Ziploc Evolving For The Environment

 

Image from Pricegrabber.com 

Ziploc recently launched their Ziploc® evolve™ Sandwich and Storage Bags which are designed to be better for the environment. Great news, right?! But, why did they make a new line of bags instead of just making their existing bags more environmentally-friendly?  Well, according to their website, the new bags “are an option for those consumers looking to make better environmental choices in their lives”.

Wait…if you don’t want to make better choices for the environment, then Ziploc will continue to make their regular plastic bags so you can have more plastic, fill more landfills and continue polluting?  That seems a little off to me.

But let’s check out the new Ziploc® evolve™ Sandwich and Storage Bags anyway.  According to Ziploc, these new bags use a resin blend that uses 25% less plastic.  One other good thing is the boxes they use are 100% recycled paperboard.  SC Johnson also states their Ziploc products do not contain harmful BPA and they are 100% dioxin free.  All good things!

Here’s my question though…if Ziploc is really serious about making a change for the environment, why aren’t all their bags made with 25% less plastic, packaged in recycled paperboard boxes and manufactured with wind power?

What are they waiting for? Their website states they are “continuing to explore environmental improvements for all of our products”. That’s a good thing, but does that mean these bags were just a stop-gap measure designed to promote how “Ziploc is going green”?

A few other things to note: these bags are NOT reusable.  You also should not use them in the oven or microwave.  As far as whether they are recyclable, One Earth Recycling suggests that most recycling centers will take these types of plastic bags.

So, what do you think? Do you think Ziploc is making some good environmental changes or do you think they should go a little broader?  Let me know, I’d love to hear what you think.