Product Pathway Register
Industrial hemp must not be treated as one market. Each product pathway has different buyers, processing needs, prices, substitutes, agronomic requirements, environmental claims and risks.
The companion Product Pathways - Logistics register provides one horizontal row for each PP-0XX pathway, showing its stages from seed supply through production, processing, end use, freight and co-products.
Register
| Pathway ID | Product pathway | Current Phase 2 interpretation | Main viability tests | Logistics pathway | Current confidence | Gate result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PP-001 | Grain, seed food and seed oil | Lawful food and import pathways exist, but demand, specifications, prices and local supply-chain economics are unverified. | Buyer demand, seed quality specs, food compliance, processor access, drying/storage, freight-adjusted margins. | View PP-001 logistics | Low to Medium | More evidence required. |
| PP-002 | Seed-derived food ingredients | Hemp hearts, protein, flour, beverages and similar seed-derived food products should be treated as extensions of PP-001 unless processor terms show a materially different grower pathway. | Processor intake terms, toll-processing or purchase model, food-grade specs, co-product value, buyer demand. | View PP-002 logistics | Low | Include under PP-001 unless separated by evidence. |
| PP-003 | Planting seed and genetics | Planting seed is a specialist pathway and adoption constraint, not a general producer pathway. | Licence category, approved varieties, seed certification, isolation, purity, germination, THC compliance, storage, varietal rights and buyer/partner model. | View PP-003 logistics | Low | Include as specialist pathway. |
| PP-004 | Fibre, bast and textiles | International industry exists, but Australia appears smaller and overseas processing advantages may be a material competitive risk. | Fibre processor access, minimum scale, retting/decortication, textile specifications, freight, overseas competition. | View PP-004 logistics | Low | More evidence required. |
| PP-005 | Paper, rope, geotextiles and lower-specification fibre products | These are recognised industrial hemp uses but are not yet evidenced as separate Granite Borders opportunities. They should be held under the fibre pathway until a named processor, buyer or manufacturer is identified. | Product specification, fibre grade, processor access, buyer demand, freight, competing materials and price. | View PP-005 logistics | Unknown to Low | Hold under PP-004 pending evidence. |
| PP-006 | Hurd, animal bedding, mulch and horticultural products | Hurd and lower-specification stalk fractions may supply bedding, mulch, horticulture or absorbent products, but local processing, price and buyer demand are unverified. | Decortication, grading, dust/fines handling, packaging, freight, storage, buyer specifications and co-product volume. | View PP-006 logistics | Low | More evidence required. |
| PP-007 | Hempcrete, building materials and insulation | Product-pathway environmental evidence is plausible, but local processing, building standards, buyer demand and economics are unverified. | Building-material supply chains, construction standards, certification, project pipeline, hurd specs, processor access, freight and product-substitution evidence. | View PP-007 logistics | Low to Medium | More evidence required. |
| PP-008 | Panels, packaging and composites | Australian activity exists in panels, packaging and biocomposites, but no Granite Borders-accessible feedstock demand or offtake has been verified. | Named manufacturer, feedstock specification, minimum throughput, processing technology, product testing, offtake terms and freight-adjusted economics. | View PP-008 logistics | Unknown to Low | Hold pending named buyer or processor. |
| PP-009 | Dual-purpose grain plus biomass | Dual-purpose production may improve value capture only where both grain and biomass outlets are accessible; it also adds operational complexity. | Both grain and biomass offtake, harvest timing, quality trade-offs, post-harvest handling, processor access, freight and co-product pricing. | View PP-009 logistics | Low | Model only after single pathways are understood. |
| PP-010 | Biomass, bioenergy, fuel and biochar | Hemp biomass may have industrial or energy uses, but this is not yet evidenced as a specific Granite Borders opportunity. Biochar and fuel claims should be treated as separate proposals requiring their own buyer and regulatory evidence. | Legal pathway, buyer demand, feedstock specs, processing, emissions/accounting method, economics and environmental claims. | View PP-010 logistics | Unknown | Hold pending evidence. |
| PP-011 | Personal care and cosmetics | Cosmetics and skincare are recognised non-therapeutic industrial hemp uses, usually linked to seed oil. This should not be treated as a grower pathway unless lawful ingredients, processor demand and purchase terms are verified. | Legal ingredient source, no therapeutic/cannabinoid claims unless separately authorised, processor access, buyer demand, product standards and seed-oil economics. | View PP-011 logistics | Low | Include as seed-oil-adjacent validation lead. |
| PP-012 | Animal feed, stockfeed and pet food | This is a regulatory-constrained pathway. Current official guidance indicates animal or pet food products containing cannabis, hemp, hemp oil, hemp seed oil or cannabinoids may require APVMA registration if they meet the veterinary chemical product definition; state guidance also cautions against feeding hemp to livestock. | Current APVMA position, state rules, END or registration pathway, residue/food-safety risk, buyer demand and processor by-product handling. | View PP-012 logistics | Low | Exclude from commercial assumptions unless a lawful feed pathway is verified. |
| PP-013 | Cannabinoid, flower, CBD or medicinal cannabis pathways | Out of scope for this industrial hemp business case unless explicitly re-scoped. Industrial hemp licensing should not be used to infer a lawful CBD, flower, therapeutic or medicinal pathway. | Not applicable under current scope. | View PP-013 logistics | Not applicable | Exclude. |
Verification Note
The additional pathway check was completed on 11 June 2026 against the current project evidence base and current external pathway references. AgriFutures identifies textiles, paper, rope, fuel, oil, stockfeed, building materials, cosmetics, pet food, food and personal care as industrial hemp applications, while also noting that profitable Australian industry development still requires scale, suitable varieties, agronomy, mechanisation, processing and established long-term markets. Agriculture Victoria separately identifies non-therapeutic uses as fibre, cosmetics and food, and distinguishes seed for food or sowing, fibre, hurd and other crop purposes. The APVMA position means animal and pet food products containing cannabis, hemp, hemp oil, hemp seed oil or cannabinoids cannot be treated as ordinary market outlets without product-specific regulatory assessment.
Relevant sources: S069, S070, S121, S129, S138, S139, S140.
Evidence Thresholds
| Test | Required evidence |
|---|---|
| Legal pathway | Regulatory source or written clarification. |
| Buyer demand | Buyer interview, documented specification, purchase history or public procurement signal. |
| Processor access | Processor interview, location, intake terms, fees or capacity evidence. |
| Producer economics | Gross-margin scenario with yield, costs, freight, compliance and sensitivity analysis. |
| Regional suitability | Trial data, climate and soil fit, water requirements and agronomic risk. |
| Environmental comparison | Production and product-pathway evidence compared with realistic alternatives. |
| GBLC relevance | Clear link to member value, Landcare objectives or regional decision-support. |
Current Interim Position
No product pathway should yet be presented as viable for Granite Borders producers. The strongest current case is for a validation program that tests whether any pathway can pass the evidence thresholds.