The Next Step in Packaging Sustainability
November 27, 2023
A core tenet of our mission in the cannabis industry is sustainability. Due to a century of prohibition, cultivators have been forced to grow indoors, creating unsustainable practices that strain utilities and water supplies. As the legal industry has grown, new forms of waste have emerged, and packaging has taken the front seat.
But it’s not enough to state the problem. Companies must actively reduce their carbon footprint and make our industry more sustainable. AssurPack® has made initiatives to change parts of our process to align more with the environment.
Change in Materials
Single-use plastic isn’t the future. Point blank, period.
We’re in an age where technology is moving faster than ever, and the importance of reducing our carbon footprint by using different materials brings more impact than ever before. AssurPack’s commitment to sustainability is a mission, and it’s something that we continually strive toward through trial, error, and testing of different materials.
No More Foam
Previously, foam has been a massive part of the packaging and shipping industries (think packing peanuts and foam inserts). We’ve decided to move away from using foam in our packaging and instead use paperboard and recycled plastics for our internal packaging. Changing this to paperboard and recycled plastics will drastically reduce the environmental load of the packaging industry.
Gradual Change
AssurPack tests our products rigorously to understand how we can incorporate new technologies into our existing products. Part of this testing is to understand how much we can change our materials over time while maintaining the efficacy of our packaging and continuing to protect product integrity. We’ve run initial tests using 25% post-consumer resin (PCR) and have succeeded in our child resistance and air tightness. To keep moving towards sustainability, we want to gradually change the percentage of PCR used in our packaging until we can reach 100%.
As this will be a gradual rollout, we’ve decided to initially have the 25% PCR material go to AssurSeal® and SecurSlide® since these have both been tested and confirmed as effective. As we introduce this resin to more products, we’ll ensure that any packaging choice you make with us is effective and sustainable.
Making More with Less
Another step towards sustainability is using less material to make a bigger impact on our products. Our AssurCard® is the most notable product line with this difference. AssurCard Pre-Roll, Vape, and Edibles packages provide minimal space footprint and, therefore lend a lower carbon footprint with regards to transport. It also provides maximum retail display yet with minimum inventory space. By using fewer materials and making packaging more transport-friendly, you’re paying dividends of sustainability to the industry over time.
