Crate and Barrel Releases Their “Eco” Line

Crate and Barrel has released several new products that promise to be a step in the eco-friendly direction. Slogans such as “Introducing more eco-friendly upholstery, without more expense” can be seen in their product ads. As a major distributor of housewares caught in the sustainability wave, they’ve been trying to minimize waste for some time now. From 2001-02 they worked with their stores to discontinue the use of petroleum-based foam peanuts for packaging. In April of 06 they successfully discontinued the use of foam peanuts was company-wide. In 2002, Crate and Barrel eliminated foam-in-place as a packing material.

Last year, Crate and Barrel made its vendors discontinue the use of white bleached shipping cartons. Their shopping bags for the holiday season in 07 were up to 30% post-consumer recycled material and were printed using water-based inks. In addition, the protective tissue used for shopping bags and boxes is made with 70% post-consumer waste fibers.

The Geämi Material system that they currently use for packaging employes a process where a special sheet of paper is put through a machine that expands it, cutting down on shipping costs and allowing their stores to only use what they need while saving storage space. For another innovative packaging material, see the Expandos system.