With a rising demand for cannabinoid products, there will be a vital need for sustainable methods of production as the industry matures.
A new white paper from Cellular Goods explores improved sustainability and increased purity of lab-based production of cannabinoids when compared with traditional agricultural production.
According to Vantage Market Research, the global market CBD market is expected to grow from US$4.9bn (~£3.90bn) in 2021 to $47.22bn by 2028.
As products such as supplements and cosmetics containing cannabinoids become increasingly popular and countries across the globe loosen regulations on cannabinoids, different methods of production will need to be leveraged to keep up with demand and avoid production bottlenecks.
Read more: PharmaSeeds discusses improving cannabis yield
The global demand for cannabinoids has been primarily driven by sales of CBD, which so far has been satisfied by agricultural cultivation of the plant from which cannabinoids are extracted – an inefficient process.
The paper states: “There is a significant need for sustainable bulk-chemical production, including the popularised cannabinoids, particularly given the cultural pressures of rising consumer awareness, product sustainability, climate change and environmental stewardship.”
Synthetic production
The paper highlights that cannabinoids make up just 2 to 5 per cent of the plant by mass, leading to approximately 90 per cent of the plant ending up as botanical waste. Agricultural production also uses large amounts of land and water, has yield variability, as well as having potential microbial and chemical contamination and crop loss.
The paper states: “Until recently, access to cannabinoids has been restricted to the cultivation of Cannabis sativa and extraction therefrom, a labour and energy intensive process; and akin to other crop productions systems the limitations are being realised as cannabinoid demand is commercialised.
Read more: Cannabis and climate change environmental impacts
“High yield variability, microbial and chemical contamination and crop-loss are all issues that plague Cannabis sativa. Furthermore, this type of agriculture has a negative environmental impact as it uses large amounts of land, water, fertilizers and pesticides, and has a high carbon footprint (electrical usage).”
Highlighting that the production capabilities of cannabis have shown diminishing economic returns, in particular for extracting and producing minor cannabinoids, the paper states that biotechnology and synthetic chemistry have provided the tools and processes necessary to produce at a commercial scale with significantly fewer environmental drawbacks and waste.
Synthetic production methods are utilised for a variety of everyday products such as flavouring extracts, replacement hormones, antibiotics, pigments and terpenes, for example, where compounds are created that are identical to their natural counterpart.
The paper highlights that the evolution of biosynthetic production techniques has also provided the ability to make changes in the genetic material of organisms and that computational power has provided further insights into the potential for modifications of biological systems.
It demonstrates that biotechnology and synthetic chemistry allow cannabinoids to be produced at a commercial scale with increased purity, upwards of 95 per cent.
It shows that, to produce 1,000kg of cannabigerol (CBG) outdoor production requires 208 per cent more time, and requires 40 acres of land, where as lab-based production requires less than one acre.
Read more: New technology maximises cannabis yield and reduces waste
In outdoor CBD production, CO2 emissions are 44 times higher than by biosynthesis and requires 333 times more water. For biomass waste, biosynthesis produces 99.93 per cent less waste than agricultural production.
Cellular Goods CEO, Anna Chokina, commented: “The publication of today’s white paper illustrates our continued commitment to creating environmentally conscious, efficacy-led products.
“Cellular Goods exclusively uses lab-produced cannabinoids in its products, and this decision is fully vindicated by this white paper.
“Not only is the production process more sustainable, requiring less land, water and producing greatly decreased biomass waste and carbon emissions than agricultural production, but lab production gives the opportunity to increase production without suffering systemic and biological restraints.
“Use of lab production provides a greater ability to respond to any increases in demand in the cannabinoid space, as consumers become increasingly conscious of the effective skincare and wellness applications of cannabinoids.”
Istok Nahtigal, Head of Process and Applied Sciences, commented: “Our research has further evidenced Cellular Goods’ existing belief that lab-production methods for producing cannabinoids are the future.
As consumers become increasingly environmentally conscious, it is important to prioritise ecological methods of production. Lab-production is a win-win for the company, as it is not only more sustainable, but produces purer, higher quality products.”
To read the full white paper please visit: cellular-goods.com
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