Redditors were baffled by a massively oversized cardboard box used to ship razors.
What happened?
The customer who ordered the razors posted about the incident to the aptly named r/EgregiousPackaging subreddit, sharing a photo of the small box of razors tucked beneath mountains of brown packing paper. They placed a banana beside the razors for scale, revealing just how outrageous the packaging is for such a tiny item.
"Second picture is how it looked after opening it, I almost thought I got sent an empty box," the original poster wrote.
Commenters were quick to make fun of the company's packaging choices.
"They just used the same box they send micro sd cards in," one user said.
"What do you expect? A tiny bespoke box for the single small item you ordered?" another quipped.
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One Redditor said, "A small padded envelope would probably work perfect and be much cheaper."
Why is packaging waste concerning?
The United States generates 96 million tons of packaging waste each year, according to Packaging Dive. Nearly 50 million tons of those materials are cardboard and paper, which likely end up in landfills and release planet-warming gases such as methane as they break down.
Plus, overpackaging items contributes to wasted resources and extra carbon pollution being pumped into the atmosphere during production and transportation. More delivery trucks have to be dispatched to carry oversized boxes, leading to reduced efficiency for companies and higher vehicle pollution.
Bulky packaging can also drive up shipping costs, which are often passed on to customers.
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The way it looks 
Is the company doing anything about this?
The OP ordered Vikings Blade razors, but it's unclear if they purchased them directly from the company or a different retailer, such as Amazon. Vikings Blade has taken steps to become more sustainable by switching to fully biodegradable packaging, per Beauty Packaging.
Amazon has also made major upgrades to its packaging, switching from plastic wraps to wood fiber-based boxes for its Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV gadgets. Plus, it rolled out a reusable packaging trial in five European countries last year and started using biobased delivery bags in Spain.
The packaging used for the OP's delivery could have been a one-off fluke, perhaps caused by inventory issues or a computer error.
What else is being done to reduce packaging waste?
Comcast announced that Xfinity will begin using modular boxes made from recyclable materials, and Best Buy teamed up with packaging giant Sealed Air to develop more sustainable packaging solutions.
On an individual level, we can do our part by making small changes, including using less plastic and supporting brands with plastic-free packaging.
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