This is not something I enjoy writing about, but as gadget fans, it’s our duty to put pressure on companies to try and minimise the environmental impact of shipping our favourite products. The latest villain is Madman Entertainment, who shipped a copy of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law to reader Kieran in a monstrously oversized box.
UPDATE: Received an official comment from Madman about this.And if that wasn’t bad enough, the packaging included a scrunched up ball of paper to “pad” the DVD, and the invoice was, in Kieran’s own words, “scrunched up in a ball along with the packing paper to form part of the ‘insulation’”.
Fail, Madman Entertainment. Fail.
UPDATE: So here’s the official comment from Madman:
To whom it may concern,
Appreciate your feedback regarding the packaging of your recently purchased Madman product. We welcome feedback of this sort and are committed to continual improvement in all areas of our business, most particularly in the manner in which we package and dispatch our product.
Just wanted to offer the following response which may assuage some of the comments.
All of the packaging we use is recyclable and is made from recycled materials. The box in question is actually the most efficient and environmentally friendly packaging we have that still ensures security of product in transit and is much more environmentally efficient than utilising bubble wrap or padded plastic to securely transport product to our customers.
Madman is committed to using sustainable packaging and we are constantly reviewing our dispatch and packaging procedures to ensure they are compliant with business and environmental requirements. Our carbon footprint is something Madman takes extremely seriously and as a business we regularly engage in activities that support the environment, such as company tree planting days, a company wide recycling policy on all paper, plastic and associated products including ink cartridges etc. We also enlisted an environmental consultant throughout the first half of 2008 who worked with the company for 6 months to put in place a series of procedures that have allowed us to run a more sustainable and environmentally sound business (I am happy to specify if required).
Again, we thank you for your feedback as it aids and informs our commitment to continual improvement.
If you’ve got an entry for our Shipping Hall of Shame, let us know at tips@gizmodo.com.au.
[Thanks Kieran!]