Friday, 25 May 2012

Rant 146 25/5/12 Subject: Packaging

Rant number 146

Today, a long awaited item arrived which is brilliant. I am installing the enclosed software as we speak - now that I have finally got the wrapper off of it. 

It gets me thinking about the amount of packing that crosses through my hands in a week. The jiffy bags, the food wrappers. Is it really all that necessary?

I'm sure in days past, they did without all of this wrapping, but these days its preposterous.

If I get an item from eBay, its often: an item within moulded plastic packaging, held in place by several cable ties, within an outer box (complete with cellophane window) within a jiffy bag.

And where prey does all of that excess packaging go?

Straight in the bin, that's where.

I understand that items need to feature branding and need to travel a long distance safely - but I'm sure that they could cut it down really. I'm sure that I wouldn't be bothered. I don't want the packaging, just the item after all.

Things are surprisingly crude if you think about it. We have to package items against the world in varying ways - but there must be some technology beyond what we are doing. Something lightweight, strong, but easy to reuse or biodegrade. Or an incentive for returning packaging for reuse - I don't know.

Food packaging too is ridiculous. We make nothing locally - and so items need to last for ever, cans, jars, foil packs, vacuum packs - it all takes it toll.

Even the laptop I rant on, came in carefully moulded polystyrene, an anti static pouch, a box, another box and finally another outer box.

We really should think of something better than all of this waste!

Rant over.

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