3 ms·
I'm a big fan of Costco, but packaging is one area where I'm not sure how well it works out from an environmental footprint perspective. Buying milk? 3 standard
by skookum 7y ago
I'm a big fan of Costco, but packaging is one area where I'm not sure how well it works out from an environmental footprint perspective. Buying milk? 3 standard cartons in a big cardboard box. Tomatoes? 4 lbs in a cardboard box wrapped in plastic where you would have used the same amount of plastic minus the box at a supermarket. Many of the items they sell are in the standard packaging then packaged in one additional layer of multi-unit packaging. I understand the need for it due to requiring stacking the items in large quantities plus efficiency of checkout and I optimistically hope that supply chain efficiency offsets the additional packaging but I'm not sure what the reality is.
- Scoundreller 7y agoThe box of 12 soaps in 12 boxes always irks me. But you have to consider the packaging that you don't see at other retailers: it might come to them in the same packaging, but it's discarded before you see it.
- skookum 7y agoThat is a good point that may offset to some extent. From the glimpses I've had of grocery store stocking - especially when it comes to produce - I think Costco is still more packaging-per-volume for the things I buy. Costco also still has an additional third layer of boxing for most items between the sellable packaging and the pallet. For example the boxes of tomatoes I mentioned are additionally housed in a 6-unit box and it's those boxes that are stacked on the pallets. I supposed the final outcome depends on what one buys - processed/frozen food probably has a better packaging efficiency at Costco.