In yet another example of excessive plastic packaging from major companies, an Ulta shopper shared why their experience unboxing an online order left an ugly impression of the popular beauty brand.
What's happening?
A Reddit user shared several photos of their order to the r/Ulta subreddit, revealing a large box filled to the brim with plastic air pillows. At the very bottom were five beauty products that took up a laughably small amount of space in the box.
"Ulta…seriously? What a ridiculous WASTE of packaging! Unbelievable, honestly. I ordered 5 things! Send a bubble mailer!" the post read.
A commenter compared the packaging to one of the worst offenders when it comes to plastic waste (though it has recently announced plans to switch to paper filler instead). "Ulta is becoming Amazon with the shipping process. So annoying," they wrote.
"I got an ulta package that came in like this too! I ordered a Shark hairdryer and the box was HUGE!" another shared.
Others explained that the order fulfillment warehouse likely ran out of appropriate packaging materials, and employees had no other options.
"At least it's all recyclable," someone else said. However, while the cardboard box is, plastic recycling isn't always reliable, with some sources reporting as little as 5% of plastic materials in the United States actually get recycled.
Why is plastic waste important?
Sadly, this Ulta shopper's experience with unnecessary packaging was hardly an isolated incident. Several other Ulta customers and even employees have drawn attention to the company's wasteful practices. When you consider that thousands of businesses across the globe are doing the same thing, it's easy to see why plastic waste has become such a blight on the planet.
Plastic trash poses a danger to waterways, land, and every ecosystem on Earth and harms the people and animals that inhabit them. In addition, it takes an incredible amount of water, energy, and labor to manufacture and transport these products. When there's waste at any point in the system, it further contributes to the overheating of our planet and the destruction of landscapes.
Is Ulta doing anything about this?
While commenters on the original post said the company likely isn't overpackaging items on purpose, Ulta could follow in Amazon's footsteps and do away with plastic air pillows.
Still, it's making strides to become more sustainable in other ways, such as partnering with the nonprofit Pact to offer customers dropoff bins for hard-to-recycle beauty products. After empties are collected, items are sorted into three types of recyclables to ensure proper disposal.
In addition, the company's website states that it's focused on decreasing pollution from transportation and distribution and removing plastic bubble wrap from shipments when possible.
What's being done about business waste more broadly?
Walmart has launched a recycling program with TerraCycle so that customers can responsibly dispose of used beauty product packaging at select community recycling units. Other major beauty brands, including Estée Lauder, are working to reduce plastic waste, and its parent company announced that over 70% of packaging was "recyclable, refillable, reusable, recycled, or recoverable" as of last year.
We can also help our wallets and the planet by recycling plastic and beauty product containers when possible and opting for plastic-free reusables or even homemade health and beauty products.
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