Tweed and TerraCycle launched a cannabis packaging recycling program in October 2018 and recently celebrated a significant milestone with the collection of more than 1 million pieces of used cannabis packaging from across Canada⁠—recycling more than 22,000 pounds of plastic containers, tubes and bottles.   "When Tweed launched the partnership with TerraCycle, it was the first recycling program of its kind for cannabis packaging. Reaching this incredible milestone of over 1 million pieces collected in less than one year demonstrates the value of the program," said Mark Zekulin, CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation, Tweed's parent company, in a statement. "We're committed to doubling down on our efforts to expand the program over the next year and bringing in new participants from all across Canada."   Tweed and TerraCycle launched a cannabis packaging recycling program in October 2018 and recently celebrated a significant milestone with the collection of more than 1 million pieces of used cannabis packaging from across Canada⁠—recycling more than 22,000 pounds of plastic containers, tubes and bottles.   "When Tweed launched the partnership with TerraCycle, it was the first recycling program of its kind for cannabis packaging. Reaching this incredible milestone of over 1 million pieces collected in less than one year demonstrates the value of the program," said Mark Zekulin, CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation, Tweed's parent company, in a statement. "We're committed to doubling down on our efforts to expand the program over the next year and bringing in new participants from all across Canada."   "Park benches, picnic tables, playgrounds—these are just a few examples of products that can be created from the recycled cannabis packaging collected through the Tweed | TerraCycle program," said Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, in a statement. "Through our mission to 'Eliminate the Idea of Waste,' we've proven that solutions do exist for items that may seem difficult to recycle. Together, we can reduce the environmental impact of the cannabis industry and pave the way for a greener future."   Originally launched in select Tweed, Tokyo Smoke and third-party retail stores, the Tweed | TerraCycle program has expanded across the country to now include 280 retail participants.   Below is a tally of the number of pieces collected as of August 31, 2019, broken out by province:  

• Alberta - 407,695
• New Brunswick - 168,550
• Ontario - 168,545
• Newfoundland and Labrador - 163,200
• Manitoba - 124,850
• Saskatchewan - 51,900
• Prince Edward Island - 38,299
• British Columbia - 23,400

  The program not only provides recycling solutions for Tweed-branded cannabis packaging, it also encourages consumers to recycle their empty cannabis packaging from any Canadian licensed producer. The program accepts any and all cannabis packaging, including outer plastic packaging, inner plastic packaging, tins, tubes, plastic bottles, plastic caps and flexible plastic bags.   Consumers are invited to drop off their used cannabis packaging at participating Tweed | TerraCycle retail locations. They may also register online for free pre-paid shipping labels to mail in their empty containers for recycling.

Coast Range Cannabis, owned by Comox residents Sheila and Chris Rivers, began operations at 221C Church Street, next to Church Street Bakery and Church Street Taphouse.   According to Sheila Rivers, the store will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., seven days a week.   “We realize our clients lead busy lives, so we want to ensure we are available to serve them at their convenience.”   The completely renovated, architecturally-designed interior of Coast Range Cannabis is bright and modern and stocked with a wide variety of cannabis products, including dried flowers, oils, capsules, and sprays.   The store is focused on the smaller licenced producers of British Columbia.   “As a boutique store, we can stock an excellent selection of B.C. craft cannabis, including farms from the Okanagan and Whistler. As Vancouver Island craft cannabis comes available, you can be sure to find it at Coast Range.”   The store is focused on providing the highest quality product from the most reliable growers. This extends to the budget-conscious consumer.   “We feel our customers are going to be very happy when they see the large variety of products we offer here,” said Rivers.   As a locally owned business, Coast Range Cannabis is looking forward to becoming highly involved in the community.   “We plan to have charity proceed days where a portion of sales go directly to a local charity or non-profit,” added Chris Rivers. “Additionally, we are the only retail cannabis store in the Comox Valley to offer the Tweed X TerraCycle program. Since 2018 this initiative has collected over 1 million pieces of cannabis packaging for recycling. We want everyone to drop by the store and recycle their cannabis packaging – whether purchased from Coast Range or not.”

The store is the Valley’s only locally owned and operated retail cannabis shop   Oct. 30, 2019 11:30 a.m.   The Comox Valley’s only locally owned and operated recreational cannabis retailer is open to the public Oct. 30.   Coast Range Cannabis, owned by Comox residents Sheila and Chris Rivers, began operations at 221C Church Street, next to Church Street Bakery and Church Street Taphouse.   According to Sheila Rivers, the store will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., seven days a week.   “We realize our clients lead busy lives, so we want to ensure we are available to serve them at their convenience.”   The completely renovated, architecturally-designed interior of Coast Range Cannabis is bright and modern and stocked with a wide variety of cannabis products, including dried flowers, oils, capsules, and sprays.   The store is focused on the smaller licenced producers of British Columbia.   “As a boutique store, we can stock an excellent selection of B.C. craft cannabis, including farms from the Okanagan and Whistler. As Vancouver Island craft cannabis comes available, you can be sure to find it at Coast Range.”   The store is focused on providing the highest quality product from the most reliable growers. This extends to the budget-conscious consumer.   “We feel our customers are going to be very happy when they see the large variety of products we offer here,” said Rivers.   As a locally owned business, Coast Range Cannabis is looking forward to becoming highly involved in the community.   “We plan to have charity proceed days where a portion of sales go directly to a local charity or non-profit,” added Chris Rivers. “Additionally, we are the only retail cannabis store in the Comox Valley to offer the Tweed X Terracycle program. Since 2018 this initiative has collected over 1 million pieces of cannabis packaging for recycling. We want everyone to drop by the store and recycle their cannabis packaging – whether purchased from Coast Range or not.”

One year after the legalization of cannabis, Alberta retailers and producers are gearing up for the introduction of edibles to the market but aren’t sure what to expect.   “The regulations aren’t very understood for us right now,” said Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf cannabis store in St. Albert.   “We welcome the opportunity to get that literature to see what the products are and understand how they’re going to work for consumers.”   Health Canada has released its rules surrounding potency, packaging and marketing of edibles, but retailers haven’t seen the final products.   “It’s a bit of a grey area,” said Michael LeBlanc, manager of a Canna Cabana store on Parsons Road in Edmonton.   “The agency has regulations around flavouring and enticing children, so I’m still curious about how they’re going to roll out products like gummy bears or flavoured cookies.”   While edibles will technically become legal on Oct. 17, they won’t be available for purchase until mid-December, since licensed producers have to submit their products to Health Canada for a 60-day review.   Despite the uncertainty, Aurora, an Edmonton based cannabis producer, has been investing in edibles for the last year.   “We are extremely well-prepared for legalization 2.0,” said Aurora chief corporate officer Cam Battley.   The company is rolling out a diverse line of edibles, Battley said, ranging from vaping products to cannabis-infused beverages.   “We are anticipating significant interest among adult consumers in the new product forms. It’s a novelty.”  

‘PIONEERING AN INDUSTRY’

  Edible products could translate into $2.7 billion worth of sales in the next year, according to Deloitte’s June report on the country’s cannabis industry.   LeBlanc hopes the launch of edibles will be smoother than the introduction of legal cannabis in October 2018, which led to stock shortages and delayed licences for retailers.   “It’s a bit of a wild west,” he said. “I know we’re pioneering an industry, so hopefully it gets rolled out pretty well.” Customers have a keen interest in cannabis edibles, says Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf store in St. Albert. (Josee St-Onge/CBC) Customers are excited, Kent said, and have been asking for more information.   “People are curious, they really want to see what’s coming.”   Regardless of the format edibles will take, providing accurate information to consumers will be crucial, she said.   “It is a different way to consume cannabis and we need to be responsible about that,” said Kent.   Users should start with a small dose, LeBlanc said, and be aware of how cannabis can interact with other intoxicants, like alcohol.   “We make sure to pass that information along to the customers and always tell them ‘start low and go slow.’ ”  

INDUSTRY TACKLES WASTE

  Health Canada’s strict rules are meant to keep cannabis out of the hands of children, but have also had unintended consequences.   The fledgling industry is grappling with the waste it generates through packaging, which must be child-proof and tamper-evident.   It has motivated at least two companies, Canopy Growth and High Tide, to create their own recycling system, in partnership with recycling company TerraCycle.   High Tide installed receptacles in its 25 Canna Cabana stores to collect empty packages, said chief operating officer Alex Mackay. Every Canna Cabana store in Alberta participates in the recycling program offered by its parent company, High Tide. (Josee St-Onge/CBC) Customers have embraced the program, Mackay said, returning about 210,000 pieces of recycling as of September.   “With what’s going on with climate change, and awareness around the environment, people are really trying to have an impact at the grassroots level.”   Restrictions around marketing are also perceived as excessive within the industry, said Battley. Producers and retailers are not currently allowed to advertise or promote their products.   He hopes Health Canada will loosen its rules over time to reflect the public’s acceptance of legal cannabis.   “Cannabis has become mainstream, quite normal, and that’s a healthy thing,” Battley said.   “You’re going to see that trend continue and that will be reflected, I believe, in the regulations surrounding cannabis in the future.”

Criticism has been levelled against cannabis producers for using excessive packaging. Now retailers say things are changing.   By Cheryl Chan October 18, 2019 Excessive packaging remains a problem one year after cannabis was legalized, but retailers say change is on the horizon.   Consumers criticized the often multi-layered and single-use packaging of plastic, paper and cardboard for even small quantities of weed.   Greenpeace Canada is also speaking out on what it says is a “missed opportunity” in the battle against plastics and single-use disposables.   “It’s unfortunate that the federal government and provinces are working together on a zero-waste strategy, but can’t create a better model for products they’re responsible for,” said Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada’s head of oceans and plastics campaign. “They could have piloted a model that is more sustainable.”   Licensed producers are responsible for packaging, which has to follow Health Canada requirements, including being designed to show any signs of tampering, to be child-resistant and to prevent contamination and keep the product dry. The packages also have to be large enough to accommodate required labelling information, including the type of product, THC and CBD levels, and mandatory warnings.   B.C. retailers, which receive cannabis products already packaged from producers through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, often bear the brunt of customers’ complaints about excessive packaging.   “They feel it’s completely crazy that this packaging is in our stores, and they get pretty upset, and we have nothing — we don’t have a great solution for them,” said Harrison Stoker, VP of brand and culture at the Donnelly Group, which operates three Hobo cannabis stores in B.C.   Retailers say that in the face of stringent federal regulations, and in the rush to market last year, licensed producers took the path of least resistance, defaulting to disposable plastics. But now more producers are making an effort to use sustainable packaging, while still complying with the Cannabis Act.   “There’s some new manufacturers of more environmental-friendly substrates coming into the market,” said Stoker, noting packaging from suppliers from Colorado and California, where the recreational cannabis market is more mature, is starting to be used in B.C.   He also hopes that new products such as edibles, infusions and concentrates, which are to hit the legal market later this year, will have more sustainable packaging.   “We will see a change coming us as (licensed producers) start reacting more genuinely to public sentiment and this environmental snafu.”   Geoff Dear, president of Muse Cannabis, which operates a store in South Granville, said the packaging is evolving. Muse had been passing on consumer concerns to producers, which have been “receptive,” said Dear.   “Some vendors are improving on it. Every so often, you’ll see a product come in a new and improved packaging,” he said, citing B.C.-based Tantalus Labs as an example of a company using more “minimalist” packaging.   Most items in cannabis packaging are accepted in residential blue bin recycling programs, but not all.   Muse and Hobo offer in-store recycling bins offered by Ontario-based Tweed and TerraCycle where customers can drop off discarded cannabis packaging, which are then collected and transformed into plastic pellets.   In a statement, Health Canada said the federal government recognizes plastic pollution is a growing problem.   The regulations permit “wrappers and peel back-type labels as well as flexibility for packaging materials other than plastics” such as cardboard, it said.   “Health Canada encourages the use of innovative and environmentally sound packaging approaches, provided the requirements in the regulations are satisfied.”   King acknowledged the challenge producers face in meeting Health Canada regulations, but says they can still meet those requirements while being greener.   She suggested industry and government implement a reusable packaging deposit scheme that allows consumers to return used packaging to stores, where they can be sanitized, refilled and resold.   “A lot of people that use cannabis already have more a more environmentally-, socially-responsible mindset,” she said. “It didn’t come as a surprise that people would be pushing back against the packaging and feel disappointed in what their options are.”   chchan@postmedia.com

One year after the legalization of cannabis, Alberta retailers and producers are gearing up for the introduction of edibles to the market but aren't sure what to expect.   "The regulations aren't very understood for us right now," said Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf cannabis store in St. Albert.   "We welcome the opportunity to get that literature to see what the products are and understand how they're going to work for consumers."   Health Canada has released its rules surrounding potency, packaging and marketing of edibles, but retailers haven't seen the final products.   "It's a bit of a grey area," said Micheal LeBlanc, manager of a Canna Cabana store on Parsons Road in Edmonton.   "The agency has regulations around flavouring and enticing children, so I'm still curious about how they're going to roll out products like gummy bears or flavoured cookies."   While edibles will technically become legal on Oct. 17, they won't be available for purchase until mid-December, since licensed producers have to submit their products to Health Canada for a 60-day review.   Despite the uncertainty, Aurora, an Edmonton based cannabis producer, has been investing in edibles for the last year.   "We are extremely well-prepared for legalization 2.0," said Aurora chief corporate officer Cam Battley.   The company is rolling out a diverse line of edibles, Battley said, ranging from vaping products to cannabis-infused beverages.   "We are anticipating significant interest among adult consumers in the new product forms. It's a novelty."   'Pioneering an industry'   Edible products could translate into $2.7 billion worth of sales in the next year, according to Deloitte's June report on the country's cannabis industry.   LeBlanc hopes the launch of edibles will be smoother than the introduction of legal cannabis in October 2018, which led to stock shortages and delayed licences for retailers.   "It's a bit of a wild west," he said. "I know we're pioneering an industry, so hopefully it gets rolled out pretty well."   Customers are excited, Kent said, and have been asking for more information.   "People are curious, they really want to see what's coming."   Regardless of the format edibles will take, providing accurate information to consumers will be crucial, she said.   "It is a different way to consume cannabis and we need to be responsible about that," said Kent.   Users should start with a small dose, LeBlanc said, and be aware of how cannabis can interact with other intoxicants, like alcohol.   "We make sure to pass that information along to the customers and always tell them 'start low and go slow.' "   Industry tackles waste   Health Canada's strict rules are meant to keep cannabis out of the hands of children, but have also had unintended consequences.   The fledgling industry is grappling with the waste it generates through packaging, which must be child-proof and tamper-evident.   It has motivated at least two companies, Canopy Growth and High Tide, to create their own recycling system, in partnership with recycling company TerraCycle.   High Tide installed receptacles in its 25 Canna Cabana stores to collect empty packages, said chief operating officer Alex Mackay.  

Tight regulations have unintended consequences, create waste, retailers and producers say

One year after the legalization of cannabis, Alberta retailers and producers are gearing up for the introduction of edibles to the market but aren't sure what to expect.   "The regulations aren't very understood for us right now," said Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf cannabis store in St. Albert.   "We welcome the opportunity to get that literature to see what the products are and understand how they're going to work for consumers."   Health Canada has released its rules surrounding potency, packaging and marketing of edibles, but retailers haven't seen the final products.   "It's a bit of a grey area," said Michael LeBlanc, manager of a Canna Cabana store on Parsons Road in Edmonton.   "The agency has regulations around flavouring and enticing children, so I'm still curious about how they're going to roll out products like gummy bears or flavoured cookies."   While edibles will technically become legal on Oct. 17, they won't be available for purchase until mid-December, since licensed producers have to submit their products to Health Canada for a 60-day review.   Despite the uncertainty, Aurora, an Edmonton based cannabis producer, has been investing in edibles for the last year.   "We are extremely well-prepared for legalization 2.0," said Aurora chief corporate officer Cam Battley.   The company is rolling out a diverse line of edibles, Battley said, ranging from vaping products to cannabis-infused beverages.   "We are anticipating significant interest among adult consumers in the new product forms. It's a novelty."  

'Pioneering an industry'

  Edible products could translate into $2.7 billion worth of sales in the next year, according to Deloitte's June report on the country's cannabis industry.   LeBlanc hopes the launch of edibles will be smoother than the introduction of legal cannabis in October 2018, which led to stock shortages and delayed licences for retailers.   "It's a bit of a wild west," he said. "I know we're pioneering an industry, so hopefully it gets rolled out pretty well." Customers have a keen interest in cannabis edibles, says Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf store in St. Albert. (Josee St-Onge/CBC) Customers are excited, Kent said, and have been asking for more information.   "People are curious, they really want to see what's coming."   Regardless of the format edibles will take, providing accurate information to consumers will be crucial, she said.   "It is a different way to consume cannabis and we need to be responsible about that," said Kent.   Users should start with a small dose, LeBlanc said, and be aware of how cannabis can interact with other intoxicants, like alcohol.   "We make sure to pass that information along to the customers and always tell them 'start low and go slow.' "  

Industry tackles waste

  Health Canada's strict rules are meant to keep cannabis out of the hands of children, but have also had unintended consequences.   The fledgling industry is grappling with the waste it generates through packaging, which must be child-proof and tamper-evident.   It has motivated at least two companies, Canopy Growth and High Tide, to create their own recycling system, in partnership with recycling company TerraCycle.   High Tide installed receptacles in its 25 Canna Cabana stores to collect empty packages, said chief operating officer Alex Mackay. Every Canna Cabana store in Alberta participates in the recycling program offered by its parent company, High Tide. (Josee St-Onge/CBC) Customers have embraced the program, Mackay said, returning about 210,000 pieces of recycling as of September.   "With what's going on with climate change, and awareness around the environment, people are really trying to have an impact at the grassroots level."   Restrictions around marketing are also perceived as excessive within the industry, said Battley. Producers and retailers are not currently allowed to advertise or promote their products.   He hopes Health Canada will loosen its rules over time to reflect the public's acceptance of legal cannabis.   "Cannabis has become mainstream, quite normal, and that's a healthy thing," Battley said.   "You're going to see that trend continue and that will be reflected, I believe, in the regulations surrounding cannabis in the future."

One year after the legalization of cannabis, Alberta retailers and producers are gearing up for the introduction of edibles to the market but aren’t sure what to expect.   “The regulations aren’t very understood for us right now,” said Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf cannabis store in St. Albert.   “We welcome the opportunity to get that literature to see what the products are and understand how they’re going to work for consumers.”   Health Canada has released its rules surrounding potency, packaging and marketing of edibles, but retailers haven’t seen the final products.   “It’s a bit of a grey area,” said Micheal LeBlanc, manager of a Canna Cabana store on Parsons Road in Edmonton.   “The agency has regulations around flavouring and enticing children, so I’m still curious about how they’re going to roll out products like gummy bears or flavoured cookies.”   While edibles will technically become legal on Oct. 17, they won’t be available for purchase until mid-December, since licensed producers have to submit their products to Health Canada for a 60-day review.   Despite the uncertainty, Aurora, an Edmonton based cannabis producer, has been investing in edibles for the last year.   “We are extremely well-prepared for legalization 2.0,” said Aurora chief corporate officer Cam Battley.   The company is rolling out a diverse line of edibles, Battley said, ranging from vaping products to cannabis-infused beverages.   “We are anticipating significant interest among adult consumers in the new product forms. It’s a novelty.”  

‘Pioneering an industry’

  Edible products could translate into $2.7 billion worth of sales in the next year, according to Deloitte’s June report on the country’s cannabis industry.   LeBlanc hopes the launch of edibles will be smoother than the introduction of legal cannabis in October 2018, which led to stock shortages and delayed licences for retailers.   “It’s a bit of a wild west,” he said. “I know we’re pioneering an industry, so hopefully it gets rolled out pretty well.”   Customers have a keen interest in cannabis edibles, says Jayne Kent, who co-owns a Spiritleaf store in St. Albert. (Josee St-Onge/CBC)   Customers are excited, Kent said, and have been asking for more information.   “People are curious, they really want to see what’s coming.”   Regardless of the format edibles will take, providing accurate information to consumers will be crucial, she said.   “It is a different way to consume cannabis and we need to be responsible about that,” said Kent.   Users should start with a small dose, LeBlanc said, and be aware of how cannabis can interact with other intoxicants, like alcohol.   “We make sure to pass that information along to the customers and always tell them ‘start low and go slow.’ ”  

Industry tackles waste

  Health Canada’s strict rules are meant to keep cannabis out of the hands of children, but have also had unintended consequences.   The fledgling industry is grappling with the waste it generates through packaging, which must be child-proof and tamper-evident.   It has motivated at least two companies, Canopy Growth and High Tide, to create their own recycling system, in partnership with recycling company TerraCycle.   High Tide installed receptacles in its 25 Canna Cabana stores to collect empty packages, said chief operating officer Alex Mackay. Every Canna Cabana store in Alberta participates in the recycling program offered by its parent company, High Tide. (Josee St-Onge/CBC)   Customers have embraced the program, Mackay said, returning about 210,000 pieces of recycling as of September.   “With what’s going on with climate change, and awareness around the environment, people are really trying to have an impact at the grassroots level.”   Restrictions around marketing are also perceived as excessive within the industry, said Battley. Producers and retailers are not currently allowed to advertise or promote their products.   He hopes Health Canada will loosen its rules over time to reflect the public’s acceptance of legal cannabis.   “Cannabis has become mainstream, quite normal, and that’s a healthy thing,” Battley said.   “You’re going to see that trend continue and that will be reflected, I believe, in the regulations surrounding cannabis in the future.”

Danielle Kadjo Posted at 12:07 pm   Alberta's retailers and cannabis growers are preparing to sell edible products, one year after the legalization of the drug in Canada. The only downside is that, between excitement and uncertainty, they do not know what to expect.   Edible cannabis products are legal in Canada as of October 17.   However, they will only be available in stores or online in mid-December, as licensed producers must submit their products to Health Canada for a 60-day review.   A cloud of uncertainty   Health Canada has published the rules surrounding the concentration, packaging and marketing of edible cannabis products. Yet, there is uncertainty among many members of the industry.   The co-owner of the Spiritleaf cannabis store in St. Albert, Jayne Kent, is waiting to receive information to inquire. Canna Cabana store manager at Parsons Road in Edmonton, Michael LeBlanc, is in the same situation: We are a bit of a gray area.   Despite this uncertainty, the Edmonton-based cannabis company Aurora has been investing in edible products for a year.   General Manager Cam Battley said the company is deploying a wide range of edible products, ranging from vaping products to cannabis-infused beverages.   We expect great consumer interest in new product forms , he said.

Impatient customers

  According to Jayne Kent, customers are enthusiastic and ask for more information.   Regardless of the format that edibles will take, it will be crucial to provide accurate information to consumers , she said.

Industry tackles waste

  The young cannabis industry in Canada is struggling with the waste it generates through product packaging.   Health Canada's strict rules are designed to keep cannabis out of the reach of children.   At least two companies, Canopy Growth and High Tide, have decided to create their own recycling system, in partnership with the recycling company TerraCycle.   Food products could generate sales of $ 2.7 billion next year, according to the June report by Deloitte professional services firm on the Canadian cannabis industry.  

Ahead of the last week’s Marketing Evolution: C-Suite Summit, Strategy welcomed several MES advisory board members for a roundtable dinner to discuss and reflect on the changing role of the CMO and how to future-proof their brands.   At the roundtable were advisory board chair Deborah Neff, VP of marketing at Sephora Canada; board members David Bigioni, chief commercial officer at Canopy Growth, and Antoinette Benoit, SVP and CMO at McDonald’s Canada; as well as Axel Schwan, global CMO at Tim Hortons and Judy Davey, VP of media policy and marketing capabilities at the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA).     Tim Hortons’ Axel Schwan: For us, it’s sustainability across the board. When it comes to food, where does the food come from? If it’s beef, how was the cattle raised? For packaging, what are you doing to reduce your impact on the planet? You really need to have an answer to these questions. You won’t get away with saying, ‘We’ll care about this [issue] in the future.’ We have to do things now. As we speak, we are rolling out a lid for our cold cups that doesn’t use a straw anymore. It sounds so simple, but it will help take 120 million straws out of this world per year.   Canopy Growth’s Dave Bigioni: I’d categorize it as consumers need to see behind the brand. No longer is what you say that’s important, it’s how you act and behave. [Consumers are] looking for that transparency. You have to be able to deliver that. In the cannabis industry, I would say 80% of the brands were invented for legalization a year ago. Brands need to have a face, place and story. They need to have values and elements that sit behind that. Not just in what you say, but in what you do.   The environment and recycling is an area that we tackled head on, because there’s a lot of packaging in cannabis, and it’s a big concern for consumers. A lot of it is mandated [in] the regulatory framework that exists. So we initiated a program with TerraCycle. As part of that program, we’ve now distributed TerraCycle boxes to around 400 dispensaries across the country, depots where consumers can bring back their cannabis packaging for it to be recycled and turned into other products. We’ve had buy-in from government boards, we’ve had buy-in from third-party retailers, and our salesforce is distributing these across the country. I think we’re at over a million units of recycled and returned [packaging] through the first ten months.   Sephora’s Deborah Neff: We see a different shift in consumers, because we’re on the retail side of it. Obviously, Sephora has to play a role. But the pressure is on our brands, and our brands are prestige, so you’re paying a lot of money. The shift for us has been convenience, which has changed the whole landscape of retail. Because you can order online, it’s [about] bringing that experience to your stores for [customers] to want to come shop with you. How do we still make our stores relevant in an age when you can compare or shop online while you’re in the store? How do we meet that demand and still make it a valuable proposition? McDonald’s Antoinette Benoit: Food delivery is going to completely change things, and convenience will come before price. The way everybody has Netflix today, tomorrow consumers will have a subscription to get delivery whenever they want. If you think of the competition between Tim Hortons and McDonald’s – Tim Hortons has always a had huge advantage in terms of number of outlets, [with] three times as many stores as McDonald’s. But now, we have an app, so you don’t need your brand to be close to where you are. Food service is growing twice as quickly as QSR, and little brands and restaurants, they are competing with you at the same level now. For us, that’s going to be a huge change in the market. Price is [going to come] second.   Bigioni: For us, there’s a tension between convenience and privacy. Before legalization, [we] assumed that 20 to 30% of consumers would purchase online, because it would be more private. What we’ve seen is online only represents 2% to 4% of Canadian purchases. And I think a lot of that has to do with privacy and people’s concerns around data. At the same time, some consumers are prepared [for] the Uber weed of delivery – can have you have it here in 12 minutes? The majority [of purchases are] in store, but there’s still that tension between consumer convenience and education – it’s a seven to eight minute sales cycle – for those that just want to come in and out.     Benoit: People are still selfish, even on sustainability. What we see, for example, is that when people say they’re going to eat less beef, the first reason is my health. It’s not because it’s bad for the planet. They [eventually] come to that point. But the first point is always them. Otherwise, we would not be in this situation. It’s also difficult to get true answers from consumers on these topics.   Bigioni: Their beliefs don’t always follow their actions. They may believe in environmentally friendly brands, but they don’t always act if it’s not convenient.   Axel: That’s a little bit what we’ve observed. You have to give it all. The lid [I mentioned earlier], for example, is A, better for the environment, B, doesn’t cost more, and C, delivers an equal experience. If we had to raise prices because of the lid, acceptance of it would be very different. You have to find [solutions] that are ideally cost-neutral, are better for the environment, and don’t hurt the taste or the experience. Taste is still the number one driver. Taste also means the shape of the lid and [its impact on] the whole sensory experience. When it’s a win on all fronts, that’s what people embrace generally. If you have to raise prices, it’s a very different discussion.   This story is from Strategy C-Suite, a weekly email briefing on how Canada’s brand leaders are responding to market challenges and acting on new opportunities. Sign-up for the newsletter here to receive the latest stories directly to your inbox every Tuesday.