Waste recovery presents one of the largest challenges standing between where we are now and achieving a circular economy. Packaging waste is a large part of this problem, and Sana Packaging is thrilled to spearhead the movement to make the cannabis packaging industry more circular.
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About 50% of the plastics society produces are used for disposable products, like packaging. These products typically become trash within a single year of production and can take 400+ years to degrade. Packaging also accounts for 30% of our municipal solid waste in the United States. For reference, durable goods and nondurable goods are the next largest categories, both at 20%. Furthermore, only 40% of packaging waste is recovered while 60% is landfilled.
Humans have created over 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic since society began mass-producing plastics in the 1950s. Of these 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste. And of these 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic, only 9% has been recycled while 79% has ended up in landfills or our natural environment.
If we don’t address this problem, there will be over 12 billion metric tons of plastic polluting our landfills and natural environment by 2050.