Isiah Thomas, a retired NBA player, is the CEO of a hemp-based plastics company. He predicts that one day, those same plastics will be utilized to construct hemp-based automobiles.
According to Forbes, Thomas is the CEO of One World Products, a Black-owned Colombian hemp and cannabis enterprise.
“Consider us the industry’s raw material supplier of hemp and cannabis.” We produce and grow in Colombia because of the tropical benefits it provides us, we collaborate with indigenous farmers, and we work with the soil and the light,” Thomas told Forbes.
“We work closely with the auto industry to lessen its carbon footprint by replacing part of their plastics with hemp, and we also work in the construction space,” he added. When it comes to plastic, anything will be produced of hemp, and we want to be the largest supplier of that. Hemp may be used to make not only cars, but also gasoline, food, and plastics.”
Henry Ford revealed the world’s first hemp-based car almost 80 years ago, employing biomaterials derived from hemp, soybean, and flax to construct the car’s pieces. The car’s engine, designed by the same person who devised the diesel system, could run on hemp oil.
Right present, Thomas and One World Products are delivering hemp-based polymers to major automakers such as Stellantis, which owns Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Citroen.
Hemp, or non-intoxicating cannabis, can be used to make a number of products such as clothing, pharmaceuticals, and biodegradable materials.
