Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown are two inspiring people who are passionate about the properties and potential of hemp, especially for textiles. Their journey together led them to found a UK business, Contemporary Hempery. Hemp has amazing potential, for a wide range of products, and it’s brilliant for regenerative farming practices – so why aren’t we doing more with it? It’s useful as a textile, in construction, in food and personal care products, and as an alternative to plastic. It’s one of the earliest cultivated plants in our history – but although cultivation is increasing and being encouraged by the European Union, elsewhere it’s a different picture.

Kitty and Claire outline some of the uses of hemp across different sectors, about the little-known history of hemp growing in the UK, and some of the ways it was used – many of them absolutely essential to our industrial evolution. We’ll also hear about some of the current issues, in terms of hemp production and processing.

Kitty and Claire also share the story of how they came together, the amazing coincidences that sparked their interest and what drove them to start Contemporary Hempery, to embark on this long and complex journey to rescue hemp for regenerative, contemporary textiles. 

International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity.

Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started. 

Stay in touch for free insights and updates… 

Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

 Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox…

You can also use our interactive, searchable podcast index to find episodes by sector, by region or by circular strategy. Plus, there is now a regular Circular Economy Podcast newsletter, so you get the latest episode show notes and links delivered to your inbox on Sunday morning, each fortnight. The newsletter includes a link to the episode page on our website, with an audio player. You can subscribe by clicking this link to update your preferences.

Links we mention in the episode:

• Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/
  
• Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com
  
• Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/
  
• A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2
  
• Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/
  
• Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info
  
• Sign up to get the podcast player and shownotes for each new episode emailed to your inbox
  

Links for our guest:

• Kitty Wilson Brown on LinkedIn
  
• Claire O’Sullivan https://www.linkedin.com/in/contemporaryhempery/
  
• Website contemporaryhempery.com
  
• @contemporaryhempery on Instagram (We like instagram best for communications)
  
• Contemporary Hempery on LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/contemporaryhempery
  

Businesses using hemp:

• hempen.org– fantastic not for profit who consult on hemp growing and produce the best organic complete cold pressed CBD
  
• wakelyns.co.uk– longest established organic agroforestry site in Europe, where Contemporary Hempery is growing hemp
  
• margentfarm.com– farm in Cambridgeshire, house built of hemp now producing hemp architectural products
  
• Harrison Spinks beds, they are doing fantastic work with hemp https://www.harrisonspinks.co.uk/
  
• Hempwood organic flooring hempwood.com
  
• Bespoke sunglasses and optical eyewear handmade in UK hempeyewear.com
  
• Largest hemp farm in the UK currently: East Yorkshire Hemp, specialist hemp growers since 2002 eastyorkshirehemp.co.uk
  
• Alliance for hemp and flax growers, showing just how much other countries in Europe are growing, and getting away from us due to restrictive UK government policies allianceflaxlinenhemp.eu
  
• Hemp clothing in the UK, from www.baukjen.com and www.babbleandhemp.com
  

Books, people and organisations we mentioned

• European Commission – lots of great information on uses of hemp https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/crop-productions-and-plant-based-products/hemp_en
  
• A T M Faiz Ahmed, Md Zahidul Islam, Md Sultan Mahmud, Md Emdad Sarker, Md Reajul Islam, Hemp as a potential raw material toward a sustainable world: A review, Heliyon, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2022, e08753, ISSN 2405-8440, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08753 or https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402200041X
  

Guest bios

Claire O’Sullivan, co-founder of Contemporary Hempery is a studio jeweller with an MA in Entrepreneurship for Creative Practice. Her interest is in the place where art and commerce meet, and in processes which take raw material to product. Claire’s involvement in hemp sprung from a sense of place, living in the centre of what was once the centre of a thriving and economically important hemp growing and processing industry.

Kitty Wilson Brown, co-founder of Contemporary Hempery is a textile artist and weaver. Kitty graduated BA at Chelsea College of Art, UAL in June 2021. She studied weaving in Tokyo and completed an internship at the Liverpool Weaving Company. Her work is focused on sustainability. Kitty grows flax, hemp and natural dye plants for her work and is co-founder of Contemporary Hempery.

Playlist: getting started with the circular economy…

Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business?  Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!)

• #1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business.
  
• #2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation.
  
• #90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints).
  
• #101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit
  

And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy? 

Want to dig deeper?

Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy.  Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable. 

Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email…

Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us an email…

Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’.  Or, follow them on Twitter.

Previous episodes….




121 Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown: Contemporary Hempery

14th January 2024


Circular economy


design


fashion & textiles


materials

Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown are two inspiring people who are passionate about the properties and potential of hemp, especially for textiles. Their journey together led them to found a UK business, Contemporary Hempery. Hemp has amazing potential, for a wide range of products, and it’s brilliant for regenerative farming practices – so why aren’t we doing more with…

120 Priorities are changing

31st December 2023


Circular economy


social value


strategy

People’s priorities are changing, as we realise more stuff doesn’t make us happier– so how can businesses thrive by doing better, with less? In this episode, Catherine suggests it’s time to bust one of the myths of the modern economy – people don’t want more and stuff! Priorities are changing, people are realising that more stuff doesn’t make us happier.…

119 BONUS Ken Webster: the circular ECONOMY! Part 2

17th December 2023


Circular economy


citizens


global commons


social value

This is the 2nd part of the conversation with Ken Webster, one of the foremost thinkers in the circular economy field, where we explore concepts for a critical aspect that’s being ignored – the economy itself! In this episode, we go deeper into the possibilities offered by a universal basic dividend, especially as we move to a world where artificial…

119 Ken Webster: the circular ECONOMY!

10th December 2023


Circular economy


citizens


global commons


social value

This episode is different – I’m talking to Ken Webster and we explore some big themes and concepts for a critical part of the circular economy that often gets ignored – the economy itself! Catherine says: Ken Webster is right up there as one of my circular economy heroes, and is widely acknowledged as one of the foremost thinkers in…

118 Ann Stevenson: minding our language

26th November 2023


Circular economy


enablers

Let’s talk about how we talk about the circular economy – the language we use, and whether it’s helping us… or getting in the way. Ann Stevenson is the circular economy lead at Resource Futures, an employee-owned and non-profit distributing BCorp environmental consultancy in the UK. Ann has been working in the field of environmental consultancy for over 25 years,…



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