To Whom It May Concern:
I am a big fan of the Scotch-Brite microfiber kitchen cloths. I really like how they rinse easily and dry quickly, and are machine-washable. As a person who prides herself on her environmental awareness, this product’s reusability factor is especially important to me.
I am shocked however, at the unnecessary amount of plastic that is used in your packages of six.
It comes in a hard “case” that is larger than the product itself. The packaging alone weighs 134 grams. Stripped of the packaging the six cloths only weigh 114 grams. There must be a way of repackaging these cloths differently. The sheer size of the packaged product seems so unnecessary. I shudder to think how much of it ends up in the landfill, since it isn’t even a grade of plastic that is recyclable.
It’s ironic that a product designed to make our immediate world a little cleaner is packaged in such a wasteful way.
At my next point of purchase I will be leaving the excess packaging at the store. I am encouraging others to do the same.
I look forward to hearing if you have any solutions to the huge problem you’re ultimately part of creating.
Thank you for your time.
a.
Edited to add: Here’s the email reply I received today. Bolding is mine.
Dear Andrea,
Thank you for contacting 3M Canada.
We apologize for the inconvenience and worry that our packaging has caused you, and we are greatly appreciative of your suggestions. This issue has actually been brought to our attention, and we while we are reconsidering the amount of packaging that is being used with this product, we can assure you that this packaging is recyclable. During the production of this packaging, the recyclable symbol was left off of the package.
Typically there should be a ‘1’ in the centre of the recyclable symbol.
We greatly appreciate your concerns for the environment, and we would like to assure that that contrary to what is printed on the package, the
exterior is recyclable.
If we can be of further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to call
our Customer Care Centre at 1-800-3M-HELPS (1-800-364-3577).
Best regards,
Amy
Customer Care Centre
3M Canada Company
