Since it’s a crucial aspect in every facet of life, what are the 6 Rs of sustainability, and what do its three pillars look like?
It’s a word we hear swatted around almost on a daily basis now. With food, fashion, lifestyle, everything. Individuals and companies alike have all increasingly talked about living and doing things more sustainably. But what does ‘sustainable’ really mean?
Meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs is the most common and widely accepted way of defining sustainability. And that’s great, but what does it entail?
The 6 Rs of sustainability
Within the waste hierarchy, there are six agreed-upon principles of sustainability: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle.
- Rethink/Reimagine: Rethinking involves challenging conventional practices and finding innovative solutions. It encourages questioning the status quo and exploring alternative approaches that have lower environmental impacts. Rethinking refers to questioning existing practices and finding innovative solutions. It involves critically evaluating our habits, consumption patterns, and business practices to identify more sustainable alternatives. Rethinking can lead to the development of new technologies, processes, and systems that minimize environmental impact. Do you really need that? It’s the question you should be asking yourself according to this principle of sustainability. It implores one to question and understand their consumption habits and impact on the environment. If a person realises that natural resources are limited, they are likely to rethink their everyday choices.
- Refuse: Refrain from buying stuff you don’t need. There can be a lot of considerations when buying a new product — the quality, the packing, the company’s ethics, et al. Basically, refuse to pay money for something that would end up generating more waste. For example, an overly packaged parcel, like a box within a larger box filled with paper (looking at you, Amazon).
- Reduce: The first step is to minimize the consumption of resources by reducing waste, energy usage, and unnecessary consumption. This involves being mindful of our choices and avoiding excessive consumption. Reducing refers to minimizing the consumption of resources and avoiding waste. It involves being mindful of our choices and taking steps to decrease our overall environmental footprint. This can be achieved by using energy-efficient appliances, practicing energy conservation, avoiding single-use items, and opting for products with minimal packaging. You didn’t think the 6 Rs of sustainability wouldn’t have the 3 environmental Rs, did you? The first of the reduce, reuse, recycle trio, it essentially asks you to Marie Kondo your things. For the uninitiated, that means reducing the amount of stuff you no longer need and actively making decisions that reduce waste. The idea is: consume less, waste less.
- Reuse: Instead of discarding items after a single use, the focus is on finding ways to reuse them. This can include using refillable water bottles, utilizing reusable shopping bags, or repurposing items for different functions. Reusing focuses on finding ways to use items multiple times before discarding them. This can involve using refillable water bottles, using cloth bags for shopping instead of disposable ones, repurposing containers and packaging for storage or crafts, and donating or selling items that are no longer needed. If you don’t need something, before throwing it away, try and see if you can reuse or repurpose it in another way. Instead of buying a replacement, reinvent it and find an alternative use. You’re paying for the product and the packaging; so make use of both.
- Repair: Rather than replacing items when they break or become damaged, repairing them is a more sustainable option. Repairing extends the lifespan of products, reduces waste, and saves resources. Repairing involves fixing items that are damaged or broken instead of discarding them. Repairing extends the lifespan of products, reduces waste, and conserves resources. It can include repairing electronics, appliances, clothing, furniture, and other items, either by oneself or through professional repair services. Before you recycle, hold up. Can you fix it? Expand the shelf life of your possessions. Make the most out of whatever you buy and have, and only pass it on when there’s nothing left to do with it.
- Recycle: Recycling involves the collection and processing of materials to create new products. It is essential to separate recyclable materials from general waste to divert them from landfills and reduce the demand for raw materials. Recycling involves the collection and processing of materials to create new products. It is the process of converting waste materials into reusable materials. This can include recycling paper, plastics, glass, metals, and electronics. Recycling helps to conserve resources, reduce the extraction of raw materials, save energy, and minimize waste sent to landfills. If you really can’t reuse something, recycle it. You have no excuse not to do recycle everything you can in 2021. By separating your waste, you help it reach the right treatment centres. The raw materials in such products can be reclaimed and reused to make another product, which means you’re not using any new reserves of the natural resources and contributing to sustainable development.
The three pillars of sustainability
In addition to the 6 Rs of sustainability, here are what are considered its three pillars, commonly referred to as the people, planet and profit.
- People: the social pillar:: The social pillar focuses on balancing the needs of an individual with the needs of the group. If a company rewards its workers and invests in upskilling them, that will pay off when those skills are required at the company level and the workers are happy. Successful corporate sustainability programs take an approach that complements the company’s missions and employees’ interests.
- Planet: the environmental pillar:: The final pillar focuses on environmental sustainability. It encourages activities, processes and systems that help reduce the carbon footprint and environmental damage done by an organisation. Many corporate and non-profit organisations have been laying out plans to reach net-zero emissions and become carbon neutral, which the United Nations Climate Change Committee says is crucial for environmental protection.
- Profit: the economic pillar :: The economic pillar refers to using a set of resources in a profitable way that will allow them to be used long-term. Economic sustainability proposes a model for the equitable and efficient distribution of goods and services, in a way that establishes sustainable benefits and profitability.
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