Self-destructing CDs?
Last September Walt Disney Co’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment introduced $7 EZ-D ’self-destructing’ CD.
But, “The whole way the product is being marketed as ‘no returns’ is environmentally irresponsible,” Robin Schneider, executive director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment, is quoted as saying in a Houston Chronicle story here.
Users have 48 hours to watch their suicidal EZ-D movies and after that, oxidation renders them unseless.
At $7 a pop, why would anyone want one in the first place?
Their key selling points are, “convenience, no late fees and no endless trips to return movies to the corner shop,” says USA TODAY here, going on:
“Dennis McAlpine, an analyst with McAlpine Associates, said the EZ-D was more ‘a learning experience for Disney than it is an opportunity to make money.’ Blockbuster Inc., the world’s leading movie rental chain, said it was skeptical that a DVD that goes blank 48 hours after being viewed would have much appeal.”
In the meanwhile, “I’ve worked on many different issues, and I think this has been the easiest one to mobilize the public because they see the advertisements on television and see how wasteful the products are,” says Schneider in the Chronicle.
“EZ-Ds are recyclable and no different in their environmental impact than regular DVDs,” say the makers, Flexplay Technologies, here. “Polycarbonate is a fully recyclable plastic and the proprietary chemical and technology used in the limited play DVD conform to EPA standards for health and environmental protection. Consumers can recycle their EZ-D discs simply by mailing them back to GreenDisk Services.”
“We believe consumers will enjoy the convenience of a rental alternative that requires no extra trips to return products and no late fees,” Bob Chapek, president of Buena Vista, said in a prepared statement quoted in the Chronicle story.
But, “At the city of Austin’s recycling center, home to one of two designated EZ-D recycling bins, only about 10 discs have been turned in, city spokeswoman Stephanie Lott said,” says, adding, “Some retailers said Austin residents have been slow to latch onto the technology.”
