Businesses embrace recycling culture
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 09:37:10
In an article for the Guardian, business expert, Jessica Vaughn, argues that various businesses and brands are doing much more to encourage recycling amongst customers, while also taking advantage of recycled sources, to create products and services.
This is all part of the so-called circular economy, with the idea being that the wasteful ways of the past should be changed, not just because of their environmental impact, but because they make economic sense.
Vaughn points to the various incentives which are run by companies to get customers to bring in recyclable goods when they shop, so that they can get cash payments or a discount on their bill at the checkout. This includes clothing retailers giving people cash for old fashion wear, as well as mobile network providers allowing people to trade in old phones when they upgrade.
Companies are even beginning to embrace the idea that some items which might previously have been purchased on a permanent basis can, instead, be rented temporarily before being returned and reused by someone else. This has been applied to everything from jeans to cars and means that there is much less waste, while people still get access to the items they require in their day to day lives.
Indeed the change has to come at both ends of the spectrum, with consumers and the companies that sell to them needing to take a stand simultaneously over the circular economy and recycling. Brands are certainly leading the way in some respects, but there is an equally important ground swell of support for sustainable products amongst a growing proportion of the population.
Making recycling easier by setting up in-store collection points for old phones and clothes is also a way for retailers to get people back onto the high street. And, as online shopping tightens its grip on the market, recycling convenience and cost reduction could be a factor that prevents bricks and mortar decline.
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