In our current economy, we do business by having a linear process; we take materials from the Earth, make products from them, and throw them away as waste after we use them. This results in a massive amount of waste that negatively impacts our lives. Directly and indirectly, waste affects our health and our daily life. It pollutes air and soils, and contaminates freshwater. In the end, waste becomes not only an environmental problem but also an economic loss for humanity.
To tackle this problem, we must shift our thinking from a linear to a circular economy. The take-make-waste system should be transformed in many ways, such as finding new ways to manage resources and what we do with the products after we finish using them.
With a circular economy, we can even see waste as a new valuable resource. The waste-to-resource approach offers a paradigm shift to business that can affect companies all around the world. Rather than seeing waste as a burden, it is seen as a resource that can significantly benefit people and the Earth. At the same time, it helps businesses to reduce their cost.
Waste does not have to be repurposed into the same or similar items. Palm Silage, a California-based feed company, for example, has developed a way to transform palm fronds into an ingredient for livestock feed. Not only that, the company has projected, over the next five years, to save 27.2 billion gallons of water (over 40 thousand Olympic swimming pools) and 5,800 acres of farmland from that collaboration.
In 2021, Liberty Society partnered with UNIQLO Indonesia to tackle the fashion waste problem. As we know, the fashion industry contributes a lot of waste to landfills. The fact is, around 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is produced every year. Through the collaboration with UNIQLO, Liberty Society created upcycled cardholders and pouches made of denim waste. The items were featured at Uniqlo's store at Pondok Indah Mall. Moreover, all profits from the campaign are donated to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help cater to refugees' welfare needs.
Other global companies have also started to apply a circular economy and placed social and environmental targets as one of their highest priorities. It is good news since companies play a vital role in creating an effective circular economy in our society.
There are infinite possibilities for how we can reuse waste as a new resource as long as we shift our thinking. Liberty Society is here to help make it come true. We offer waste management services that turn production waste into valuable corporate merchandise. Each proceeds is reinvested into our 'House of Freedom' that goes towards empowering women affected by poverty & violence through our training program.