About Us

The founders of Carbon Futures, James Vosper and Catherine Cowan, have been in the hemp industry since 2009, when they joined the NSW industrial Hemp Association.  This was prompted by an interest in the environmental benefits of hemp. In 2011 James submitted a paper to the Australian Government under the Carbon Farming Initiative. James Is the Vice- President of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance, the peak national body established in 2015. He is also the President of the New South Wales Industrial Hemp Association. Catherine serves as Secretary and Treasurer of the New South Wales Industrial Hemp Association. 

Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance- http://hempalliance.org.au/

New South Wales Industrial Hemp Association- https://www.ihansw-inc.com/ 

Carbon Futures recently published the Industrial Hemp Reference Framework to aid those new to the industry in navigating the terminology 

As lifelong environmentalists the founders have kept abreast of the science of climate change. Through membership of the Australian Conservation Foundation James was selected to travel to Chicago in 2013 to be trained by Al Gore in the Climate Reality Program. Since completing the course James has become a Climate Reality Mentor and has trained groups in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Understanding the science is key to understanding the urgency of taking affirmative action.

As the carbon trading market has matured there has been a renewed interest in the value of hemp due to the quantity of CO2 that can be sequestered and the speed at which this can occur. In setting up Carbon Futures the objective is to help farmers to grow more hemp and to profit from the carbon that is captured and stored. Much has been made of Direct Air Capture and Carbon Capture and Storage via technological means. The schemes in place are able to capture relatively small amounts of CO2 and at very high costs per tonne. Technology will improve but will take time. 

Hemp is a carbon capture and storage methodology that can be widely implemented with low barriers to entry. The crop absorbs CO2 from day one and is mature in 90-120 days. 

Carbon Futures has recently published The Climate, Carbon and Governance Framework. This is a global reference for carbon markets, standards, climate policy and sustainability systems. It has been designed as a free aid for those operating in carbon markets. Carbon Futures Carbon Framework V2.1

For those new to the industry or wishing to expand their knowledge Carbon Futures has produced The Industrial Hemp Reference Framework. This includes references to hemp terminology listed by category. This free resource can be downloaded here: Industrial_Hemp_Reference Framework_V1.91_docx