Topic 3 Companies establishing alliances to reuse materials
Partnerships among companies and supply providers are increasingly evolving. They are not only focusing on recycling, but also understanding and developing new ways in which they can deliver their products in a more conscious and greener way. The packaging industry is facing a huge milestone regarding their product since their clients are demanding more eco-friendly materials that can be recycled or the use of materials that have already had a previous life.
Regarding the materials used in the packaging industry we cannot forget about other materials that do not include paper. The refilling trend is hitting the marketplace hard since glass bottles require less waste of energy and when refilling we are reducing waste.
Other areas of production such as the fast fashion industry have been challenged regarding its principles and processes. From 2019 onwards, green awareness regarding fashion has been increasing in consumers, many of them choosing to be interested in the materials the clothes are made of and the processes they undergo. This interest in the consumer leads to a change of mentality and has an impact in big corporations that are reinventing themselves in order to fulfil the needs of a greener market.
To sum up:
The development of this unit highlights the importance of adapting the design and production process of a company to the people’s behaviour and interests. What we should focus on, besides the actual production system, is the people. We need to develop new insights in order to be successful when implementing certain transformations in the structure of a company, since the entire workforce will change. The different sections of this unit allow us to see what may be coming soon for the development of a circular economy as well as what we have already achieved as a society in our goal to a greener future and a series of new abilities and skills that we need to develop in order to encourage awareness and take action into an eco-friendlier system.
Source: Keshav Parajuly, Colin Fitzpatrick, Orla Muldoon, Ruediger Kuehra. Behavioral change for the circular economy: A review with focus on electronic waste management in the EU