MJBiz - July/August 2024 - 45

sales across the U.S. markets it
tracks and nearly 15% in Canada.
However, these products are
far from disposable and often end
up in landfills. Their plastics are
frequently nonbiodegradable, and
their batteries are flammable.
Some cannabis businesses are
seeking better solutions.
" We spent a lot of time trying
to think of how we could come
up with something that offered
consumers a better alternative, "
said Laura Fogelman, spokesperson
for PAX Labs, one of the industry's
biggest producers of vape cannabis
products and accessories.
In April, the San Francisco-based
brand released the PAX Trip, its first
product made with reclaimed and
recycled ocean-bound plastic.
The PAX Trip initially launched in
California and Massachusetts, while
expansion is underway in Colorado
and New York.
" We wanted to put less virgin plastic
out into the world, " Fogelman said.
As part of that mission, the
company partnered with rePurpose
Global to become one of the first
cannabis brands to achieve plasticnegative
certification across all its
product lines.
Under the partnership, for every
bit of plastic PAX utilizes-calculated
by weight-the company funds the
removal or reclamation of twice the
amount of plastic from nature.
" The more that brands can bring
awareness to the conversation
and move in this direction-and
get consumers to ask themselves
these questions and make
responsible choices-the better
we'll be positioned for the future, "
Fogelman said.
" This needs to happen along every
segment of the supply chain. "
INDUSTRY LEADERS STEP UP
Other large operators have been
implementing more sustainable
Wyld introduced a compostable pouch in 2021. Photos courtesy of Wyld
packaging initiatives as well.
MJBizDaily reported in
October that Canadian cannabis
producer Tilray Brands started
converting some of its packaging
and product components to hemp
to minimize the use of single-use
plastics that end up in landfills.
In a conference call with analysts
in January 2023, Tilray CEO Irwin
Simon said the company planned to
divert 158,000 kilograms (158 metric
tons) of plastic from landfill sites last
year before launching the program.
Tilray, which launched efforts
last summer, has diverted
approximately 131,000 kilograms of
plastic waste from landfills, while its
Good Supply brand has prevented
more than 925,000 kilograms of
plastic from reaching landfills-a
sevenfold increase in the past year
or so.
Oregon-based Wyld, which
competes with Coloradoheadquartered
Wana Brands for
the market-share lead in gummies
in several states, introduced a fully
compostable pouch in 2021 to meet
regulatory requirements entering
the Canadian market.
It has launched similar packaging
with select cannabis-infused and
CBD products in the U.S. market.
In 2022, Wyld launched its Good
Tide brand packaged in a fully
recyclable and compostable paper
tube. Some products also have
a compostable liner to enhance
freshness. That same year, the
company earned a climate-neutral
certification after measuring and
offsetting its carbon impacts from
operations, an analysis conducted
through a third-party audit.
Wyld has dedicated significant
resources to improving
sustainability in its mission to
eliminate single-use plastics.
" There has been a large amount
of capital invested in developing
compostable packaging. That's not
going to always be the best fit or the
right answer for every business, "
said Ben Gaines, vice president
of marketing for Northwest
Confections, Wyld's parent.
" We want to replace all singleuse
plastics in our packaging
stream, but we're encountering
well-established speed bumps and
hurdles, " he added.
" Mainly, it comes down to
material science and matching food
and barrier properties that meet our
standards for quality. "
NEW ENTRANTS, SOLUTIONS
Startups such as Ecoshell, formerly
Spark Sourcing, are entering the
market with potential solutions to
reduce plastics, carbon emissions
and/or eliminate the introduction of
new, or so-called " virgin plastics. "
The company, which has
manufacturing operations in Taiwan
mjbizdaily.com | July-August 2024 45

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MJBiz - July/August 2024

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