REI.com creates an absurd amount of trash

I ordered 20 Petzl quickdraw slings (bottom left of pic) from REI online and so far every sling has come in it’s own separate package. I have received 9 out of 20 and this is all the packaging that has come with them. By the end I’ll have more than double. Bad for an outdoor company that should be more environmentally conscious

Buying stuff always produces trash, I just wish it would be a reasonable amount. 

Did you let REI know your displeasure? You should.

That’s probably because no one location had very many, so you received packages from many different stores. Every REI store serves as a fulfillment center for the website. Not justifying, just explaining 

@frank I haven’t sent them anything yet but I will once I get the rest of the slings.

Emilio Sosawrote:

That’s probably because no one location had very many, so you received packages from many different stores. Every REI store serves as a fulfillment center for the website. Not justifying, just explaining 

This is the unfortunate answer. The best "remedy" you'll get is all that packaging ending up somewhere else first, and you receiving your gear later. 

Yes, but it's all fair trade free range trash. 

At least where I live, everything there you've shown (and all the packaging I have personally received from REI, Amazon, etc) can be recycled. Some of the plastics take a bit more work but it's all doable.

Thats some bullshit

T Legowrote:

This is the unfortunate answer. The best "remedy" you'll get is all that packaging ending up somewhere else first, and you receiving your gear later. 

The best remedy is to avoid purchasing from them online, if you really want to avoid this trash

Tony Bobwrote:

At least where I live, everything there you've shown (and all the packaging I have personally received from REI, Amazon, etc) can be recycled. Some of the plastics take a bit more work but it's all doable.

Not in Montana unfortunately. Most of these are plastic sacks.

Jamila W wrote:

It sounds like you can recycle some of that plastic at the store: 

https://www.rei.com/stewardship/eliminating-waste

I’m not reading about recycling plastic at the store in this link. This is talking more about how they’ve reduced the plastic packaging in-store. The link does mention that they’ve achieved TRUE Zero Waste status in three of their distribution centers across the US, but that’s pretty hard to believe considering the amount of waste in the picture I posted. 

We can 

A. all complain about. 

B. We can also stop buying shit online.

We'll do A, but probably not B. Hence the growing trash problem, is to be found in our mirrors.

Brys Jungwrote:

I ordered 20 Petzl quickdraw slings (bottom left of pic) from REI online and so far every sling has come in it’s own separate package. I have received 9 out of 20 and this is all the packaging that has come with them. By the end I’ll have more than double. Bad for an outdoor company that should be more environmentally conscious

The problem:  You bought the gear and REI provided since they are a business hiring many employees etc.  
--
Either don't buy the gear, drive to REI and buy it yourself (I won't shame you for the gas emissions even though the delivery trucks are probably more efficient), or don't climb, or buy used from MP if you're really concerned about being eco friendly.

Former REI employee here.

A little context is important. Most climbing companies produce an absurd amount of trash. Most brands will attach a technical notice and disclosure to every single piece of gear. It seems totally ridiculous when you buy a bunch at once, but it makes some sense from a liability standpoint.

When I worked at REI, I was really alarmed at how much trash we generated every morning unloading the truck. I mentioned it many times to my coworkers and superiors and the response was always “not our problem.” I sent a message to REI corporate and never heard back.

If it’s good for business, nothing else matters. Welcome to America.

What can you do? Don’t buy things, and definitely don’t buy things online, and definitely definitely don’t have things shipped to you. 

Do whatever you can to avoid shopping at/ordering from REI. Problem solved.

thread 1: "REI.com creates an absurd amount of trash"

thread 2: "my local gear shop said they're backordered with the manufacturer until October, so I just got it from REI. why couldn't the locals just order one special for me?"

thread 3: "REI says they have 20 of these in stock, but they'll only ship me one of them?? what the hell"

thread 4: "just learned that this product I got from REI was made primarily with PETROCHEMICALS?"

thread 5: "the manufacturer has this listed on the site but I can only buy it from certain retailers? bad for business"

thread 6: "I can get this for 3.8% cheaper and 2 day shipping from GearCoolAwesomeGearCheapAmazing.com, has anyone ever ordered from them?"

it goes on forever, and it also does not stop

Brys Jungwrote:

The best remedy is to avoid purchasing from them online, if you really want to avoid this trash

Well, sure, that's true. I guess I meant the best thing that REI could do for that specific situation 

The sad reality is that most major US cities and the majority of small towns do not have a gear shop/outfitter and the only retail option for these items is REI.

We have effectively “member co-oped” and garage saled ourselves into a classic monopoly scenario.

Would not be surprised if this happened due to lack of common sense from a new employee in their warehouse facility combined with and issue in their warehouse management system. As others have mentioned, Instead of complaining on Mountain Project, reach out to the company so that the issue can be properly addressed and corrected.

I was watching an REI employee wrap every single battery from their recycling drop off bin with electrical tape the other day.  Every single AA, AAA etc, completely wrapped in tape.  I mentioned how that seems extremely wasteful and he replied, yup, we go through an absurd amount of electrical tape, but we are required to do it.