Our focus on sustainability
Why is Cannalocks committed to sustainable packaging solutions? For our health, your health, and the health of the environment.
In 1933, two scientists at a DOW chemical facility accidentally discovered polyethylene (PE) during a failed experiment involving ethylene gas and a pressure cylinder. Quickly realizing its potential, manufacturers sought out large-scale, cheap sources of ethylene gas to ramp up production of this new “miracle” material. In hindsight, they regrettably found an abundant and continuous source of ethylene gas at an unbelievably low cost.
It turned out that fossil fuel companies burn off ethylene gas at refineries as a waste product of gasoline production, and these companies were more than happy with yet another way to turn a profit. By selling ethylene gas for literal pennies, the fossil fuel companies got richer and polyethylene-based plastic took over the world.
It was in the mid-1960’s when scientists studying marine life discovered the first plastic waste in the ocean. In a mere 30 years, so much plastic was produced and tossed away that it made its way into the ocean… and this was a decade BEFORE the first PET bottle was patented for soda packaging in 1973. After that fateful day, it was only 3 years until plastic became the most used material in the world.
To take advantage of packaging the incredible diversity of potential products, scientists began studying what types of chemicals could be added to the base material to stabilize plastic—and assure non-reactivity—in the presence of liquids, acids, volatile organic compounds, extreme heat, freezing temperatures, and a host of other conditions. As of today, thousands of chemicals are approved additives in plastic packaging with “low-levels” chemical-leaching considered acceptable. Unfortunately, the cumulative impacts of this “low-level” leaching were never tested and, in recent years, scores of additives such as bisphenol-A (BPA) have been proven to have damaging long-term health affects.
Knowing all this, Cannalocks committed to being a sustainable cannabis packaging company providing alternatives to virgin plastics to give our clients access to the best options for their products, their customers, and the planet.
Sustainability is a choice. Virgin plastic products are a significant source of the CO2 emissions driving climate change. Choosing to package your product in glass, metal, or recycled and reusable plastic is a choice your customers will respect and thank you for.
Virgin plastic is often made from the by-products of fossil fuel production. Using virgin plastic packaging supports the systems of extraction, consumption, and waste that are the foundations of most environmental problems today. Sustainability is a choice – a choice that is right for you, right for your customers, and right for the planet.
Cannabis consumers are conscious consumers, caring about their own health and the health of the world around them. When you invest in high-quality sustainable packaging, you are sending a signal to your customers that your product and their values are worth it.
