- search for more sustainable alternatives ("rethink")
- and reduce our own consumption ("reduce").
- We should reuse products more often ("reuse"),
- repair them ("repair"),
- bring old products up to date ("refurbish"),
- create new products from parts of old products ("remanufacture"),
- give old products a new purpose ("repurpose"),
- make new products from waste ("recycle")
- or, as a last resort, recover energy from waste that cannot be recycled or reused ("recover").
In every area, there are opportunities to implement these circular economy strategies. Electrical appliances, for example, are quickly disposof when they no longer work. Repairs are too costly, and new products are quickly and cheaply available. However, if devices are designed in such a way that they can be repaired easily and cheaply ("repair"), they stay in use longer. And there is also much room for improvement in the plastics industry. By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in our oceans. If we avoid single-use and microplastics ("refuse"), we protect our oceans.
Now it's your turn! By rethinking our consumption habits and using products more intensively, we can create a more sustainable future. This applies to companies just as much as to private individuals.
Now it's your turn: think back to your last three purchases and take a look at the R-strategies, starting with "refuse":
- Could you have done without the purchase?
- Would there have been more sustainable alternatives, for example in the form of second-hand or sharing options?
Make this short check a habit and consider the R-strategies the next time you go shopping.
Whether on a large or small scale, the circular economy model can lead to more sustainable solutions everywhere. Talk to your colleagues at lunch or during the coffee break about the model and come up with three ways to bring more circularity into your company.
The transition to a circular economy requires all of us.
Learn more about the opportunities of the circular economy and how you too can contribute in our climate protection training program!
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