Giant Hexo aims to become carbon neutral by planting trees

Producing one gram of cannabis is equivalent to burning 1.6 liters of gasoline. This is the alarming results of a recent study by the University of Colorado. Industry giant Hexo has therefore decided to draw the necessary conclusions, announcing that it will be carbon neutral by September 2021. This means that, theoretically, in three months' time, the company will release as many greenhouse gases as it absorbs.

Governments and major multinationals often announce carbon neutrality for 2050, 2040, or even 2030 for the most ambitious. But today, Canada's third-largest producer announces a deadline in three months' time. How can this be?

Hexo will be working with Offsetters, a Canadian organization that offers companies the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets. In this way, for $20, It is possible to «offset» a tonne of carbon, in particular by protecting forests. «When a tree grows, it absorbs carbon from the air. This carbon is then stored in the root system. 25 % of carbon remains in the earth!», rejoices Hexo's CEO from Hemp Industry Daily.

For the UN, planting trees is pointless

To achieve carbon neutrality, Hexo is not announcing any far-reaching changes in the way it grows cannabis. It will not try to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the farms. indoor. Instead, he chooses to offset this pollution by planting trees.

But that's not enough, according to global warming specialists. «If we really want to avoid catastrophic global change, we need to reduce emissions by 45 % by 2030. Trees planted today can't grow fast enough to achieve this goal.», moderates UN environment.

«Planting trees» has become the easy way out for polluting companies looking for a green conscience. Air France does the same, for example. But that's not enough. Rather than planting trees, growing cannabis outdoors, rather than indoors, could be another solution. Indeed, the plant is recognized for «depolluting» soils.

In the end, this desire to offset carbon may be more financial than ecological. Sébastien Saint-Louis, the company's CEO, puts it in black and white: «This generation Z that's coming up will own most of the wealth in twenty years» time. That money will go into funds, but if those funds focus on activities that destroy the planet, then we'll have nothing at all."