Waste Not, Want Not: How the 9 Rs Are Fueling a Sustainable Revolution
Have you noticed how our throwaway culture is starting to feel, well... outdated? The old way of buying, using, and tossing things out is on its last legs, and a new approach is taking over—one that forces us to rethink every product we touch. Enter the 9 Rs—a set of principles that's not just flipping the script on consumption but also pushing entire industries to evolve, with packaging and automotive at the forefront, driven in particular by regulatory changes.
From refusing unnecessary products to mastering the lost art of repair, the 9 Rs are reviving habits we’d long forgotten and transforming waste into opportunity.
A New Competitive Edge
The 9 Rs didn’t just come out of nowhere. They evolved from the old "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" mantra of the 1970s. The 9 Rs include: Refuse: avoiding unnecessary products, Reduce: cutting resource use, Reuse: reusing items as-is, Repair: fixing broken products), Refurbish: restoring them, Remanufacture: using parts to rebuild, Repurpose: finding new uses, Recycle: processing materials into new items, and Recover: extracting value from waste, like energy.
And today, they’re much more than slogans. This refined approach encourages more responsible consumption and production. From Europe’s Green Deal to China’s Circular Economy Law, regulations around the 9 Rs are pushing industries to rethink production and waste on a massive scale. Governments across the globe are using these principles to shape policies and force industries to clean-up & act. Look at France's repairability index, a regulation introduced in 2021 as part of the anti-waste law for a circular economy (AGEC)[1]: if you're buying a washing machine or a smartphone, you can now see exactly how easy it’ll be to repair. This makes it easier for consumers to pick products built to last, forcing brands to step up.
And it’s not just regulations driving change. Eco-certifications like Cradle to Cradle[2] are boosting brands' credibility, proving they care about sustainability. Plus, investors are pouring money into ESG-focused companies—those that embrace environmental, social, and governance standards. These businesses are attracting billions in investments, making it clear: if you're not on board with the 9 Rs, you’re falling behind.
Tech Meets Old-School Wisdom
Technology is powering the 9 Rs in ways we never imagined. 3D printing lets companies create spare parts on demand, cutting down on waste and manufacturing costs. Meanwhile, the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming factories, where machines can predict when they’ll need maintenance, reducing breakdowns and extending their life.
And what about recycling? Mechanical recycling is still king when it comes to efficiently reusing materials, but chemical recycling is opening-up new possibilities by breaking down tougher materials. Yes, it takes more (hopefully green) energy, but it’s expanding the range of what we can recycle.
The best part? Old practices are making a comeback. Repairability is suddenly cool again, and the second-hand market is exploding, fueled by online platforms that make buying and selling used products easier than ever, like L'équipe De BackMarket , which specializes in refurbished electronics, or Vinted , a popular marketplace for second-hand clothing and accessories.
From Owning to Borrowing
Have you noticed we’re not just buying things anymore? More and more businesses are shifting to service models where you use products without owning them. IKEA is leading the way with their furniture leasing—you rent a desk or sofa, and when you’re done, they take it back, refurbish it, and lease it out again. Even H&M or Decathlon are getting in on it with clothing rentals—you can now rent fashion-forward pieces, return them for cleaning and repair, and someone else will rent them next.
This isn’t just about clever business—it’s about rethinking how we consume. Forget owning more. We’re moving toward smart, sustainable use, and the 9 Rs are leading the way.
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Are We Running Out of Resources?
Think about your smartphone or your electric car. Have you ever wondered where all those metals—like cobalt or lithium—come from? They’re crucial to modern technology, but they’re getting harder and harder to find. What happens when we run out? That’s where the 9 Rs come to the rescue.
Take Apple , for instance. They’re making headlines with their use of recycled materials—in 2022, they hit a milestone: 20% of all materials in their products were recycled. Plus, they’ve built Daisy, a robot that disassembles iPhones and recovers valuable parts. Then there’s Tesla , tackling the looming lithium shortage by recycling old batteries and recovering key components like cobalt and nickel for new ones.
Meanwhile, Umicore , a company in Belgium, is taking urban mining to the next level, extracting gold, platinum, and other precious metals from old electronics and industrial waste. It’s real-world proof that Recycle and Recover are more than just ideas—they’re practical solutions to a growing resource crisis.
Driving the Future
We all know it, the automotive industry, as the backbone of global mobility, has a huge responsibility. Not only does it shape the way we move, but it also has the potential to set the tone for the entire industrial sector. The automotive sector can't afford to stay in the past. As one of the most significant GHG emitters (20%), it must rethink everything—from the materials it uses to the way cars are made, sold, and even dismantled.
This is where organizations like CLEPA - European Association of Automotive Suppliers , along with other key players, step in. The European Union is also playing a crucial role by driving regulatory changes, such as the upcoming regulation[3] that mandates 25% of recycled plastic in new vehicles, with 25% of that recycled plastic coming from end-of-life cars. Circularity in the automotive business is expanding, not only in plastics but also in metals, as seen with initiatives like Green Steel[4], which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of steel production used in car manufacturing. Look at the real-world examples already happening. Tesla’s battery recycling program is a game-changer, recovering essential materials like lithium and cobalt for reuse in new batteries. Renault has launched its RE-FACTORY, a facility focused on refurbishing and repairing used vehicles, giving them a second life and minimizing waste. And let's not forget MATERI'ACT of course, leading the change toward decarbonization through innovative materials, significantly reducing the reliance on virgin resources. By adopting circular economy, the industry is proving that it can innovate its way out of its polluting past.
Time to Refuse
At the heart of the 9 Rs is something powerful—Refuse. Refuse to buy what you don’t need. Refuse the products that will break in a year and end up in a landfill. Refuse the old way of mindless consumption. By simply refusing, we’re setting the stage for smarter, more sustainable living. This isn’t just about environmental responsibility—it’s about embracing a future where waste is minimized, resources are maximized, and every product we touch has a longer, more meaningful life.
So, next time you’re shopping or upgrading your tech, ask yourself: Is this something I truly need? Or is it time to refuse and start rethinking what sustainability really looks like? The 9 Rs are the key to that future, and it's up to us to use them.