Should we recycle? - 22 Jun 2007
I’ve got quite a growing collection of partially recycled outdoor wear, basically shirts and polar sweaters, and I keep asking myself is it really as efficient as I think it is. The Economist wrote an interesting article recently about the “Truth of Recycling” (The Economist Quarterly, June 9th 2007) that I suggest you get you’re hands on and it provided a number of conclusions that answered a few of my questions notably; the future of recycling.
When I talk with manufacturers about this issue they are quick to point out that although it is technically feasible for certain products, it is costly and they are uncertain about its impact on sales, thus reluctant to make the investment. When I created Laneo, I imagined one day being able to help manufacturers in developing new products, collaboratively designed by Laneo’s member community. The Economist article underlines this by pointing out the need to design products with recycling in mind – meaning “closed-loop” manufacturing cycles, that obliges people to look at the entire life-cycle of a product. This conclusion clearly defends the positive impact that such a strategy would have on energy consumption, raw materials and pollution.
Recycling, in order to be really efficient, needs to be taken into account at the design stage. I believe a real revolution is coming. Prices of renewable products will drop dramatically and the end customer will really benefit from the “green” advantage.
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