10 cannabis brands with innovative packaging solutions

Cannabis packaging can pose a complex issue for companies looking to find the perfect balance between sustainability and compliance. 

If you’re looking for truly sustainable cannabis brands or looking for ideas on how to make your brand more sustainable, we’ve rounded up ten brands with inventive solutions that gracefully tie environmentally-friendly packaging with safety mechanisms to keep children out. Here’s to truly green cannabis!  

Stiiizy

Stiiizy recognized a need for sustainable cannabis packaging in the industry and rose to the occasion with eco-friendly pod packaging. In October 2021, they switched up several aspects of their original pod packaging to improve its sustainability without losing function or compliance. 

The Stiiizy pod packaging is now made completely out of cardboard to allow for easy recycling. They’ve also downsized the packaging to use less material overall and swapped out the paper user manual for a QR code that pulls up a digital version. The company also redesigned their inner tray to fit the overall package downsize. A child-resistant, tamper-evident punch-out mechanism remains on the back of the package for safety and compliance. 

Legion of Bloom 

In 2020, Legion of Bloom made a plastic-free commitment. In a partnership with Allpack, they unveiled 100% plastic-free Pax pod packaging. Their sustainable cannabis packaging is made from wood fiber paperboard and created using wind-generated electricity. To maintain child resistance,  they swapped out the plastic puck and tamper sticker and replaced it with a tamper-evident seal. 

After dropping the new Pax pod packaging, the company developed a plastic-free version of their vape cartridge packages. The design includes a child-resistant mechanism inside the box, which eliminates the need for plastic tubes.

Soulshine Cannabis 

Soulshine Cannabis is setting a high bar for sustainable packaging. They use 100% recyclable and compostable cardboard to wrap their flower, with a fully compostable viewing window. All text is printed with vegetable-based inks, and their materials are sourced from sustainably harvested trees. 

A lot goes into making a single, sustainable cannabis package at Soulshine. Clearbags provide a polyethylene bag that is reusable and recyclable and the recyclable folding carton comes from Emerald City Graphics. The clear viewing window comes from Multi-Plastics Inc and is made up of biodegradable cast cellulose film. Even the Soulshine label is compostable, and that part comes from a division of Elevate Packaging. 

The company has clearly put a lot of care and resources into creating a fully sustainable package design and the efforts have not gone unnoticed. 

Fumé

Napa Valley Fumé brought sustainable cannabis products to the next level when they unveiled their new packaging in fall of 2021. Their packages are designed to be recycled or reused, and dyes are selected to prevent oversaturation and maintain recyclability. 

To create a pre-roll container that is both sustainable and childproof, the company came up with an innovative solution: inserting a credit card will pop out the tray filled with rolled joints. No card, no joints. Genius.

Garden Society

Sonoma County’s Garden Society launched a recyclable plastic box with a flip-lid that opens when pressed. AssurPack Marbox-CR can be reused or recycled. The company has noted that many child-proof packages can be difficult to open – especially for consumers seeking relief for arthritis. The simple press-to-open system solves the problem. 

Their California edibles are packaged with Hippo Premium Packaging and incorporate the Duallok child-resistant folding carton. This system consists of a locking tray and sleeve that effectively keeps the kids out while remaining easy to open by adults. The final product is a sleek, recyclable, and reliably child-resistant cannabis package.

Lowell Farms 

How does Lowell Farms keep its elegant packages clasped shut? Upcycled magnets, of course. 

This California cannabis company uses food-grade materials that are nearly 100% recyclable. The magnets that keep their packages shut aren’t recyclable, but they are upcycled and provide a beneficial service: keeping kids out. Their joints come in glass tubes, which are eco-friendly and avoid leaking anything into the flower.  

Their sleek packaging is attractive and sustainable, and they work it out themselves. Lowell Farms doesn’t contract anyone out to help with their packaging, allowing them to reinvent and try new things whenever necessary. 

kamatree

Eco-friendly, ocean-reclaimed, and recyclable. To create truly eco-friendly cannabis packaging, kamatree worked with Sana Packaging, the first company in the industry to create packages from 100% reclaimed ocean plastic  Thanks to the collaboration, kamatree now has certified child-resistant packaging made from 100% ocean-bound and reclaimed ocean plastic. 

Wana Brands

Since switching from their original containers, Wana Brands have successfully cut their packaging down by 60% in collaboration with Calyx Containers. Their containers are now made from eco-friendly packaging with child-resistant mechanisms. 

The containers are made from polypropylene and break down quickly because of an additive included during the molding process. 

Wana containers feature a heat-shrink band that alerts consumers if the bottle has been tampered with. There’s also a pinch-and-pull mechanism to keep kids out. To save room, they’ve made use of “peel and reveal” labels to include license numbers, mandatory messages, and other details using minimal space. Plus, the resealable and airtight packaging helps to extend the shelf life of their gummies. 

Aqualitas 

Nova Scotia-based cannabis company Aqualitas jumped on the opportunity to use Sana Packaging’s eco-friendly and innovative packaging. Their first order with the company reclaimed two tons of plastic from the ocean.

The company is no stranger to eco-friendly innovation. After switching their packaging to ocean-reclaimed plastics, they began to use fish waste to fuel their growing operations. With a name like Aqualitas, we’re not surprised to see so many ocean themes. 

Their fully-sustainable package line includes ocean-sourced containers, ocean-sourced lids on glass jars, and omnidegradable (basically, it will break down anywhere you put it) and biodegradable bags and cardboard. When it comes to environmentally-conscious packaging, Aqualitas is a pack leader. 

Honest Marijuana Co. 

Colorado’s Honest Marijuana uses recyclable tin cans injected with pure nitrogen to combat oxygen and keep the products fresh. The food-grade tins feature a metal lid and a ring-pull. The added nitrogen makes the cans impermeable to oxygen and humidity, keeping products as fresh as the day they were packaged. Additionally, they are unaffected by temperature fluctuations, preventing compound secretions that could lower the fresh aroma and flavor of the flower. Their innovative packaging design is meant to keep cannabis fresh for years and unchanged from the day it was picked.