Mobi partners with Todd Oldham…to make more trash?
Posted July 13th, 2007 in Random Observations
Mobi makes resealable sandwich/storage bags that are a lot like Ziploc bags, but with cute, design-y patterns printed on them. They’re clearly aiming for the design-savvy consumer, and now they’ve licensed patterns from Todd Oldham.
The problem is that this product has nothing at all to do with design. It’s just packaging (which, like all packaging, ends up in the trash). I’m climbing up on my soapbox here, but I don’t think design is about making things look different with shapes and color, but about creating innovative solutions. Even if these bags were made of recycled plastic (they’re not), aren’t they just non-biodegradable garbage waiting to happen? Mobi has been around since 2004, so I’m willing to bet that there are already more of their bags in landfills than in use by consumers. That’s a very odd mark of success.
Why not create a different, better way to carry a sandwich or store your Q-tips? IMHO, that’s where design-thinking should start, looking for a solution that’s not just different, but better.
UPDATE - Mobi sent a note with the following info:
Todd Oldham, a generous and environmentally aware designer, and Mobi are donating proceeds from the new bags to NRDC to help the environment. NRDC is, as you are aware, very influential and impacts causes from the environment to animals and more.
Also:
1. They are RECYCLABLE AND REUSABLE
2. Because of the HEAVY GAUGE, they can be reused, and are not as easily disposed.
3. The inks are vegetable dye
4. We offer less bags per box than the typical national brand, thus producing LESS waste than the market.
5. WE have partnered with a film company who makes biodegradable plastic that will disintegrate within 1-3 years and will be using that by 2008.
Of the points above, #5 is the one that will most satisfy eco-minded critics, for sure, and is pretty awesome. As for the bags being recyclable, it may be true, but it may not be as simple as throwing them in with household plastic. I found conflicting suggestions via Google.
Via the Minneapolis StarTribune:
Q Why can’t Ziploc or other heavy-duty bags be included in plastic bag recycling? A It’s the type of plastic film in the heavy-duty storage bags. In a Ziploc bag, two types of plastic are mixed together and they’d have to be taken apart for recycling. They have a different melting point than the thinner plastic dry cleaning and grocery bags.
Via the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials in Boulder, CO:
Can I recycle Ziploc bags?
A. Yes, if they are clean, dry and empty and the zip part is removed with scissors (and discarded).
Anyway - it was never my intention to tie Mobi to the whipping post here, and it’s cool that they chimed in. We don’t live in a society that makes green living easy, for sure. But every little smart decision counts, even if it isn’t always the most convenient or affordable. I don’t particularly like to think of the many thousands of dollars ELSEWARES has spent on biodegradable packing peanuts in the last few years. The styrofoam ones are way, way cheaper…
[...] Interesting post on the Elsewares blog about a company called Mobi working with Todd Oldham on some snappy-looking sandwich bags: The problem is that this product has nothing at all to do with design. It’s just packaging (which, like all packaging, ends up in the trash). I’m climbing up on my soapbox here, but I don’t think design is about making things look different with shapes and color, but about creating innovative solutions. Even if these bags were made of recycled plastic (they’re not), aren’t they just non-biodegradable garbage waiting to happen? [...]
[...] Ryan Deussing from Elsewheres on Friday sent me an interesting post he did on his blog about Mobi’s resealable storage bags which feature designs by Tod Oldham. The dialog he’s had with Mobi since has reminded me that communications has an important role to play in addressing the gap between our increasing expectations and the reality of sustainability. [...]
Those rebuttals are so disingenuous that I’m surprised the company even bothered to send them.
1. They are RECYCLABLE AND REUSABLE
The first edict is REDUCE, and not everyone will reuse or recycle.
2. Because of the HEAVY GAUGE, they can be reused, and are not as easily disposed.
How many people reuse this type of bag? See above. Also, I don’t understand how the bags’ “HEAVY GAUGE” makes them more difficult to dispose of. Because it takes a little more strength to lift them to the trash can, maybe?
3. The inks are vegetable dye
Okay, I have no problem with this.
4. We offer less bags per box than the typical national brand, thus producing LESS waste than the market.
That actually produces MORE waste, because more boxes have to be purchased to obtain the equivalent number of bags, and the boxes themselves are waste.
5. WE have partnered with a film company who makes biodegradable plastic that will disintegrate within 1-3 years and will be using that by 2008.
That is indeed exciting if the plastic will in fact biodegrade in a landfill and doesn’t require a compost heap, as most of these bags will end up in a landfill.
I agree with Anne - biodegradable plastic biodegrades in ideal settings - not in a landfill.