Packaging Is Piling Up

 

  Remember the Reddit poster claiming to have received 16 separate shipping boxes from the Ontario Cannabis Store after he ordered 21 grams and a beaker bong? Stealth or environmentally-friendly packaging has certainly not been the friend of legalization in Canada. Compared to the plastic baggies that black market consumers are accustomed to, the byproducts of legalization can be shocking—especially in cases where the container only contains 1 gram. In true Canadian fashion, the industry has come together to make some improvements. Canopy Growth, the parent company of cannabis brand Tweed, partnered with TerraCycle to develop what they say is the first national recycling program for the Canadian cannabis industry. They place their boxes in cannabis retail stores across Canada, where consumers can toss in any empty cannabis packaging that they have. If you’re in Ontario, the only place you can currently find a box is in Tweed’s visitor centre in Smith Falls, but we expect to see the recycling program proliferate as cannabis stores become more common. Health Canada, for its part, is taking steps to tackle packaging sizes. Deep inside their plan to regulate edibles and extracts come Oct. 2019 is a proposal that would allow licensed producers to use expanded panels on labels, such as peel-back and accordion panels, to display certain mandatory information, and allow packages to shrink in size.

Experience   Earth Day Party at Birdsong Brewing Co.: They’ll be hosting local earth-friendly vendors and introducing their new Green Team, who will host a street clean up at 10 a.m. They will also be collecting items for TerraCycle to be upcycled. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Details.

It’s not just you: time certainly does fly, and yes, a lot has happened in the six months since cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.   From product shortages and store openings (and closings), to refined regulations and programs for recycling packaging, we’ve compiled six of the biggest stories in Canadian cannabis, so far.   Canada’s system to legalize recreational cannabis isn’t perfect, but as you’ll read, there sure has been much progress alongside the trials and tribulations.   Alberta Leads the Pack on Retail   Photo by Jesse Milns for Leafly   Alberta is leading the pack with 75 recreational stores licensed by the province at press time, more than any other province.   Unlike other provinces, Alberta does not restrict producer-affiliated stores and even allows each company to operate up to 15% of all brick and mortar cannabis stores.   That’s led to a wide assortment of producer-affiliated chain stores, such as Nova Cannabis, Fire & Flower, and Spiritleaf, alongside individual mom-and-pop stores with names like, Celestial Buds and The Green Exchange.   Still, it’s not all lollipops and roses in the province. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission stopped taking new retail store applications in Nov. 2018 citing a federal supply shortage, with one news outlet reporting that the regulator told them it might take as long as 18 months before the suspension is lifted.   Shortages are also the reason Ontario that has limited the number of licenses initially allotted to recreational stores. Twenty-five lucky retailers chosen via lottery are permitted to open up shop to recreational consumers in the province as of Apr. 1, but only a handful have, so far.   RELATED STORY   5 Canadian Cannabis Storage Solutions and Stash Bags   The supply shortage looks like it isn’t ending any time, with some industry personnel believing it could last for five years. However, it may be over sooner. The Financial Post, in February 2019, quoted Brock University Michael Armstrong as saying that barring unforeseen circumstances, “supply concerns will be resolved much more quickly than that” based on an analysis of the government’s recent industry data.   Medical Cannabis Will Soon Look a lot Like Rec’ Cannabis Photo by Jesse Milns   Government regulations gave licensed sellers of medical cannabis six months to continue selling patients cannabis products in old-format packaging, which up until now had labels that directly state the patient’s information and prescribe daily cannabis limits.   That means that patients will soon see their patient information dropped from containers of medical cannabis that producers courier to their home. Instead, if applicable, patients can use the “registration document” provided by their licensed seller to show to law enforcement authorities that they are legally permitted to carry more than the 30 grams that rec’ consumers can possess.   Some producers are even taking the opportunity to streamline their medical and recreational brands, which will make their medical and recreational cannabis products indistinguishable to the public.   A Quebec-based producer, for one, is discontinuing about a dozen products from its Hydropothecary line of medical cannabis, and will instead sell to its registered patient-clients cannabis from its HEXO line, which until now has been the brand of just their recreational cannabis line.   For better or worse, medical cannabis products will look a lot more like its recreational counterparts.   RELATED STORY   What’s the Difference? Recreational vs. Medical Cannabis in Canada The Industry Sees its First Store Casualty   That supply shortage sure is pesky. And it’s the top reason that Puff Puff Pass Headshop, one of two licensed cannabis retail stores in the Newfoundland municipality of Clarenville, has closed its doors for good.   The proprietor of the store told the Toronto Star in late January that its clientele wanted to purchase cannabis with no less than 20% THC, but that most of the products they received reached a maximum of 11 to 15%.   A call to the number associated with the store online revealed that the store has indeed shuttered but is still selling cannabis accessories in a local poolhall.   That has led some to question whether the province’s agency tasked with wholesaling cannabis is playing favourites. There are no signs that Canopy Growth-affiliated Tweed or Loblaw’s-affiliated C-Store locations are at risk of shutting down any time soon, although some stores have, at times, run out of product to sell.   Quebec Raising Minimum Age to 21 Photo by iStock   You would think that provincial governments would get less restrictive over time on the pot file. That’s not the case in Quebec, where debate is resuming in the National Assembly this month over the province’s plan to increase the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21. It’s an effort to curb youth use of the drug introduced by the Coalition Avenir Québec. The centre-right party campaigned on tightening cannabis regulations and was elected to power in the province in October.   Because they were elected with a majority government, it’s all but certain to happen, though it does have to snake its way through the governmental body.     RELATED STORY   Brushing Off Objections, Quebec to Raise Minimum Age, Ban Public Consumption   Once enacted, Quebec would become the only province to have a minimum purchase age above 19. The proposed legislation also seeks to prohibit the consumption of cannabis in public spaces. Black Market Dealers Thriving With Brazen Promotions   Buoyed by the recent legalization of cannabis and untethered by the restrictive promotion prohibitions that are found the regulated market, illegal sellers are turning to increasingly brazen promotion tactics that have left legal producers unsure how to beat them.   They’re already skirting federal criminal offences for selling illegal product, so there’s little incentive to comply with the promotion rules also found in the Cannabis Act.   RELATED STORY   Why Canada’s Mail Order Marijuana Business Is Not Going Away   In a recent interview with Yahoo News, Greg Engel, CEO of licensed producer Organigram, told the outlet that the companies faces “huge challenges” and that, “we continue to hear stories about online or same-day delivery people in major cities in Canada going around and giving out free product with their website address and phone.”   The CEO added, “They are doing things that we would never do.”   Packaging Is Piling Up   Photo by Jesse Milns   Remember the Reddit poster claiming to have received 16 separate shipping boxes from the Ontario Cannabis Store after he ordered 21 grams and a beaker bong? Stealth or environmentally-friendly packaging has certainly not been the friend of legalization in Canada.   Compared to the plastic baggies that black market consumers are accustomed to, the byproducts of legalization can be shocking—especially in cases where the container only contains 1 gram.   In true Canadian fashion, the industry has come together to make some improvements. Canopy Growth, the parent company of cannabis brand Tweed, partnered with TerraCycle to develop what they say is the first national recycling program for the Canadian cannabis industry. They place their boxes in cannabis retail stores across Canada, where consumers can toss in any empty cannabis packaging that they have.   If you’re in Ontario, the only place you can currently find a box is in Tweed’s visitor centre in Smith Falls, but we expect to see the recycling program proliferate as cannabis stores become more common.   Health Canada, for its part, is taking steps to tackle packaging sizes. Deep inside their plan to regulate edibles and extracts come Oct. 2019 is a proposal that would allow licensed producers to use expanded panels on labels, such as peel-back and accordion panels, to display certain mandatory information, and allow packages to shrink in size.   By Harrison Jordan| April 17th, 2019|Business, Medical Marijuana, Politics  

A taxa de reciclagem hoje no Brasil é baixíssima. Falta de viabilidade econômica, de estrutura física de coleta e triagem, de profissionais, de informação para as pessoas e de logística reversa são alguns dos muitos obstáculos ao crescimento do setor no país.

Iniciativa, pioneira no mundo, transforma as esponjas usadas em matéria-prima para fabricar novos produtos A 3M e o Makro anunciam uma parceria para levar os pontos de coleta do Programa Nacional de Reciclagem da Scotch-Brite para as lojas do atacadista espalhadas pelo Brasil. Ao todo, as 68 lojas do atacadista já possuem as caixas coletoras que fazem a arrecadação das esponjas.

 

Don't be so quick to throw that worn-out equipment in the landfill

Photo: Jetboil

These innovative brands are making it easy for you to become more environmentally responsible

We’re going to assume that you’re already aware of the impact of plastics on marine life: That every day, eight million pieces of plastic find their way into the oceans and ever year, 100,000 marine mammals and one million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution. Like us, you may even have seen the footage of the pregnant whale that was found with almost 50 pounds of plastic in its stomach. You’re probably doing your very best to reduce your environmental impact by consuming thoughtfully, and recycling what you can, but when it comes to beauty, that can be challenging. You need to wash yourself and brush your teeth, so there’s only so much you can reduce your consumption, and often, beauty packaging is tough to recycle. “The first issue is that it tends to be small. Small items of packaging, less than 2.5 inches in diameter will generally not be captured in recycling facilities,” explains Eva Cook, brand PR specialist at LUSH. “The other challenge is that cosmetics packaging can be made up of multiple kinds of materials that can’t be easily separated; for example, a metal component with glass and paper. Consider a lipstick or eyeshadow—the external plastic case may be recyclable but there may be another material that the product actually sits in and that can’t be separated in order for it to be recycled.” On top of that, beauty products are mostly packaged in virgin plastic, made straight from petrochemicals, so recycling them is not really getting to the root of the sustainability problem. “Being recyclable is a good start but no longer the endgame,” says Australian haircare brand founder Kevin Murphy. “Because of that, we are seeing a really positive shift to a more preventative mindset. Rather than simply producing packaging that can be popped into a recycle bin, companies are being challenged to get resourceful with the materials they use and consumer demand is what is driving this change.” Here, five tips to help you be a more responsible beauty fan...  

1. Lose your virginity

... when it comes to plastics, that is. It’s possible to make plastic from renewable materials, such as sugarcane, like British men’s skincare brand Bulldog Skincare does. “For every 100 tonnes of sugarcane plastic used in Bulldog tubes, 309 tonnes of CO2 is taken out of the environment,” says brand founder Simon Duffey.   There are also plenty of brands using non-virgin, post-consumer recycled plastic for their packaging, including massive producers like Unilever, which recently announced a commitment to 50 percent recycled content in its North American packaging. Taking things to the next level are L’Oreal’s new Source Essentielle vegan haircare line, which is in 100 per cent recycled packaging, and Kevin Murphy’s entire range, which now comes in 100 per cent recycled packaging from ocean waste. “This initiative is a reflection of the company’s unwavering values, and represents an urgent call to action to help protect our vast oceans and marine life,” says Murphy.   Both brands also package their products in square, not round bottles, which uses less plastic and packing materials, and takes up less shipping space so the overall carbon footprint is reduced.  

2. Have your fill

Buy pretty refillable bottles (Homesense always has good options) and then fill, refill and refill once more. Some brands make this easy—L’Oreal Source Essentielle bottles can be refilled directly at salons, while brands like Kjaer Weis and Elate Cosmetics allow you to purchase refills of their makeup. Elate’s packaging is also made from sustainable bamboo, and refills come in biodegradable seed paper.      

3. Get naked

Brands like LUSH are cutting the waste by reducing overall packaging, or in some cases, cutting it completely. Around 40 percent of its range is packaging-free (the brand calls it ‘naked’ (all packaging is made from materials that are recycled, recyclable, reusable or compostable) and each new range over the past year has been offered in a naked version. LUSH even has zero-waste Naked shops in Milan, Berlin and Manchester, and is touring a bath-bomb pop-up in North America soon. Another great low-waste brand is Calgary’s Unwrapped Life, which also offers home products like laundry soap and dryer balls.    

4. Go a little further

Now that you’ve considered the more obvious beauty products, it’s time to examine things a little harder. Simon Duffey says that in 1990 (the most recent data available), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)estimated that two billion razors were thrown away each year in the US alone.   “Stats like this are why we wanted to ensure our new Original Bamboo Razor was as environmentally friendly as possible,” he says. It has a handle made from sustainable bamboo, and the packaging is recycled and printed with environmentally friendly ink. The brand is also vegan and cruelty-free international certified. Victoria-based BamBrush is taking a similar approach with toothbrushes—it makes the handles from 100 percent biodegradable moso bamboo. The nylon bristles can be removed when you’re done with your toothbrush so the handle can be composted. Then there are plastic bottles: Sure, water is a big part of your beauty regimen, but stats from Earthday.org suggest that by using a reusable bottle, you can save 156 plastic bottles a year. Brita’s dishwasher-safe Premium Filtering Water Bottle contains a filter, fits into most cup holders, and best of all, is completely leak-free.  

5. Go all the way

For products that can’t be recycled through your domestic program, there’s TerraCycle. You can buy a zero-waste box from them and fill it with toothbrushes, lipsticks and pump bottles, or you can also check out their brand partnerships. Brita customers can return filters and old water bottles or jugs to them for free. TerraCycle also facilitates a program for L’Occitane, where you can return packaging from any brand, of virtually any type, in store and receive 10 per cent off products. The Body Shop is about to launch a similar program, Return, Recycle, Repeat where those who bring five of the brand’s products receive a $10 voucher, and any other brand’s packaging can also be returned. Meanwhile, LUSH runs its own recycling scheme: when you return five of the brand’s little black pots, you get a face mask in return. And with M.A.C’s Back to M.A.C program, you get a free lippie when you give back six pieces of packaging.  

6. Tell them what you want

These days, virtually every brand is accessible on social media and via their websites, so and ask them about their sustainability and recycling efforts. The good ones are responsive, transparent, and will explain their policies to you. After that, decide which brands align with your own values—whatever they are—and spend your money there.  

Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of waste management company TerraCycle, spoke at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York Thursday

99% of the things people buy, they don’t actually want to own, said Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of waste management company TerraCycle Inc., at Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference in New York Thursday. When customers buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks or a disposable water bottle, the customer will have to manage the packaging in addition to the drink or product itself, and the container will ultimately end up getting thrown out, Szaky said.   The company’s most recent venture, Loop, aims to reduce waste by offering a reusable and returnable delivery service for consumers that picks up empty packages, then washes and reuses them. Loop will be launching in France and the U.S. next month. Among the brands already on board are Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Danone.   In Israel, the company recently launched a shampoo bottle that is made up of 25% recycled ocean plastic, Szaky said.