Super-8 Recycled Loosefill Packing Peanuts

The latest from Williams-Sonoma isn’t a new jet-powered espresso machine or a Le Creuset pot in the shape of a dog, it’s their packaging materials, which now consist of Flo-Pak Super 8 loosefill—a fancy way of saying “peanuts” made from recycled polystyrene. Now wait a sec--we know that polystyrene isn’t the most ideal material on the planet and that just because they’re made of recycled stuff doesn’t make them any better when they do make it to the landfill. So before you get your disposable-packaging panties in a bundle, let us explain...

Unlike stupid Styrofoam peanuts, which tend to chip apart, Super 8 is designed to keep its shape, so they say, which both helps to protect the items being shipped and ensure that the peanuts can be reused. Which brings us to the kicker: You simply call the 24-7 Peanut Hotline at 800-828-2214 to learn where the nearest drop-off location is. (A quick call related that there are three that are relatively closeby to my non-urban home, all at central locations like shopping plazas.) We know these aren’t as fantabulous as the biodegradeable packing peanuts that Nature Girl and Rich Hippie use, but hey, at least W-S is thinking ahead, and we like that. ::Williams-Sonoma [by MO]