Brand Stories

I’m TJ, founder of 454 Bags and 454 Bags No Trace. I never saw myself as an eco-warrior or earth nut. I’m just a small-town, big-grow cannabis farmer. But when you’re in the agricultural sector, it’s impossible to ignore the plastic crisis facing this country–the whole world. 

The cannabis industry alone generates more than 300 million pounds a day–just us. Just cannabis, a relatively small niche of American agriculture. And all that plastic stays with us. Forever. Plastic doesn’t break down–it just turns into microplastics, which eventually end up in our soil, our water, our food, and our bodies. Researchers have found microplastics in human placenta, for goodness sake. 

We’ve had enough. 

That’s why I started 454 Bags back in 2019. And why we are now launching 454 Bags No Trace.

We started in 2019 with 454 Bags, which were made from a cleaner plastic that’s 100% curbside recyclable. At the time, that was the quickest way we could make a difference. The cannabis industry standard for storage bags and liners is nylon, which is not only the dirtiest plastic to manufacture but also completely non recyclable.

454 Bags was a huge success, but we didn’t stop there. We got an exclusive agreement with a USDA Bio-preffered bioplastic factory and kept working behind the scenes to find a real alternative to conventional plastic.

Now, 3 years and $250k later, we’ve done it. We’ve come up with a true bioplastic–one that’s actually usable and universally biodegradable, which is basically impossible to find. 

Most bioplastic products aren’t as usable or convenient as regular plastic simply because research and development is expensive, and most bioplastic companies haven’t made that investment. But we did.

We put in the time and money and research, and we DO have something that’s as good as regular plastic. In fact, it’s better. Our bioplastic is…

-Landfill biodegradable. Unlike other bioplastics, you can just toss this right in the trash (no need for a “properly maintained compost unit” or other special conditions).-100% oxygen barrier. That means whatever you’re storing–cannabis, herbs, spices, even meat–will stay fresh and yummy, with no browning or loss of quality.-Antimicrobial and antibacterial-STRONGER than conventional plastic. Better tear and puncture resistance means not only better performance but less waste. 

If we can just get this bioplastic on the market, the possibilities are endless. Not just in the agricultural industry but everywhere. In our homes, in our schools, at every level of our society. We could create a future where our kids don’t grow up drowning in plastic outside their homes and inside their own bodies. 

It’s not like we did the impossible - anyone could have done what we did. No one else did simply because it doesn’t make sense financially. R&D is expensive, and there’s no way to recoup those costs without a heavy price tag on the end product. But not enough people will buy that product when plastic is so much cheaper. It seems like an impossible situation, and it is…without help from the outside.

You can be that for us. With your help, we CAN provide the public with a viable alternative that they can afford. We can develop and launch products  that could one day completely end our reliance on plastic, and do it at a price point that is actually accessible to consumers.  So please–help us get these products out there so we can put plastic in the past where it belongs.