Take my Styrofoam away
In 1973 Paul Simon didn’t want his Kodachrome taken away. With Kodachrome almost relegated to the dustbin of history, there’s something else that deserves a place there (or worse) as well: styrofoam.
We talk a lot in the wine world about clever packaging but what we really need to be talking about is clever packing–environmentally responsible packing material that is.
Like hotels not washing your sheets and towels every day, this is an example where business profit-maximization and environmentalism are aligned. Hundreds of thousands of cases of wine have no doubt been shipped across the country in this Year I of direct shipping and many gift boxes are set to fly with the holidays approaching. Wineries and shops that ship directly to consumers would be well advised to consider other alternatives to Styrofoam.
MacArthur Beverages in Washington charges $12 for the shipping materials plus UPS rates to ship. Astor Wines in New York City by contrast charges only the UPS rates for out of the NYC orbit (delivery can be free in and around the city). What’s the difference?
Astor, which is developing their organic and biodynamic section, also has a “green” approach to shipping. They ship wine with cardboard inserts to cushion the bottles. While they may make sacrifices to other line items of their cash flow, I wouldn’t be surprised if a main savings was the fact that these shippers can be stacked efficiently (see photo), unlike Styrofoam, before they are boxed and shipped.
So, shippers: think green and ditch the Styrofoam (especially peanuts, which deserve a special place in Dante’s inferno). And wine buyers: the shipping container is not going to make or break your order but if possible, let the shipper know there are alternatives out there. And if you do end up with some Styrofoam, try to take it back to a store where they can re-use it.
Paul Simon already had is Kodachrome taken away. Now let’s banish Styrofoam too.
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On November 17th, 2005 at 10:36 pm ,Jack wrote:
I second the motion!
On November 21st, 2005 at 7:17 am ,SaltShaker wrote:
I’m a huge fan of cardboard insert shipping, and have used it for shipping in retail, auctions, and personally. I use the shipping containers from The Spirited Shipper, http://www.spiritedshipper.com, which are relatively inexpensive (certainly by comparison to styrofoam), and work great. I even used them to ship my wine collection from New York to Buenos Aires when I moved here – all arrived safely!
On November 21st, 2005 at 4:23 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Thanks for the tip, saltshaker! Glad to know your carboard packing material worked for the REALLY long haul too.
Keep us posted on the BA wine scene! Cheers.
On April 5th, 2006 at 9:51 pm ,Anonymous wrote:
I work in a wine store that ships using cardboard. However we would be more than happy to re-use someone’s styrofoam shipper and I’m sure most other retailers would too.
On July 21st, 2007 at 2:18 pm ,Michael P. Anderson wrote:
It’s time to stop the manufacture of white styrofoam. There are just some things the world is better without. Styrofoam is one of them. The corporations that manufacture styrofoam should be ashamed of themselves. How do the people who run these companies get up in the morning and look themselves in the mirror? They are people of death, they kill living things with their styrofoam. And they know it. But they do it anyway, because they have no soul and no conscience. Why have they not been stopped?
On September 1st, 2007 at 7:18 am ,Anthony Piccione wrote:
Our boutique winery The Neighborhood Cellar in Massachusetts is considering packaging right now for our upcoming release. We found that the Original Earth Shipper will be an excellent choice (packaging made from cornstarch) if we can get it in time for shipping our wines later this year. They are presently setting up distribution in the Northeast. Since this type of packaging might be cost prohibitive, we are also considering pulp cardboard. We felt very strongly about NOT using styrofoam for shipping our wines. -AP
On April 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 am ,Poll: Styrofoam or cardboard for your wine shipping? | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[...] I’ve expressed my opinions about the dreaded Styrofoam before, I’ll put the question to you: Which packaging material do you prefer, cardboard, with higher [...]
On April 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 am ,Poll: Styrofoam or cardboard for your wine shipping? | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[...] I’ve expressed my opinions about the dreaded Styrofoam before, I’ll put the question to you: Which packaging material do you prefer, cardboard, with higher [...]
On October 1st, 2008 at 5:37 am ,Golly wrote:
Here in the UK all wine ships with cardboard inserts and it can all be recycled. Ours aren’t though, we re-use the boxes as the shipping guy in our office loves cardboard wine cases – they’re extra strong and can easily be re-used.