The View From Taft
By Jonna C. Baquillas and Ivan Gue
A group of zebras (interestingly called a “dazzle”) languidly crossed the rough road we were on. We slowed down to let them pass as they joined an even bigger group of impalas on the other side.
A couple of hours later, we reached a small community of locals. While we were surrounded by a landscape like no other — rolling plains, big cacti, and an endless view of umbrella thorn acacia trees — we were also greeted by an unlikely presence in the wilderness of Masai Mara, Kenya: scattered plastic litter on the ground. Plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic containers, empty sachet packaging — they were definitely hard to miss!
Despite being in an isolated area about 300 kilometers from the city center, plastic waste was an omnipresent threat to the environment.
Plastic waste is a side effect of how we think an economic system works. Scholars have termed this economic regime as the “linear economy.” Simply put, we extract resources, use them, then just dispose of them — a linear lifecycle. However, this economic system hardly considers the useful life of these resources. Often, the waste we produce can still be reused or repurposed. A circular economy values the useful life of resources. Circularity promotes efficiently using resources, extending the lifetimes of products, and reusing waste. Ideally, doing so will reduce our natural resource extraction and result in better management of our environment.
We consumers are an integral part of the circular economy transition as our choices impact the whole process from product consideration, evaluation, purchase, use, to end-of-life disposal. So, how can we take part? The 10Rs of a circular economy is a good start.
REFUSE, RETHINK, REDUCE
In this day and age of convenient online shopping for, and access to, countless products from all over, let us acquire only what we need. Just as the expression “Deserve ko ‘to!” has caught on, with people justifying shopping as “retail therapy,” we can still be more mindful of what we buy (or do not buy) so that we can decrease our overall consumption. Perhaps we do not need another pair of shoes while 10 other pairs are sitting in our closet! We can, of course, say “no” to single-use packaging and products, too.
REUSE, REPAIR, REFURBISH, REPURPOSE
Let us always bring reusable shopping bags, containers, and utensils when we buy items or food. We can also give a chance to products that others no longer want, but which may be useful to us. In Japan, for example, secondhand stores abound, and there is no shame in buying from them. Locally, we have ukay-ukay stores, which have proven to be treasure troves for stylish bargain hunters! Many pre-loved items can also be found on Carousell, an online platform on which individuals can connect with others who have items they no longer need. Holes in our pants? Ill-fitting clothes? We can put those sewing skills we learned in high school to good use. We can up the game and make our clothes more fashionable by updating the style!
REMANUFACTURE, RECYCLE, RECOVER
While these Rs involve mostly producers and manufacturers, we consumers can advocate for better and more efficient product systems through activism or through our choice of products to buy. We can also support recycling initiatives by properly segregating our waste and bringing recyclables to designated facilities.
True circularity requires systemic change, and our role as consumers is just as important as the roles of government, manufacturers, and other key stakeholders. While we think we are mere individuals with little to no impact, collectively, we are among the four billion consumers who can make a difference. Hopefully, we can arrive at a future “circular” state in which plastic waste does not engulf the beauty of mother nature.
Dr. Jonna C. Baquillas is an associate professor at the Department of Marketing and Advertising, Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. Dr. Ivan Gue is the chairperson of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gokongwei College of Engineering, in the same university. They are involved in research and projects focused on the circular economy, sustainability transitions, and sustainable consumption and production.
