Partnership with Ocean Recovery Group recovers plastic for injection-molded EZ-Lock x ORG tray from AE Global that’s certified as plastic negative by rePurpose Global.

April 20, 2023

2 Min Read
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AE Global

A new child-resistant packaging option connects the annual 4/20 celebration of cannabis with the imminent international Earth Day recognition on April 22.

The link is through the introduction of AE Global (AEG)’s innovative new EZ-Lock x ORG tray developed in partnership with Ocean Recovery Group (ORG) that’s certified "plastic negative" by rePurpose Global.

The packaging was designed to meet growing industry demand for scalable, customizable, and domestically assembled cannabis packaging with a measurable environmental impact.

AEG heavily invested in ORG, AEG's recycling facility in the Dominican Republic, to establish a robust, closed-loop infrastructure to combat plastic pollution at scale. Ocean-bound plastic (OBP) is gathered at the ORG's collection and processing site in the Dominican Republic, where it is sorted, washed, and made into flake. The flake is used in the injection molding process to form AE Global's EZ Lock x ORG child-resistant cannabis packaging.

Twice the plastic used to make a tray is removed for every tray purchased.

"At AE Global, we’ve proven that we are the industry leader in sustainable packaging. Our closed-loop OBP recovery program captures and converts at-risk materials before it can harm the environment,” says Mike Forenza AEG's managing partner. “It helps our customers achieve their sustainability goals through eco-friendly packaging options and plastic recovery."

With every purchase of an EZ-Lock x ORG tray, nearly 35 grams/1.2 ounce of plastic are recovered, which roughly equates to twice the amount of plastic used to generate each tray, certifying it Plastic Negative by rePurpose Global. AEG maintains a robust reporting system allowing customers to track, report and communicate their impact through their sales and marketing channels. AEG has funded the recovery of 80,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastic through this initiative, while ORG has recovered 2,148 tons.

"We understand the pressure cannabis companies are under to produce profits under challenging economic conditions, making it even more difficult to be responsible stewards of the environment,” notes Forenza. “By leveraging an in-house recycling platform, we are producing EZ-Lock X ORG in a package that is affordable and functional without sacrificing shelf appeal.”

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