Photo: Second Breath Foundation
According to historical data, the use of recycled resources in the USSR was 30–35%. Of course, this is an unattainable level by today’s standards, but we simply have to take what we need from this experience.
Russia now has a national project called the Closed Loop Economy, which is overseen by the Russian Ecological Operator. The REO is actively working on recycling problems, but to make the transition to a closed-cycle economy fully operational, we need to include planners and industrial designers in the national project.
In addition, it is necessary to reduce and control the consumption of resources for production. The first step has already been taken by introducing an option in the public procurement system regarding the use of secondary resources. The next step is to fix in the public procurement system an obligation on the percentage of primary and secondary resources in production.
Then we need to move on to tax incentives: for example, if only 5% of recycled materials are used in production, the tax rate will be high and if 90% is low. I believe that taxation can be a very effective way of regulating this area.
Educational projects on sustainable consumption should appear in the country, and designers and planners should develop new solutions for the production of closed-loop products.
Cover photo: EHStock / iStock
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