Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 - 23 January 1866), an English novelist and poet, once quoted: "The waste of plenty is the resource of scarcity" [1].
The above quote is thought-provoking since it distills the explanation of a complex situation into its basic essence - 'waste leads to scarcity'. Now, scarcity is not an unfamiliar word for anyone. In fact, this is one concept that can be said to transcend across classes in the society. The Cambridge Dictionary defines scarcity as "a situation in which something is not easy to find or get" [2]. Economics takes it two steps further by connecting it with human behavior and describes the 'Problem of Scarcity' as the gap between the theoretically unlimited human wants and limited available resources. It is a basic economic problem since it implies that, essentially, people cannot satisfy all their wants [3].
Now, why is this scary? It is scary because scarcity talks about limited resources, which means once it’s used it might get lost. Hence, caution is needed, especially while using finite resources. Limited resources mean making hard choices at individual, societal, corporate, and government levels. Who makes the choices and who gets the goods? Limited resources also mean issues can arise on the quality, quantity, and distribution of resources. All this can also add burden on the environment because of overexploitation. So now, what can we do to alleviate this issue? Logically, there are various approaches one can take to tackle scarcity. However, this blog would like to refer back to the quote by Thomas Love Peacock and discuss how the issue of 'waste of plenty' is being addressed by 'Circular Economy'.
Circular economy as a concept draws its inspiration from various schools of thought, ranging from Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, industrial ecology, biomimicry, and cradle-to-cradle design principles [4]. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a leading organization that is dedicated to the concept of circular economy. The Foundation defines Circular Economy as ‘a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated’ [5]. Unlike the linear system, where you take, make, and later throw away as waste, the circular system stops waste from being produced in the first place. By design, it addresses the elimination of waste and pollution, induces circulation of products and materials at their highest value, and supports regeneration of nature [5]. In essence, circular economy is built on the assumption that everything considered 'waste' at first glance will definitely have utility somewhere. It is up to us to find out where waste becomes a resource and how we can send it there at minimal cost. Now, circular economy's real-world application lies in the interconnected supply networks it creates across industries. It is a complex system involving multiple supply chain actors and stakeholders. But this blog is not about the complex industrial application of circular economy but rather about its application at an individual level.
Practicing circular economy principles at an individual level requires adopting habits that minimize waste and make the most of resources. Some of the actionable steps [6] that can be taken are given below:
(1) Reduce - minimize your consumption by buying only what you need. Personally, I am not against impulsive buying. But making it a habit can be problematic, both from a financial as well as environmental point of view. One technique I religiously follow while shopping (online and offline) is to calculate the opportunity cost of my decisions. If I want to impulsively buy an item, I have to remove something else from my shopping cart. This not only ensures that I restrict the number of items, but it also gives me the time to ask myself the question, “Do I really need it?”
Indians are known to love good bargains, but we should also learn how to choose good quality over quantity. Investing in durable, good-quality products that might last longer might reduce any immediate wastage.
(2) Reuse - be creative and learn to find new uses for items you no longer need. This will not only save money, but it’s always good to keep the flames of creativity burning. Buying pre-owned items from thrift stores or online marketplaces has come back in fashion. Though second-hand vehicles had always found buyers, thrift shopping, especially for apparel, gained momentum only recently. Right now, one can find an ample number of social media groups that caters to this particular requirement of online users. While money can certainly get you new things, buying secondhand can get you something old, something borrowed, and something cool.
(3) Repair - if time can repair a broken heart, why can't we repair broken things? In today's world of expensive service charges, learning basic repair skills is right up there with driving skills. Let me tell you one way to simply reduce repairs—it is to learn how to use a product properly. Often, people damage products when they don't follow the given instructions. Reading instructions and following them through will help you to use the product properly and maybe even extend the lifespan of the product.
(4) Recycle - Just like how we sort the problems we have to tackle (into super urgent, urgent, and blah), learn how to sort waste (into recyclables and biodegradables). Personally, I feel that this is at least something that we should know to practice by ourselves and hopefully not wait for an AI device to be invented to aid us.
(5) Rethink - a challenging action, considering the fact that ideally we should opt for products made from sustainable or recycled materials. That means we should start reading product labels, check for sustainability logos or eco-labels, and then make the decision—to buy or not to buy? This requires slowing down the speed at which we shop, reducing how fast we browse, and increasing our knowledge on green labels, green products, and green brands.
(6) Compost - Composting of organic waste and home composting instead of sending to landfills will help to expand the usability of the resources. There are a lot of videos and content available online on how to do composting at home. Learning it can pave the way to doing it. Hence, pave away!
(7) Refuse - This is the most difficult of actions to practice. Saying 'No' to non-environment-friendly products, saying no to single-use plastics, and saying no to products with unnecessary packaging is a challenge that unfortunately we must overcome. I have seen products in the market that try to compensate for their high price with packaging materials that I often find to be unnecessary and cumbersome to dispose of. I have also found products (rare but present) that have stood out with its bare minimal packaging. Now, we have to understand that the basic challenge here for the product designer is to create a simplified and sufficient (enough to meet the basic expectation) packaging that not only addresses the environmental concerns but should also capture the interest of shoppers. And that requires an in-depth understanding of the product, out-of-box thinking, as well as creative freedom.
(8) Share- 'Sharing is caring' is a phrase commonly heard everywhere. However, while acceptance towards borrowing from others is common, caring enough to lend to others when not using should also be equally practiced. Sharing economy extends beyond industrial resources to even our day-to-day lives. For example, the car-sharing services that are regularly used by many at Infopark, including some of our faculty, is a classic example of how the Share economy has come to our doorstep.
(9) Educate and Advocate - Learning without practice and practicing without altruism has limited applications. Learn to practice, and practice to teach. Be role models for change, supporting and advocating circular economy principles within your families, in your community, and beyond.
This blog was created with the intention to start the learning process and to highlight ways in which one can support a circular economy, reduce their wastage, and alleviate scarcity. Making waste scarce is the way to have plenty.
I would like to end my blog with a quote by Tony Robbins, an American author, life coach, and speaker: "It’s not about the resources you have available. It's about the resourcefulness you have within you [7]."
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.azquotes.com/author/11445-Thomas_Love_Peacock
[2] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/scarcity
[3] https://www.economicsonline.co.uk/definitions/scarcity-in-economics.html/
[4] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.123
[5] https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
[6] https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003107248
[7] https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/resourcefulness.html
Note: The concept of circular economy is primarily connected to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The key targets of SDG 12 connected to circular economy are 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, and 12.8.
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