April 22 is Earth Day, a good time to reflect on what we can do in the cannabis industry to create more sustainable solutions. At Botani, we strive to apply centuries of papermaking expertise to develop eco-friendly approaches to all our products. These tried-and-true practices help reduce environmental impact and create new value for our customers. Here are five ways we’re working towards a greener future with cannabis rolling papers.
Repurposing Waste Materials
One of the advantages of being the cannabis-specific arm of SWM International is that we are able to leverage the legacy of the tobacco industry’s reconstitution technology. For instance, we know how to turn waste into valuable resources. When producers extract CBD or THC for oils, tinctures, and gummies, they generate significant amounts of biomass waste. Instead of letting this material go to landfills, we purchase these leaves, stems, and flowers to transform them into premium wrappers, fillers, and rolling papers. This creates additional income for producers while giving cannabis byproducts a valuable second life.
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Doing More with Less
ThinPact is SWM International’s comprehensive sustainability initiative aimed at reducing the company’s environmental footprint. It’s not just a fancy sustainability slogan; it’s our structured approach to making real changes in how we operate.
ThinPact breaks down into four main areas we’re tackling head-on. First, we’re cutting our greenhouse gas emissions by getting smarter about energy use and exploring alternative fuels. Second, we’re being mindful about water–using less of it and making sure we source materials responsibly. Third, we’re redesigning our products to use fewer resources from start to finish. And fourth, we’re connecting with communities and industry partners to spread sustainable practices beyond our own operations.
The results are already showing. We’ve managed to cut our energy usage by 9% since 2021, and looking ahead, we’re aiming for zero deforestation and zero landfill usage by 2030.
Working with Annual Crops
We’re fans of botanicals that grow back every year, like hemp and tea. Unlike trees that take decades to mature, these annual crops regenerate quickly. We see this as a win-win: We work with unique, renewable plant-based materials that our customers increasingly demand while treading more lightly on the planet.
Reducing Energy Consumption
We’re investing in equipment upgrades and alternative fuels that help us cut back on energy and water usage. Some of our factories are even switching to biomass boilers that use wood byproducts instead of fossil fuels. By monitoring and improving resource consumption at every production stage, we’re not only reducing our impact but also becoming more operationally efficient and less vulnerable to energy price spikes.
Getting Rid of Plastic
As the world moves away from plastic packaging, we’re working on creating super thin, translucent papers that could replace plastic wrappers for packs. But creating alternatives to plastic isn’t easy. People expect to see through their wrappers, and they want them to protect against scratches, dust, and odors. Our challenge is to develop papers that do all this while being fully recyclable and environmentally friendly. We’re still perfecting these materials, but the interest we’re seeing from brands shows just how eager the market is for sustainable alternatives to plastic.
This Earth Day, we’re reminded that the cannabis industry stands at a pivotal moment. Unlike many established sectors that must retrofit sustainability into existing systems, this industry has the rare opportunity to incorporate earth-friendly practices from its roots. By embracing botanical solutions like our reconstituted hemp and tea leaf products, cannabis brands can meet consumer expectations for quality and consistency while honoring environmental commitments.