Handcrafted hemp as a sustainable solution to body and pet care

Sustainable buying and reducing waste are vital for the planet; however, eco-friendly products must be equally effective. How do you know what to buy? Hemp Collective’s handcrafted hemp body and pet care products are the perfect place to start.

Hemp Collective was founded by Maxine and Mike Shea, a family-run Australian hemp business based near Byron Bay, NSW. We speak to Mike to find out more about their sustainable and ethical brand.

Where do you grow your hemp?

We grow our own hemp in rich volcanic soil with organic and sustainable farming practices near our home in the Byron Shire. We handcraft our hemp products with quality ingredients with a commitment to “good-for-the-planet” ethos.

We believe that all business owners hold social and environmental responsibility. At Hemp Collective, we don’t take this responsibility lightly. All of our products are 100 per cent Australian-made, organic, cruelty-free and eco-friendly and contain no SLS or parabens. And when it comes to minimising waste, we’ve left no stone unturned.

When and how did the Hemp Collective first begin?

Hemp Collective started from our own need for natural solutions. Our journey began with the birth of our son who suffered from a severe form of eczema. We realised the foods and products we thought were safe were actually doing more harm than good.

About the same time, Maxine’s health began to decline with chronic headaches, depression, fatigue and hormonal problems. She was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumour. We found Western medicine offered more ultimatums than suggestions.

Maxine had surgery to remove the tumour, although after six months, regrowth was detected. The only solution offered was more surgery or radiation therapy. At this point, we wanted to investigate other, less toxic options.

In our research, the hemp plant kept coming up time and time again. The statistics and clinical research studies were astonishing, including hemp’s environmental advantages, but we struggled to understand why the world had turned its back on such an incredible plant. As our knowledge grew, so did our love for all things hemp.

We introduced hemp into our everyday life and decided we wanted to share this versatile plant with others. That’s when Hemp Collective was born. Our business is built on conscious, sustainable and ethical principles and well received by our community. But we do more than sell our hemp body and pet care — we’re involved in the ongoing education of the misunderstood hemp plant.

Hemp Collective started with a range of hemp body care products focusing on environmentally friendly production. We handcraft our organic, plant-derived shampoo and conditioner bars packaged in a reusable, travel-friendly tin which comes with refills to reduce common, single-use plastics.

Your pets will love our hemp pet range too, as the pet shampoo is infused with hemp seed oil to gently moisturise, clean and replenish the natural balance and shine of your pet’s coat and skin.

More about the Hemp Collective? 

Our hemp is grown right here in Byron Bay

Hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. We grow our hemp using organic and sustainable farming practices. However, due to the demand for our products, we still need to source additional hemp seed oil. We only source Australian-grown hemp from farmers that share our values.

We ethically source our plant-derived ingredients

We combine our hemp with nourishing plant-derived ingredients such as lavender, lemongrass, rose geranium and lemon myrtle. These are ethically sourced to ensure they’re organic and kind to our earth.

We collaborate with suppliers that share our values

At Hemp Collective, we believe that a circular economy starts with everyday decisions. That’s why we carefully choose the suppliers we work with. Our suppliers share our social and environmental values.

All of our products are vegan and cruelty-free

Animal testing? No way. We only source the finest plant-derived ingredients for our hemp body care products.

All of our sustainable hemp products are microbead-free

Have you heard of microbeads? Those tiny, plastic beads in many skin and haircare products, and here’s the scary thing … once you wash them off, they wind up down the drain and in the ocean and are incredibly harmful to fish and marine life. Thankfully, at Hemp Collective we don’t go near the stuff.

Our shampoo and conditioner bars last longer

Have you ever noticed how your shampoo and conditioner bottles are empty before you even get a chance to add it to your shopping list? Well, not only are our shampoo and conditioner bars plastic-free but they last a whole lot longer. That’s better for the planet and your back pocket.

We buy in bulk with minimal packaging

We’d prefer customers to buy our products in bulk to minimise the packaging and our carbon footprint. This is often frowned upon in the business world, but we’ve always put sustainability before profit and that will never change.

We package your hemp body and pet care products with love (not plastic)

When you receive your hemp products in the mail you’ll see why we’re different. We use recyclable packaging, which is printed with soy inks. We also give you the option of purchasing in a reusable tin (perfect for travel) or refills, plus we deliver your goodies in compostable mailers.

Discover Hemp Collectives’ sustainable hemp products and start your journey to zero waste today. Plus, check out their 130 stockists around Australia and New Zealand.

For more information, visit hempcollective.com.au.