How to go Zero Waste?

For a few years now, the Elia team has been following the zero waste trend. In addition to the creation of our menstrual panties, we wanted to make a point on this trend and bring our tips to those who would like to start!

What is zero waste?

Zero Waste is a process that aims to reduce our waste production as much as possible. The term "zero waste" comes directly from the English "zero waste". In English, this expression refers to waste but also to waste, so the French translation loses some of the information but the idea remains the same.

The principle is to have more and more recourse to recycling, to enter a circular economy. The idea is to review our consumption patterns in order to produce less waste at the source of production. It is a real state of mind, an awareness of the way we consume to reduce our environmental impact by changing our habits. This approach has many advantages. It is ecological, economical and beneficial to health since the products purchased are little or not transformed.

This approach applies to all the areas that surround us. The zero waste is to review its consumption of food, household products, cosmetics, furniture, clothing, ...

It is to be aware of the consumer society in which we live and try to make efforts at its scale to fight against environmental pollution, waste, overconsumption and to promote responsible consumption. This requires the implementation of new practices in our daily lives. To consume less but in a more reasoned and responsible way, and finally to have a better quality of consumption.

How to implement zero waste?

To have a zero waste approach, we keep in mind the 5 Rs:

• Refuse what you don't need (single-use or over-packaged items, advertising, samples, ...).
• Reduce what we need and avoid waste by buying only the necessary quantities and favour quality over quantity (clothes, furniture, food, ...).
• Reuse what you have: use your period pantiesReuse what you have: use your period pants, shop with reusable containers, repair, transform objects/furniture, rent, borrow, buy second-hand, give away, ...).
• Recycle what we can't refuse, reduce or reuse. (42% of the waste produced in France is actually recycled)
• Compost the rest (organic matter).

Going to zero waste can allow you to reduce your waste and go under the 590 kg of waste that a person produces on average per year in France.

It also allows you to reduce the impact of production (amount of energy and raw materials needed to produce a product), as well as the impact of waste management.

Moreover, we can see that recycling only comes in at the end of the process, only if it cannot be avoided, since only 42% of the waste produced in France is actually recycled. We must keep in mind that the best waste is the one we do not create !

The zero waste approach is therefore a change of daily habits, through simple gestures. To use its menstrual lingerie is already a huge step. To change our habits during our periods is a moral change which has a very strong ecological (and economic) impact. Let us be aware that it requires patience and indulgence towards oneself because we cannot change everything overnight. Each small effort is a step forward to reduce our waste and our ecological impact.

To discover how our menstrual panties are eco-responsible, click here!

And you, what are your tips?

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