Using plastic packaging is dumb. Google just stopped doing it.

Google quietly announced something that most people aren't going to pay any attention to, even though we all should; it's one of the most important things the company has done.

It has stopped using any plastic materials in the box of all Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit products.

This doesn't sound like a big deal, especially since the products themselves all have plenty of plastic parts, but it is. Plastic wrapping, trays, and inserts inside a box are the kinds of things that get thrown away as soon as you tear into the package. There is no real value in keeping them around because you don't need them to send a product in for a warranty claim.

Using plastic could be a good idea because it's almost infinitely recyclable. Unfortunately, it's more cost-effective to create new plastic than it is to recycle it for many purposes — plastic can get ugly when recycled and some things need to look pretty. Especially when it's next to an expensive new phone like a Pixel 9 Pro.

It makes sense that Google did this. Apple and Samsung are working towards the same goal, and each says it should be able to make it happen by 2025. Apple and Samsung also sell about a bajillion more phones and other products every year than Google does. Google was able to do it earlier because it simply has fewer boxes to consider. I assume it's more cost-effective to use plastic because every company does it, and saving money is just as important as selling products, especially when you sell a lot of products.

Google switching from plastic to recycled paper products won't have as big of an impact as Apple or Samsung. It's still very important, though, because this brings the issue into focus. When consumers realize that this is a small change that's really good for the environment, companies like OnePlus, HMD, and others will look into doing the same. When enough smaller companies join Google, the amount of plastic being used will be far less, so less of it will end up sitting in the dirt at the landfill. 

You should care about this. Sustainability is important because we have to live on this planet. We have to eat the food grown here, drink the water found here, and breathe the air here. We also raise our kids here, and nobody should want to leave things worse than we found them.

Companies like Samsung committing to using recycled materials in their phones is super important and we should appreciate those kinds of efforts. Smaller goals can be equally important and since they should be easier to pull off, we should expect them. 

I'm no hippie guy who wears only hemp and has a Save the Whales bumper sticker on my truck. But I do hunt, fish, and have a vegetable garden. I also have grandkids and I want this place to be as clean and healthy as possible for them to grow up in. 

Sustainability should not be some tribal left vs. right or us vs. them issue. It should be something everyone can support, and we should all want to see what else Google and every other company can do to make Earth a better place.