Bubble mailers and letters from Similac.
Colleen Vanderlinden
READ MORE ABOUT:
With my youngest child, I was unable to breastfeed due to medications I was taking at the time. So the friendly people at the hospital gave me plenty of samples of Similac and I was put on a mailing list to receive coupons from the company.
Happily, my son has long been off formula, so the recent issue of beetle parts being found in powdered formula has not affected us. I received not one, but two recall notices from Abbott (Similac's parent company) nonetheless.
The fact that I received two identical letters, on the same day, would have been enough to make me shake my head at the wastefulness. But here's how they arrived:
Yes, those are Jiffy mailers reinforced with bubble wrap. They each contained one sheet of paper. I re-read the letter to see if I was supposed to send something back in the bubble mailers -- had they merely sent them to make it convenient for parents to send back any proofs of purchase or other packaging? Nope. An 8 inch by 11 inch bubble mailer was used, solely for the purpose of mailing one sheet of paper.
A Few Suggestions for Abbott:
1. Don't let bugs get into your formula in the first place.
2. Bubble mailers are a huge waste unless you are mailing somewhat fragile items. Paper does not qualify.
3. A standard #10 envelope would have been fine.
4. A postcard would have been even better.
5. You have my email address, which I included when I signed up for your coupons. You've sent junk mail to me, why not a recall notice?
I'm wondering, mainly, who thought that a bubble mailer was the way to go, and why? I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall while this decision was being discussed. Presumably, it was done to ensure that people would notice the envelope and open it. However, they took the time to stamp "Time Sensitive Information" in big red letters on the mailers -- they could have done the same to a regular envelope to draw attention to it. I know Abbott has other issues right now, but, really. This is just too wasteful and ridiculous.
For more green home and garden news, follow me on Twitter!
Related Posts:
Don't Waste Paper, Make Your Own Envelopes
Cancel Junk Mail, Cancel Out Lifelong Paper Waste
