Across key industries, the main purpose of packaging has always been to protect as well as preserve the products inside. The same holds true for cannabis packaging solutions, especially with innumerable laws and regulations across states. Cannabis businesses have been challenged time and time again to strictly adhere to these restrictions, often at the expense of end customer appeal.
There is a demand for brandability in the rapidly growing cannabis space, so here are 4 ways cannabis packaging can help your business, rather than compromise it.
Cannabis Packaging Compliance
Compliant cannabis packaging in the cannabis industry is distinct compared to other businesses due to the varying laws and regulations per legalized state. Proper cannabis packaging should include correctly labelled product safety warnings on a Child-Resistant (CR) certified container. Various guidelines highlight other crucial regulatory components, such as opaque packaging, labels that do not appeal to minors, and non-resemblance to commercially available products. From cultivation to sale, non-compliance can cause costly backlogs to order fulfillment.
The legal landscape of cannabis is complex and constantly evolving; therefore, businesses should be prepared to revise their compliance practices when necessary. A cannabis brand’s solution to this common obstacle is a coordinated packaging and inventory management system. This system must be legally certified for compliance and should serve to streamline your operations, saving your business time and money. A system that is aware of state-by-state packaging and labelling laws and can help your business adapt to these regulations is invaluable. Additionally, as the cannabis industry scales nationally and internationally, brands must create relations with a strong partner in packaging as volume demand increases across new territories.
Sustainability and Sustainable Packaging
Cannabis scaling nationally in legalization invites greater, widespread commercialization, ultimately increasing the volume of waste generated across the entire industry. Waste is generated at all stages of the commercialized cannabis life cycle: cultivation, packaging, transit, sale, and finally, the end consumer. From seed to sale, we as businesses and customers are directly responsible for our environmental impact.
The main goals of a sustainable organization are to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
Packaging, in particular, should address these goals as part of a growing cannabis brand’s ecological responsibility. How many times have you purchased an exciting new product, and were deterred by layers of unnecessary cardboard and plastic? Whether you’re a business shipping products across the nation or a consumer purchasing an array of dispensary goods, waste can be mitigated with intentional packaging design.
Integrating sustainability and business operations with packaging that optimizes space and materials can reduce a business’s and even a consumer’s carbon footprint. This can look like recyclable packaging or, better yet, quality packaging intended for reusability. Sustainability as a trade-off can be a pricier alternative. However, as the high-growth cannabis industry experiences a diversification of demand, eco-conscious companies with eco-friendly products will undoubtedly cater to a considerable market. This market is seeking more than the traditional “stoner” experience; they are looking to integrate sustainability into their consumer habits.
Consumer Benefits
The consumer benefits from intentionally designed packaging are endless.
Quality is number one when consumers head to dispensaries for premium products. The notorious “Will this get me high?”, albeit repetitive, definitely indicates dispensary shoppers are coming to you for a quality experience. Cannabis quality should correlate with what customers pay for, and in many states, they pay a pretty penny for products they expect to smell, feel, taste, and smoke like the day it was cultivated. For cannabis, packaging directly impacts a product’s quality and longevity.
For all marijuana products, but particularly flower, packaging that controls humidity within the container works wonders for keeping the plant fresh. Terpene preservation is also crucial to many consumers who seek a medicinal experience from the aromatic oils cannabis contains, and these, too, can be affected by humidity levels.
Child-resistant certified containers can also work to standardize product quality. Air-tight seals on existing opaque containers designed for compliance can additionally serve as protection from UV light exposure degradation.
As a seasoned cannabis lover knows, the quality of cannabis can be indicated not just by the effects, but by the initial experience of unboxing and inspecting the product. Beautiful nugs, yummy-looking edibles, and clean-cut concentrates are undoubtedly the experience consumers pay for.
Cannabis Packaging Brandability
The unboxing experience serves as a great opportunity for a brand to differentiate itself from its competitors. Aesthetic appeal drives consumer behavior in plenty of industries, and cannabis packaging is no different. Per state, shoppers cannot see the marijuana product inside the packaging to determine their decision to purchase; therefore, eye-catching exterior aesthetics play an even greater role. Label designs are an opportunity to stand out against competitors with lackluster packaging, but the container itself is even more appealing to the dispensary experience.
As previously mentioned, sustainability is a key area of opportunity for a business to gain a competitive advantage in an up-and-coming market. Combining reusable containers and creative label designs can be branded as a souvenir of your business that customers get to keep with their stash. Alternatively, packaging can be branded to be conscientious of disposal, such as recyclability or usage of materials with fast degradation rates in landfills. A differentiated brand identity lives in these affective details with the goal of leaving a lasting impression on the consumer.
In Conclusion
Despite strict regulations regarding cannabis packaging, good old-fashioned brandability serves a new, important role. As the marijuana market grows and expands across the states, consumers will be searching for credibility and quality from the businesses they shop from. A tangible uniqueness and experience separate from the product inside will be fundamental to this industry. Brandability, sustainability, compliance, and end consumer benefits are what will shape and drive the newly legalized cannabis market.
