In case you didn’t know this yet, we have a rising crisis on our hands, too much plastic is being used and discarded and polluting our great planet. Our ocean, rivers, and streams have floating islands of plastic in them. Our land is being saturated with unrecycled plastic. Before you think I’m some Green Peace activist, let me tell you I’m not. I’m a hunter and an angler, and a steward of the land.

We are endangering our planet more and more every day. It’s sad really, we buy recycled goods, but the packaging they come in is usually worse than if we bought a non-recycled item. Actually, most of the packaging on the goods we buy is the issue.

Not the entire packaging, just the plastic is the issue, we have more plastic in lives now than ever before. While plastic is recyclable, it is actually more cost-effective for manufacturers to make new plastic than it is for them to recycle old plastic. What incentive do they really have then?

One company has seen the light and has actually taken steps on their own, to reduce the impact they have on the environment, no matter the impact it may have on their bottom line.

Recently Todd Bischoff, GCD at Gerber Gear had this to say about the new initiative,

“Super stoked to have lead the development and creation of the NEW, Badass Fishing Packaging for GERBER. We wanted to launch this product in a sustainable and disruptive way. In reducing our environmental footprint, we chose to not use plastics and instead used natural, recycled materials. The die lines were engineered to allow for the products to be completely exposed (yes, even knives) so that the consumer can touch and feel. In the Sea of zip lock baggies, clamshells and blister packs, this collection stands apart and begs to be held.”

I personally think the Gerber Fishing gear is amazing, with this forward-thinking approach to the packaging, I think it will blow up the fishing market. There’s far too much waste from fishing gear, equipment, and lures in and near our waterways. We need to do something, and this is one approach I can get behind.

What do you, do you think more companies should forgo their bottom line to make better environmental choices, or should economics rule?