Waste is an enormous problem. But, recycling is the wrong solution, writes Don Norman. The real culprit in the story of recycling is failure to identify the core, underlying problem. Recycling is the symptom, he says. The underlying problem is the design and manufacturing of so much stuff that must be discarded. Recycling is a poor attempt to solve this problem.
Source: Fast Company, February 28, 2020. Link. The problem with recycling starts with the choice of materials used to build the product. The materials are optimized for performance and cost, but rarely is the societal cost considered:
- cost to the environment in mining and manufacturing the materials
- cost to the environment in manufacturing the product
- cost to the environment in shipping, selling, and packaging the product
- finally, the cost and difficulties of disposing of it at the end of its life cycle.
From our idea files
INSIGHTS: One of the most effective solutions of reducing waste for veterinary clinics and independent retailers is to build efficiency into inventory replenishment processes.
- Eliminate unnecessary daily visits from UPS, FEDX and Amazon by prioritizing SKUs with A, B, C designations.
- Set minimum reorder points to account for a seven- to 10-day supply of As and most B products.
- Then replenish with case quantities developing a primary order on Wednesdays followed by fill-in orders on Friday and Monday.
- In this model, the reorder point is equal to the reorder quantity: ROP=EOQ (round to case qty if possible)