Products derived from the hemp plant are more popular now than ever before. Hemp is still used to make textiles, rope, and paper, but it is also used in many parts of the world to make medicine, food, cosmetics, and adult-use products (among many other things).

With that being said, one way that the hemp plant is being harnessed in a limited but increasing way around the world may eventually prove to be the most important use of them all. Thanks to its somewhat unique properties, the hemp plant is very effective as an environmental remediation tool.

Hemp and environmental remediation were at the heart of a recent research effort conducted by investigators affiliated with various academic institutions based in Poland. The findings from the research effort were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

“Cannabis sativa L. is gaining attention as a multifunctional species for environmental remediation due to its high biomass productivity, pollutant tolerance, and versatility. This review synthesizes its application across three environmental media: soil, water, and air.” the investigators wrote.

Regarding soil, the team explained that hemp has received considerable attention from the international scientific community, utilizing the hemp plant to remediate heavy metals, organic pollutants, and radionuclides from contaminated zones. An example of hemp being used for this purpose can be found in Italy, where scientists have planted hemp to remove contaminants in an area previously occupied by Europe’s largest steel plant.

A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Banja Luka, the University of Belgrade, and the University of Niš recently collaborated on separate research, finding that hemp could be used as an effective, eco-friendly alternative for dye removal as a biosorbent for removing Congo Red (CR) and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) from wastewater. Aquatic applications for hemp environmental remediation are less common right now compared to soil-based research.

“The review analysis reveals that hemp-based soil remediation, particularly for heavy metals, is the most developed field, with several experimental and field-scale studies. In contrast, aquatic and especially atmospheric applications remain underexplored and limited to laboratory-scale demonstrations.” the researchers in Poland wrote.

Despite gaps in research and applications, international government entities have already recognized the potential of hemp as a key ingredient in effective sustainability strategies, as mentioned by researchers in Poland.

“Recognizing its potential for carbon sequestration, the European Commission has identified industrial hemp as a promising candidate for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 under the European Green Deal, as well as a means to support the Sustainable Development Goals (European Commission, 2025; Green Deal, 2025; United Nations, 2025).” the researchers wrote. “In addition to its carbon storage capacity, hemp cultivation provides multiple environmental benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, reduced agrochemical dependency, soil erosion prevention, and improved crop rotation efficiency.”

Few crops, if any, possess the hemp plant’s ability to be a global sustainability game-changer, especially considering that the hemp plants used for some environmental remediation purposes can be harvested and still used for other things in some instances. More research needs to be conducted to be sure, but boosting such research should be a top priority for every government on the planet.