In the transition to a circular economy, we often hear about recycling — and while it’s important, it’s not always the most sustainable option.

Strategies like sharing, maintaining, reusing, and repairing are generally more desirable. Why?

Because by the time we get to recycling, we’ve already incurred a significant environmental impact — from manufacturing to distribution — and recycling itself often comes with carbon emissions and resource losses, as well as value losses.

On the other hand, when we extend the life of a product that’s already been made, we make better use of the resources and energy that went into its creation. In terms associated with circular economy principles, we achieve higher resource productivity per unit of utility.