I found this box as promotional packaging for some Bentley’s teabags. I’m not sure if it’s a craft traditional to some part of the world, but I can only imagine it was one of several hundred thousand assembled in some sweatshop somewhere. It’s 100% bamboo planking, not sure what the flat strips are made of; I’m also not sure if or how the bamboo is treated.

Looking at this, just as with basket weaving or natural sackcloth, I wonder if there’s a lesson here about the future of commercial product packaging. While the components are obviously biodegradable, I wonder if the work involved in constructing this box is excessive for something that should be thrown away; likewise, what would be an individual’s limit if forced to reuse these boxes instead of discarding them?

When looking at alternatives to plastics and treated cardboard, it’s tempting to want to return to traditional handicrafts. The natural aesthetic clearly advertises the eco-ethics the product manufacturer wishes to espouse. But given the carbon cost of shipping these boxes from overseas, the unknown working conditions under which it was constructed, and its dubious reuse (beyond an initial, token quantity), just how socio-eco-ethical is this compared to a cardboard box?

It sure is a purdy box, though.