Hansen Packaging presents a trail-blazing sustainable path forward for the cannabis industry: a jar that is Made in Canada, Naturally. The company developed a full product line of jars for the cannabis industry with a combination of benefits, including: a drastic reduction in the amount of material used in making the jars, the use of renewable resources and an environmentally responsible end-of-life disposal.  

Wherever cannabis has been legalized (Canada and certain states in the U.S.) consumers have taken immediate notice of what many claim to be “excessive packaging.' In order to comply with the laws governing the packaging of cannabis, producers often pack their products into plastic containers, some of which are only designed to be used once and then discarded. Consumers have been outspoken in calling for a reduction in plastic, with a more responsible end-of-life for the packaging, and a more sustainable source for the raw materials.  

The “Made in Canada, Naturally jars are a response to the current worldwide push to eliminate landfill-destined plastics in packaging. Some of the compelling reasons to adopt these new, sustainable packaging solutions are:  

• The packaging is significantly lighter.  The 3.5 g Flower Jar weighs 12 g and the lid weighs 6 g – 18 g total.  The incumbent jars currently used along with the lids weigh 74 grams.  This is a savings of over 1.2 million pounds of plastic for every 10 million jars – just for the one SKU! This directly translates to greenhouse gas savings.
• Waste streams of the hemp plant are used. The black colour is from USDA certified “99% new carbon” using waste streams of the hemp plant – a first in the world.
• The bio-composite resin used is made from renewable resources that have a zero-carbon footprint.  Use of non-renewable fossil fuels is thus minimized – contributing to reduction in GHGs.
• Food contact and BPI certified resins are used to mold the jars. The resins used to mold these jars are food contact certified (DinCertco 8C084 and ASTM D6866).

Competitive Green Technologies (CGTech) has BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) certified resins that are deemed compostable in industrial composting facilities when used as components in a product that also needs to go through the certification process.  

These bio-composite resins are made from renewable resources including hemp.  The guiding philosophy of the company is to use, as much as possible, agricultural residues that are non-food and non-forest based renewable natural resources. This facilitates the circular economy to becoming a real, sustainable alternative - from land to a Brand and then back again to land. The continuing research and commercialization at CGTech will ensure that improvements in performance continue to be made for the cannabis jars.