Page 8 - Environmental_Circular Economy

8

Recycle:

Recycling consist in reintroducing waste that were already consumed in a production process, so that they
can be used again as a raw material for the manufacturing of new products. Recycling offer an entire world
of possibilities and a great optimisation of resources. When you throw glass in a recycling bin, this one is
sorted by color and washed in a glass treatment plant. Then it is crushed and melt, and moulded again in
new products such as new bottles, ready to be used again. Recycle is also a core in the cascading use of raw
materials, detailed in chapter 3.

Reduce:

Reduce can be applied at 2 levels:

- For the consumers: we buy a lot, consum huge quantities, and very fast. Also, a good way of taking care of
the environment is to reduce the number of products that we buy and waste that we generate. For
instance, making an inventory of what we have in the fridge from time to time would probably help
reducing the quantity of food we purchase, and optimize what we already have in order not to waste it.

- At industrial level, reduce is about decreasing the use of raw material needed to develop a product. This
can be achieved thinking about non essential features of a product, such as the packaging, avoiding plastic
bags, etc.

Rethink

Rethink, or redesign is about not taking anything for granted. Ecology and environmental concerns should
be part of the design process to manufacture products that are more sustainable. It is not only about
functionnalities, but also about the raw material, the packaging, etc. Also, when thinking about solution,
you should avoid to stick to traditional models and take risk, reinvent new models that are more adapted to
our current environment, using all the available knowledge.

Repair

While recycling means a different use, repair is simply about taking what is broken and putting it again into
service thanks to putting it back into good conditions. It is simple, and efficient. We might think about it for
larger home appliance. Washing Machine is broken? Before buying a new one, you probably call the
technical service. This can also be applied to most smaller items: you might sew your holey trousers, or
simply paste an old frame.

Refurbish

Everything doesn’t need to be brand new, and vintage is actually fashion. So why not joining the move?
Refurbish is mostly applied to building, taking some old premises to renovate them. But it can also be
applied to other things, such as old pieces of furnitures, and any old good that will be transformed to
become a modern item.