The Environmental & Consumer Compliance Organization (ECCO), California's leading nonprofit education and certification program for cannabis products, today releases the results of their first audit. After launching in December 2024 with a mission to ensure consumer confidence in product safety and quality, ECCO pledged to randomly test their member brand's products monthly for 100+ contaminants to ensure continued adherence and compliance to the highest safety and quality standards.
ECCO’s First Cohort of Certified Members & Audit Results
Since its inception less than three months ago, The Environmental & Consumer Compliance Organization (ECCO) has grown to include nine newly certified members. ECCO’s first cohort incorporates both B2C brands and B2B manufacturers, united by the goal of gathering the most ethical operators in the industry to self-regulate for the greater benefit of consumers.
- Raw Garden
- Noble Pacific
- Jetty Extracts
- Coastal Sun
- LEEF
- Conception Nurseries
- Bloom
- Soma Rosa Farms
- Howie Roll
Two product SKUs from each of these brands have been randomly selected by purchasing in-person California retailers and tested at accredited labs for 100+ contaminants. This process ensures compliance with ECCO Certification Standards, promoting trust and accountability with customers, retailers and the larger legal cannabis community.
ECCO is pleased to report that each of the nine members from their first cohort have passed the rigorous third party lab testing and received ECCO Certification. These brands will now have the option to include an ECCO Certification sticker on their outer packaging for the next 12 months so retailers and consumers can easily identify that they are pesticide free. The results will also be published online for additional transparency.
"Since its founding in 2013, Jetty has been obsessed with creating the safest, cleanest, and most flavorful products. Our commitment to quality and consistency has been essential to our success," said Ron Gershoni, CEO of Jetty Extracts. “We are excited to partner with ECCO as we continue to set the standard for clean and effective cannabis products.”
Audit Results from Non-Member Brands
As a benchmark, ECCO’s process involves randomly testing products from non-member brands — not only did not all products pass, but the pesticides that were found in non-member brands are pesticides that have been identified on the DCC list. Chlorfenapyr, a category 1 pesticide, was found in a widely known non-member brand. Chlorfenapyr poses serious health risks and symptoms can include fever, rhabdomyolysis, and neurological issues.
ECCO is committed to going above the DCC listed requirements. At least once each quarter, ECCO updates its standards to address newly identified contaminants and risks. This proactive approach ensures alignment with emerging research, further protecting consumer health.
ECCO Announces New Executive Director, Jennifer Lujan
Earlier this month, ECCO also announced the appointment of Jennifer Lujan as its new Executive Director. Lujan’s fifteen years of experience in cannabis advocacy, impact, and regulatory compliance support the organization's mission of elevating standards to empower consumers.
Lujan joins ECCO from Eaze, where she served as Senior Director of Social Impact and led the company's award winning accelerator program Momentum that supported 30 minority-owned businesses. Prior to Eaze, Lujan founded and served as CEO of Weed for Good, an organization that provided free cannabis to low-income, terminally ill patients throughout California. She brings more than 15 years of experience in community engagement and social impact, and has been recognized by Fast Company for World Changing Ideas, WeedWeek for Best CSR Program and San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area’s Most Influential Women.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer Lujan to lead the organization," said Ford Smith, Co-Founder of ECCO. "Her proven leadership in cannabis and consumer advocacy makes her the ideal person to guide us through our next chapter of growth."
In her new role, Lujan will oversee ECCO's Certification Program, which has completed its first audit including passing marks for Jetty Extracts, Coastal Sun, Soma Rosa Farms and other newly certified brands.
"I'm honored to join ECCO at this pivotal moment for cannabis consumer safety," said Lujan. "Throughout my career, I've advocated for access to safe, high-quality cannabis products, particularly for vulnerable populations. I feel incredibly aligned with ECCO's mission to protect consumer health and I look forward to expanding our certification program so consumers are empowered to make more informed choices."
About ECCO
The Environmental & Consumer Compliance Organization (ECCO) is California's leading nonprofit education and certification program for cannabis products, dedicated to safeguarding consumer health, educating consumers and elevating industry standards. Founded in 2024 by Ford Smith (Ultranative), Trent Overholt (Noble Pacific), Thomas Martin (Raw Garden), and Elliot Lewis (Catalyst), ECCO was established in response to concerns about safety and quality in the legal California cannabis market. Led by Executive Director Jennifer Lujan, ECCO randomly tests their member brand's products each month for 100+ contaminants to ensure continued adherence and compliance. Consumers can be confident that ECCO certified brands prioritize safety, sustainability, transparency and uphold the highest safety and quality standards.
CONTACT
For more information, please visit www.eccocert.org
Interested brands may contact apply@eccocert.org
Follow @ECCO_Certified on LinkedIn, @ECCO_cert on Instagram, and @ECCOcert on X
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