There are millions of niche products in the world, many of which have an audience. But some are so useless that they seem destined for the landfill from the moment they're manufactured. Did this Redditor find one of them? You decide.
What's happening?
A photo of the item in question was shared on r/Anticonsumption. It shows a display in a store filled with "lip gloss holders" designed to be glued to a phone case. They're made of shaped plastic in various colors, with a flat section to attach to the case and a rounded slot set at an angle to act as the holder. The packaging brags that the holder fits most lip glosses and lipsticks and works with all phone cases. The cost? A mere $9.99.
The lip gloss holder may indeed work as advertised, but that doesn't make it useful. There's no pressing reason to attach your lip gloss to your phone in most circumstances. It doesn't make either item more functional, and the two don't work together as a set.
One commenter summed up the issue nicely: "Who will buy this crap?"
Why is this useless product important?
To start, this item seems like a waste of money designed to solve a nonexistent problem. Anyone tempted to buy it is unlikely to get their money's worth.
But what's worse is the impact on the environment, regardless of whether the product sells. It's a plastic item wrapped in plastic packaging, so it's polluting to produce and sheds microplastics. And one way or another, it's likely to end up in a landfill.
Is the company doing anything about this?
The lip gloss holder is produced by Case-Mate, a manufacturer of phone cases and accessories. While its business model is based on creating items of varying usefulness, it does seem to be trying to reduce its impact on the planet.
Its website claims that the company is incorporating more recycled and sustainable materials into its products and offering a recycling program for phone cases.
What can I do about this kind of waste?
This particular batch of plastic knickknacks has already been manufactured, but you can help teach corporations not to make similar mistakes.
🗣️ Do you use 100 percent of your health and beauty products before buying new ones?
🔘 Always 💯
🔘 Usually 🧴
🔘 Sometimes 😕
🔘 Never 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Choose eco-friendly brands and avoid buying plastic whenever possible. The more people seek eco-friendly alternatives, the more companies will cater to those needs.
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