Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. There is no additional cost to you whatsoever.
Marijuana is authorized for some or all adults in more than half of U.S. states. As the hashish trade takes off, it has the potential to ship a product with minimal environmental influence. Hemp packaging might assist make these gross sales sustainable moderately than resulting in extra dangerous waste.
The hashish trade is presently the fastest-growing industry in the U.S. In the final yr, Americans spent more money buying cannabis than wine. While marijuana has been legalized in lots of states, it nonetheless hasn’t been legalized on the federal degree. This implies that there are few federal rules concerning moral commerce and transportation of hashish merchandise.
As a end result, the industry itself is working to create moral transportation and packaging requirements. Cannabis gross sales are anticipated so as to add $92 billion to the U.S. economy this yr alone, and to exceed $130 billion by 2025. That might create a variety of packaging waste.
Hemp cannabis packaging presents a sensible, doubtlessly sustainable strategy to transport hashish. Here’s what that you must know.
What Is Hemp Packaging for Cannabis?
Hemp is a plant-based, biodegradable materials particularly grown to make paper, textiles, bioplastics, and different supplies utilized in packaging. Delivering hashish merchandise in hemp packaging is a doubtlessly sustainable strategy to defend hashish merchandise.
Hemp is a sustainable crop that requires little water, pesticides, or fertilizers for a excessive crop yield. Hemp can develop in all kinds of soils, which implies that hemp may be grown regionally, close to the corporate that makes use of it in packaging. This means that you could create a circular economy that helps itself moderately than an financial system primarily based on commerce with different nations. You can scale back carbon emissions by lowering the gap that packaging has to journey, and help the native financial system on the identical time.
Is Hemp Packaging a Sustainable Option?
Scientists writing within the current United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggest halving carbon emissions by the year 2030 to stop catastrophic penalties from international warming. But if the fast-growing hashish trade depends on the outdated paper and plastic packaging we’ve seen in different industries, it might counteract makes an attempt to cut back carbon footprints.
By utilizing hemp packaging, hashish retailers can scale back environmental waste.
Unfortunately, as of proper now, this answer will not be excellent. Because marijuana buyers prefer to see the product they’re shopping for, bioplastics make up a big portion of hashish packaging. But as a result of bioplastics require greater temperatures to compost than house composting options present, extra industrial composting amenities are wanted to totally capitalize on this answer.
Still, hemp packaging remains to be extra sustainable than different packaging options.
How Can You Identify Hemp Packaging on the Dispensary?
All hashish packaging, whether or not comprised of hemp or different supplies, ought to present the next options, in accordance with The National Cannabis Packaging and Labeling Standards Committee:
- Opaque, to discourage youth from shopping for
- Child-resistant, to guard youngsters within the purchaser’s house
- Clearly labeled to permit patrons to know the THC and CBD efficiency, in addition to to supply details about how the hashish was grown.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a commonplace labeling of hemp-based, compostable packaging. You might not have the ability to establish hemp packaging with a unadorned eye. Although a few of it seems cloth-like, hemp packaging is available in quite a lot of textures, from hemp plastics to hemp papers.
However, should you’re trying to vote together with your cash by buying hashish merchandise in hemp packaging, there are some issues you’ll be able to search for. Often, these packages are labeled as being made with hemp. For instance, Sana — a model specializing in hemp packaging — labels their hemp plastics with the phrases “comprised of 100% plant-based hemp plastic.” Hemp plastics, like different plastics, are labeled with a resin identification code.
Other hemp packaging merchandise, from hemp materials to hemp papers, are additionally labeled as being comprised of hemp. These merchandise are even higher for the setting than bioplastics, as a result of in contrast to bioplastics — which will produce methane in the event that they wind up in landfills — hemp paper and material merchandise are absolutely recyclable and biodegradable, and even remove carbon dioxide from the setting.
How Do You Responsibly Dispose of Hemp Packaging?
One of the foremost causes to buy hashish with hemp packaging is to cut back the waste going to landfills. Hemp paper and packing containers may be positioned in your recycling bin.
However, hemp plastics might not be recyclable. Check the quantity in your plastic container and name your native recycling middle should you’re not sure if a plastic hemp container may be recycled. Remember that wishcycling does extra hurt than good; don’t put something within the bin that your native program doesn’t settle for.
For packaging that may’t be recycled, you’ve a number of choices. One alternative is to upcycle your hemp packaging, which may make nice planters, meals containers, and even earring holders.
Alternatively, hemp may be composted. Currently, solely 5% of compostable materials are literally composted, largely attributable to the truth that states might not have the infrastructure to compost supplies or patrons might not know that supplies are compostable. You may be a part of the answer by composting fiber-based hemp packaging at house and by voting on your local people to put money into industrial composting amenities.
Like different compostable plastics, hemp bioplastics require industrial composting, which is on the market in just a few dozen U.S. areas right now. This is, nevertheless, the optimum answer for disposal of hemp plastics, as there’s proof that bioplastics break down into harmful microplastics in landfills and as litter, similar to petroleum-based plastics. If you don’t have entry to industrial composting, we suggest you attain out to your legislators and ask them to vote to fund industrial composting amenities in your space.
The Future of Cannabis Packaging
Like many industries, the hashish trade must be versatile and adaptable. As a shopper, you’ll be able to assist enhance this trade by voting together with your cash. Purchasing merchandise packaged with hemp exhibits hashish corporations that sustainability issues to you.
Look for hemp packaging at your native dispensary, or ask store house owners to purchase from manufacturers that bundle their merchandise sustainably. Consider selecting merchandise which are wrapped in hemp paper, material hemp packaging, and recycled supplies, as these are essentially the most environmentally pleasant choices.
You can even improve the sustainability of hemp packaging by contacting your elected officials in regards to the want for extra industrial composting facilities able to breaking down hemp plastics. The extra that buyers such as you do their half to help sustainability efforts, the nearer we’ll come to lowering carbon emissions and serving to the planet thrive.
About the Author
Co-founder and CSO of Sana Packaging, James Eichner is a founding member of the WeedWeek Council, he sits on California Cannabis Coalition’s Environmental Committee, and he has written instructional items for HEMP Magazine, MG Retailer, and extra. James has additionally received a number of pitch competitions on behalf of Sana Packaging. Prior to hashish, James labored within the social and environmental justice sectors.
