Reduce Consumption – Reduce Waste - Reduce Carbon Emissions

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Reduce Consumption – Reduce Waste - Reduce Carbon Emissions

A great way to reduce carbon emissions is to purchase fewer goods. In other words, buy less stuff. In 2017, U.S. consumers purchased $3,513 billion of retail goods.[1] That's a lot of stuff!

Every part of a retail goods life-cycle produces carbon emissions.



In that same year, the U.S. produced 6,456.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions of which 82% was carbon dioxide.[2]



Nationally, the U.S. generated 262.4 million tons of household solid waste.[3] On average, a person living in the U.S. generates 4.48 pounds of solid waste a day.[4]



Source: EPA, n.d.

The way to view our relationship with household goods that eventually become waste is: (1) reduce consumption; (2) prevent waste by reusing and composting at home; (3) recycle what cannot be reused; (4) sent to landfill.


The Take Away: 
By reducing our consumption of retail goods, we reduce pollution from manufacturing and household waste both of which reduces carbon emissions.


REFERENCES:

[1] Appriss Retail. December 2017. 2017 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry. Retrieved from
https://appriss.com/retail/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/12/2017_Consumer-Returns-in-the-Retail-Industry-Report.pdf

[2] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. n.d. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas emissions and Sinks. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks

[3], [4] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. n.d. National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials

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