Making something out of nothing

As concerns over the future of the environment grow, the role that human consumption plays in sustainability is becoming increasingly apparent. However, a recent report indicates that 51% of Australian consumers are only willing to change their behaviour if there was little or no inconvenience. Thus, how can retailers and other organisations help consumers be more sustainable? In an effort to mitigate unsustainable overconsumption, waste itself has developed into a budding industry, aiming to make greater use of the refuse left behind by commercial activity, with many retail brands contributing to the effort.

Food

Innovation in managing food waste is a growing area. Within Australia alone, 7.3 million tonnes of food waste is generated annually, costing the Australian economy an estimated $20 billion each year. With only 34% of that waste attributed to households, there is significant wastage created from food production and the manufacturing sector. Organisations like Eco Guardians are applying technological and engineering expertise to this issue, creating innovations like the Rocket Composter, a commercial grade continual waste composter. Retailers such as IKEA and David Jones have implemented programs to reduce food waste or convert it to compost, while Coles and Woolworths are engaging in food reuse in partnership with charities such as Second Bite and Foodbank.

Fashion

Another area of waste innovation comes from the fashion industry. Infamous for its volume of waste, some organisations are developing new solutions to minimise and repurpose waste. Fabscrap operates in Manhattan, working with fashion studios to collect scrap fabrics for either resale or reprocessing. The not-for-profit aims to curb commercial textile waste through acting as a consolidation point for individual studios, as well as raising awareness of textile waste amongst the population. Researchers from the University of New South Wales are developing a process to recycle old garments into new fabric or building materials, where the fibres, including synthetics and mixed fabrics, are broken down and re-spun. While the process is promising, it is in an early stage, meaning that enabling consumers to donate old clothes through in-store initiatives is still necessary.

Strategies to foster waste reduction through converting excess into valuable material will be essential considerations moving forward. Other initiatives that require little effort on behalf of the consumer such as sustainable packaging made from bioplastics are well worth investigating. While specific innovations around the use of waste have begun appearing, retailers should consider how their waste may potentially be better used.