The 2021 Sustainability Awards will feature seven award categories: Energy, Water, Social Impact, Governance, Packaging, and Stewardship. A $1500 value prize package will help winning companies to promote and share their best sustainability practices.

Two years into legal cannabis sales, many want to know: Is Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Program growing sustainably? Cannabis Can, WasteTrakr, Medicate OH, and Tress Deals have joined together to begin to answer that question. The 2021 Sustainability Awards will feature seven award categories: Energy, Water, Social Impact, Governance, Packaging, and Stewardship. A $1500 value prize package will help winning companies to promote and share their best sustainability practices. 

The Need for Sustainability

Ohio’s cannabis industry is growing quickly. The number of registered patients in Ohio’s program is now over 200,000. That’s nearly double the number from a year ago. Marijuana Business Factbook projects Ohio MMJ sales could reach as high as $425 million this year, doubling figures from 2020. 

Patients, advocates, and industry leaders want to know: Is Ohio’s Medical Program growing with an eye on sustainably? Sustainable growth looks at the impact a business has on using our planet’s resources in a responsible way plus helps evaluate the impact on the community.  Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals are a tool that will enable businesses to share impact in Ohio. 

Cannabis Businesses Together Can Support Sustainability

“As a community, we want to help celebrate those that have implemented goals and help those in 2022 with their New Year resolution,” said Cole Wallis of the Cannabis Can Project, one of the four ancillary cannabis businesses that’s organizing these awards. The goal of the 2021 Sustainability Awards is to highlight the work of businesses achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encourage cannabis business in the state to ensure sustainability is an integral part of their business practice. The creation of the 2021 Sustainability Awards will allow cannabis businesses to showcase their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices with the public, potential investors, and patients. 

Steve Peterson, CEO of WasteTrakr and Partner at Tress Deals noted, “the USA is trailing dramatically in the implementation of the United Nations initiatives that were adopted in 2015.  We are seeing in other industries that 79% of the consumers, especially women, are changing their purchase preferences based on ESG. Morningstar reported ESG funds captured $51.1B in new money from investors in 2020 alone.  So, locally, we feel that many cannabis businesses already operate in a sustainable manner and are just not communicating those attributes or lack the platform to do so.  The 2021 Sustainability Awards will hopefully raise awareness and show the communities served in Ohio that we are a very responsible industry”.

The 2021 Sustainability Awards will feature seven award categories to be judged, including: Energy, Water, Social Impact, Governance, Packaging, Innovation and Stewardship. 

How to Submit a Sustainability Awards Application

Any cannabis or ancillary business operating in accordance with state and local regulations in Ohio may apply. The deadline has been extended to January 31, 2021. The application materials can be found on the Cannabis Can website at: www.CannabisCanOhio.org/2021SustainabilityAwards 

Each entry is $300. One entry per category. There are 7 categories. Winners will be awarded a plaque, an 800-1000 word feature profile in MedicateOH and a complimentary booth at their next event ($500 value), a spotlight session on Clubhouse, a free on-line ESG dashboard for a year from WasteTrakr ($300 value), a free one month listing on TressDeals ($200 Value) to reach potential investors and a free speaking opportunity at the next CannabisCanOhio mixer ($200 Value), and features on Cannabis Can Social Media ($200 value). Total package is worth $1,500 per category winner. 

Winners will be announced in February at the Cannabis Can Meetup in Columbus, Ohio. 

To apply, visit www.CannabisCanOhio.org/2021SustainabilityAwards

Email cole@cannabiscanohio.org with any questions. 

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Author

  • Gabrielle Dion

    Medicate OH's Founder and Publisher is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and holds an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master's degree in public administration, both from Northern Kentucky University. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing professionally for the medical and wellness industries, including positions with The Journal of Pediatrics, Livestrong, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and Patient Pop.

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