Tofu-Eating WokeratiApr 15, 2023
Rachel Coldicutt has moved

I'm late to the Tupperware situation (which I have a lot of feelings about) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/11/tupperware-warns-could-go-bust-emergency-funding?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other The Daily Mail has blamed the brand's demise on the modern lack of dutiful housewives (obvs), but I think it represents a more interesting domestic technology pivot.

Firstly, Tupperware lasts. My parents have some that's >40 years old. If you have a small kitchen and buy 5 or 6 pieces of Tupperware, you're good to go for years and years. It even has a lifetime warranty https://www.tupperware.com/pages/warranty

Tupperware warns it could go bust without emergency funding

Shares in US firm have fallen almost 50% this week and stock exchange says it is in danger of being delisted

The Guardian
Apr 15, 2023 at 6:42amWeb
Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedApr 15, 2023

It's not the stuff you get from the pound shop where the lids never quite fit and drift off to wherever lids go, that leaks in your bag when you take it to work, and that needs replacing several times a year.

But it's also expensive and it's plastic (I think mostly LDPE). I think this is where the problem is. My hunch is a lot of younger people who can and will invest in expensive food storage and fancy kitchen tchotchkes do so because they want to eat more sustainably and "authentically"

Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedApr 15, 2023
If you're dipping cloth in beeswax to wrap your cheese, you're unlikely to spend £30 (£30!) on a plastic box to keep your bread in. https://tupperwaredirect.co.uk/products/breadsmart-junior Maybe you'll pick up some vintage Tupperware from eBay, but products with an equivalent price point now tend to be made from more sustainable or recyclable materials. Meanwhile, if you're 49 (and I speak from experience) you're probably drowning in a lifetime's collection of plastic boxes you can never get rid of.
BREADSMART JUNIOR

Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedApr 15, 2023
I have a real soft spot for Tupperware - its previous impact on the pink collar economy and the fastidious and nerdy approach to food storage - but I ultimately can't be that sad about there being fewer plastic containers that will hang around for hundreds of years. I'd love to see the company embrace sustainability, but if the cash reserves are low, that seems unlikely.
Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedApr 21, 2023
On the potentials perils of old Tupperware https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/14/health/tupperware-safety-tips-plastic-containers-wellness/index.html
How long you can use your vintage Tupperware and other plastic food storage products

Since Tupperware might be going out of business soon, you might be wondering how long your stash will be OK to use. Experts weigh in on safety and alternatives.

CNN
Show threadtmesisApr 21, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt The link doesn't seem to relate to the subject
Show threadGuyApr 22, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt that's rather depressing. I have quite a stash of oldish plastic containers that I'm trying to keep in use under the assumption that, having bought them in ignorance it is important to maximise their life and minimise plastic waste. Maybe a rethink is needed.
Show threadDeborah PickettApr 15, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt I have a ton of Tupperware! It’s still the best of its kind IMO, though the quality gap between it and its rivals isn’t as great any more. Most Tupperware is polypropylene (type 5), one of the easiest polymers to recycle. Their silly insistence in clinging on to the multilevel marketing model is doing them harm IMO. I bought some from their website in .au last week and I still had to nominate a representative!?
Show threadJan Lehnardt Apr 15, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt I’ll throw in the IKEA variety which is functionally solid and lasts for 5+ years, and is unsurprisingly dirt cheap.
Show threadKay   Apr 15, 2023

@rachelcoldicutt I sometimes acquire new food storage units. I've found hardened glass containers with silicon lids are a good addition. We still use some plastic containers if that's what food came in, like a 2L ice cream container bought ten or more years ago.

Probably proving your point.

Show threadFlaming JuneApr 15, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt architects of their own destruction.
Show threadMatt EdgarApr 15, 2023
@juneussell @rachelcoldicutt Sealed their own fate
Show threadFlaming JuneApr 15, 2023
@mattedgar @rachelcoldicutt lol
Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedApr 15, 2023
@juneussell @mattedgar 👏👏👏👏
Show threadmsglincolnApr 15, 2023
@rachelcoldicutt My daughter does not use plastic food storage out of concern for her children. She uses only glass. If she is typical of her generation (she's 42) this may be part of Tupperware's problem.