30 packs work best for business cards. 24 and 12 packs are fine, sure, but bang for the buck is buying in bulk. Flip that Chapul business card over and you’ll probably find “abst Blue R” or “oors Ligh” on there. Recycling is great but I’ve found that repurposing rules.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a good chance I won’t be rushing to make an appointment with a doctor whose info I found stamped onto a surgical mask. I’m also not saying that Chapul’s new message is “Drink beer, conserve water” - although I’ve been arguing that for years - it boils down to if you’ve got it, use it.
The idea of repurposing is easy, the practice of it is a tough sell. Remember Amazon’s “Ugly Box” project from the early 2000s? Neither does anyone else. The program simply reused shipping boxes that came in from vendors to send out new products to customers. These boxes were in fact, ugly - scuffed up with battle scars of peeled off stickers - but who wants their brand new NOMAD Jukebox (come on, it was a different time) to show up in a box looking like it was dragged to the door by wild horses?
These days there is no doubt where the box sitting on the stoop came from. The black tape outlining the smile line that subliminally points from A to Z on the package. That’s branding, baby. Why the resistance to repurposing? Easy. Hurting your brand image? End it. Negative customer feedback? Kill the Ugly Boxes.
I like to think our revolutionaries are different, that they understand a sustainable company is one that practices sustainability in all aspects of its operations. It’s great to be able to donate to charities like 1% For the Planet and harp the environmental benefits of crickets but without responsibility in our daily practices would the other stuff even matter?
By making repurposing part of routine we live our commitment to the larger cause of sustainability. I know it’s just a little, but we find ways to do a little bit more all the time. There are some fun plans in the works and hopefully some amazing ideas we’ve yet to think of.
We’re still using ugly boxes, business cards are being stamped on to anything we can get our hands on and I’ve just finished reusing the stash of kraft paper that my wedding gifts came in. Speaking of, Pat & Dan, any movement of the marriage front? The warehouse is need of more packing paper.
- John
