Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... In terms of potential environmental impact, "Reduce" is better than "Reuse". Likewise, "Reuse" is better than "Recycle." In other words, it is better to use less initially rather than have something be used twice or re-manufactured into something else. With that said, recycling has a become a mainstream activity, and part of the behavior of a majority of consumers. Reuse and Reduce are less commonly discussed and are generally part of community and/or business marketing campaigns.
This concept can be shown like this:
Do consumers gravitate towards recycling because it involves the least personal behavior and corporate change? Or is it because of the systematic support that recycling efforts have enjoyed?
I have seen numerous articles and posts about this topic (even t-shirts)recently, but very few companies have built "reduce" into their business models. Until companies find a way to grow and make money by encouraging consumers to reduce their consumption habits, I am not sure how far this will go.
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