Meet East Fork's New and Improved Pre-roll Packaging
East Fork is pleased to be launching our much-improved pre-roll packaging, with no more petroleum-based plastic tubes!
We’ve developed two reusable selections to offer you different options:
Our classic single pre-rolls in 100% plant-based hemp plastic tubes
Our new 7-pack of pre-rolls in child-resistant steel tins
We've also increased the ease of our product transparency so that customers can quickly access test results and more details about the products you're consuming.
In partnership with Chroma Signet, customers can now use their smartphones to scan the QR code on their East Fork pre-roll variable label and learn more about the cultivar, its cannabinoid potency results, its dominant terpenes, and more.
Let’s dig into the packaging details!
Single Pre-Roll Tubes
Our new single pre-roll tubes are made from a completely plant-based hemp plastic from Sana Packaging. This chemical-free material is formed out of a fiber-reinforced biocomposite and a #7 recyclable.
More specifically, the exact composition is 30% micronized hemp hurd and 70% PLA (polylactic acid), which is a material derived from renewable plant sources such as corn starch or sugar cane. The hemp plastic uses bio-based binders, so the overall material is truly 100% plant-based (unlike some “hemp plastics” that simply mix hemp fibers with petroleum-based plastic).
The hemp plastic supply chain is predominantly North American, sourcing most of its raw materials from the US and Canada. The tubes are made in the USA at four facilities across the country so that products can stay as close as possible to their origins, cutting down on transport emissions.
These sturdy tubes are definitely reusable, and we encourage our customers to do so to the greatest extent possible!
But if you choose not to reuse, please note that the tubes are not certified compostable – “compostable” refers to a material’s ability to biodegrade “in a composting environment in a relatively short time, capable of producing usable compost.” While this hemp plastic is a definite improvement on standard plastic, it doesn’t meet that criteria.
Currently the next best post-consumption option, after reusing, is recycling the tubes with your local municipality – check that they accept #7 plastics. (Earth911.com has a helpful search engine where you can enter the material and your zip code.)
If your municipality does not recycle #7 plastics, the tubes will have to be discarded in the trash. (The manufacturer, Sana, is working on a packaging take-back program.)
While this scenario isn’t yet our ideal, we do believe that this change is a meaningful step forward. We are decreasing the demand for harmful petroleum-based plastics at the commercial level, and reducing at least somewhat the amount of material that goes into the landfill.
Even more importantly, we’re replacing that toxic “forever” plastic landfill material with a bio-based alternative. Using Sana’s Impact Calculator, we determined that our initial order of tubes will save almost 4,000 pounds of petroleum-based plastics from entering the landfill in one year!
7-Pack Pre-Roll Tins (and the chance to win a PRIZE!)
Our new 7-pack pre-roll tins are made from 100% recyclable steel (recycling code 40), with a child-resistant design and a child-proof seal. They’re also water-resistant, making them a great day pack item for hiking, camping, or water activities.
Each 7-pack includes seven 0.5g premium flower pre-rolls, a coordinating matchbook, and a die-cut llama sticker. This multi-pack is more efficient packaging than a single and reduces the amount of packaging created.
These handy tins are also awesome for re-use! In addition to cannabis, some other potential uses are for traveling (great for vitamins or pills), to store small jewelry like earrings or a sweet stash of candy, or for gift boxes to another lucky person.
And if you do choose to recycle instead, steel is a relatively sustainable material option as it can be re-melted and reused infinitely to make new steel products. According to BeRecycled.org, recycling steel saves nearly 74% of the energy used to produce it from raw materials – enough energy to power about 18 million homes for a full year.
To find out how to recycle steel in your area, check Earth911.com’s search engine by entering “steel” and your zip code. The results will list nearby facilities that accept the material, including municipal services.
For example, in the Portland metro area, steel is accepted in the Mixed (blue) containers for curbside recycling as it is “scrap metal that is smaller than 30" long and weighs less than 30 pounds”. As with any item you plan to recycle, make sure the material is cleaned of any residue first. All of our labels are easy to remove so that the packaging can still be recycled responsibly.
And as for what else is inside this lovely box…
Inside one of the first 500 packs, there will be A GOLDEN LLAMA!
Whoever finds the golden llama will be able to redeem it for an exclusive East Fork farm visit this summer. The Golden Llama Weekend Getaway winner will get to experience two nights at the East Fork Ranch with up to three of their friends in July or August 2022.
The first run of East Fork’s new 7-pack pre-roll tins will be launching exclusively to participating Groundworks Industries dispensaries, which includes all Serra, Electric Lettuce, Farma, and Five Zero Trees locations – just in time for 4/20!
Join us for upcoming vendor days:
4/15/22, 3-5 pm – Farma, 916 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
4/19/22, 3-5 pm – Electric Lettuce Marlow, 1450 SW Marlow Ave, Portland, OR 97225
A Step Forward
We’ve been researching and working on the improved packaging project for quite some time, and it’s satisfying to finally mark a step forward in the sustainability of our packaging.
Our ultimate goal is to take part in a circular economy that eliminates the production of waste and pollution, keeps goods in circulation as long as possible, and regenerates ecosystems in a cyclical process. We’re glad to be partnering with companies like Sana who share the same vision and are actively working towards it too.
We’re not yet where we want to be, but it is heartening to make concrete progress towards our goal. We’re also working on a refill program for the new packaging, hopefully coming soon… so stay tuned.
Thank you as always to our East Fork customers for your continued support and shared belief that our mission matters!
