Ultralast Batteries: "Does This Packaging Make My Green Look Washed?"
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California 
on 12.17.08
When something like this arrives, I find the only way to really vent my frustration is to cause public embarrassment. So, off to the stocks with this Ultralast media package and its flood of greenwash.
Read on for the final straw that made this little package post-worthy.
The thing that really got my blood boiling about this package wasn't the way-too-big Fed-Ex box, it wasn't the dyed-green shredded paper, it wasn't the plastic bubbles, it wasn't the second cardboard box, or even the PR info printed on un-eco glossy paper.
It wasn't even the piece of plasticrap they offer to people visiting the booth.
No, the thing that finally made me mad enough to post about this is the utter hypocrisy of the greenwashing. Look at this:
Humm...green powered? It's run with two rechargeable AA batteries. That's not "green powered." You can't just slap an eco-friendly label on some rechargeable batteries and say they're suddenly green, because they're not. And that greenwashing is underscored by the intensely wasteful media kit in which the batteries arrived.
Message to Ultralast: If you're going to "go green," try to first take the idea of Green seriously.
Now in contrast, I received this press pack in the mail the next day:
It's a package from ThermaPAK, a laptop cooling pad that is neat-o enough to get its own post (stay tuned).
It arrived in just a simple Fed-Ex envelope, the item wasn't wrapped in any extra packaging, the press folder is made of 85% post-consumer recycled material, and it contains just a few sheets of paper. They could have improved it by doing just one black-and-white printed PR sheet with their website and basic info, printed on recycled paper of course. But even with the reasonable issue of too many printed materials, this was a big improvement upon that Ultralast package.
More Overpackaging Sins:
New Over-Packaging Record? 17 Boxes For 32 Pages
Overpackaging Alert: Treleela Tea
Is This Too Much Packaging, You Think?
Over-Packaging is a Low-Hanging Fruit to Help the Environment [Updated]
Secondary Packaging – The Silent Killer of the Environment
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Zero Waste—The Newest Eco-Fashion Innovation?
- Homemade Real Fruit Popsicles and Fudge Pops
- 5 Reuses for: Watermelon
- Green Glossary: Bagasse
- Recycled Plastic Workout Gear is Great for Fitness, Great for Planet
- Meet Green Business Consultant Tyler Moorehead, of GreenUnlimited
There's a fine line between making green and being green. It's unfortunate how many companies have jumped on the green bandwagon only to wash out the true ideology of "being green" to make a couple extra bucks. There should be an organization that these companies have to go through before making such misadvertised claims.
There were only 2 AAs in that box? This post made my heart stop. Who are these people? Not one person stopped and thought to themselves that the packaging was in excess.
And...
PS... Fly across the country for CES and we will give you a free toy! YEAH!
What the hell?
The greenwashing thing makes me sick. Have you ever bought anything from PlanetShoes.com? They're so guilty of greenwashing that it's not even funny. Half their brands aren't eco-friendly, and once I ordered some stuff from them and they used SO much eco-UNfriendly packaging crap that I decided that I'll never order from them again. Their prices were not good but I figured "oh, they're an eco-friendly company, so I'll pay extra..." but I felt duped.
Are there any truly green companies that aren't just greenwashing?
I agree with Andrew's comment. It's like when food is labeled organic; there's a set of criteria that the food needs to qualify for in order to be organic. Any company can SAY they're green...but which ones really are? And which ones are at least trying (and not just to rake in extra dough)
Good call. MORE greenwash alerts.
I don't want to apologize for anyone here, but I wonder sometimes how many of these problems are caused by people in the mailroom with inappropriate shipping supplies.
My recollection from my last visit to my local mailbox was that the box size shown in that picture was the smallest box they carried on site. If you go to usps.gov, they have many other options, but that involves having them ship boxes to you. If you're a small company, it makes about as much sense to go to the post office and box a small number of outgoing merchandise there, as it does bringing the shipping materials on-site.
It's hard to say whether this is endemic to the company, an assistant to a PR person who doesn't quite 'get' what the product line stands for, or a shortage of supplies and an over-full schedule.
The best way I can think of to avoid greenwashing is to buy from certified green companies. Co-Op America (now known as Green America) certifies companies as being green. Their National Green Pages is online and searchable. It's a great resource.
No company is perfect, but I think you stand a good chance of avoiding greenwashing by going through one of the companies that they have approved.