REVIEW: Is it the end of the clamshell packaging? I hope so.

 

If you are not familiar with clamshell packaging, it is what you see on that package of three pilers on the image to your left. I’m sure you can’t stand opening this plastic coated nightmare, as it never opens easily.

On an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is excited about his new gadget, until he can’t get it out of its clamshell plastic. He eventually ends up swearing and stabbing the packaging with a knife.

This packaging might deter theft and keep the materials inside safe, but it often does its job too well. Not only that, it requires a lot of plastic to do so, which is bad for the environment.

Both Wal-Mart and the Home Deport have recently pledged to cut down on wasteful packaging, and the clamshell was high on the list of packaging types to eliminate. The cost of plastic packaging has shot up since the rise of oil prices, and lighter and more environmentally-friendly packaging is being developed. The lighter the packaging, the cheaper it will cost to ship it.

In short, eliminating the clamshell is good for just about everybody. So why not join the fight. Go and enter in a comment with your clamshell frustration story. I’m not certain whether we should have a boycott, but as my Source says: “How come I need a knife to get into my knife?”

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112852/retailers-greener-packaging-nyt