One of the British discounters Poundland presented a mock gift of "Nothing" - Nothingdesigned specifically for Valentine's Day.
It was an empty plastic heart-shaped package with "Just what you asked for!" written on it. It was supposed to be a joke gift for people who, when asked "What can I get you?" answered "Nothing." But customers refused to appreciate the joke, and there was a lot of outraged feedback on social media.
It was the plastic packaging that caused the displeasure. After all, such a joke is a one-time thing, after which the gift will simply go to the landfill. Where there is already a lot of plastic trash, which has long been a serious problem for the environment. Buyers were outraged by the fact that at a time when plastic garbage has become a real scourge, the discounter decided to increase its quantity literally out of nothing.
"This product is destined to go straight to the landfill, where it will then lie for 500 years," said Sian Sutherland, a member of the A Plastic Planet campaign. She also called the gift a symbol of "everything that's wrong with the way we see the world."
Today, more and more major retailers are making efforts to reduce the use of plastic, including a total ban on plastic bags. Greenpeace and other environmental organizations are also campaigning to ban single-use plastics wherever possible. And this story shows that ordinary users have joined the fight against plastic pollution, too. All this gives hope that products like "Nothing" will be impossible in the future.
