By Arundati Dandapani
Nothing excites consumers more than revolution, more so in uncertain times. Our futures are so highly interconnected, as we scramble to greet the next wave of change. Brands can barely afford to remain insular. As the earth matures into another long spring in Canada, we have some good news about cannabis consumers’ attitudes and intentions towards the environment that paint a bright future for this category.
According to Vividata’s Spring 2018 Canadian Cannabis Study, over one in five Canadians (21%) currently consume cannabis. 83% of all (medical or recreational) cannabis users in Canada believe people have a duty to recycle, and a same proportion also make a conscious effort to recycle. Moreover, 64% of cannabis consumers are prepared to make lifestyle compromises to benefit the environment, and close to half of all users are prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products. Over half prefer to buy green products. Close to three-quarters of all cannabis consumers are very concerned about the effects of pollution on our planet. Over three-quarters of cannabis consumers believe that companies should help consumers to be environmentally responsible. And finally, about half of all cannabis consumers in Canada buy products in bulk to avoid over packaging. Plastics are out, hemp is in — and China gets the best rap for growing and selling the most legal hemp in the world.
If the future is sustainable, your brand’s appeal lies in delivering on a solid sustainability strategy, especially in a marketplace where (purpose-driven, eco-conscious) millennials lead with the lion’s share of your consumer base, a green footprint could future-proof your bottomline. Sustainability will triumph in a post-populist world. We might be seeing this in new business and leadership models as “ethical consumption” gains more currency in shoppers’ minds and in retailers’ aisles.
We could be watching the Green Revolution redux, rather than some superficial gold-rush of our times. Cannabis might well be the future of superfoods (think of all those nutritive ingestibles), and the future of cannabis is green. Somewhere between its journey from a crop to a consumable, cannabis is striking all the right chords as a motif for a more sustainable future–one that relies on moderation, micro-dosing, long-term health, self-actualization and the planet’s overall wellbeing.
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