What comes around, goes around.
By Índio AB.
My shift had just ended, and I needed some refreshments for the cold trip home.
I passed through the local café, getting myself a hot cup of coffee. Satisfactory, but wasteful. A quick glance in the public rubbish bin revealed a similar story: Cigarettes, cans, wrappers, packets, cups and bottles; all destined for a comfortable retirement at the local dump.
We can’t entirely blame these people, as we have all found ourselves amidst a disposable society.
This brings us to our topic of the day: The circular economy.
The key principle behind a circular economy is to reuse; to unmake everything we make, so that everything comes around again. In the long term, this reduces waste and saves on production costs, which is an added benefit.
This is opposed to a linear economy - a system that we are yet to fully abandon - where things are made to be thrown away. The effects of this system are still at play: Less than a fifth of all global plastic is recycled, and what isn’t recycled goes on to pollute the world around us.
A major consequence of our disposable society are single-use menstrual products. Tampons, tampon packaging, liners, and pads all contribute to global waste. If this sector of plastic products were to be completely replaced with reusable alternatives, we would see a circular economy take shape.
The next time I get myself some coffee, I’ll bring my own cup with me. It’s a small change of habit, but it adds up. You don’t have to lunge headfirst into a completely carbon-free lifestyle, instead you make gradual increments, making wise use of your spending needs day by day. The products we sell are just a part of moving forward; we wish for sustainability to go beyond what we do.
When we all make the right choice with self care, we take a step in the right direction. Put simply:
Sustainability starts with you.
References:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/five-steps-towards-a-less-disposable-future/
https://www.weforum.org/open-forum/event_sessions/the-disposable-society
