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Single Use Plastic


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Anyone else getting increasingly frustrated by the growing amount of single use plastic used in packaging in our industry?

Is this really necessary?  And it's not just JMA.  We used to receive our car key cases loose but now they come in bags.  The resealable ones I don't mind so much as they can be re-used but I don't know what purpose it serves.  First thing I do when I get them is pull the plastic off and bin it so that they can be put on the peg boards anyway!

 

 

 

 

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I agree. Whenever I buy keys in boxes, they always seem to be bagged up inside, too. I buy a lot of blingy keyrings from Birch and Colledge and they always come wrapped in bloody cellophane and it does my head in because I then have to faff around removing them and they also can't be recycled. Why don't they wrap them in tissue?

Other stuff:

Packs of Insoles

Packs of soles and heels

Packs of liquid polishes

Umbrellas

Pet tags.

Why, why, why?

Rick.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

been thinking on this, and it seems everyone is 'jumping on the band wagon' by criticising all plastic use -

If we got say 50 car keys posted without the plastic protection and a lot of the keys were scratched due to them 'rattling' in the box in transit who would we blame? I mean you supply a scratched key to the customer and they comment "it looks second hand?" what are you going to say? oh were against plastic and this is how they arrived?

I too did not like the plastic whale that seems to have sparked off quite a debate but we all need to get a grip - maybe the manufacturers will adopt the plastic bags that if put into the water dissolve and fish can actually eat - I hope so..

But this will al take time, maybe the SMSR guys could try and make something of it all?

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1 hour ago, k4mrc said:

been thinking on this, and it seems everyone is 'jumping on the band wagon' by criticising all plastic use -

If we got say 50 car keys posted without the plastic protection and a lot of the keys were scratched due to them 'rattling' in the box in transit who would we blame? I mean you supply a scratched key to the customer and they comment "it looks second hand?" what are you going to say? oh were against plastic and this is how they arrived?

I too did not like the plastic whale that seems to have sparked off quite a debate but we all need to get a grip - maybe the manufacturers will adopt the plastic bags that if put into the water dissolve and fish can actually eat - I hope so..

But this will al take time, maybe the SMSR guys could try and make something of it all?

I don’t think we are saying there should be no packaging. However, there has definitely been more packaging of late that we managed perfectly we’ll without for years.  I am just looking at my Ford Custom van key that has been in daily use for two years and on a large bunch of keys and if you put a new blade on it I doubt you could tell it wasn’t new without looking at it.  However, packing is probably required, but as you say we need alternatives.  Today I received a Renault Laguna Emergency key blade with a protective plastic cap, on the plastic head and then it was bagged in a resealable plastic bag, inside a plastic bubble pack, inside yet another plastic bag! 

 

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  • 2 months later...

While this thread seems more about the plastic that arrives in deliver, a lot of times the customer is to "blame" . I've decided to change from birch/zone blister pack padlocks to zone boxed. I think the zone box packaging looks fine, but really the blister pack is much more eye-catching. I will stick with the boxed zones, padlocks aren't an important part of my business, but I could imagine most retailers would go for the most eye catching because long and short of it it will sell a lot IMG_20180629_075450.jpgIMG_20180629_075316.jpgbetter.

Edited by cowers lane 583
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As a company, we are extremely environmentally friendly, and we have done a lot to offset our carbon footprint including planting 56,000 trees in Thailand as well as getting solar powered panels fitted to all our roofs, which now powers over 80% of our electricity.

With regards to blister packaging, we have been doing a lot of work on the plastic that is used in our blister packaging. From the very start we have always made sure that the plastic can be recycled. We have also now sourced a new blister supplier who makes all of the blisters from recycled plastic bottles.

I do agree that plastic can be overused in the industry, however not all plastic is bad.

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33 minutes ago, CitySafe said:

As a company, we are extremely environmentally friendly, and we have done a lot to offset our carbon footprint including planting 56,000 trees in Thailand as well as getting solar powered panels fitted to all our roofs, which now powers over 80% of our electricity.

With regards to blister packaging, we have been doing a lot of work on the plastic that is used in our blister packaging. From the very start we have always made sure that the plastic can be recycled. We have also now sourced a new blister supplier who makes all of the blisters from recycled plastic bottles.

I do agree that plastic can be overused in the industry, however not all plastic is bad.

 

I've noticed that a lot of your keys come in cardboard boxes, too. Well done for taking a lead. Charles Birch assured me that they, too, would be looking into minimising their plastic packaging.

I hate single use plastic :evil:

Rick.

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1 hour ago, cowers lane 583 said:

While this thread seems more about the plastic that arrives in deliver, a lot of times the customer is to "blame" . I've decided to change from birch/zone blister pack padlocks to zone boxed. I think the zone box packaging looks fine, but really the blister pack is much more eye-catching. I will stick with the boxed zones, padlocks aren't an important part of my business, but I could imagine most retailers would go for the most eye catching because long and short of it it will sell a lot IMG_20180629_075450.jpgIMG_20180629_075316.jpgbetter.

We keep them packaged and loose but only display the packaged ones. When the customer purchases, we offer them a loose one, instead, and they more often than not happily accept as it means they don't have to risk slicing their hands open trying to extricate the bastard things from the packaging.

Rick.

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5 hours ago, grahamparker said:

Just received 200 65/30 padlocks carded which we have to engrave.

The packaging is ridiculous but could not wait for boxed padlocks from Germany as they need to be engraved and collected on Monday morning.

Also it has taken 2 of us nearly 45 minutes to unpack in between serving customers.

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Incredible waste isn't it?

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Yes, I do sometimes.  I think the debate is about plaster that is unecessary use or for cosmetic purposes.  So I agree with what was said early that not all plastic is bad.  

Butvat least this topic gets us and hopefully the manufacturers thinking about the subject.

i like the idea of using limited blister packs to display but selling the boxed ones.  Although still not convinced that manufacturers may be able to find other ways to attractively package without plastic.

Good to hear City Safe’s efforts too.

graham’s experience erience demonstrates well the waste aspect.  Plus I’m sure that the blister backs are dearer than boxed.  I’m sure the public would rather pay less and have the benefit of not having to remove from a blister pack.

Reassurance that what we are using is at least recyclable would be a start.

 

 

 

 

 

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Blister packs have only become dearer than boxed in the last year for all Abus products.

One wholesaler has over the last 2 years got rid of all there boxed stock as they only sold blister pack but after the last 2 Abus price increases the difference on retail price is now

quite different, luckily i get a better discount than most, the 65/30 Abus padlock  rrp is £8.94 visi pack or £8.13 boxed.

 

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