The Seven R’s of sustainability
Many people think they are living sustainably, however there are many little things that go into a sustainable lifestyle that you could be missing.
Let’s take it back to the basics and learn about the 7R’s of sustainability.
Rethink
The whole idea of ‘Rethink’ it to stop and take a minute to think about if there is a way to shop more sustainably and without creating waste. Instead of buying new clothes from fast fashion companies, considering buying from sustainable fashion brands (like us!). It is estimated that about 92million tons of waste is created each year by the fashion industry so try rethinking where you shop and make sure its sustainable.
Refuse
The prime example of this which I’m sure you will have heard many times before is to refuse single use plastic bags. The supermarkets in New Zealand have made this easier for us by no longer offering free single use bags when packing groceries. Yet there are still many stores out there that will offer a plastic bag for your products – why not bring a reusable bag with you instead and refuse the single use ones that our clogging up our oceans.
Reduce
Even better then shopping sustainably and recycling, is just to reduce the amount of waste you are creating all together. Yes sometimes waste is unavoidable, but by reducing your consumption, you will be able to make a big difference in the amount of trash ending up in landfills or in our oceans.
Reuse
This one is pretty straightforward – instead of using things once and throwing them away, try to reuse and repurpose them. For example, that container your takeaways came in, try reusing that for other leftovers!
Repair
Repair things that are broken rather than giving up on them and replacing them straight away. Try sewing up that ripped seam in your pants rather than buying a whole new pair when possible.
Regift
The number of unwanted gifts that end up thrown in the trash each year has a big impact on our environment. Instead of throwing these gifts away, try to give them to someone who will appreciate them more than you. Or you could even donate them to people in need.
Recycle
Recycling is one that most people will already be familiar with, but sometimes is forgotten about due to its lack of convenience. Yes, it may be easier just to throw your dirty plastic in the trash rather than cleaning it so it can be properly recycled, but we need to ensure that we are making a conscious effort to recycle because it really does make a big difference to the state of our environment.
Now that we are all familiar with the Seven R’s it should be easier for us to live a more sustainable lifestyle. If you need some more tips and tricks, check out our blog posts on