As legal cannabis consumers become acquainted with each new producer and product to hit their shelves, how those offerings are presented is becoming a bit of a controversy. The result has been a mixed reaction, both proactive and reactive, with an array of producfts from leading producers such as Plus Products Inc. (OTC:PLSPF) (CSE: PLUS), Canopy Growth Corporation (NYSE: CGC) (TSX: WEED), CannTrust Holdings Inc. (OTC:CNTTF) (TSX:TRST), Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY), and KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTC:KSHB). While Canada’s cannabis buyers have to wait until October 2019 for cannabis edibles to become legal, California’s market is already getting its packaging laws in order. Leading the way in California is Plus Products (OTC:PLSPF) (CSE: PLUS), which now dominates the state’s edibles sector with 3 of the Top 5 cannabis products. As a market leader, the company is now being proactive in its move to roll out child-resistant (CR) tins across the state, well in advance of a January 2020 California deadline. In the Canadian market, the proposal for responsible packaging has been met with some resistance by producers—citing waste and other concerns. “Most cannabis consumers care very much about the environment and we’ve already gotten a lot of flak from the public,” said Allan Rewak, executive director of the Cannabis Council of Canada a group that represents licensed producers in an interview with Post Media. “You’re going to see plastic containers piled up outside stores with people putting (edibles) all in one container.” At the moment, the Canadian restrictions are primarily limiting to quantity per package. In California, the restrictions are focused on the appearance and function of the containers. According to the California Department of Public Health’s FAQ website: “Cannabis product packaging cannot resemble traditionally available food packages and must be tamper-evident, re-sealable if the product includes multiple servings, and child-resistant. In addition, packaging for edibles must be opaque. All manufactured products must be packaged according to regulatory standards before they are released to a distributor.” EMBRACING THE PACKAGING CHALLENGE In a release this week, Plus Products Inc. (OTC:PLSPF) (CSE: PLUS) has gotten out ahead of the new law, announcing the redesign of its signature tins, to deliver its popular gummies in new CR packaging—in compliance approximately one full year ahead of the state’s deadline. “The convenience of our packaging is an important part of what has made PLUS successful. We are proud that we were able to keep the best elements of that experience while bringing to market a new tin that is child resistant, convenient, and still completely recyclable,” said Jake Heimark, CEO of Plus Products Inc. “We believe the top cannabis brands have a responsibility to lead the industry in a safe direction. We searched the globe for the best child resistant packaging and found it in these tins. It is difficult to achieve child resistance without compromising the portability and practicality of the consumer experience. We believe the tins we are launching this week are an elegant solution to a difficult problem, and are an important step in PLUS continuing to make cannabis safe and approachable.”   The company’s new tins going forward are made of recyclable tinplate steel with a polypropylene insert, and are already available at select outlets in California. The tins are certified according to the Code of Federal Regulations 16 CFR § 1,700.20, and are opened with a press and twist method, similar to a prescription medicine bottle. It’s doubtful that the new packaging will impact the company’s sales, which lead the state according to BDS Analytics during Q4 2018. PLUS currently produces 3 of the top-5 best-selling branded products in all product categories including flower, vaporizers, edibles and topicals. PLUS “Uplift” and PLUS “Restore” remained the #1 and #2 best-selling SKUs. PLUS “CBD Relief” was the #5 best-selling SKU, and the top CBD-only SKU. CALIFORNIA LEADING THE PACK The importance of the edibles market cannot be stressed enough. In a recent BDS Analytics report, the research firm projected sales in the edibles market to surpass $4.1 billion by 2022. California is currently the largest and most important cannabis market in the world—larger even than the entire country of Canada. In comparison, Canada is only expected to yield $2.7 billion in 2019 legal sales, whereas California already hit $2.5 billion in sales in 2018, and is expected to grow rapidly. Over the course of its long history since legalizing medical marijuana, California has grown its product selection to more than 250 brands of edibles. While the California edibles market grew steadlily, Plus Products Inc. (OTC:PLSPF) (CSE:PLUS) managed to get itself to the top of the sector with its premiere cannabis gummies products. Since hitting the California scene ranked #43 in Q2 2017, less than two years later the company now has 3 of the best-selling branded products in all product categories, including flower, vaporizers, edibles and topicals—Over that time, Plus increased its market share 24x. Now the company’s best-selling SKUs are PLUS “Uplift” ranked #1, PLUS “Restore” ranked #2, and PLUS “CBD Relief” ranked #5 (which also took the top CBD-only spot, according to BDS analytics). The company has since grown its revenue to a $10 million run rate, with growth coming every month—and now it’s expanding its operations into more states. GROWING OUT ORGANICALLY Since launching in 2017, Plus Products Inc. (OTC:PLSPF) (CSE:PLUS) rapidly grew its presence in California from #43 to #1 ranking. By producing an array of products made with high-quality ingredients, PLUS has developed a brand, entirely produced in the Company’s dedicated 12,000-foot, food-safe cannabis manufacturing facility in Adelanto, California. PLUS products are now sold in over 200 licensed dispensaries as well as to delivery service customers, through a distribution partner.   Backing the company is the successful hedge fund Tiger Global Management—known for turning small companies in rapidly growing industries into multi-billion-dollar businesses. Tiger was recently responsible for the build out of an e-cigarette product known as JUUL. Over 40 months under Tiger’s involvement, JUUL grew to the point where tobacco giant Altria paid $12.8 billion for a 35% interest in the company—giving JUUL a $38 billion value. Now the hope is that Tiger and PLUS can repeat this level of success through the PLUS brand story. Next up is a planned expansion from the current 12,000 sf manufacturing facility in Adelanto, CA to a 40,000 sq ft space. The Adelanto operation has an annual production capacity of $50 million. The expansion is set to boost Plus Products’ current production line capacity of two lines, with an additional three lines. EDIBLES AND PACKAGING DEVELOPMENTS Canopy Growth Inc. (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) In the lead-up to the legalization of cannabis-infused edibles and beverages, Canopy Growth plans to release a wide range of products in various forms. These include non-caffeinated chocolate, five different kinds of beverages, and vape pens with new cartridge technology, all ready to roll once Health Canada formally legalizes them. Canopy is set to team up with recycling outfits such as TerraCycle to ensure that their packaging doesn’t end up in landfills. CannTrust Holdings Inc. (OTC:CNTTF) (TSX:TRST) Unhappy with the upcoming packaging regulations, CannTrust CEO Peter Aceto has voiced concern, stemming from feedback from clients. The main concern is that the edible legislation will bring with it a lot of packaging, which CannTrust would like to actively reduce. As it stands, Aceto has expressed that much of the existing container surface is used to host government excise stamps and warnings, which he’d like to see reduced, instead to be used more for CannTrust’s branding. Tilray, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY) Through a recent $419 million deal signed to acquire Hemp Hearts maker Manitoba Harvest, Tilray is looking to team up to launch CBD-infused products where permissible in the US. The acquisition helps to accelerate the pot grower’s entry into the US market, as Manitoba Harvest’s products are already on the shelves of retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco, and Whole Foods, in both Canada and the US. Tilray is looking to leverage the food maker’s manufacturing facilities and supply chain that touches roughly 16,000 stores, where their products are already sold. Together, they’re looking to take advantage of the recent US farm bill that legalized hemp-derived CBD products. KushCo Holdings, Inc. (OTC:KSHB) Unlike most major names related to the cannabis industry, KushCo Holdings entered through the niche of packaging and being in compliance with each jurisdiction. The packaging solutions specialists provide an unglamorous but important service to the cannabis industry. Since entering the market, however, KushCo has since expanded into the sector to create a one-stop shop for cannabis products. The company has secured long-term supply arrangements with three large companies, expected to be worth $75 million.

As the food industry looks for more and more ways to reduce its waste, a new service called Loop is making it easier on both the industry and consumer end to recycle re-usable containers. The service is a mashup of Amazon Fresh and your old-school milkman. When you order products through Loop, you'll receive them in new, reusable containers inside a special renewable tote. Once the contents are used up, you can schedule a delivery of new products as well as a pickup of the old containers. You just place them back into the tote, and they're taken back to their respective companies to be thoroughly sanitized and reused. Loop encompasses multiple industries and product types, including food. Several major food brands have signed on already, including Nestle (under Häagen-Dazs), Hidden Valley Ranch, Nature's Path, Hellman's Mayonnaise, and vegan producer Teva Deli. Other recognizable products on board include Tide, Axe, Dove, Degree, Clorox, and Gillette. The service is powered by global recycling organization TerraCycle, who already has the capability to help recycle these packages on an international scale. As a result, the implications for waste reduction are numerous, since producers no longer need to utilize as much plastic and raw materials for packaging, and consumers will send less of it to landfills as a result. Other services also exist that are helping to combat packaging waste through recycling. In Southern California, for example, startup BottleRocket will give you money for all of the recyclables you save. You can schedule a pickup through their site, and each time they collect, the resulting sum from the refund values can be converted into cash, gift cards, or a charity of your choice. Loop is scheduled to launch its service in the spring of 2019 in the United States and France. You can register on the company's site to join a waitlist and be notified when it's ready to go.

Talvez você, mulher ou homem adulto, se lembre quando era criança ou adolescente de uma época em que nossos avós e bisavós recebiam o leite em garrafas de vidro ou frutas, legumes e verduras em cestos de vime, entregues na porta de casa.

From March 1 to April 13, resident design visionaries TerraCycle® and the Trenton Downtown Association will present Scrapped: A Collection of Upcycled Artwork. Designed to encourage viewers to question their day-to-day lifestyle and their impact on the planet, the exhibit, located at the BSB Gallery in Trenton, curates artwork created entirely from reclaimed materials. “Creativity and community are at the heart of what we do, so when the Trenton Downtown Association approached us about the chance to showcase the transformative nature of art in the city, we jumped at the opportunity,” said TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky “From hosting our very first annual graffiti jam 15 years ago to decking out global offices in what many would consider “trash,” Scrapped is in line with our mission to change perspectives and connect people through shared experiences.” The collection of upcycled art, which includes on-site installations and mixed media pieces of varying scales and styles, illustrates the power of unconventional thoughtand includes works from acclaimed artists Leon Rainbow, Ede Sinkovics, Heemin Moon as well as TerraCycle employees. All the featured art utilizes discarded and otherwise “scrapped” materials including old and broken toys, littered plastic collected off of beaches and shorelines, wine corks and cigarette butts, to name only a few. Scrapped will debut with an opening reception at the BSB Gallery on Friday, March 1, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., where TerraCycle will discuss its mission Eliminating the Idea of Waste®, how it has diverted over seven billion pieces of traditionally unrecyclable waste from landfills and unveil a special collaborative work put together by its employees using found materials. “Over the last decade Trenton has reinvented itself as a budding destination for the arts,” said Tom Gilmour, Executive Director of the Trenton Downtown Association. “Through grant funding generously provided by the George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation and Isles, Inc., the Trenton Downtown Association opened the BSB Gallery to support local artist, curate exhibits like Scrapped and act as a platform to recognize all the extraordinary art being created in our Capital City.” For more information on Scrapped or to learn about upcoming exhibits, please visit www.bsbgallery.com, bsbgallery on Facebook or email bsbgallery@trenton-downtown.com.

The recycling team at Menallen Elementary School takes its task seriously because there is a lot at stake. There’s money on the line, a playground that needs funded and a world that needs saved. The seven-member team of fifth- and sixth-graders makes its rounds at the start of the school day twice a week to round up recyclable items collected in each classroom. The school is in competition mode from September to April, going up against a hundred other schools from across the nation in the PepsiCo Recycle Rally to collect the most plastic and aluminum containers. Big money is up for grabs for the top 25 schools. Recycling bins can be found in every classroom at Menallen, in the cafeteria, in the hallway, in the teachers’ lounge. Students know to recycle their containers at breakfast and lunch. “It’s ingrained in the students here. We have them trained where they just do it,” said media specialist Christa Sabatula, who with the help of her mother, Janet Gallagher, a retired Laurel Highlands teacher and volunteer at Menallen, has headed the program since its inception by former school principal Paula Work. The school has operated a recycling program and competed for prizes annually since 2011, said Sabatula, starting with a competition run by New Jersey recycling company TerraCycle, which required students to collect various waste products to be recycled. Under PepsiCo Recycling’s contest, the school competes in the Challenge League, collecting plastics No. 1 and No. 2, aluminum and tin and self-reporting the collected weight. The school with the highest recycling total over the course of the year wins a grand prize of $50,000, with each subsequent school through 25th place earning an incremental dollar amount down to $1,000. As of Feb. 20, Menallen ranked No. 15 with approximately 192,000 containers recycled this school year. In the past, the school has placed as high as 14th, winning $2,000 in 2017. The awards the school earns through its recycling efforts are funneled into improvements to its playground to expand the play area and ensure handicapped accessibility for special-needs students. But Sabatula said the program began at the school not to win money, but simply to reduce waste. Being rewarded for their efforts has been a perk. “There’s no real money coming in unless you win,” said Sabatula. “If you don’t win, you’re still recycling. You’re still doing something good. That’s the point. It helps the environment, and it teaches the kids a lesson.” The recycling program is especially beneficial to those students who participate on the recycling team, said Sabatula, because it not only makes them environmentally conscious, but it also teaches them about job responsibilities. “The kids apply for this job. They have to fill out a job application. They need a resume and have to go through an interview process. Once they get the job, they have to maintain good grades,” she said. Menallen has teamed with Goodwill Industries to haul away the recyclables every Friday to its Fayette Recycling Center in Uniontown, which diverts aluminum cans, tin cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper and high-grade office paper from going to the landfill. Collection became so large that the school was routinely filling the six containers reserved for recycling, prompting Menallen Township last school year to lend the school a dumpster to keep on the premises to store recyclables. A second dumpster was added this school year to keep up with collection efforts. Teachers, staff, parents and community members can drop off their recyclables at a collection area located outside the school. “The goal is to reach a couple more people every year,” said Sabatula.

Promovido pela Amcham em parceria com o ‘Estadão’, prêmio homenageou 46 projetos de sustentabilidade empresarial desenvolvidos no País

Anunciado no Fórum Econômico Mundial em Davos em janeiro deste ano, o Loop é um novo esquema criado pela TerraCycle para reabastecer em vez de reciclar as embalagens do dia a dia.

E vamos encerrar a semana com mais uma matéria sobre ideias inovadoras que ajudam a acabar com o desperdício de plástico. E por que não? Esse tem sido um dos temas mais em voga dos últimos tempos e podemos observar uma nova onda de consciência sobre o que é a poluição, a situação dos oceanos, o meio ambiente e as mudanças climáticas.