Share, repair, hire

Every year we place greater and greater demands on our planet’s natural resources and yet we use them at such a pace that they don’t have enough time to regenerate. The circular economy is a way of thinking about the world in which the wellbeing of society is not improved by pushing more and more products off the conveyor belts. In order for us to be less reliant on new products, we need to change the way we think about the world.

Has it ever crossed your mind that we don’t need to buy everything solely for our own use? Can you live up to this principle in your everyday life?

Share or borrow: If you plan to buy a piece of equipment that you will only use a couple of times a year, do you need to buy it at all? Ask your friends, family, and neighbours — maybe they can loan you the tool you need!

Hire: Thinking about taking up a new hobby? It’s a good idea to hire any equipment you might need rather than buying it. For example, if you hire a paddle board a few times over the summer you will make significant savings on the cost of a new one!

Repair: Is your zip broken? Lost a button? If so, you don’t need to throw your clothes away. If you aren’t able to repair them yourself, perhaps someone else could do it for you. In Lappeenranta, for example, the LAP Product Foundation (LAP-tuotesäätiö) repairs broken zippers.