So why are 12 climate organizations across the nation — including Third Act, the climate action group for people over 60 that I helped found — suddenly turning their attention to Costco and asking it to change its ways? Well, as is sometimes the case with basically good people, Costco has gone a little astray by hanging around with the wrong crowd.
In this case, the wrong crowd is Citi. The New York bank provides the credit cards used by Costco shoppers — and it uses the money it makes, in part, to expand the world’s fossil fuel industry, the one thing scientists tell us we must stop doing.
Archived copies of the article: web.archive.org archive.today ghostarchive.org
This might seem petty by comparison but I feel like Costco is one of the worst for having wildly oversized packaging with so much wasted material. It hurts a little every time I buy something from them these days. I don’t know that I’ve seen much about it but the additional energy to produce and transport small goods with oversized packaging has to add up, no?
Bigger containers = less package per unit volume. If your household is going to consume the full amount, the larger containers reduce waste.
A lot of times they have big packages containing small packages, though. Sure, you get a bulk size of mac n cheese or ramen or something… but they have individual packaging. So now you not only have to deal with the individual package waste, but also the big packaging too.
Not to mention clamshells that have manufacturer sub-packaging on single items.
Yeah, I was thinking of some of the home goods like knives or silverware. I bought a beard trimmer that could have come in a nice slim box and instead I got enough cardboard and empty space to hold 4 more. For me that has become the norm at Costco and I feel gross every time for participating.
Not to mention lower price which is… the point.