The IHBA was founded in 2009 with the aim of promoting and supporting the sustainable and bio-regional production and use of all hemp-based construction materials and by-products worldwide. The association strives to gather and share knowledge about these materials and systems, from those developing and using them to those interested in them. It also assists members in developing systems for producing and using the materials in vernacular and new styles of architecture appropriate to their region. Furthermore, the IHBA works to educate and inform relevant government and trade bodies to establish the infrastructure necessary to create a hemp building industry globally while minimizing the environmental impact of such materials. Steve Allin, the IHBA director and founder, has been a pioneer of hemp use in construction since 1997 and has authored Building with Hemp (2006) and Hemp Buildings: 50 International Case Studies (2021). As a hemp building consultant, he has provided advice for projects in various countries, including Belgium, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, and has introduced hemp building for the first time in Haiti, Nepal, and Latvia. Since 2001, he has conducted many successful hemp building courses in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and the US. As the director of the IHBA, Steve has given presentations in several countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, and the US.