The New York Times is running a great article titled Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth (thanks to Sarah Kampman for posting it to the IxDA list). In the piece, Stephanie Rosenbloom covers a major shift in the packaging of new milk jugs recently introduced to the shelves of Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Image taken from The New York Times Article
There are a couple of very interesting aspects to the story. The first is the customer response to the new design (some love it, many hate it, most seem to be unsure) and the change required in their usage (some “feel like novices at the simple task of pouring a glass of milk”). The second is the benefits delivered by the new design: increased shipping and storage efficiency, reduced cost for the manufacturer and the customer and significantly reduced environmental impact.
It is very hard to introduce changes to an existing product or service, all the more so when it is as entrenched in day-to-day life as the common milk jug. I’m really curious to see how the new packaging is received over the next year or so and how it will be tweaked to meet customer needs.
On a side note, does anyone else think the word ‘milk’ sounds weird? Say it a few times: milk milk milk. Weird.
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5 comments so far… Jump into the discussion and tell us what you think.
And it looks weird too, especially in all caps. Look at it for a minute. MILK.
But seriously, I think there’s a little greenwashing going on here, since the benefits of shipping/storage efficiency and reduced cost for the manufacturer are probably much more in the producers’ minds than environmental impact (glass, more consistently recycled by consumers than plastic, would be the best choice if cost were not a factor).
Im very curious about the new learning curve for consumers, as I am still getting used to screw tops on cartons (when did the “bend into a spout” method go out of favor?).
Yeah, I can definitely see the environmental impact as a side effect, but at least it’s heading in the right direction, and some of the savings are passed on to the consumer. Is glass generally a better environmental option for recycling than plastic if cost is not a factor and assuming that both are recycled at the same rate? If we measure the water, energy and time used to recycle each type, which is more efficient and environmentally friendly?
I like the screw tops on the paper cartons myself – they’re a bit weird at first, but I like the fact that they provide a better seal than paper cartons. I think this new form factor will cause a lot of problems as it doesn’t look different enough to give people a reason to think about pouring that first time.
mĭlk. milk. m-i-lk. I think I like the new cartons. In fact, I want to see one.
As for the environmental impact: If cost is not a factor, glass is probably better for the environment. There is an associated rise in energy to recycle glass and transportation costs due to the heavier material. However, ‘recycling,’ when used in the context of plastic, is almost always a misnomer. If you place a recycled bottle in a bin at your curb, it goes into something like textiles or composite plastic (think pellets, parking curbs, plastic lumber, sleeping bag filler, etc.). It is never a new bottle and it can only be ‘reused’ that one time. Every single new plastic package or bottle is new plastic. Every. Time.
I believe that recycled plastic resins *could* be used for some percentage of plastic packaging, but that it is not right now. This is probably due to a combination of associated costs and lack of legislative mandate requiring post-consumer materials.
Best option: source reduction.
AdFreak has a short piece about the new jug design as well. It’s good to see the design gaining more attention.
I’m curious how long it will take for someone to design a handy snap-on, reusable spout.
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