All that packaging?? but yet it's 'green'

[greendragonfly]

I'm sure people can relate to me. I hate plastic! but love it too. The reason's are obvious. But what is with these new 'green' cleaning products/companies in our grocery, pharmacy and department stores...?

I've started checking them out and sure, for the most part the products are better, greener, what have you, than named brand cleaners.
(I personally don't use named brand cleaner anything! I use eco-friendly super concentrated cleaners where I add the water!)

It's the amount of plastic used for all those bottles and all the emissions to deliver all that plastic to the stores, that's got me in a tizzy.

[rfdrfd]

True.

I remember seeing Costco selling iPods, empty packages with the cardboard with fancy iPod machine printed on it, then wrapped in stiff plastic. You grab it and pay, then claim it for the real thing.

They literally had thousands of these plastic packages of nothing on the crates.


Then finally, one day they stopped doing that. Now its only the hard cardboard on display, minus the plastic packaging. Duh.... you'd think someone would be smarter to begin with.

[brunes]

I'm sure people can relate to me. I hate plastic! but love it too. The reason's are obvious. But what is with these new 'green' cleaning products/companies in our grocery, pharmacy and department stores...?

I've started checking them out and sure, for the most part the products are better, greener, what have you, than named brand cleaners.
(I personally don't use named brand cleaner anything! I use eco-friendly super concentrated cleaners where I add the water!)

It's the amount of plastic used for all those bottles and all the emissions to deliver all that plastic to the stores, that's got me in a tizzy.

Well they have to put the cleaner in something - what would you have them use?

Glass bottles might be more reuseable and chemically inert, but they weigh a lot more, and that means a lot more carbon emissions when shipped.

Packaging is a complex problem with no easy solutions. The best approach is to buy i bulk wherever possible. I buy huge cleaner containers from Costco and just refill the smaller containers over and over. It's cheaper this way too, and less plastic.

[mjl_toronto]

Just skip the cleaners altogether and mix your own solution of vinegar, baking soda and water. I've made the switch and don't notice any difference from lysol (except the mild vinegar smell).

[JeffTaylor1985]

Is there a good mixture like this, but for washing clothes?

I've heard of people making their own laundry detergent, and it sounds like a good way to live "Green" while saving a lot of $$ too. Anyone have a good recipe?

[mjl_toronto]

Is there a good mixture like this, but for washing clothes?

I've heard of people making their own laundry detergent, and it sounds like a good way to live "Green" while saving a lot of $$ too. Anyone have a good recipe?

There are but some of them require more work that IMO is not worth it. I don't mind paying the 'convenience' price of using green laundry detergent (I use Bio Vert).

Here's a good site for making your own cleaning agents. I'm sure there are several others out there as well.
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

[arnab]

these bags are not convenient. i won't buy them. i do understand that plastics are bad for the environments but it would really suck to carry them all the way to grocery stores everyday.

[mjl_toronto]

these bags are not convenient. i won't buy them. i do understand that plastics are bad for the environments but it would really suck to carry them all the way to grocery stores everyday.

What does this have to do with packaging for green cleaning products? I shouldn't even bother asking but why exactly does it suck to carry reusable bags to the grocery store? Everyday?

[sterdeus]

True.

I remember seeing Costco selling iPods, empty packages with the cardboard with fancy iPod machine printed on it, then wrapped in stiff plastic. You grab it and pay, then claim it for the real thing.

They literally had thousands of these plastic packages of nothing on the crates.


Then finally, one day they stopped doing that. Now its only the hard cardboard on display, minus the plastic packaging. Duh.... you'd think someone would be smarter to begin with.

Why dont they have it the same setup as the stuff in the jewelry or other display cases. Just have a small piece of paper to write the item number on.

[brunes]

Why dont they have it the same setup as the stuff in the jewelry or other display cases. Just have a small piece of paper to write the item number on.

Because cardboard doesn't sparkle.

[greendragonfly]

Yes...Packaging is so complex. No worries I don't have some 'why can't they just fix everything, hate on'. I just really don't like how the 'green' household cleaner companies that claim to be doing better for our home (planet and houses) but still choose to not super duper concentrate their products.
(Oh and I just love ugh, the companies that use bio-degradable cleaners that yes do bio-degrade but are still toxic to humans,ugh ugh)

I personally use a concentrate that makes hundreds of bottles of all purpose cleaner. Because I mix it with water, I don't pay some company to add their water and ship it to some store. Using all that extra plastic. All that extra fuel and resources.

It just drives me bonkers that all that 'sparkle' is shoved in our faces and people soak that right up. It's 'greener' so it must be great. But how many times have people bought the 'latest-greatest, look what we just got in' product. $$$$. that's what it's all about, do these companies really care?? I personally don't think they care that much. For if they did, don't you think that they would try to reduce the amount of garbage, fuel, and emmisions too?! Ah but if the ones I'm mentioning did that they'd be broke paying for the all that packaging...ha maybe not but that's what I think about everytime I walk into Shoppers Drug Mart, and my local grocery store!

[brunes]

Yes...Packaging is so complex. No worries I don't have some 'why can't they just fix everything, hate on'. I just really don't like how the 'green' household cleaner companies that claim to be doing better for our home (planet and houses) but still choose to not super duper concentrate their products.
(Oh and I just love ugh, the companies that use bio-degradable cleaners that yes do bio-degrade but are still toxic to humans,ugh ugh)

I personally use a concentrate that makes hundreds of bottles of all purpose cleaner. Because I mix it with water, I don't pay some company to add their water and ship it to some store. Using all that extra plastic. All that extra fuel and resources.

It just drives me bonkers that all that 'sparkle' is shoved in our faces and people soak that right up. It's 'greener' so it must be great. But how many times have people bought the 'latest-greatest, look what we just got in' product. $$$$. that's what it's all about, do these companies really care?? I personally don't think they care that much. For if they did, don't you think that they would try to reduce the amount of garbage, fuel, and emmisions too?! Ah but if the ones I'm mentioning did that they'd be broke paying for the all that packaging...ha maybe not but that's what I think about everytime I walk into Shoppers Drug Mart, and my local grocery store!

It's all about profit... companies arent in the "green" market space because they are altruistic, it is because they want to make money. You d don't make as much money selling concentrate as you do non-concentrate.

Even the new "super concentrated" laundry detergents are nowhere near as concentrated as they could be. If they really concentrated the stuff it would be almost a thick paste of soap and you would scoop in a tbsp into your washer or something. But then Proctor & Gamble would have thinner profit margins.

[FerrisB]

Packaging is wasteful and overly complex because we're all stupid. We base a lot of our decisions on packaging. Not consciously of course but businesses know it matters, otherwise they wouldn't waste billions doing it.

[greendragonfly]

I couldn't agree more! $$$$

I just today saw a ridiculously huge! bottle of fabric softener that did over 100 loads! The bottle was 2'x1'x0.5' feet, feet....!!! that's craziness...
The stuff I use makes 64 loads and the bottle holds 946ml... $$$$ yeah i think so.

- such a waste

[mjl_toronto]

I just saw this commercial from SC Johnson (cleaning product company) promoting a 'Green Home'. They talk about how you can lessen your environmental impact but promote using their products like Windex and Pledge (claiming they are environmentally friendlier). Funny how they can try to convince consumers that using harmful chemicals is a greener option.

btw, might as well enter their contest for a green home makeover :D
http://www.scjohnson.ca/en/contest/index.html

[brunes]

I couldn't agree more! $$$$

I just today saw a ridiculously huge! bottle of fabric softener that did over 100 loads! The bottle was 2'x1'x0.5' feet, feet....!!! that's craziness...
The stuff I use makes 64 loads and the bottle holds 946ml... $$$$ yeah i think so.

- such a waste

Er... thats 1 cubic foot... or over 26 litres. You sure it was that big?

That would mean with your numbers to do 1 load you'd have to put in a 1/3 of a bottle of pop worth of stuff....

I thinks you are eggagerating.

[brunes]

I just saw this commercial from SC Johnson (cleaning product company) promoting a 'Green Home'. They talk about how you can lessen your environmental impact but promote using their products like Windex and Pledge (claiming they are environmentally friendlier). Funny how they can try to convince consumers that using harmful chemicals is a greener option.

btw, might as well enter their contest for a green home makeover :D
http://www.scjohnson.ca/en/contest/index.html

Again - it all depends.

If you using a "green cleaner" means on average you have to spray 20% more to get the job done, then that is 20% more product you end up going through, 20% more shipped, and 20% more CO2 used to ship it.

I am not saying that is the case, in fact many green cleaners perform very well, but it could be.

My point is just that being environmentally friendly is not as cut and dry as people seem to think it is. Spending more money and buying all the "green label" products at the store might make you feel better, but how much you are actually helping the environment vs. lining corporate pocketbooks, is debatable.

It is all a numbers game and frankly I find many people in this green forum don't crunch the numbers enough, and buy with their heart instead of their head. I always try to take *EVERTYHING* about a product, from production, to shipping, to my home, to its performance, into account when buying green. Not everyone does this.

For example, I don't use "green" laundry detergent, because I tried a sample before and found it did not perform well to get out stains or sweat - which would mean more clothes I would have to post-treat and run through the wash again, more product used, more shipping, more CO2. I do buy phosphate-free, but store-brand normal stuff.

[MacGyver]

We minimize the amount of packaging by buying used items whenever we can. It's cheaper than buying retail, and there's no sales tax.

Unfortunately most of the waste we generate is still from food packaging. And much of it cannot be recycled.