Blister pack chewing gum

One thing that most people carry around with them is gum - a whole multitude of brands exist - Juicy Fruit, Trident, Excel, Orbit, Eclipse, Airwaves, Dentyne, DoubleMint....the list could go on forever! Whether it is for freshening your breath or whitening your teeth, most gum comes in a standard issue plastic and aluminum blister pack covered with a cardboard sleeve. However, upon further evaluation, this is an extremely difficult thing to dispose of, and aluminum is an extremely valuable commodity to be throwing away.

My assumed rationale behind this amount of packaging: I suspect that the blister pack is to keep the gum safe, away from the elements (for example, moisture), and portion controlled. The cardboard sleeve is to convey the brand image, to give the gum an easily packed shape in trays, as well as to protect the blister pack.

Alternative considerations: When I was in Hong Kong, I noticed that they sold Wrigley's Airwaves in resealable plastic packets. No aluminum or cardboard needed. Perhaps Wrigley and other gum manufacturers may want to phase that in across their gum brands? It accommodates the protection, it conveys the brand image, it fits in a purse or pocket, and it uses less valuable materials. Similarly, gum is also great in that old school fashion of being wrapped in paper.

Make some constructive suggestions to some of the biggest gum manufacturers:

Wrigley can be contacted by email here or by snail mail here:

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
P.O. BOX 3900
Peoria, IL 61614
1 800 WRIGLEY (U.S. and Canada consumers only)

Cadbury Adams global can be contacted online here or via the Trident website here.