Waste and Resources Management

Waste and Resources Management

Executive summary

Waste management is among the essential factors that need to be considered for the promotion of a clean, healthy environment.  Among the significant wastes that are produced in the atmosphere annually include textile waste.  Textile waste management has mainly been promoted through the elements of reusing old clothes. Initially, the primary method initially used to facilitate the reuse of second-hand clothes entailed the use of charity shops. Through the charity shops, the reused clothes mange to get to the population and be used again. However, there has arisen the new business model that involves the sale of second-hand clothes by other business models other than the charity shops.  These business models are seen to provide significant competition to the traditional charity shops as these new business models go to the extent of providing incentives and money for the take-back of the used clothes. The business models are fundamentally sustainable as they facilitate the maintaining of the environment without causing pollution. Also, the sustainability of the business models is viewed with regards to the fact they are a preferred business model by the fact that they promote environmental conservation, consequently being attractive to individuals who value environmental protection.

Content

Introduction and remit         

The continuous sensitization towards conservation of the environment has been significant in establishing and promoting the factor of waste and resource management.  Waste and resource management entails the process of the collection, transportation, and disposal or recycling of waste. Primarily, the term waste management mainly refers to the material wastes produced by individuals and human activities.  In most cases, the management of wastes is to generate resources from the wastes..

In some cases, waste management is done to reduce the pollution that gets into the environment.  Among the waste products that are produced in large amounts include textile wastes. With the continuous evolution of fashion, clothes are continuously manufactured to fill the fashion gap. However, with the high production of textile products, there is an equal proportion in the production of hazardous wastes into the environment.  Carbon wastes produced from the textile manufactory industries and the pollutants released into the water bodies by the companies create the need for efficient management of the wastes produced by the textile industries. The best measures of control of waste entail the prevention of the occurrence of the wastes through reusing of clothes.  While initially, the initiative was mainly through the donation of used clothes to second charity shops that would then sell them at meager prices, there is the fact that a new business model has cropped up, dealing with the sale fo second-hand clothes. This paper analyses the sustainability of the second-hand clothes business, evaluating the threats that it has on the traditional charity shops.

Description of the topic

The push towards the move into sustainable business practices has been responsible for the rise of charity shops.  This move has seen the donation of second-hand clothes to the charity shops that then sell them at affordable prices and use the revenue generated for charity ventures.  With the move of more consumers to adopt an environmentally conscious approach of consumption, the second-hand clothes have consequently become more preferred, especially by environmentally conscious consumers.  This factor has led to an increase in business ventures that deal with the sale of second-hand clothes. The lucrative nature of the business and favorable prices associated with second-hand garments have led to some business entities offering money and incentives for second-hand clothing, precisely due to the determining of the profits that they are likely to generate from the sale of these clothes.

The sustainability of the new business model is viewed with regards to the effects that it is poss. to the environment and its ability to survive over a long period. In relation to the sustainability of the situation, the business model has a high chance of facilitating a better environment.  Through the engagement in the sale of second-hand clothes, the rate of the manufactory of new garments is significantly reduced. This means that the waste released into the environment also been reduced. The textile industry is responsible for the highest carbon fumes contamination of the situation. The reduction of the manufactory of new clothes provides that the amount of carbon pollution that is released into the environment is highly reduced.

With the environmental sustainability associated with the second-hand clothes business, there is the fact that the business is likely to be sustainable and last for a long time.  The increased sensitizations on environmental pollution, global warming, and the effects of global warming have resulted to the need to the need for consumers to be more sensitive and avoid consumption patterns that re likely to heighten these harmful environmental factors further.  There have been sensitizations by environmentalists and environmental bodies for consumers to engage in consumption patterns that cause effects to the environment. The increased sensitizations have seen consumers seek to involve themselves more with consumption patterns that are more tied to ensuring that the environment is positively maintained. These consumers are likely o engage the second-hand clothes more, consequently making the second-hand business more sustainable.

The unsustainability of the traditional charity shops.

The traditional charity shops are mainly instrumental in promoting the reuse of second-hand clothes. They have ensured that rather than discarding of second-hand clothes and consequently causing adverse effects to the environments, the clothes are donated to the charity shops from where they are bought at significantly low prices. The profits generated by the charity shops then go into the charity in which various charity shops are associated.  With the rise and increase of the second-hand clothes business, the sustainability of the second-hand clothes business is however, significantly challenged. This is as they provide competition for charity shops. While initially, all the second-hand clothes for reuse would go into donations for charity shops, the increased popularity of the second-hand clothes business mean that some of these second-hand clothes get diverted to the business ventures.  The second-hand clothes business affects the sustainability of traditional charity shops and threatens their survival.  While the charity shop depends on donations from well-wishers who seek to put their used clothes into charity, the second-hand clothes business goes the extra mile to offering cash and other incentives for used clothes take back. The capitalistic nature of most individuals, therefore, suggest that most people would, therefore, choose to give the second-hand garments to the business ventures where they get a return, rather than donate for free to the traditional charity shops.  While the charity shops engage in reasonably small amounts of the sale of the second-hand clothes, the new business model participates in the business in high degrees, with a large number of tones of used clothes exported by the business entities to various countries internationally. They, therefore, cause adverse effects to the charity shops that find it hard to engage in competition with them for the obtaining of the second-hand clothes.

Other waste product likely to follow the same trends

Other than the used clothes that have increased in recycling, the other waster products that are likely to develop in the same trends include electronic gadgets and machines. With the increasing nature of technological growth, the use of electronics and electric devices is virtually increasing. Computers and phones are significantly taking the lead in electronic gadgets that are internationally used.  The increased accessibility and availability of these gadgets make them get increasingly posed by a vast global population. Also, with the increased globalization and movement of technological devices are increasingly becoming essential in the promotion of communication of people across the globe. With increased development in technologies, the gadgets are increasingly becoming more convenient to be transported around as they are less bulky.

The high numbers of individuals who continuously adapt the usage of technological devices resulting in an increase in technical and electric wastes.  As most of these gadgets are made of plastic or metal shells, they end up being poorly disposed, similar to other plastic gadgets.  The increased campaigns towards the efficient management of plastic waste produce the likelihood of an attempt to manage the electronic wastes. This could be done by using gadgets and using the functional parts in the production of other devices rather than using more resources to produce more gadgets. Through the move to recycle electronic waste, significant environmental waste could be prevented as a lot of garbage is emitted in the process of the production of the gadgets.

Use of data from the UK and other countries to support or question the approach

Downward trend

 the overall global export market for second-hand clothes ais estimated to be at approximatelly4billion dollars. However, there is a suggestion that the initially fast growing market is experiencing a downward trend. In essence, there is a signififab=nt decrease in the amount of exportation and importation of second-hand clothes. This decline is experienced wit regards to both the quantity and the value and volume of the used clothes.

Among the factors that contribute to the decline in value and volume of second-hand clothes, the business includes the fact that most of the major importers of second-hand clothes are engaged in moved to see the phase off of the second-hand clothing business. East African countries, including Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, Burundi, and Rwanda, have expressed their intent to sto[p the trade in second-hand clothes from places including the united kingdom and the united states by the end of 2019.  the move to stop the business in second-hand clothes is justified as an attempt to facilitate the growth of local industries of the developing countries.

Factors such as climate, lifestyle, affluence, labor cost, etc. that differ between the systems used in different countries

7.1. Climate

Among the factors that affect second hand clothe shopping from gift shops include the environment.  Harsh climatic conditions such as rains and storms deter customers who would wish to buy second-hand clothes from doing so. This is in the case of rainy conditions, for instance, a large number of would have been buyers fear to brave the rainy conditions to access the second-hand charity shops. According to fashion industry workers, due to harsh climatic conditions, peoples seek to engage in first-hand shopping to get the clothes that fit the needs of the buyers.

7.2. Lifestyle

The lifestyle of the individuals also affects the second-hand clothing industries.   The fashion and lifestyle industry faces a significant amount of challenges. This arises from the fashion demands that are readily present and consequently pressuring the loyalty of the customers.  It also extends to how the retailers optimize their distribution abilities to improve their influence on the consumers. Dealing with these factors requires the fashion industries to actively understand the consumer attitudes, behaviors, and the brand performance of the organization. Individual lifestyles affect the second-hand clothes industry as the consumers seek to engage in clothing preferences that fit the lifestyles that they live. In the case that the second-hand stores are unable to provide these clothing options, the second-hand clothing the consumers end up avoiding these clothing and go for the opportunities that effectively fit into their lifestyles.

7.3. Affluence

Affluence also affects the sustainability of the second-hand clothing business.  People with wealth tend to avoid second-hand clothes. This is as with the positions that they hold. They seek to engage in fashion trends that make them stand out from the rest of the people.  This makes these people engage in fast fashion trends to ensure that they come up with a unique fashion. Affluence also promotes the second-hand clothes industry.  Charity shops seek influential people to engage in patterns. This helps in improving the trend as the individuals who will motivated and inspired by them end up being influenced to follow the directions.

7.4. Labor cost

The aspect of labor cost is essential in promoting the sustainability of charity shops and seconds hand clothing industries. Most of the companies that engage in fast fashion trends are accused of unfairly paying their worker’s low wages for the work that they do. The increase of the second-hand clothing business rectifies this factor as it ensures that the workers do not receive unfair pay for the work that they do. Through the second-hand clothing industry, the charity shops provide that the workers that work In the charity shops get the right payment for the work that they perform.

Environmental impact of charity shops.

Among the environmental impacts of charity shops include the ethical disposal of clothes. Through the charity shops as individuals get the advantage of being able to have an ethical way and option of disposing of their unwanted clothes. Both retailers and individuals can easily package their unsold and unwanted garments and dropping them at the nearest charity shops. While this process is as simple as putting the unwanted clothes into the bin, it is an ethical option (Osterley and Williams 2019). The unwanted and unsold clothes do not end up polluting the environment. Instead, the whole process of environmental pollution is avoided, and the clothes are put into a good cause of helping the needy and assisting the charity organizations in fulfilling other initiatives in society.

Through the charity shops, the chances of recycling are increased. Among the ways of avoiding environmental pollution include the recycling of commodities. This, therefore, means that through charity shops, there is a higher chance of preventing environmental pollution. In the case that a charity retailer is unable to sell an item, they seek to either recycle it directly or through a textile recycler. The charity shop can either reuse or recycle more than 90% of the clothes that are donated to them. This initiative plays a significant role in ensuring that the environment is conserved as pollution is avoided.

Another environmental impact of second-hand clothing and charity shops is that they reduce landfills. In 2018 alone, the second-hand cloth business reduced the United Kingdom landfills by up to 327, 000tones.thus is the clothes and textile materials that could have ended up in landfills to account for the deficit number ended up in charity retail on the United Kingdom. Other than the environmental importance that this posed, it was also vital in the saving of the landfill tax. In the United Kingdom, councils have to pay 86.20 United Kingdom pounds for every tone of waste that is buried into the ground. Through the charity shops, this money is saved and put into other environmental initiatives to make the environment cleaner and better (Sandin and Peters 2018).

Through the charity shops, the textile industry can slow down fast fashion, and consequently reduce carbon emission, and emission of dirty and poisonous water into the environment. Through the use of charity shops, it is possible to reduce the emissions that textile industries release into the atmosphere by up to approximately 20- 30%. This reduces the waste that gets into the environment as the manufactory industries are responsible for the most carbon pollution of the environment (Cooper and Gutowski 2017). It reduces the pollutants generated into the environment through the shipping process as the clothes are transported to the required destinations.

Graphical representation of the labor cost of garment workers in various countries

Retrieved from https://shenglufashion.com/2018/03/04/wage-level-for-garment-workers-in-the-world-updated-in-2017/

Discussion of findings

According to the information and the data on the second-hand clothes business, both in the United Kingdom and other regions, the business models have a significant level of sustainability. However, it also threatened by other factors.  With regards to the requirements of sustainable business to promote the conservation of the environment, the second-hand clothes business offer effective ways through which environmental protection could be improved. For instance, through effective engagement in the second-hand clothes business, the amount of clothes that end up in landfills is significantly reduced. Also, environmental pollution is limited to the production of new clothes is limited. The carbon fumes that could end up in the environment are consequently highly reduced. Also, water pollution that happens as a result of the release of industrial pollutants into the water bodies is reduced.

The second-hand clothes business, however seeming lucrative, is not guaranteed a long term survival.  From the collected statistics, there is the fact that most of e countries and regions that have been significant importers of second-hand clothes from both the United Kingdom and other areas of Europe are engaging in attempts to grow their local industries. The success of the effort to stop the importation f second-hand clothes is evident through graphical evidence that proves that there is a reduction in both the importation and exportation of second-hand clothes by the various countries that engage in the practices.

Conclusion

Following the increased sensitizations on the need to take up waste and resource management initiatives, the second-hand clothes business has been on the increase. The second-hand clothes business model is increasingly sustainable. This is mainly due to the way the business model operates in society.  The business model promotes environmental conservation as they ensure that less waste is released into the environment. It entails measures of the promotion of a clean, healthy environment.   The business models are also sustainable as they attract consumers who are attracted to business ventures that ensure the conservation of the situation. Among the environmental impacts of the second-hand business models include that it leads to the release of less industrial wastes into the environment.  This is like the carbon wastes released into the environment, and the wastes released into the water bodies are decreased. The sustainability of the business model is, however, affected by the fact that most of the major importers of second-hand clothes are seeking to engage in the burn of second-hand clothes, meaning that the business organizations are likely to lose business opportunities.