July 1, 2009
When we saw these ‘wooden utensils’ in Anthropologie on 5th Avenue in New York recently, we wondered if the retailer was engaging in a bit of greenwashing. Sure, the bundle of eight knives, forks and spoons may be made from sustainably grown birch but is it really “sustainable” when they wrap it all in non-biodegrable plastic.
Inspiration to make things better.
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Similar to how I (and others, it seems – http://www.fitsugar.com/1739948) feel about seeing plastic-wrapped organic bananas sitting right next to loose-but-not-organic bananas.
Though, I doubt the birch utensils are wrapped in plastic to speed ripening.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Agreed – another apparent attempt at appealing to the green world without actually being green is Incase. Sure I bought the ‘bamboo’ iPhone protector and the packaging was made from a high percentage of sustainable material, but the ‘non-green’ counterparts were not made of sustainable material. Why even bother?
July 1st, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Addendum:
I should have specified the non-green cases did not have sustainable packaging.
I find this example particularly offensive because they obviously assume people won’t figure it out or care. But, if they have the capability to make some sustainable packaging, why not use ALL sustainable packaging.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Some friends and I tend to discuss things around a cost to use lifespan ratio, cost being both environmental and fiscal. These don’t look as though they would last past 2-3 uses, in addition to the issues regarding packaging. So if you take a longer lifespan perspective, the best thing for the environment you can do is invest in items that will outlive yourself but still continue to be useful. One argument I’ve had with some people about new building projects where we have to put in new sewer lines is the vigin pvc versus recycled pvc piping. Yes, recycled pvc is fantastic, but it’s only guaranteed for 30 years in most cases, and on top of that, it can’t be recycled again. Virgin pvc has an estimated lifespan of about 150 years, and can be recycled. So, which is the most environmentally friendly? It’s all a matter of perspective
July 1st, 2009 at 9:07 pm