Dannon is getting rid of the plastic caps on their individual yogurt cups. Apparently they use 3.6 million pounds (!) of plastic every year just to make the overcaps. And as my brother Charles says, "How often does someone actually use the lid so they can finish the 6oz of yogurt later?" As part of their campaign marketing this move, they're also donating $100,000 to Toys for Tots because "Simply put, we recognize that there are other uses for plastic! One of them is making toys available for needy children." That's nice too, but it doesn't really jibe with an eliminate-the-plastic green message. Then again, nowhere on the site does it say that they're removing the overcaps for environmental reasons. Maybe it just saves them a ton of dough. Hmmm… I'd like to have been a fly-in-the-boardroom for the meetings behind this decision. Link
UPDATE: My brother just admitted to me that he's in fact saving a lid in case he ever needs one.
UPDATE: Reader Elizabeth Braun writes, "Stonyfield Farm did this awhile back and John Hargave of Zug.com had
some fun with them…over there you can call and get a few free lids. He transcribed the exchange he had with them…fun stuff." Link
