Environmental Impact - Plastic

There are a lot of interesting points in the General Discussion thread for this topic: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132223

 

I've actually been thinking about the environmental issue too, but a little differently I guess. When we sand our dolls - where does the resin dust end up? If we pour it down the drains with the water, does it clog up the pipes or become harmful to the oceans? What if stray resin dust gets blown onto plants?

A bit weird, but I'd really like to know.

Oh, and I personally haven't questioned the companies I buy from about their environmental practices, but it seems like a good idea. Though it might be a bit strange. But if it was confirmed that a company I bought/wanted to buy from had terrible practices, I would definitely not buy from them. Same goes for any other company selling things other than dolls. Though generally it's hard to find out what company policies really are regarding the environment, beyond their "We Are Green" fronts.

 

yalissa- Yes, all of those things are things that relate to the BJD, but in a lot of cases they are factors that would be in someone's life regardless of whether they had a BJD or not- things like a camera, computer, sweing machne... I don't know of many people who have bought things like this specifically for the doll hobby. Someone mentioned before that not everything in life is or can be environmentally friendly, but they may stll have enough worth that it's comsidered permissible. Life would be pretty bad (in my opinion) without the ability to communicate with people on the other side of the world (including my family) so to me a telephone and a computer are absolutely justifiable uses of plastic and metals. There's a limit to what you can do with completely green materials and methods, and I think that living in the modern world is worth using some "bad" things so that we aren't stuck in the dark ages.

Compare a doll to a carton of 20 oz bottles of coke. There's probably no more plastic in a doll than in those bottles, and they've been shipped as well to your local store, you go buy one in your car and drive home, and then drink or recycle it (even recycling is not great for the environment)... you could use the same argument for just about anything! Have you ever seen how much international shipping it takes to create an environmentally friendly hybrid car battery and car?

I still think that a BJD's use of materials and shipping fuel is so little compared to other things that it's not worth worrying about- sure the fabric your doll's dress is made out of might have been treated with chemicals.... but you're using 1/4 of a yard of the stuff, when a set of human sized clothing might use 2 or 3 yards of fabric (or more), and you have multiple sets of clothes since you actually have to wear and change them daily, and they were out and get thrown away (unlike a doll which might have a handful of outfits, which generally do not wear out and need replacing).

Yes, I am dismissing the BJD "problem" becuase it's too small... but that's because almost every person on this board probably has so many other areas of their life where they can cut back and make a much larger impact, and which tend to be ignored. I'm reminded of power saving lightbulbs. In Australia they are going to be phasing out traditional incadescent bulbs and replacing them with compact fluorescents. It's great, it'll save electricity and money... but it's still not much compared to the power wasted when people leave their air conditioner on all day long, do 5 loads of laundry a week, blowdry their hair for 30 minutes a day, and have the TV, computer, and DVD player running for hours and hours a day. It's a good step to change the bulbs, but a bit foolish to think that once you've done that you've made a huge change to the environment when you're still doing everything else the same!

And yes, I DO like to rant!

 

On the one hand, I think you’re right. Even if the dolls themselves have a very small impact on the environment there are lots of ways (mostly around shipping) that we can “green up” our collections. However, as much as I think we should all try to do our part for the environment, having worked at a small-ish outlet of a very large store, I can tell you that the stores that supply you with the items you do or do not use greenly have such a huge impact as to make your contribution miniscule. At Michaels, we had some decent cardboard recycling, for sure, but there was SO MUCH (we could fill up one of those big dumpsters with flattened boxes in about two days at Christmas, never mind all the boxes that went into our baler and were compressed—probably about twice or three times what went directly out to the recycling dumpster), and that was the only thing we recycled. Plastic and paper? No way! Also, when I started working, we did try to encourage employees to at least recycle paper: there was a bin in the back stock area that was supposed to be paper only (only stayed that way a couple days per week, but it was something) and eah cash register had both a garbage can and a recycling bin. However, just before I stopped working there, there was a big push for standardization across the company, and because not all stores were implementing that recycling program, we were actually forbidden from having the cashiers’ recycling bins. So if you’re really concerned about making the hobby greener, make sure that the companies you buy from know that recycling is important to you. Next time you’re in a yarn or fabric or art supply shop, ask them about what they do with their packaging, find out if some of the products you might buy are from nearby (thereby having flown less far), etc. We should all do our part, but we need retailers and producers to do theirs as well.

 

Wow, I knew that resin was harmful to the body, but I've never thought of how it would impact the environment!
I haven't gotten a BJD yet, but as mentioned, the dolls aren't disposable and can't be easily replaced like plastic bottles and sort.
Compared to having a BJD and the plastic being thrown away each day, the hobby doesn't impact the environment as much.
But it's still some impact. Like the Japanese have been hunting whales for years (Whale Wars on Animal Planet channel) and they doesn't seem to be concerned with the environment as much. All countries have different opinions on the environment.
I feel bad for the animals and nature that we humans have harmed over the years (like the dodo birds).

 

Very good points all.
THe best item in so far as packaging was a mop that I purchased. Hey no joking there. It was a floor cleanning kit; aluminum pole/stick (very recycle friendly and came in 2-3 pieces), minor plastic usage, reusable microfiber cloth head (wash and reuse) and "eco-friendly" cleaner. The packaging was non-bleached, mostly post consumer recycled paper "carton", it could even be used as a planter (it was that sort of shape). There was nothing to throw away.
I save all bubble wrap and re-use it. I also save and reuse all packing peanuts (some are even using the starch type now). I found a local store that does some catalog sales and they will take the peanuts to reuse.
To be honest I do not ask any companies. Lets face it, I would not like what I heard. China, come one. So I try to recycle and reuse as much as possible.
So I try to be good at home...I do not drink soda. The occasional soda is a 2 litre (which is recycled) or cans (ditto) - less than 4 times a year. I buy no pastic products except for plastic wrap (twice a year). All glass, cans, and paper are recycled in my home. I'm trying for metal as well, but scrap dealers only take large amounts. So I need to look into it. My old clothes are either sent to the consignment store, or goodwill.

 

I don't think it's relative to the hobby to worry about their enviromental impact. How many of us are going to be throwing our dolls in the trash?

And I sure as heck wouldn't waste money on a doll that biodegrades.

I'm aware of the fact that there are fumes when the resin is mixed, but I don't think that has much environmental relavancey either.

 

I make clothes out of recycled fabric quite often so I think that's got to be a bonus point, plus I do have some pre-loved dolls in my collection. I guess I have been very selfish in not actually considering the environment in my quest for this hobby- and hadn't thought about the implications of the plastic or even the petrol used in vehicles to transport it to me. However; I think that the fact it brings me a lot of joy and that I recycle all my plastic, glass, cardboard and only buy food that I am actually going to eat that week; is surely a decent contribution from me. I don't think Mother Earth would begrudge me my hobby as I try to thank her in other ways for her gifts to us all

 

I would have to say that I agree that it dose have such small effect that its not what we should worry about , a a former employee of a grocery store I can tell you that at its more recent with reusable bags already on the market that our one store still usedmore than 600 lb of plastic bags in a week , not to mention the packing material for any of the foods themselves. BJDs are also made out of a plastic that typically biodegrades faster than other items. I would be more worried about the companies still using Styrofoam to package them than the dolls themselves.

 

This may be getting a bit off topic, but as I understand it, the species(es?) of whales that the Japanese hunt are not endangered, and it’s therefore only a matter of your stance on killing for food (albeit a luxury food), which is not really an environmental issue. North Americans (and others) go a bit crazy when they hear about whales being hunted partly because most of the species of whales in our waters are endangered, and to a lesser extent because we think whales are cute and nice and in the same non-edible category as puppies…but in the case of Asian whaling, my understanding is that it’s not the same environmental/extinction issue. Don’t believe me that people care about whales because they’re cute? Why are so few people up in arms about people fishing salmon into a position rapidly approaching endangerment?
Okay, sorry, /rant.

Back on topic, I can definitely agree that people in Asia are, overall, less concerned with certain aspects of the environment than Europeans and North Americans. Everything here in Japan is individually packaged, even bags of cookies. Also, they burn a lot of their rubbish. But on the other hand, there are extremely strict controls on automobile emissions here, I believe much stronger even than in Vancouver, which is the only city I've visited before and known they had emissions regulations. And most people recycle paper, plastics, metal and glass, just the same as at home. My friend says it's the same in Korea (less the emissions regulations), and that at least in Seol there are even city-wide composting programs--but most people don't really think about why they're doing it, it's just The Way It's Done because The Government Says So, it's not a personal choice.

 

Interesting discussion!

I think shipping is probably the worst contributor in our case... via packaging, styro, and petroleum. But that is relevant not only to BJDs, but to ALL online ordering. Not to mention the THOUSANDS of miles that an apple or pear will travel before it reaches a supermarket.

Even locally farmed produce usually has to travel hundreds of miles to be inventoried and inspected, and only then is it shipped back to where it came from and into the market. Our food system is horribly unsustainable!

Making wigs and doll-clothing I actually recycle a large amount of stuff... When a scrap is too small for anything else and would normally get chucked, I keep it in a dolly-box to make doll stuff from :] Especially when making dreads.. I usually wind up with a thousand little bits and ends and whatnots that turn into doll-hair later! :p

 

Recycling isn't perfect, it does still pollute, use energy, etc. Reusing goods is the best way to go, if possible (for example, if a milk company sends out milk in glass bottles, collects and sterlizies the bottles, and then uses them again, they they don't have to melt the bottles and remold them, they only have to clean them and make a new lid), but modern society is more focused on disposable goods and recycling than on actually reusing something once it's been manufactured. However, BJD items are rarely discarded, and are generally sold to someone else instead, so reuse seems to be pretty strong in the BJD hobby... saving the original box & pillows seems to be pretty common as well.

 

Thanks I'll try to never buy that Nestle water ever again because I always thought it tasted terrible anyway. A rumor I heard about Dasani water was that it was actually the left over water they used for Coca Cola but I'm not sure if that's true or not.