Comments on: Logitech Webcam C210: More Packaging than Product

By: Condo Blues

Condo Blues — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:59:57 +0000

Arya does not look pleased.

I feel your pain. I had to order a card of 4 AAA rechargeable batteries because I couldn’t find them for sale locally. Well, truthfully I didn’t feel like driving to 3 other stores not on my errand route. I paid for it. I got those batteries in a box almost as long as my dog and with more plastic pillows in the box that product. :(

By: jenny

jenny — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:20:31 +0000

My husband and I are saving most of our cardboard and paper waste for a big composting project in the fall. You basically lay out newspapers and cardboard over your flower and garden beds, layered with compost and manure and all that good stuff. And then next spring you plant your stuff in a bed of gorgeous, rich soil.
So I still think the packaging is way too much, but composting is a nice way to use it, rather than the recycling bin, which is in turn much better than the trash.

By: Aspen

Aspen — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:13:29 +0000

I’ve been thinking about getting one from
http://www.unitedpepper.org

They’re an electronics company that seems quite devoted to producing fair trade and green electronics. They list the materials they use although I’m unsure how much, if any, plastic they use. Thought it’d be worth sharing. It’s a cool idea for a company given huge environmental and social impact the production of electronics entails.

By: Remember that joke gift, where you put a tiny gift in a huge box? « It's Not Easy Being Green

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:02:32 +0000

[...] Beth over at Fake Plastic Fish just bought a webcam. A 4.3 oz camera with 4.4 oz. packaging and a box more than 10 times the volume of the camera itself. She is, understandably, aghast. [...]

By: Vanessa Battersby

Vanessa Battersby — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:08:01 +0000

Hi Beth,

Not totally on topic here: but I wanted to thank you for inspiring me to act. I bought a couple of pairs of underwear online from a company here in Australia (bamboobody.com.au): they sell sustainable bamboo clothes.

But I was horrified to find that the underwear arrived individually wrapped in plastic, so – I rang the company. First time ever. One of the staff rang me back today and explained that it’s actually biodegradable cellophane, not plastic…. so I didn’t really save the earth. But I’ve never contacted a company to complain about their packaging before. It’s a start! Small steps

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:58:02 +0000

You know it’s all good that we write letters when we are mad or feel that companies are not doing right. As long as we remember (and believe I fail at this a lot) to write when companies do the right thing. Case in point when I ordered a Nuetron re chargeable lawn mower the packaging was as minimal as possible, and certain things showed that someone was thinking at the company like instead of styrofoam using cardboard blocks to cushion sensitive parts. I was really pleased! Did I remember to write the company and tell them? No. I failed. oh well. I will try to do better next time (And yes I know it is not too late to write a note now)

By: arduous

arduous — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:59:56 +0000

“I understand that mail trucks are making their deliveries anyways, but it seems a bit chicken-and-egg. Because if fewer people were doing the shipping, surely that would cut down on emissions, based on weight of goods and possibly even the number of flights that need to made or the number of trucks on the road.”

Well sure, but if fewer people were buying stuff at the mall, then there would be fewer trucks on the road carrying stuff to the mall.

Either way, it’s the weight and size of the package that matters. I don’t see the carbon advantage of a webcam from Radioshack just because it’s shipped in bulk, since as so many people noted, the USPS mail trucks go to your door every day regardless. And if the Amazon package is smaller and lighter, it’s actually a net positive to ship from Amazon.

And on a more philosophical level, shouldn’t we be supporting the companies that ARE changing their practices to be more environmentally friendly as opposed to those that continue to package their web cams in excessive packaging?

By: Twyla

Twyla — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:45:18 +0000

How weird is this. I see this email in my inbox, right next to one about frustration free packaging. Couldn’t help but remark on the irony.
I have often wondered about the footprint and which is better really of buying eco things and having them shipped to you vs buying mass produced things with a smidge of plastic. I wouldn’t even know how to weigh the odds.

By: Sandra Lee

Sandra Lee — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:58:20 +0000

I really admire your willingness to take the extra step and write a letter to the company. I always wonder about buying from Amazon. By the time I make the two hour round-trip to the store, I wonder if it wouldn’t save ecologically to buy from Amazon and have it delivered via USPS, since they drive out everyday anyway. In either case, the product is getting shipped via air either to the store or to the post office if I get it from Amazon. I wonder if anyone has done an analysis on this!

By: RSA Certificate

RSA Certificate — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:23:23 +0000

I doubt the fuel savings would outweigh the packaging waste. I mean the packages will still be shipped in the same way whether it’s one package or 50.