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Go Naked!
About one-third of the gross weight and half of the volume of America's municipal solid waste stream is composed of packaging materials - that's at least 300 pounds per person every year (1)!
It's not hard to see where all of that comes from when you consider how much packaging comes with a typical pair of shoes. The shoes are first stuffed with paper or plastic and then individually wrapped in tissue before being placed into a shoe box which is then in turn placed into a shopping bag. If you purchase shoes on-line, the shoes which are already in a shoe box with all of their wrapping are placed into another box for shipping and cushioned with yet more paper, polystyrene peanuts, bubble wrap or plastic air pouches.
Clothing is almost as bad, with many suppliers providing items individually wrapped in plastic bags and then cocooned by the same packaging as the shoes.
Do you really need all of this???
Our "Go Naked" campaign is all about making every effort to keep the amount of packaging materials we generate to a bare minimum.
At the supplier level we're doing everything we can to influence them to reduce the packaging they use to get products to us. In many cases it's an uphill struggle, but we have successfully persuaded a number to ship bulk shoes in a single box, or bulk clothes in a single bag. Cutting down the packaging to a single shell doesn't harm the products - they're still protected!
If you want to join our "Go Naked!" campaign and cut down on the amount of waste packaging generated, please check the "Go Naked" box when you checkout.
What to expect
Here is what you can expect with when you order:
- Shoes will be sent in a single box, rather than a separate shoe box and packing box.
- Clothing will not be individually wrapped in plastic bags, rather placed directly in the packing box.
- Packaging materials such as paper, bubble wrap, packing peanuts and other plastic materials will be kept to the bare minimum needed to protect the items.
- Your receipt will be sent to you electronically, rather than included as yet more paper in the package.
In the instance where your product came to us with extra packaging, we'll either send the packaging back to the supplier for them to reuse, or we'll use it for orders placed by those not choosing to be part of the "Go Naked!" campaign.
References
(1) Imhoff, Daniel: Paper or Plastic - Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World, 2005, Sierra Club Books
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