There are few practices as stupid, simple and damaging to the environment as wasteful packing. Take a look at this ludicrous box that Dell used to send a 2GB thumb drive. It's about 100 times too big, and it's not just wasteful because of the cardboard used. I, for one, am sick of seeing crap like this.
Such idiotic shipping practices also waste space on trucks and planes, requiring more trips, therefore more fuel used and more pollution. And it's not like this is something that we haven't seen Dell do before. Think about it: how many thumbdrives could fit in a UPS truck in boxes like these? What about if they were in boxes that were sized more appropriately? There would be a huge difference. And with most online retailers shipping like this, it's a problem that could be easily solved.
Let's shame them into changing. Next time you receive a tiny object shipped in a gigantic box, snap a picture of it and send it to me. Nothing helps change harmful policies like a healthy dose of bad press. [Consumerist via Treehugger]
DISCUSSION
Sending packages in very small boxes = lots of very small boxes getting lost by UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc. Besides, the minimum box size that you can send a package in would still be way too large for the usb drive in that picture.
Also, this will not save a considerable amount of gas. UPS Drivers never have their trucks loaded completely full (good luck finding a 2"x3"x1" box in there if it is). Also, air freight runs on schedules and are rarely filled to capacity which is measured by weight rather than size.
I can hear the guys down at the airport now, "Hold that plane, we could fit 40,000 more usb drives on that thing and save the world from global warming because they are in a appropriately sized boxes."
I'm all about reducing energy consumption and making the world a better place to live in, but this is stretching it. I believe that encouraging people to recycle these boxes would do a lot more for the cause than complaining about the box being too big.