Moroccan Study Maps for First Time Cannabis Oil’s Environmental, Social Footprint

Marrakech – A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Pollutants on April 10 has mapped the full environmental and social footprint of Morocco’s cannabis seed oil industry for the first time.

The research compared three production models and found that cooperative extraction outperforms both artisanal and industrial operations across nearly all environmental categories.

The study was conducted by researchers from Mohammed V University in Rabat, the National School of Applied Sciences of Agadir, Chouaib Doukkali University, and the International University of Agadir. It applied a life cycle assessment in accordance with ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006, paired with a social responsibility evaluation based on ISO 26000:2010.

The team assessed three processing chains: traditional artisanal presses, producer cooperatives, and regulated industrial plants. All were measured against a functional unit of 1 kg of cold-pressed oil packaged for local distribution. Data came from field measurements, interviews with Moroccan farmers and cooperatives, and a processing plant in Casablanca.

Results established that cooperative extraction produced 3.02 kg of CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of oil. Artisanal production reached 4.52 kg. Industrial facilities landed at 3.25 kg.

The cooperative model’s advantage stems from higher extraction efficiency. It requires 3.0 kg of seeds per kilogram of oil, compared to 4.4 kg in the artisanal scenario. Energy consumption follows the same pattern. Cooperatives use 0.54 kWh per kilogram of oil. Artisanal and industrial operations both consume 0.9 kWh.

Seed losses follow the same trend. The artisanal system loses 0.6 kg per functional unit. Cooperatives and industrial plants keep losses below 0.15 kg.

The contribution analysis identified electricity consumption as the main driver of environmental impacts across all scenarios. In the artisanal model, electricity used during seed cleaning and cold pressing accounts for 48-55% of climate change impact. That share drops to 35-40% in cooperatives.

Process losses in artisanal operations contribute up to 18% of terrestrial acidification and 15% of fine particulate matter formation. Those figures fall below 7% in the other two models.

The researchers noted that industrial facilities “perform comparably to cooperatives if powered by renewable electricity.” A shift from 22% to 50% renewables in the electricity mix could reduce climate impacts by roughly 25%, the study estimated.

Packaging and transport contribute modestly, at around 10% of overall impacts. Sensitivity analysis showed that even a 20% reduction in transport distance lowers climate impacts by only about 1%.

The 2021 legalization unlocked a rapidly expanding legal sector

The study also placed cannabis oil within the broader edible oils market. The cooperative scenario’s 3.02 kg CO₂-eq is competitive with mid-range canola and sunflower systems. Italian cannabis oil production, by contrast, reaches values up to 23.34 kg CO₂-eq due to low seed yields. Refined sunflower oil sits at approximately 4.49 kg CO₂-eq per kilogram.

On the social front, the assessment revealed a sharp gradient. The artisanal informal system scored an average of 1.0 out of 5 on ISO 26000:2010 dimensions, equivalent to 20% conformity. Cooperatives reached 4.0 out of 5, or 80%. Industrial regulated operations scored 4.4, reaching 88%.

Cooperatives scored highest on community involvement at 5 out of 5, driven by local reinvestment mechanisms. Industrial plants led on organizational governance, fair operating practices, and consumer issues, each scoring 5 out of 5.

The researchers described the transition from informal to regulated production as having “markedly improved organizational governance, labor conditions, consumer protection and community involvement.”

The study’s recommendations target six areas: adopting drip irrigation to cut water use by 30-50%, improving seed yields through cultivar selection, recovering co-products such as seed cake for animal feed or fertilizer, increasing renewable energy adoption, switching to eco-designed packaging, and strengthening cooperative governance structures.

Morocco legalized industrial and medicinal cannabis under Law No. 13-21 in 2021. The global hemp seed oil market was valued at approximately $3.26 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $15.63 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.7%.

The cannabis-based cosmetics segment stood at $7.24 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $28.97 billion by 2030. The CBD nutraceuticals market was valued at $8.99 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $19.04 billion by 2030.

The study also noted that Morocco’s local Beldia variety offers an oil content of 32.81% and a protein content of 24.84%, with polyunsaturated fatty acids reaching 63.8%. Its carbon sequestration potential is estimated at between 3.15 and 3.68 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare.

ANRAC director general Mohamed El Guerrouj recently told MAP that the harvested area of legal cannabis reached 3,141 hectares in 2025 across 4,776 farmers. The local Beldia variety covered 2,622 hectares. Total dry matter production hit 19,576 quintals, up from 18,810 the previous year.

On the industrial side, five operators built and equipped processing plants in 2025 with a combined capacity of 560 tonnes. Eleven more factories are under construction. A total of 141 cannabis-based products are now registered, including 50 dietary supplements, 59 cosmetics, and one medication.

The study received no external funding. Its authors noted that the analysis was limited by a small number of facilities studied and data from a single agricultural season.