Reducing waste – the 3 R’s

UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 - responsible consumption and production, is a goal to address unsustainable practices including reliance on natural resources, food waste, electronic waste and the effect that consumption and production have on climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. At school today, children are taught the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle. Many companies are adopting this approach to ensure their products have longevity, designing them in a way that reduces waste and contributes to a circular economy.

‍The principles of a circular production system

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes a model of a circular production system which has three core principles:

1.      Design out waste and pollution – 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase.

2.      Keep products and materials in use – Build an economy that keeps things in use rather than using them up.

3.      Regenerate our natural systems – protect and actively improve the environment, ultimately creating regenerative systems.

The InvestSense Better World Portfolios invest in funds that have a significant focus on waste reduction and circular production systems. One of these is an Australian company that leads the way in sustainable business practices.

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‍Brambles – Global Transport company & Leader in Sustainability

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Brambles is an Australian company that specialises in the pooling of unit-load equipment, pallets, crates and containers. It is a global leader in supply chain solutions bringing essential goods to people all around the world. The company is also at the forefront of the sustainable revolution, ranking third in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, first for its industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and earning double A rating from CDP for transparency and action on the climate and forests.

The Brambles Sustainability Review 2022 outlines many areas where the company aims to improve their sustainable practices. They have core business principles of reuse, resilience and regeneration. Their goals include100% sustainable sourcing of timber, 100% renewable electricity in all operations and completely carbon neutral by 2025, and zero product materials sent to landfill for all Brambles locations.

Brambles measure themselves against the criteria established by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation and publish the results of their Circulytics^TM scorecard. Through their circular model that aims to ‘share and reuse’ they have saved 2.5 million tonnes of C02, 4,470 megalitres of water, 3.1million trees and 1.5 million tonnes of waste.

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Brambles have five circular operational models which are central to their business

1.      Circular material supply - using renewable or recovered materials

2.      Resource recovery - developing digital technology to recover and increase reuse

3.      Product life extension - extending the lifecycle of assets through design for repair and durability

4.      Sharing platforms sharing assets building a shared network to amplify their benefits

5.      Product to service - leasing products and gaining the benefits, instead of ownership and disposal

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More information can be found at brambles.com or ellenmacarthurfoundation.org.

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