Balancing Act - Barrier and Sustainability in Cannabis Packaging

Abstract

Two seemingly contradictory challenges, barrier and sustainability, are required for cannabis packaging. This talk presents an initial playbook at managing moisture and oxygen barrier requirements for Cannabis packaging, looking at three segments: growing, storage/shipment and retail, and outlines the challenges in meeting those needs with sustainable materials and technologies now and in the future.   

About the Speaker

Peter J. Schmitt began his career in the early 1980’s by selling various types of polymeric raw materials (film, sheet, and synthetic resin) to the medical, pharmaceutical and electronics industries in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean. The company he helped build was acquired by a division of General Electric (Polymerland), and his territory expanded to include Mexico and Central America.

In 1994, Peter joined American Mirrex (a major supplier of PVC film to the healthcare industry at that time), where he was Product Manager and later Director of Marketing. In 1996, he founded Montesino Associates, which provides consulting services to the healthcare packaging industry in regulatory, technical, M&A and marketing areas. And in 2000, he founded Montesino Technologies, a manufacturers’ representative for high technology film and converting equipment.

Over the next decade, Montesino grew as a leader in helping companies implement and cope with change in healthcare packaging: regulatory change (DMFs, interchangeability, and QbD in packaging); technological change (FEA, simulation, 3D tools, etc.), and helping customers understand the rapidly changing channels for packaging in the healthcare marketplace. Montesino’s presence in Latin America grew as well, focusing on both regulatory issues and transferring packaging technology.

Peter continues to lead Montesino to take on new challenges: sustainability in packaging, cannabis in packaging, transformative and disruptive technology, strategic analysis of spend versus value, assisting suppliers and end users in navigating changes in healthcare packaging. Exploring emerging markets and packaging’s role in their growth remains an important focus of his as well. Peter has a M.Div. from St. Bernard’s and a B.A. from St. John Fisher, both in Rochester, NY.