Restalk has completed first prototype created from 100% recycled marijuana stalk.
Allocating a small portion of its processed source material, Restalk engineered a sustainable and tree-free paper product.
Restalk's newly appointed Chairman of the Board, Kyle Tracey notes, "As the marijuana industry is predicted to generate $35 Billion by 2020, it is imperative to implement beneficial environmental practices before this sector enters it's next phase. There are tens of millions of marijuana plants grown each year on American soil. This waste adds up to thousands of tons of bio-waste which is often disposed through outdoor burning, incinerators, landfills, and composting; all of which leads to increases in our carbon footprint over time. Restalk will tackle the problem by providing an eco-friendly recycling solution to legal cultivators across the country. We will repurpose the cannabis bio-waste into consumer products, and incentivize farmers by offering a royalty on sales relative to their contribution. While utilizing our strong network of cultivation partners, Restalk aims to create a new standard in cannabis waste management practices."
Emerald Family Farms, a large collective of growers from the fabled Emerald Triangle, produce award winning cannabis for patients throughout California. "We are thrilled to be able to work with Restalk. Their platform allows our farms to be more sustainable than ever. The value in packaging products from our recycled stalks is amazing. Consumers who support Restalk products are fully backing sustainable growers everywhere," said Patrick Murphy Founder of Emerald Family Farms.
While the merit of the male cannabis plant (hemp) has been proven throughout history and continues to advance on a larger scale, the female plant which produces similar fibers, has up until now only been recognized for its medicinal and recreational applications.
"Now more than ever, cannabis is our nation's largest cash crop. Only recently has there been any attention focused on the byproducts caused from the cultivation of medical and recreational marijuana. Our interest lies within what we can tangibly recycle and repurpose today, tomorrow and in the immediate future. We have successfully developed a supply chain of sustainable farmers, collected several tons of material and have begun the recycling process," said CEO and Co-Founder of Restalk LLC, Lucas Hildebrand.
Restalk is working in concert with several major brands towards developing strategic partnerships for their eco-friendly source material, which is set to go into production Spring of 2016.
"We are very pleased with our progress and eager to get our cannabis byproducts to market. Throughout the past two years of experiments, consultations with scientists, cultivators, agriculture professionals, non profits, and various businesses, we've gained a critical understanding of its value. Our paper prototype is a great start, but we are really just scratching the surface. There is a real viability for our material to be integrated across several sectors, whether it be in the form of composites, bio-plastics, textiles, or even 3D printing. There are many practical and cutting edge applications," said Hildebrand.
Restalk recycles parts of the plant which contain marginal levels of psychoactive properties. Through the recycling process any subsequent THC compounds are removed; this renders the material federally legal to possess and handle, as per the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937