The documentary “Buy now”, directed by Nic Stacey and available on Netflix, shows us a reality that big companies are trying hard to hide from us: the culture of excessive consumerism. The documentary shows us how behind the purchases we make through a click, there is a perfectly designed strategy: “an intentional, complex and very refined science that seeks to make you buy things”, as Maren Costa argues in the documentary, former User Experience Designer at Amazon (and Spoiler alert: one of the pioneers in requiring this company to have a plan (an environmental responsibility plan).
The problem of overproduction, excessive consumption and planned obsolescence
This must-see documentary exposes how large companies manipulate consumer behavior to encourage constant (and often unnecessary) purchases. In the fashion industry, for example, brands like GAP, H&M, Zara and Shein produce from 1,200 to 1.3 million new items a year!
And what happens to all these products already created when they are not purchased? In many cases, perfect products are intentionally destroyed, exported to other countries and sent to landfills or incineration plants.
Another aspect that the documentary shows us is the planned obsolescence in extremely everyday products: printers, wireless headphones, toothbrushes and many other products that are designed to stop working without the possibility of repair. Millions of products that do not have a design that thinks about their use at the time of their final disposal (or Ecodesign, as it is also known in the world of the circular economy).
But it's not all darkness! Initiatives and inspirational people in the documentary “Buy Now”
The documentary also inspires us to take action by sharing experiences such as those of Maren Costa, former user experience designer at Amazon, Kyley Wins, creator of the company Ifixtit, which seeks to offer tools to repair electronic products that are designed not to be repaired. Jan Dell is another great inspiration, a chemical engineer who shares technical information about the “misleading labels” contained in the plastic wrappers of mass consumer products.
Why at ReciVeci we advocate for the inclusive circular economy to face this reality
The circular economy proposes just the opposite of the reality revealed by the documentary “Buy Now”, since it proposes make the most of existing resources extracted from nature!
If you want to know the circular economy in depth, we recommend This reading. What essentially promotes this perspective is to build a system for the use of resources; an economic model based on the principle of extend the lifespan of materials as much as possible, and thus, reduce the extraction of natural resources.
To go to the root of production systems (even from the layout of materials and products), the circular economy proposes to think of solutions that act on three axes:
- Eliminate waste and contamination.
- Circular products and materials (in their value plus high).
- Regenerate nature.
And to achieve this, it proposes the “3 R's”: reduce, reuse and recycle. Also, Why “inclusive”? Because at ReciVeci we recognize that recycling with basic recyclers plays a role in the circular economy, and that, on the path towards building waste management models with this view, we must strive for a just transition, where material that is recovered, reused and returned to production chains, has a positive and direct impact on the lives of thousands of basic recyclers.
The role of ReciApp in the transition to an inclusive circular economy
In Ecuador and other Latin American countries, much of the material that can be recycled depends on the work of basic recyclers. In Ecuador, for example, they recover 50% of the material that is recycled in the country.
At ReciVeci, we strengthen this recycling chain through the ReciApp mobile application, connecting recyclers with homes and businesses and thus ensuring that the material is used again (which avoids the extraction of virgin raw material).
At ReciVeci, we are strengthening this recycling chain through the ReciApp mobile application, the first inclusive recycling app in the country. Currently, it connects recyclers with homes and businesses to ensure that the material is used again, avoiding the extraction of virgin raw material. Eventually, we dream that ReciApp will evolve into a tool that connects all actors in the circular economy, expanding its impact beyond basic waste pickers.
What can you do?
While pressure on companies and governments is essential to achieve structural changes, we can also take action in our daily lives:
- Think before you buy: Do you really need it?
- It prioritizes durable, repairable and second-hand products.
- If you have to buy products whose packaging is discarded, choose to make them recyclable.
- It supports brands with circular and sustainable business models.
- Separate your recyclable waste properly and support basic recyclers.
- Download ReciApp and better manage your recycling!
It's time to buy less, reuse more and demand real change from companies and states! If you want to know more about Inclusive circular economy, we invite you to review our blog.
Thank you for reading.
