{"id":16726,"title":"What a difference a phrase makes","description":"Out there in the wild, 40 tonnes of textiles waste is burned or buried every second. We think part of the problem is the word waste: Once we think of something as waste, no thought is given to potential use. Call it trash, and people will treat it like that. Changing the labels might lead to the change we need to see.","content":"

Apart from here, where products are designed to come back and be remade, 99% of clothing ends up in landfill or incineration eventually, a flow of about 40 tonnes burned or buried every second. We think part of the problem is the word waste: Once we think of something as waste, no thought is given to potential use. Call it trash, and people will treat it like that. This is a recursive situation as the way we describe it guides our thinking and our thinking guides our actions. Changing the labels might lead to the change we need to see.<\/p>

\"\"
- This T-shirt is made from waste. So is it waste? <\/em><\/p>

We are talking about progress from linear consumption and waste, where resources are extracted from nature and end up in the dump, so we can look forward to something more sustainable. The need to do this is most clear in places where there are large concentrations of waste. The beach. Rivers. The dump.<\/p>

Within about 10 seconds standing in a place like that, trash comes to life: We see the story behind it. The former purpose and the hazy vision of the people that possessed it, before it became pollution.<\/p>

Perhaps that\u2019s why it\u2019s upsetting: When we see the plastic in the form of a fishing net or plastic bottle it becomes personal, we can imagine the person who once held it in their hands - and let go. But pollution is not sentimental and emotions dont work on plastic. Neither does cleaning it up solve it for good<\/em> any more than mopping an overflowing bathroom works while the taps are still running.\u00a0<\/p>

\"\"- Yay... but only for a day.<\/p>

A more helpful perspective might be just to stop using words like Trash and Rubbish and say what we see - the literal label: Polyethylene, paper, copper, nylon, steel.<\/p>

If people say trash, maybe it\u2019s ok to treat it like that. But these are materials, and materials are worth something.<\/p><\/blockquote>

Then we can make the connection that makes the solution as clear as the problem, this time though from the perspective of the original producer: Holding that polyethylene bottle in your hand on the beach and think about this for a second.
<\/p>

Isn\u2019t it weird how say a drinks company used their money to buy polyethylene bottle but gives thirsty people no option but to throw it in the bin... giving themselves as a producer no option but to use their own money to replace the material that they already had to begin with<\/u>?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>

There is an environmental cost, as all this material is polluting the environment,\u00a0 but a business one too: Not reusing materials destroys value every time something is sold. And that\u2019s why the words we use matter. Waste and Trash seem to be enough to overpower the senses of keenest profit-hungry people in the business community who can't see past the words to the opportunity right in front of them. It\u2019s not just silly, it\u2019s a shame, because if waste is actually good resources as value, it's is a golden opportunity - not just to make more efficient and profitable businesses but to prevent pollution itself at the source. To turn off the tap for good..<\/p>

Landfill, those mountains of waste, or material mountains of gold. What a difference a word makes.<\/p>","urlTitle":"what-a-difference-a-phrase-makes","url":"\/blog\/what-a-difference-a-phrase-makes\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/what-a-difference-a-phrase-makes\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rapanuiclothing.com\/blog\/what-a-difference-a-phrase-makes\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":true,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1645619049,"updatedAt":1651221258,"publishedAt":1645621438,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":14,"name":"Rapanui"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/aszpejtetx7f9a7pagqivhbgmdx345mdkhwqxhdqi7w8gwwn.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/aszpejtetx7f9a7pagqivhbgmdx345mdkhwqxhdqi7w8gwwn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/aszpejtetx7f9a7pagqivhbgmdx345mdkhwqxhdqi7w8gwwn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"What a difference a phrase makes","metaDescription":"Circular design is about making stuff designed to be remade again and again. Here's how we reuse clothes, you'll never see waste the same way again.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":3302,"title":"Sustainability and Automation: Quite good friends, actually","url":"\/blog\/how-sustainability-and-tech-automation-helps-climate-change\/","urlTitle":"how-sustainability-and-tech-automation-helps-climate-change","division":14,"description":"Lots of people talk about the threat of automation and robotics on jobs, and the threat of climate change. We like talking about solutions. And when we decided to start making products from natural materials, using renewable energy, we realised that the system has a fundamental issue.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e7f5930375d97.68026262.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5e7f5930375d97.68026262.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":46572,"title":"Take Back Friday | Turning waste into opportunity with Plastic Bank","url":"\/blog\/take-back-friday-turning-waste-into-opportunity-with-plastic-bank\/","urlTitle":"take-back-friday-turning-waste-into-opportunity-with-plastic-bank","division":14,"description":"At Rapanui, whatever we do means going forward. Standing still isn\u2019t an option - we\u2019re in an industry where a truck full of textile waste is burned or buried every second. Black Friday shines a spotlight on this problem and is a moment in our calendar when the industry prioritises volume and profit over quality and sustainability","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rrg0f1ex3majmystxbxqdfy4kuv1bruaow02dbn10wzcqaay.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rrg0f1ex3majmystxbxqdfy4kuv1bruaow02dbn10wzcqaay.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":18330,"title":"Turning Washed Up Wood Into Art","url":"\/blog\/turning-washed-up-wood-into-art\/","urlTitle":"turning-washed-up-wood-into-art","division":14,"description":"Exploring the beaches near his home here on the Isle of Wight, Josh Hibberd brings driftwood back to life and turns them into art. We shoot the breeze with him on a local beach as he works on a new piece.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2kvcdjwpdha0t7mazzpho1qjf3qefi4pc8ytpnkuijm3pqvx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/2kvcdjwpdha0t7mazzpho1qjf3qefi4pc8ytpnkuijm3pqvx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":{"monitorCheckExcluded":"1"}}