How Green Is Your Pre-Roll Process?

The Truth About Pre-Rolls and
Their Impact on the Environment

Pre-rolls were once a niche, low-quality category meant as an easy way for manufacturers to profit off of leftover bud and a convenient way for consumers to catch a quick buzz. But product perception and purchasing trends are evolving, and consumers are becoming more and more interested in pre-rolls and their benefits. Brands now have the opportunity to leverage the consumption method for real gains, but not before wrestling with one of the category’s biggest hurdles—sustainability.

It’s no secret that consumers prefer brands with eco-friendly practices. It’s also no secret our planet needs brands to prioritize eco-friendly practices. But before we discuss how you can make your pre-roll process a more sustainable one while piquing consumer interest, let’s deep dive into just how bad the current pre-roll situation is for our planet.

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Stuffed Pre-Rolls Create
Massive Carbon Emissions

The current standard pre-roll manufacturing process wreaks havoc on the environment. Those pre-rolled cones that were stuffed by a machine at a nearby processing facility were likely first made by hand in India, Indonesia, or China.

That’s a long way to physically move little paper tubes. And because those paper tubes and cones can’t be compacted when shipped, only about 250,000-350,000 of them can fit on one pallet. Meaning, a lot of pallets are being shipped at any given moment, first by sea to the U.S., and then by land or air to their final destination. All of this movement adds massive amounts of carbon emissions into the air and also creates loads of waste from travel and packaging.

And this is just for the paper. Don’t forget about the shipment of the physical machines that stuff those cones—likely from one of the countries the cones come from—as well as any add-ons or replacement parts that may eventually be needed.

Rethink Your Pre-Roll Process

With consumer interest in pre-rolls growing, and consumer values steadfast in sustainability, it’s worth rethinking your pre-roll process. Machine-stuffed cones are not only a poor smoke, they’re doing terrible things to our planet and to your brand reputation.

Instead, opt for a USA-made machine that mimics what your consumer really wants—a hand-rolled pre-roll. The BlackBird by RollPros leverages patented TruRoll technology that rolls joints, not stuffs them. That means a better smoke, and it also means no air-filled cones being transported from the other side of the globe. Instead, the BlackBird uses paper in uncut bobbin form—also manufactured in the U.S.—that allows you to completely remove the middleman cone supplier, reduce carbon emissions from shipping, and cut your consumable material costs by up to 80 percent. What’s better, one bobbin of paper can produce up to 45,000 joints. So you only need about eight bobbins to roll the same amount of pre-rolls as one pallet of cones. And RollPros can ship you all eight bobbins at once and in one convenient package, reducing packaging waste and emissions, because each bobbin is about the size of a medium pizza.

Rethink Your Pre-Roll Packaging, Too

The other side of the pre-roll process, the packaging side, could stand a sustainability update as well. Those doob tubes may not be as recyclable as you think.

Yes, much of the plastic doob tubes are made of is a recyclable material, but their physical shape can make it very difficult for them to actually be recycled. In counties and cities where recycling is even an option, many use a sorting machine to pull recyclable material out of the general trash. Doob tubes, however, are too slim and small to be pulled by the sorting machine and usually end up falling right through into the general trash area to be hauled off to a landfill.

Consider instead using a compostable doob tube, which can break down into the soil on its own, like the ones by Celise Bioproducts. Their tubes have demonstrated 88-92 percent commercial compostability in 60 days and over 90 percent home compostability within 12 months.

Or, consider selling multi-packs of pre-rolls in larger, more easily recycled packaging. This could also provide a boost to your brand, as pre-roll multi-packs are booming in both established markets and middle-aged markets.

Step-Up Your Pre-Roll Game

Get in touch with RollPros today to drastically reduce your shipping costs and emissions and dramatically increase your consumer loyalty. The BlackBird creates a better pre-roll with a smaller impact on the environment than your current machine-stuffed cones, and it does so while still providing the option to customize your pre-rolls to your brand and customer.

Book your BlackBird live demo today.