Get Wasted

2019 has been the year of waste. This ugly burden is being reframed and reimagined as a valuable resource, that can be used to create the products and services of tomorrow.

By 2050, it’s projected that there will be 3.4 billion metric tonnes of waste globally. Staggering statistics have ignited a flurry of innovation activity as the true scale of our global waste crisis becomes more apparent.

The world’s most ambitious minds are coming together to ‘hack’ waste in a bid to protect and regenerate the planet. These ‘Waste Re-Inventors’ are on mission to build a sustainable future by finding new ways to create products using waste.

We’re seeing signals emerging in the slow fashion movement, food and drink and in single-use plastic campaigns around the world.

Here are some early indicators of change:

The R Collective

The fashion industry is responsible for generating 4% of the worlds waste. Brands like The R Collective are on a mission to make fashion more sustainable by upcycling and reusing materials to create new garments and lead the way to a more circular fashion economy.

Million Waves Project

The world's inability to manage plastic waste results in one-third of plastic ending up as land or marine pollution. The Million Waves Project are on a mission to use ocean plastic as a force for good by transforming it into prosthetic limbs for children in the developing world.

Kellogg’s/ Seven Bro7hers

Food waste is one of the most overlooked drivers of climate change and food and drink brands are increasingly seeking innovative solutions for the waste they create. Cereal giant Kellogg’s have teamed up with Seven Bro7hers brewery to make a range of beers from the discarded grains produced in the cereal-making process.

By 2050, the concept of waste will not exist.

In tomorrow’s sustainable world, expect more innovative end-of-life solutions, food sharing, renewable energy innovation and the rise of the new artist- the waste product designer. We can expect government mandates on the use of recycled materials and a universal, collective approach to waste where everything is repurposed and reused.

Our recent SIGNALS: report on Tomorrow’s Sustainability explores Get Wasted and three more signals of change that are shaping the journey towards greener, more sustainable lifestyles.

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