Over the years a lot of food and household products have drastically changed in size and quality. Oftentimes brands switch up their ingredients to save on costs, but every once in awhile the change is actually for a better cause like protecting the environment.
One household product that went through a formula change is the Saran Wrap or as many call it, the cling wrap. The clear plastic has been a staple in households across the world and even the U.S. military makes use of it.
But have you noticed that the clear adhesive plastic doesn't stick as well as it used to? It may seem trivial, but there's a very good reason why.
The secret behind original Saran Wrap's impenetrable odor barrier and microwave-safe formula is Polyvinylidene chloride (PDVC), a toxic chemical that's harmful to the environment when exposed to heat. However, the Food and Drug Administration began to question the safety of products containing PDVC including SC johnson's popular Saran Wrap.
Since PDVC isn't banned, SC Johnson had the choice to continue using it and maintain their product's quality, but in 2004 they made the bold decision to sacrifice profit for the planet.
"Once we learned about the possible toxic chemicals PVDC emitted from landfills, we never really considered retaining the original formulation," he said. "Doing the right thing for customers is always the right thing for us," said Fisk Johnson, CEO and SCJ Chairman.
The company re-created the Saran Wrap with new cost-effective and safe materials, but it no longer had the clinging power as the original. As expected, the sales dropped and the market share went from 18% to 11%, but the company has no regrets.
"Ultimately, however, changing Saran Wraps' formulation was the right thing to do," Johnson said. "After all, we call ourselves "˜SC Johnson "” a family company,' and by doing the right thing we stayed true to our name, both as a company and as a family. And that's something you just can't put a price on."
If you've been struggling with your cling wrap, don't lose hope. There's a very simple trick that'll make it stick on the first try.
It's actually really easy to get cling wrap to stay on and you don't need any special tools to do so. The only thing you'll need is water!
Check out the nifty hack in the video below:
Don't forget to share this with your family and friends!