Do Your Part: How Eco Bags Can Make Your Cannabis Brand More Earth-Friendly

It’s no secret that cannabis has both a waste and a plastic problem. That’s why companies like HISIERRA® and other eco-friendly bag companies exist: to tackle the multiple factors that contribute to the growing cannabis waste problem with eco-bags. Custom baggies are a great way to increase brand awareness, but traditional styles can be wasteful. Plastic is an environmental issue so concerning to one operator that he called the cannabis packaging waste issue a, “downright disgrace”, in a 2019 MJBiz Con article. 

And yet, the problem has only gotten worse. In an industry that’s producing over 1 billion plastic waste products annually, we must do better. We must do our part. China recently stopped accepting America’s recyclables altogether, and, as we all know, plastic does not decompose! 

What we need are plant-based, biodegradable, eco-packaging solutions for custom baggies. 

Creating Eco-Friendly Solutions

It’s not a simple choice for brands to implement standard operating procedures regarding the use of eco-bags. Due to excessive regulatory hurdles, as to be expected in an industry criminalized for decades, the constant changes in packaging regulations can cost tons. 

Until we have federal legalization, which could mean federally regulated packaging standards, operators and brands will continue to confront the issue of eco-friendly bags  One costly packaging hurdle for brands is the requirement to ensure their product packaging is child-resistant. At HISIERRA®, our goal is to make the cannabis world a greener place by providing products to enhance eco-friendly messaging and provide certified child-resistant packaging solutions. 

While there has indeed been much talk, and action, thanks to those dedicated towards regenerative growing practices and other environmental impacts cannabis has on our slowly declining environment. 

Now, we need others to do their part by joining us in the call for more eco-friendly cannabis packaging options like eco-bags! Because the truth is, it’s on all of us. Switching to plant-based, eco cannabis packaging and custom baggies is a great start!

Reducing Layers of Wasteful Packaging

Easy. Well, sorta. History has proven that the only ones to effect real change in this world do so through collective actions, personal and community commitments, and ethical collaborations. 

And, we can start the conversation whenever there is an opportunity. 

See a cool product but notice layers of wasteful packaging? Bring it up. Mention the advancements and commitment of HISIERRA® by making plant-based packaging with eco-bags and see where the conversation goes. Again, it’s up to us to do our part. 

Maybe you’re a grower? Begin a conversation with the manufacturers about their ideas on incorporating eco-bags. 

Consumer? Ask your budtender. Ask what eco-friendly bag options are available? And if there aren’t any, ask why. You can also ask dispensary workers which brands you can support that use environmental cannabis packaging causes. 

History of “Green” in Cannabis 

Perhaps due to the color of cannabis or its origins of growing naturally from the ground, it’s as if we have always collectively thought of the plant as organic or green. Well, that isn’t all the way true. 

Due to decades of criminalization, growers didn’t have the time, resources or education on what it meant to be sustainable. Plus, the old-school way of reusable custom baggies helped keep the packaging waste minimal, in comparison. That’s not to say that there aren’t also hundreds of legacy market growers who’ve always taken pride in organic growing and waste processes.

Green, Green or Green?

Named one of 2020’s top colors of the year by Etsy and Behr, in the cannabis industry “green” has become representative of a movement by cannabis brands, activists and legislators calling us all to do better. 

Green can represent the need for cannabis brands to look further towards alternatives that help sustain this sacred plant and the ever-evolving industry surrounding it. It’s time to look towards green packaging and eco-friendly bags as a responsibility to the industry, consumers and a cannabis brand’s identity. 

More Eco-Friendly Options Now

Green has become quite the symbolic word for the cannabis and hemp legalization movements. We even heard on the newly popular social media platform, Clubhouse, that some California advocates are considering starting an official political party, the “Green Party.” Imagine that? A party dedicated to ethical, environmental and social change in cannabis? 

The cannabis industry’s pollution crisis will require radical solutions. Whether from a political party, or the groups of organizers and activists, if a green future for the environment and the consumers is what we want, we must do better. The cannabis community was built on challenging the status quo, on facilitating change and healing despite the odds. So who better to organize and move towards the innovation needed to shape tomorrow’s industry practices? 

Now, as legalization movements continue to sweep the U.S and beyond, some in the industry believe that “green” should now go far beyond the color. Today, “green” should represent a collective of cannabis brands committed to incorporating eco-friendly bags and other alternatives that help sustain this sacred plant and the ever-evolving industry surrounding it. 

A Look Ahead

It’s time to look towards green packaging and eco-friendly bags as a responsibility to the industry as a whole, patients and consumers and a cannabis brand’s identity. Plus, eco-bags can make any cannabis brand more earth-friendly and appealing to conscious consumers. 

Interested in how HISIERRA® can guide you and your brand on the transition to more eco-friendly cannabis packaging? Contact us! We would love to share more about our earth-friendly, kid-safe, sustainable and renewable cannabis packaging made right here in the U.S.A. Let’s do our part together.