A shopper was not pleased after they discovered they had fallen victim to a deceptive packaging trend, leading them to issue a warning to consumers on Reddit.
What's happening?
In the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, the shopper posted two photos of their cocoa butter body lotion from Compliments, a private-label brand under Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys.
In the first image, the dark-brown plastic trim at the top of the bottle is askew, indicating that there is less lotion in the bottle than initially meets the eye. The second photo, in which the original poster has removed the trim, confirms those suspicions.
"It does absolutely nothing," the OP vented of the "useless plastic trim" on the packaging. "I guess it's meant to make it look like a more expensive product, but even then, who cares?"
Multiple Redditors agreed that marketing was almost certainly behind the design, with one commenter suggesting, "They are trying to mimic the Vaseline packaging."
Why is this important?
Compliments' cocoa butter packaging prominently displays the volume of lotion in each bottle. Nonetheless, the thick trim at the top, which contains none of the product, may still visually trick people into thinking they are getting more lotion than they actually are, leading to a frustrating purchasing experience.
A Redditor also pointed out that producing plastic takes money and energy, causing them to wonder whether the trim caused the price of the lotion to be higher than it otherwise would be. They also highlighted that plastics are usually derived from polluting dirty fuels.
"I think the goal is to use more petrol to create more plastic and pass the cost on the consumers," the Redditor speculated. "I have seen so many products adding extra plastic to the packaging in the last few years — for no reason at all."
Regardless of whether that was the intent of the packaging decision, one thing is certain: Unless we find a solution — for instance, researchers have found certain fungi can "eat" plastic —the unnecessary trim will be around for a long time.
Plastics can take a hundred years or more to decompose. As they degrade, they chip into microplastics, which researchers have found on every corner of the Earth. Scientists are still determining how microplastics may be impacting human health, but studies have connected them to cancer, reproductive complications, dementia, and other severe issues.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
|
When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
The way it looks 😍 Is Sobeys doing anything about this?
In its 2024 Sustainable Business Report, Sobeys says that it is committed to finding alternative packaging and reducing single-use plastic waste among its Own Brands like Compliments.
It says it plans to incorporate post-consumer plastics into packaging, thus reducing virgin plastic production, and encourages shoppers to minimize household plastic waste. The Cool Down couldn't find any specifics involving possible packaging changes for Compliments lotion.
What can I do about plastic waste more broadly?
Brands that use recycled plastic packaging are moving the needle in a positive direction, and companies like Ulta and Sephora have even partnered with Pact Collective to make it easier for consumers to return hard-to-recycle beauty empties. Some companies also heavily restrict the amount of plastic in their packaging, as one Redditor pointed out.
"That's why I stick to Nivea creme which usually comes in [a] glass jar. Plastic top irks me, but hey, it [is] like 98% glass, 2% plastic," they said. (Nivea also sells lotion in a tin made from 80% recycled aluminum, per TrendHunter.)
However, Greenpeace warns against overestimating recycling as a solution to a growing pile of plastic contamination. It is best to choose plastic-free products whenever possible.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
