NEEPS

cmiddleton

Has anyone actually done this? Be honest.
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An Experimental Smallholder.

Julie · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:59 am Post subject:

I don't buy things if I am not happy with the amount of packaging. It might be a good way to protest but in the long run it cuts no ice with the manufacturers who pack it that way to begin with. The only thing they will sit up and take notice of is their sales figures and profit margins.
Have the courage of your convictions and do without these items - vote with your feet.

I'm so sick of saying that, I'm going to add it to my signature instead

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It is better to light a candle than to rail against the darkness
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET!

Julie · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:13 am Post subject:

Just had a conversation with my OH about this and he reckons that leaving the packaging at the till will make the supermarkets bring pressure to bear on the manufacturers too.

It set me wondering...... I noticed that Asda were actively pushing the no plastic easter eggs this year. It will be interesting to see how much impact it has on the future packaging of the confectioners products from now on. Lets hope they sold more of them than the others.
I bought toys this year because my daughter doesn't want the kids to have all that chocolate. They weren't any better! I struggled to get them out of the boxes because the wire twists holding the toys into the boxes were glued together. The only thing in their favour was that the boxes had no plastic on them.
_________________
It is better to light a candle than to rail against the darkness
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET!

bracken · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:26 am Post subject: packaging

Having been a packaging technologist for a large manufacturing company - the way things are packed are largly down to the supermarkets request. Many onshelf 'outers' are expensivley printed i.e using expensive inks and printing processes and ultimately expensive base materials to accept the print process.
Take a look in the bigger supermarket (begins with T ends in O....) at the display outers on shelf. You will see that they all look very similar as the supermarket has told the manufacturer that if they don't pack in this way they won't sell the products. They don't take into account that the factory machines are not designed to pack these new outers - many have to be packed again into shipping cases for their final journey and all mainly by hand.
What you see on the supermarket shelf is only the very end of the supply chain and there have been an awful lot of improvements that packaging professionals have innovated - from primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, that the supermarkets will not accept.
Whilst you are in the shops look again at the display 'bins' - usually they will have a selection of a certain manufacturers products on display. These are largley packed by co-packers who take the already packed products that have been delivered from the factory to the distribution centre then to the co-packing operation, strip them down, dispose of the original packaging, repack them into the new display bins, send them back to the distribution centre for delivery to the supermarkets for your 'convenience'.
I don't think that by leaving a few bits of cardboard packaging at the checkouts will influence the supermarkets in any way - apart from giving the poor person who serves you the inconvenience of clearing away the rubbish.

Ina · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:23 pm Post subject: Re: packaging

Julie · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:50 pm Post subject:

That was quite enlightening though Bracken. It does sound as if the supermarkets have the bulk of the influence in this matter.
Maybe there is a better way to make it backfire on them than to dump all the packaging at the till - the managers car maybe

...i'm just being silly.
They have to pay to have all their refuse removed so returning the packing in some form , provided enough people did it, might help.
I still think that boycotting products is the most effective if you could let them know you were doing it.
_________________
It is better to light a candle than to rail against the darkness
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET!

Smooth Hound · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject:

think of all that employment though, meaningful job satisfaction

thats what keeps this wonderful system going, growth,

even if it does mean wrapping your pie 5 times,

cmiddleton · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:32 pm Post subject:

Hopefully someday we will get back to basics; paper bags and wax paper, food that actually smells and tastes good, but looks ugly.... No theres a thought....

Has anyone tried an ugly fruit? Its kind of a mutant orange with the best flavour.

I 've been applying the same principle to fruit and veg and like to go for the mis-shapen ones as I find they tastle a little different from bog-standard shaped ones. Could be psychological, but anyone else done this?
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An Experimental Smallholder.

Ina · Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:57 pm Post subject:

Did you see the carrot that we didn't dare give to a customer?

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Ina