14 replies to this topic

[Simon]

New Competition: 2 of 10
Find the Worlds Most Over-packaged Consumer Item

It may seem a little strange for a packaging industry based web site to be running a competition like this, which essentially sponsors a reduction in packaging. However, packaging waste is a serious issue and in general "we pack our crap with too much wrap." And of course it's a very good idea for a competition.

Aim:
The aim of the competition is to find examples of consumer products that are wrapped and packed with nauseating quantities of packaging.

How to enter:
Upload an image or photograph of the consumer item or email it to us along with a short note explaining why you think it is a contender. No limit on the number of entries per member.

Winner Selection:
Closing date for entries is 5.00 p.m. Friday 02 April. The following week we will hold a members poll to determine the winner. Winner announced 5.00 p.m. Friday 09 April.

Prizes:
Winner - Mystery Prize
Runner up - A pair of Clemmer Books



The Leader's Digest:Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success
Growing the Distance:Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success

Any questions please post them here.

Regards,
Simon

[Simon]

Just to whet the appetite: Packaging Hall of Shame



Regards,
Simon

[Simon]

Just a reminder that the competition closes this Friday.

Thus far we've not received a single entry. Of course this is slightly disappointing however 'every cloud has a silver lining' and we are maintaining our position of seeing the glass 'half full'. We have concluded that the lack of entries is a good thing and will make the adjudication process less onerous.

Regards,
Simon

[mikelond]

Hi Simon

I must admit, I thought that the whole issue of over complicated packaging would be a lot more emotive than has so far been demonstrated.

However, at the risk of making the whole competition look rigged, I do have an entry to make, which I am in the final stages of getting photographed, and in my mind is a winner - I have already weighed the product and the associated packaging. The product comes to 35grammes, with the packaging a hefty 278g!!

Will get it posted on the site by Friday - to be honest, it was this that I had in mind when I suggested the competition in the first place, so judging by the response, you could have just sent the books and saved both of us three weeks agonising anticipation!

I'm sure that there will be a flurry of last minute activity to liven up the contest!

WIll keep looking.

Cheers
Mike

[Puzzle]

Sort of.

Definitely not a competition entry.

Read the hall of fame, and the item re Boots is familiar.

We supply a component for a product (no details)

We have a carton which we line with a plastic bag, a number of layers of parts are put into this carton. Each layer is separated by a very expensive 'waxed' card. All of these can be easily reused many times in the supply chain (all are free issue).

When we pointed this out to Boots, the effective answer was 'so what'

Mind boggles, with all of their wonderful claims etc

[Simon]

Just a reminder that the competition closes this Friday.

No it doesn't it closes the following Friday which is the 2nd April.

Mike,
If your entry is as unbeatable as you say it is, you might leapfrog the pair of books prize and win the Mystery Prize...2 pairs of books.

Puzzle,
I like the reply Boots gave on the shampoo and conditioner thing:

"The reply I got was amazing, they said their customers preferred all this packaging as it showed it was a high-quality product. They made no comment about the eco-unfriendliness or any commitment they may (should!) have to looking after the environment."

Regards,
Simon

[Puzzle]

Simon,

If you study their website, although they have a great spout about the environment, only 1(one) section of their rather large organisation is intending to meet 14001

Stunning.

[Simon]

Just as certification to ISO 9000 is no guarantee of high quality, certification to ISO 14000 does not guarantee a deep shade of green. However, it is a commitment and I think the figures you report along with Boots reply to the shampoo customer allows us to see beyond the corporate rhetoric. This view might be a little unfair, it may not be rhetoric at all but if Boots environmental vision and strategy isn't deployed effectively throughout their organisation what else can we be expected to think.

Regards,
Simon

[Puzzle]

Anyway, back to the competition.

I vote for Mike.

Now wheres the apathy emoticon

[yorkshire]

Here is my rather obvious entry an Easter egg.
The contents weigh 115g and the packaging weighs 135g.

Not as good as Mike's but might be worth a booby prize.

Attached Files

•  Easter_Egg.doc   116KB   43 downloads

[Simon]

Not as good as Mike's but might be worth a booby prize.

Mike's sounds good in theory but as yet we haven't seen the photographic evidence.

I bought myself a wireless mouse and keyboard for my birthday, they came as a pair (Logitek PC World £44) and I have no doubt that this was the most over-packaged consumer item ever. In fact I had to call on the toolbox to get in the thing - it was absolutely outrageous. Unfortunately I cannot enter it because:

1. I'm not allowed
2. My digital cameras is broken
3. It's in the bin

Regards,
Simon

[SAM]

Unable to take a photo of this one (Some unmentionable stole the digital camera last week )

A Milk frother bought from Woolworths, at first it just looked like it was on its stand in a clear plastic tube. When I opened it, a layer of moulded plastic around the top and bottom of the handle, a layer of plastic to hold the stand at the top and bottom, and a layer around the base of the stand. A compartment had then been made at the bottom of the tube with two layers of moulded plastic for the batteries. Then a bottom piece, taped on at the bottom of the tube. All in all it was one Clear cylinder about 8 inches tall, 2 end pieces and 7 bits of plastic in the middle to hold it all in place.

As if to add to this, most of them had moved so holding the frother at a really weird angle.

Nadine.

[Simon]

'One picture is worth ten thousand words', as someone once said (actually Frederick R. Barnard in Printer's Ink, 8 Dec 1921 retelling a Chinese proverb). Like I knew.

Not easy to visualise Sam but it sounds hideous

Thanks for your contribution.

Regards,
Simon

[Simon]

A final reminder that entries for the competition have to be in by close today (5.00 p.m. GMT Friday 02 April).

Regards,
Simon

[rheath]

My entry for over packaging is the humble coconut - I find it incredibly difficult to get into due to all that packaging waste.

Although I must admit the tamper evident devise is very thorough.

I wouldn’t mind so much but it means that I have to wait for my pina colada.