Why I built Geobind — and why it took four years

When I started looking seriously at hempcrete construction in New Zealand, the product I needed didn't exist. The binders being used here were imported from France and Australia — expensive, slow to arrive, and designed for different conditions. If I wanted to build properly with hempcrete, I was going to have to make my own binder.

That was 2020. COVID lockdown. I had time to think.

I pitched the idea to Northland Inc, who connected me with Callaghan Innovation. What followed was four years of R&D with Dr. Vineet Shah — a materials scientist who knew exactly what we were trying to do. We tested dozens of formulations. We had setbacks. We had breakthroughs. We eventually landed on a magnesium oxide-based mineral binder that didn't just match the imported alternatives — it outperformed them. Four times the compressive strength. Faster set. Safer for the people mixing and applying it.

That's Geobind.

It's not a complicated story. There was a gap in the market, we filled it, and the product works. Every council submission using Geobind has been approved. The Auckland Botanical Gardens feature wall is still standing with zero defects at 18 months. Builders across New Zealand are using it.

We're now working toward a pathway to the Australian market — and developing panel and prefab systems that will make hempcrete accessible for a much wider range of projects.

If you're thinking about building with hempcrete, or you're a developer or investor interested in what we're doing, get in touch at info@geobind.co.nz or head to the order page.

— Doug Sturrock, Founding Director, Geobind Limited