cooperative (collective organisation of producers, purchase of harvesting equipment, implementation of processing tools…). This mechanism also represents a promising lever for developing low-input supply chains (such as hemp).

Regulation

The building EPR in full reform

Since 1 January 2023, the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) scheme for Building Construction Products and Materials (BCPM) obliges market operators who place building construction products and materials (whose use generates waste) onto the market to manage their end of life. To do so, they must join an eco-organisation, pay an eco-contribution and ensure the collection and recovery of waste from these materials. The reform project provided for by the AGEC Act (Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy) aims to revise several structural parameters of the scheme, with entry into force expected on 1 September 2026. At the same time, several written questions have been submitted to Parliament concerning the financial impact of this reform on local authorities, sector governance, eco-contribution transparency and persistent shortcomings. Finally, the Senate bill aimed at rebalancing the BCPM sector was withdrawn from the agenda before examination within the MoDem parliamentary window on 26 March. In this context, InterChanvre and Construire en Chanvre are fully engaged and exchange regularly, in particular with the Ministry of Ecological Transition, to defend and promote the sector’s positions, notably an eco-modulation system (adjustment of the eco-contribution according to the environmental performance of hemp-based products) and recognition of the environmental performance of these materials.

In brief

● The inter-professional agreement has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance for three years (2026 to 2029). The order was published in the Official Journal on 2 June 2026.

Beyond Borders

CAP and CMO: the French hemp sector closely watching European debates

In July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposal for the post-2027 CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) regulation and its proposal for a targeted revision of the regulation concerning Common Market Organisations (CMO). Several points concerning the hemp sector are under discussion. The FNPC and InterChanvre are actively engaged in defending their positions with French public authorities and key MEPs on both texts. The sector’s main positions are: maintaining the THC threshold at 0.3 %, a strict distinction in the CMO regulation between industrial hemp and hemp grown for its molecules so that CAP support is reserved for industrial hemp, the maintenance of coupled support for industrial hemp, and specific support for hemp based on its agro-environmental advantages. As debates continue in the Council, Éric Sargiacomo, French social-democratic MEP and rapporteur for the CMO regulation, is expected to publish his draft report by end of June. The final adoption of the post-2027 CAP reform and the CMO regulation revision is expected in 2027. The FNPC and InterChanvre remain committed to defending the interests of French hemp producers before European institutions and agricultural stakeholders involved in the dossier (FNSEA, Copa-Cogeca).

Farm Bill 2026: restrictions on hemp

The 2018 Farm Bill had legalised hemp on condition it contained less than 0.3 % delta-9 THC. However, this definition allowed a significant market in psychoactive hemp-derived products (such as delta-8) to flourish by exploiting a legal loophole. The US federal funding law (H.R. 5371), enacted in November 2025, represents the most significant legislative change for hemp since the 2018 Farm Bill. It aims to end this situation by redefining hemp on the basis of total THC. This tightening makes many currently authorised products illegal. Added to this are very strict limits on THC in finished products and restrictions on synthetic cannabinoids. This could lead to the disappearance of a large portion of psychoactive hemp-derived products by November 2026. Some alternative proposals, such as the Farm Bill 2026 currently under review in Congress, aim to loosen the thresholds or delay implementation; but the outcome of the Farm Bill 2026 remains uncertain. Industrial hemp (fibres, seeds) may be spared, while the cannabinoid sector would be heavily impacted. Ultimately, this situation marks a turning point, with the goal of clearly distinguishing industrial hemp from psychoactive products, at the potential cost of a major contraction of the current CBD market.

Agenda

Upcoming

● 10–12 June: EIHA Congress in Poznan, Poland. Jérôme Gallois, president of the FNPC, and Franck Barbier, president of InterChanvre, will speak to represent the French industrial hemp sector at international level.

● 13 June: Innovation awards ceremony for the School Paper competition by Procédé Chenel International in partnership with InterChanvre, at Procédés Chenel in Vanves (Hauts-de-Seine), a highlight celebrating creative boldness in the service of hemp.

● 17–18 June: Lin et Chanvre Bio invites you to get all your questions on textile hemp answered in front of hemp plots in the Technical Area of the Lin’Ovation show, a genuine open-air experimentation platform. Venue: Ailly-le-Haut-Clocher, Somme (80). Registration

● 18 June: Bio-sourced and Geo-sourced Day in Amiens (Somme), organised by FRD-Codem. Programme: experience sharing and discussions on innovative solutions. A key gathering for professionals seeking to combine thermal performance with environmental objectives in local contexts.

● 22–24 September: 86th Social Housing Congress in Bordeaux (Exhibition Centre). Construire en Chanvre will exhibit for the third consecutive year.

Recent Events

● 2 April 2026: Nathalie Fichaux, director of InterChanvre, took part in the round table « Heading towards a regenerative economy beyond CSR » organised by the 2026 cohort of the Master’s programme in Organisations and Transitions towards Sustainable Development (OTDD) at CNAM in Paris.

● 25–27 February: At the International Timber Construction Forum, InterChanvre and Construire en Chanvre showcased the technical maturity of the sector’s manufacturers, from standard thermal insulation to prefabrication. The six winners of the National Hemp Construction Prize were also presented with their awards.

● 21 February – 1 March: Present on the Terres OléoPro stand, the sector showcased all its markets at the International Agriculture Show (SIA), from textiles to construction, to both the general public and farmers looking for crop diversification. Franck Barbier, president, and Nathalie Fichaux, director of InterChanvre, met with European and national decision-makers and representatives of FranceAgriMer and the Chambers of Agriculture to highlight the sector’s priority dossiers (PES, future CAP…).