The legal cannabis industry in America continues to struggle with waste. The industry’s long-struggling pain point touches every point on the entire supply chain, beginning at cultivation and extending into processing and packaging. By the time the product reaches sales shelves, the environmental footprint of each product is undoubtedly felt staggeringly. Then, it only becomes worse when much of the packaging is thrown away.
All told, the excessive use of plastic, power, and other pollutants continues to serve as one of the most critical glaring points the industry must address. But with such a wide-reaching problem coupled with state and federal regulations creating hurdles, not all are optimistic about the short-term prospects for fixing the problem. That said, some do hold a belief that cannabis is incrementally turning the corner and could do more if the industry and lawmakers were to take more concern.
Plant Production Waste
Waste comes in many forms. During cultivation, refuse issues may include single-use plastics, energy consumption, chemical pollution, and other emissions depending on the grow operation and the products used during production. Indoor cultivation is often identified as a critical problem due to indoor lighting, ventilation, and energy supporting an indoor ecosystem conducive to growing pot. The issues aren’t limited to indoor growth. Select research conducted using data gathered over the past several years dating back to 2020 concluded that the total biomass waste created by cannabis to meet market demand would result in 1754 tons of fresh cannabis waste or 520 tons created by dry weight.
Lilli Keinaenen, a San Francisco-based founder of sustainable packaging and brand design firm Changemaker Creative, said that cannabis runs into traditional agricultural waste issues and unique problems created by pot regulations. Keinaenen identified various problem points, including single-use cultivation plastic tags mandated in many states’ agriculture laws. “Some states require every single plant to be individually tagged with a plastic marker that cannot be reused,” Keinaenen said.
“Rules requiring every plant to have an identification tag and every product to be in childproof packaging create massive piles of avoidable waste,” said Chris Becker, co-Founder of Colorado’s sungrown cannabis brand The Honeybee Collective. An ardent supporter of outdoor cultivation, Becker often espouses reasons why outdoor cultivation is superior. Among the reasons, he cites the decreased impact on the environment compared to indoor growing.
Indoor growing, which intends to create ideal grow settings through various machines and other techniques, is regularly linked to increased emissions, excessive water and energy consumption, and chemical pollution created. “Growers went indoors to avoid detection, and old habits die hard,” said Becker, noting the practices of pre-legalization growers skirting the law. He added, “But cannabis is an agricultural commodity and should be treated as such.”
Biomass disposal creates additional waste concerns. Unlike federally legal hemp, marijuana disposal is subject to stricter regulations. For example, in Georgia, cannabis can be disposed of in four ways: designated landfill, composting, in-vessel digestion, or incineration. The options are wide enough. However, operators are often required to grind their biomass before disposal, requiring operators to buy grinding machines, which can be a significant expenditure for small operators.
Packaging Waste
The waste problems persist once the plant is harvested. Cannabis can cause many environmental concerns, often associated with compliant packaging and testing standards. Few, if any, would object that cannabis products need to come with safety measures geared at keeping minors away from products. But at the same time, good faith efforts currently cause extremely adverse environmental outcomes.
“Child-resistant packaging wastes a lot of material,” said Keinaenen. “Where a normal product could be wrapped in a 1 ml thick plastic bag that a person can tear open, ours need to be 5 mils and only openable with scissors.”
A study of Canadian cannabis from 2018 to 2019 concluded that 5.8 million and 6.4 million kilograms (12.7 million to 14.1 million pounds) of plastic cannabis packaging ended up in local landfills in those years. In the US, pot brands produced 1 billion pieces of single-use plastic alone in 2020. Single-use plastic is common in child-resistant packaging and other high-waste-producing products, such as single-use vaporizers.
Like Keinaenen and Becker, Corey Saban, founder and CEO of Canadian cannabis packaging firm [Re] Waste, identified packaging as a core problem the industry must tackle. Analysis conducted by [Re] Waste found that the sector produces roughly 2.4 billion pounds annually across legal and illegal markets. Saban’s data suggests that for every gram of pot produced, approximately 50 grams of packaging will be used. Citing excessive labeling, mixed materials, and limited recycling options, Saban said, “Unlike other industries where packaging often has commodity value, cannabis packaging typically lacks such value.”
In addition to regulations causing excess packaging and waste, Saban feels that variations in company SKUs, or products, can contribute to waste buildup, with outdated packaging being replaced when many new products or lines get rolled out. “This results in the disposal of large quantities of perfectly good packaging,” he said. Additional factors can also lead to increased packaging, with Keinaenen noting that the delicate nature of the plant also leads some to overpackage rather than pack flower into one bag and risk breaking any buds.
Sources pointed out that waste concerns are often linked to agriculture and packaging but do not fully encompass the problem areas. “Things get shipped multiple times, from processing to testing, to warehouse, to the store, and at each point, packing material gets used and tossed,” said Keinaenen, noting that shipping, distribution and testing all add to plastic and emissions issues.
Becker added to the emissions concerns. “Regulations limiting the amount of cannabis a person can purchase at once cause consumers to take more trips to the store, which creates more packaging and emissions waste,” he noted. And with much of the packaging non-reusable, many items are eventually tossed by the customer, creating the millions and billions of pounds of waste mentioned.
Possible Solutions
Many cannabis companies have considered moving towards sustainable packaging and production–with many making the move. However, regulations and sustainability costs limit many from taking further action without risking losing significant sums of money or running afoul of state regulators. Still, positive signs can be found in specific state programs, such as New York and New Jersey, where eco-friendly solutions are part of legislation. Regenerative farming could also help both hemp and cannabis cut down on waste by reusing and recycling more items during production. Many have signed on, but more coming on board could help the industry immensely.
Companies like [Re] Waste are also focused on the issue, with the Canadian brand rolling out products to divert plastics from ending up in landfills. The company has joined several others in the US and Canada to produce various sustainable packaging options, including recycled packaging solutions.
Becker emphasized the importance of industry education, noting that brands like Sun+Earth and Dragonfly Earth Medicine provide eco-friendly practices and certification. “They help growers market themselves and educate the general public about the importance of choosing low-impact products,” he said.
The deck is no doubt stacked against the industry in many ways. Still, cannabis operators should consider switching to greener production and packaging practices wherever possible. Sales could influence minds if the hope for a cleaner planet won’t work. As studies have indicated for several years, many consumers are willing to spend more on eco-friendly, chemical-free products.
