As consumers, we are very wasteful. Annually, the world generates 1.3 billion tons of solid waste.
This is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2025. The developed countries are responsible for 44%
of waste, and in the U.S. alone, the average person throws away their body weight
in rubbish every month.
Conventional wisdom would see to suggest that companies have no incentive to lengthen the life cycle
of their products and reduce the revenue they would get from selling new goods. Yet, more and more
businesses are thinking about how to reduce consumer waste. This is partly deiven by the rising
price of raw materials and metals. It is also partly due to both consumers and companies becoming
more aware of the need to protect our environment.
When choosing what products to buy and which brands to buy from, more and more consumers are looking
into sustainability. This is opposed to just price and performance they were concerned about
in the past. In a survey of 54 of the world's leading brands, almost all of them reported that
consumers are showing increasing care about sustainable lifestyles. At the same time,
surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about minimizing energy
use and reducing waste.
For the most part, consumers control what happens to a product. But some companies are realizing
that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy,
especially when tossing something away seems like the easiest and the most convenient option.
Some retailers and manufacturers in the clothing, footwear, and electronics industries have
launched environmental programs. They want to make their customers interested in preserving
their products and preventing things that still have value from going to the garbage dump.
By offering services to help expand the longevity of their products, they're promising
quality and durability to consumers, and receiving the reputational gains for being
environmentally friendly.
For example, the Swedish jeans company Nudie Jeans offers free repair at twenty of their
shops. Instead of discarding their old worn-out jeans, customers bring them in to be renewed.
The company even provides mail-order repair kits and online videos, so that customers can
learn how to fix a pair of jeans at home. Their philosophy is that extending the life of a
pair of jeans is not only great for the environment, but allows the consumer to get
more value out of their product. When customers do want to toss their pair,
they can give them back to the store, which will repurpose and resell them. Another
clothing company, Patagonia, a high-end outdoor clothing store, follows the same
principle. It has partnered with DIY website iFixit to teach consmers how to
repair their clothing, such as waterproof outerwear, at home. The company also offers
a repair program for their customers for a modest fee. Currently, Patagonia
repairs about 40,000 garments a year in their Reno, Nevada, service center.
According to the company's CEO, Rose Marcario, this is about building a company that cares
about the environment. At the same time, offering repair supports the perceived quality of
its products.
In Brazil, the multinational corporation Adidas ahs been running a shoe-recycling
program called "Sustainable Footprint" since 2012. Customers can bring shoes of any brand into
an Adidas store to be shredded and turned into alternative fuels for energy creation instead
of being burned as trash. They are used to fuel cement ovens. To motive
visitors to bring in more old shoes, Adidas Brazil promotes the program in stores by showing videos
to educate customers, and it even offers a discount each time a customer brings in an
old pair of shoes. This boosts the reputation and image of Adidas by making people
more aware of the company's values.