Bulk toothpaste, reusable razors, bamboo toothbrushes, rechargeable natural dental floss, bar shampoo, nuts, pasta or bulk spices are part of the product catalog of the Alpeso storelocated in the north of Guayaquil. The idea is clear: zero waste and promoting responsible consumption.
It is that the plastics that, in general, surround these products take up to 500 years to degrade. The oceans and beaches, including those in Ecuador, are full of plastic garbage. So it is time to help the planet and, in addition, generate significant pocket savings, says Mónica Torres, general manager of Alpeso.
It indicates that more and more people are coming to the store looking for a change when purchasing products that are used in daily life and that this behavior has increased with the pandemic.
“Only when buying a salt shaker, for example, does the person pay for the packaging, the label, and the marketing. So if you’re not doing it out of environmental awareness, you’ll buy in bulk for the savings you feel. So he begins to buy frequently and becomes part of this culture”, he points out.
He adds that these types of initiatives also promote the consumption of food or spices in the right amounts: “By buying, for example, only the amount of ingredients you need to prepare a particular dish, you also reduce the amount of food that is thrown away, since in supermarkets they sell packages with a certain amount and what was not used, was thrown away.“, it says.
In fact, food waste is one of the problems that the United Nations seeks to tackle. Each year an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food globally ends up rotting in consumer and retail waste, or spoiling due to poor transportation and collection practices. In Ecuador, 939,000 metric tons of food are wasted per year.
Should the world population reach 9.6 billion people in 2050, almost three planets would be needed to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.
The United Nations also speaks of the responsibility of companies, since sustainable consumption and production consist of doing more and better with less. It is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles.
In Ecuador there are companies that have embraced the concept of sustainability in their production lines. For example, at Cervecería Nacional the new glass bottles are made from 100% recycled glass. It also promotes the use of returnable packaging. Glass is a 100% recyclable raw material, generates less waste, reduces energy consumption, water and CO2 emissions. Its quality is not lost when reused or recycled, unlike plastic.
Identifying a recyclable or returnable bottle is necessary to be able to classify it from home. The main difference between the two is the beak, the first is shaped like a thread and the second is completely flat.
Enterprises such as Pepita Capulí, in Quito, sell cleaning products in bulk and at home. The idea also seeks to generate savings in the consumer’s pocket and reduce waste.
Whereas if you need to buy plastic bottles, they can be recycled. Initiatives such as ReciVeci connect all the actors in the recyclable waste management chain with social innovation and seek to dignify the work of thousands of grassroots recyclers who bear the responsibility for recycling in most municipalities in Ecuador. Although ReciVeci is not available nationwide, a reputable grassroots recycler can be found to handle this type of waste.
The cement company Unacem Ecuador has also promoted sustainability in its production processes. It recently signed a public-private inter-institutional agreement with four municipalities in the province of Imbabura for the implementation of a management system for the use of urban solid waste.
Next March 15 marks the World Responsible Consumption Day that seeks to raise awareness about the way we produce and consume humans. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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