Growing up our mother taught us the virtue of saving and reducing wastage. A meal plate had to be clean all the time and only bones and stuff which could not be consumed could be consigned to the dustbin. Lower Middle class families and those who have grown up in the them tend to carry this behavior through their life. The head of the family is also usually the one to finish leftovers.
However times have changed and there is more and more wastage.
At the produce level, 40% of the food produced gets lost in the Indian value chain even before it reaches the consumer while 10% gets wasted at the consumption stage (Circular Economy Report 2022 from Kalaari Capital, ) That's on par with or higher than Western countries
At the consumption level, we tend to leave water glasses half drunk, ask for a fresh plate at a restaurant for a new food item ordered, leave a lot of uneaten food on the plates.
In offices and homes, our disposable consumption is going up al the time due to its sheer convenience. Quite often, we take more than 1 tissue when only a single ne would suffice. Fast food outlets distribute paper napkins without a care in the world (even for home delivery)
In India, we make the most of everything. We reuse clothes through hand-me-downs and even scrape out the last bits of curry from a pot with chapati or bread. There's so much of talk of sustainability, but I think we should talk a lot about the wastage.
The Western world has unwittingly evolved into an extraordinarily wasteful generation, particularly evident in Western nations. There's at least one large clothes retailer who prefers to bury or burn clothes which are not sold instead of putting them out on sale etc. The habit of overconsumption is so common that entire economies and businesses are built around it. For shoes, we've got extra wide, narrow soles, half size etc. which cater to every possible market segment.
The consumption economy epitomized the United States has led to significant wastes as well as other consequences (obesity, debt etc) Building awareness to enhance longevity and find ways to improve sustainability is essential. Products are built for longevity, but nobody ever repairs stuff because repair costs are high. So the economy has now become a use and throw kind of mechanism. So how do you fix this?
There is no clear roadmap and legislation is seen as a burden by corporates and is susceptible to political winds. Is it possible for us to live sustainably on Earth, and what steps do we need to take to achieve this goal?
Share this post