It should come as no shock that the world is looking to manufacturers and retailers to do their fair share when it comes to saving the environment. It should be even less surprising that people who use CBD are huge proponents of environmentally friendly packaging when it comes to the products they purchase. Knowing this, it’s clear that environmentally friendly CBD packaging is a win for both you and your customers.
It may seem cost-effective to find the cheapest packaging that works to put your products on a shelf. But there are benefits to packaging that stretch far beyond how well it houses your product. In fact, when chosen with intent and focus, the type of packaging you use can boost your business.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the benefits of using environmentally friendly packaging along with some of the most sustainable packaging options available today.
Benefits of Sustainable, Eco-Friendly CBD Packaging
When approaching the topic of packaging, it’s easy to just find something that works so you can focus on the more intensive portions of your business. Ultimately, we all have to decide where we’re willing to spend our energy, but putting just a little more focus on the packaging side of the equation could yield greater benefits than you realize.
These benefits aren’t just for the environment either, since they can have positive effects on both your customers and your business too. Here are a few of the positive effects you could see from an eco-friendly package choice!
Positive Environmental Effects
As you would expect, using eco-friendly CBD packaging is good for the environment. It’s estimated that a vast majority of global pollution (at least 71%) is actually caused by companies rather than average citizens. Finding recyclable, recycled, and other sustainable materials for packaging will help keep the environment clean for future generations.
Positive Customer Effects
Customers are aware of the need to save the planet. Many of the people who use CBD prioritize living a more sustainable lifestyle in order to reverse or slow climate change. When sustainable CBD packaging is made available to these customers, they can feel at ease making purchase decisions while they help the environment and enjoy the effects of CBD.
Positive Business Effects
Of course there are benefits to retailers too. Environmentally friendly packaging appeals more to consumers who are interested in preserving the health of the earth. This makes them more likely to turn to your products rather than those of a competitor. Additionally, these eco-friendly packages could help save you from ecologically focused tax initiatives in the future!
Different Types of Environmentally Friendly CBD Packaging
As many people now know, there’s a difference in how packaging materials can be recycled. And thanks to a popular segment from John Oliver in 2021, many have now been made aware that many materials cannot actually be recycled using current methods. Because the recycling technology to tackle these materials is not widely available, it’s the responsibility of businesses to ensure that they use sustainable packaging materials that can be recycled by customers.
In this section, we’ll take a look at six different types of CBD packaging material options and see how their construction and materials make them environmentally sustainable.
Corrugated Cardboard
This tried and true packaging method is actually one of the most environmentally friendly options when it comes to regular packaging materials. As much as 80% of cardboard boxes can be reused and reformed into something new. Corrugated cardboard is also extremely cheap, making it an excellent option for the early days of your business when some of the more expensive materials are out of your price range. Even once you’re able to afford those materials, cardboard will remain a trusted standby for your shelf packaging and shipping boxes for the lifespan of your business.
Compostable Materials
In recent years, huge strides have been made in creating biodegradable plastics. Take for instance this snack bar, which has packaging made entirely from banana peels. These can be thrown into a compost pile along with other biodegradable waste such as fruits and vegetables.
One of the best ways to make compostable CBD packaging is to use the primary producer of CBD itself — hemp! Hemp has a long history of being used to create items such as paper and rope and has strong fibers that make it capable of being turned into a variety of packaging products. Best of all, it ties back into your environmental focus by using a greater portion of the hemp plant in each of your products.
Polylactic Acid
Polylactic acid is considered a bioplastic. What this means is that the plastic material comes from conventional sources such as plants, rather than oils. These materials are considered compostable, but they require special conditions in order to be broken down by microbes. While they are not biodegradable (biodegradable materials require no special conditions in order to break down naturally), the option to compost them makes polylactic acid-based packaging significantly more eco-friendly than petroleum-based plastics.
Hemp Paper
Hemp paper is an excellent packaging solution for those who need to create paper bags or wrappings for their products. Not only is this material biodegradable and compostable, it also comes from same plant that provides CBD. This allows you to engage in a more holistic use of materials.
In addition to being more environmentally conscious, hemp paper (and other hemp packaging materials) are often stronger than their mixed paper equivalents. Compared to wood pulp-based paper, hemp paper has fibers that are four to five times longer. As a result, it offers higher tear resistance and greater tensile strength, making it an excellent choice for your packaging.
Ocean Plastic
While ocean plastic is still petroleum-based plastic, it has at least been reclaimed from the ocean during cleanup efforts, making it part of the recycling process. Best of all, this material can be recycled over and over so long as it can be cleaned. If you have CBD skincare products or other products that need to use plastic in your lineup, you should consider using reclaimed ocean plastic rather than freshly produced plastic.
Recycled Paper
Paper is one of the most commonly recycled materials on the planet, making it easy to find and reuse in your own packaging initiatives. When using paper as a packing material, make sure that its reclaimed paper to ensure that you’re doing your part in the recycling cycle. Best of all, these papers can often be recycled over and over, making it an excellent, environmentally friendly CBD packaging solution.
Package Your CBD Products Using Sustainable Materials Today
If you need to find some incredible CBD products to stock your shelves, but also want to stay eco-friendly, US Hemp Wholesale can help! We pride ourselves on the design, durability, and composition of our packaging elements. And if you have any special requests, simply contact us to see how we can help accommodate your packaging needs.
Fill out our vendor form today to learn more about our amazing products and green CBD packaging initiatives!