{"id":9892,"date":"2023-10-13T16:51:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisindustryjournal.com\/?post_type=feature_article&amp;p=37134"},"modified":"2023-10-13T16:51:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:51:25","slug":"sustainability-in-cannabis-packaging-balancing-preservation-and-environmental-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/sustainability-in-cannabis-packaging-balancing-preservation-and-environmental-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability in Cannabis Packaging: Balancing Preservation and Environmental\u00a0Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/sustainability-in-cannabis-packaging-balancing-preservation-and-environmental-impact\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Even a cursory review of cannabis reveals that the market has been notoriously wasteful, polluting the environment with chemical fertilizers, misused pesticides, contaminated plants, and\u2014perhaps most problematically\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspenpublicradio.org\/environment\/2022-09-08\/the-cannabis-industry-has-a-waste-problem-and-the-solutions-could-change-packaging-norms-beyond-marijuana\">thoughtlessly excessive packaging<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The industry is in dire need of sustainable practices, and the easiest way to start an impactful new trend is from the outside in: a.k.a., adjusting how you\u2019re parceling your products.<\/p>\n<p>Honing in on sustainable packaging isn\u2019t just a good move for the environment. It\u2019s also more cost-effective, less labor-intensive and allows you to provide consumers with the best possible version of your flower\u2014no matter how far through the supply chain it\u2019s had to travel before hitting retail shelves.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Cannabis has progressed: It\u2019s time for its packaging to do the same<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>By the time legalization began sweeping the nation, the industry already had several decades of experience operating underground. With that discretion came a lot of built-in habits around not attracting attention, and for packaging, the focus was solely on not looking like a cannabis product.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10615\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10615\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/CIJ-Cannabis-Packaging-Hero-Image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10615\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sustainability-in-cannabis-packaging-balancing-preservation-and-environmental-impact.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"176\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10615\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overabundance of plastic isn\u2019t cutting it anymore\u2014not only when it comes to environmental friendliness, but for the integrity of the product itself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Today, increased legalization grants operators the freedom to expand without the fear of being seen, and as a result, there\u2019s no longer any excuse for wasteful packaging to be the industry\u2019s norm. Glass jars, Ziplocks and an overabundance of plastic isn\u2019t cutting it anymore\u2014not only when it comes to environmental friendliness, but for the integrity of the product itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been designing packaging in the cannabis industry since 2013, and a lot of trends have come and gone. We used to put flower in plastic Rx jars and paper envelopes. In general, there was a lot of waste: excess boxes and jars that all get thrown away,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legacyil.com\/\">Legacy\u2019s<\/a> Chief Cannabis Officer Ryan Hedrick. \u201cAnd when consumers pull the products out of those containers, your marketing doesn\u2019t remain intact. The box gets thrown away, and now they\u2019re just carrying around a labelless jar. Not only is it bad for the environment, but it isn\u2019t helping you promote your brand at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>How sustainable storage optimizes curing and shelf life of flower<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>As for the curing process, Hedrick used to use airtight buckets, which both took up a lot of room and wasn\u2019t at all effective for maintaining cannabis\u2019s ideal humidity levels. He\u2019s since switched to passive atmospheric packaging, which utilizes increasingly popular technology to keep humidity\u2014and sustainability\u2014in mind. \u201cThe buckets weren\u2019t letting any moisture out. On top of that, you can imagine how much room 165 five-gallon buckets takes up in a grow space,\u201d Hedrick says.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for long-term storage. With humidity-controlled bags, operators can rest assured that their product will maintain its efficacy, because as soon as that pack is sealed, the humidity level is guaranteed to stay the same.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis brand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavaleaforganics.com\/\">Lava Leaf Organics<\/a> relies on passive atmospheric packaging for efficient storage\u2014mainly because of the reduction in carbon footprint and increase in terpene preservation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we think about the energy involved in packaging and shipping large amounts of heavy glass jars compared to TerpLoc bags, it was an easy decision for us,\u201d said Lava Leaf Organics CEO Tony Martinez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bags are recyclable, and compared to glass jars with child-resistant lids, they\u2019re much better at preserving terpenes. Using sustainable packaging allows us to put our best foot forward and to better control our customer\u2019s brand experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Tips for making sustainable storage work for you<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Sustainable storage is an environmentally-responsible move for the cannabis industry to make, but when weighing the pros and cons of a big switch like this, operators should also keep in mind how positively it will impact their end product, consumer\u2019s experience, and, subsequently, their industry-wide reputation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10321\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10321\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/CBD-Products.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10321\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/sustainability-in-cannabis-packaging-balancing-preservation-and-environmental-impact.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"133\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10321\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some product packaging examples in the market today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Placing your products in eco-friendly bags is just the start. There are definitely more tips and tricks operators can take advantage of to prolong the use of sustainable materials and ensure they\u2019re leaving as small a footprint as possible. For example, Hedrick\u2019s team reuses their passive atmospheric packaging for maximum efficiency\u2014especially when it comes to bulk storage or curing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe mark all of our storage bags with the original strain, so we can reuse that bag for the same strain as long as it passes testing along the way. When I do so, I take a mixture of SaniDate and water to make sure everything is sanitized and clean,\u201d Hedrick said. \u201cThat allows me to reuse\u00a0them for about 3-4 months\u2019 worth of curing and storage. You can reuse a bucket in that same way, but when it\u2019s time to replace it, you\u2019re still spending another $15-$17.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sustainable, humidity-controlled packaging is also ideal for testing consistency. If you send in five buckets of the same strain to be tested, you run the risk of them all sitting at wildly different humidity levels, which means some might pass, and others might be rendered trash.<\/p>\n<p>All of the environmental benefits aside, using sustainable packaging just makes cents\u2014literally. \u201cEssentially, I\u2019m saving a minimum of half a million in packaging every year. That\u2019s my entire staff\u2019s salary for two months. That\u2019s incredible, impactful, significant savings that can make a huge difference for a business trying to expand.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\">\n<div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even a cursory review of cannabis reveals that the market has been notoriously wasteful, polluting the environment with chemical fertilizers, misused pesticides, contaminated plants, and\u2014perhaps most problematically\u2014thoughtlessly excessive packaging. The industry is in dire need of sustainable practices, and the easiest way to start an impactful new trend is from the outside in: a.k.a., adjusting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8459,7814,10587,10588,10589,5062,52,8191,8509,8461,10590,10591,5179,8458,609,8770,8634,8564,8855,1964,5334,2254,10592,6288,6556,184,2299,8605,77,8469,9,8504,10000,9630,1458,8471,8472,5236,10593,1,3,7314,61,1736],"tags":[8481,7815,10594,10595,10596,5063,2632,8192,8535,8483,10597,10598,5181,8480,3182,8780,8667,8586,8888,4532,5350,4821,10599,6292,2415,2762,4866,8620,2655,8491,8530,10010,9658,4027,8493,8494,5238,10600,7316],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9892\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}