How BC Cannabis Stores and the LDB prioritize the environment
At BC Cannabis Stores, we work hard to make decisions that reflect our commitment to the environment.
Our stores are designed in compliance with the LDB’s construction specifications handbook, which provides building contractors with the information they need to ensure all stores meet the LDB’s energy-efficiency and sustainability requirements. These requirements include using high-efficiency LED lighting in all new stores as well as installing flooring which doesn’t require waxing and polishing, helping to reduce use of chemicals for cleaning purposes.
BC Cannabis Stores’ offer recyclable paper bags for a charge of 25 cents each to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags, which is in-line with municipal laws. The paper bags supplied to BCCS are manufactured locally and contain 40 per cent post-consumer recycled content and plant-based ink making them 100 percent recyclable through curbside collection programs and compostable.
Our distribution centre, where our non-medical cannabis products are shipped from, operates with nine different recycling streams, minimizing waste that would otherwise have ended up in the landfill. This includes recycling 8.67 metric tonnes of cardboard, preventing almost 900 trees being cut for new products and reducing the material in the landfill by 360 cubic yards and 108 tonnes of plastic along with 31 tonnes of wood.
As a division of the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB), BC Cannabis Stores considers environmental sustainability in its business operating decisions and annual planning processes. As a new line of business, BC Cannabis Stores is continuously incorporating the many successful initiatives that the LDB is proud to have established.
The LDB is committed to being carbon neutral, and we’ve succeeded at this mandate for the past 12 years. This means we track all our energy, paper, and fuel consumption, and we pay to offset the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. (Want to learn more? Read our 2021 Carbon Neutral Action Report here.) Our longstanding Impact Team also works hard to ensure that the LDB supports ongoing environmental initiatives and campaigns such as environmental reporting, waste recycling and reduction, energy management for facilities, sustainable commuting programs for staff, and more.
At our head office, nearly 50 staff carpool to work each day. The program results in at least 20 vehicles off the road and reduced commuting emissions. Also, there are currently six EV charging parking spots at Head Office with the number of stations set to expand over the next year as our zero emissions fleet vehicles increase.
All staff is encouraged to cycle to work, and each spring during Bike to Work Week, team members from our head office, distribution centres, BC Liquor Stores, and BC Cannabis Stores take part in a group called the Spirited Cyclists. In 2022, the Spirited Cyclists team as a whole logged over 1,800km and saved 391kg of greenhouse gas emissions.
BC Cannabis Stores and the LDB will mark Earth Day by highlighting our sustainable practices during the month of April, and hosting a conservation-themed event for staff that will reinforce the message of this important day. We can all make choices in our homes and workplaces that will have a positive effect on the natural environment and the future sustainability of the planet.
