Green gift of the season for guys? An environmentally friendly basketball. In the airport today I saw that both Plenty and Boho magazines listed the Wilson Rebound in their gift guides. With "Think Globally, Hoop Locally" printed on the 40% recycled rubber basketball, Wilson seems to be making an eco-effort this year. Props to Wilson for packaging this ball in 80% pre or post consumer board, but is external packaging even necessary?
Being ahead of trends as always (j/k), I actually bought a "green" basketball as a gift at the beginning of this month. I have to gloat for a minute because I think, overall, my choice was a better one. Not only are the basketballs from Fair Trade Sports made from "eco-certified rubber exterior and interior" but the hands that crafted them are full-grown. Yes, these are Fair Trade and vegan, for only $4.00 more than the Wilson ball. Plus, you are supporting a small company dedicated to "eco-certified Fair Trade sports balls" and philanthropy, not a giant company that is perhaps trying to do some Greenwashing to appease customers.
One could argue that the Wilson might be more readily available in stores, but I am going to bet that you might have to order it online just as you would the Fair Trade Sports basketball. I do not know how the FTS ball is packaged, however, so I am interested in finding out whether it is consistent with the company's claimed values.
So, if you know someone who would love a basketball, keep these options in mind!
2 comments:
Hope you are enjoying your basketball, Rosie. Thanks for the blog mention.
You'll notice we currently package our sports balls in a protective poly bag to prevent scuffs, etc during shipping. As this is petroleum-based, it annoys me to no end. This is one of the next areas we are greening in our supply chain.
We're evaluating durable paper bags (maybe even with built in bird seed - you go plant the bag!) versus a canvas bag (either tight weave or coffee-style loose weave).
Thanks again for helping us spread the word!
Scott, I'm so glad you saw my post! Thank you so much for the information about packaging. I actually had sent this directly to the recipient so I never saw the packaging. I hope your company has lots of success.
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