Consumers are becoming more conscious of the notion that once we put things in the trash, “away” is just the word used by someone else to mean “here.” We know our ketchup containers, floss packets, and sandwich bags are whirling through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the ocean is expected to hold greater quantities of plastics than the fish.
Fear. It’s the way people view the future, and it’s the most powerful incentive to make a behavior change. This is why closed systems are the new norm for business. Closing the loop is simply creating a business model that ensures that each item (packaging or not) that is sent out can return to be repaired, shared, reused, or recycled. Companies that do not care about the final result of waste and packaging are likely to be sacked by the public’s wrath.
A growing number of people, particularly those of the younger generation, are becoming aware of the negative effects of modern convenience. In the past five years, 85 percent of the population has made changes to their lifestyles to improve their sustainability.
In public areas where there was once just one trash container, you will be able to see that, in addition to the compost and recycling, There is now an entirely new label on the trash can that we used to label trash. It is now labeled: “Landfill.”
We are no longer able to afford the use of euphemisms. The consequences of this change in our thinking are a huge opportunity to meet the consumer’s demand, generate income, and shield humanity from the repercussions of ecological destruction.
For instance, the clothing brand For Days has a program that allows customers to return clothing when they’re no longer needed to reuse them into yarn. Natura is a Brazilian makeup brand that has been carbon-neutral since 2007 makes use of sugarcane as plastic and offers refills instead of 100% new containers. The subsidiary, Natura & Co, reported net revenue of $7.2B by 2020. The chance to shift to closed-loop systems across all industries is huge and prime for new ideas.
I created Prep to Your Door after realizing the amount of food waste that the standard pre-packaged meals create. We prepare and distribute ready-to-eat meals all over Texas in jars which are then disposed of and recycled using a closed-loop zero-waste approach. This is a selfless gesture toward a sustainable environmental approach and a primary motive for customers’ loyalty that has fueled the expansion of our business. We’ve witnessed year-on-year expansion since the beginning and have diverted more than half a million pieces of plastic from landfills, as shown below.
Three reasons that Closed Loop could be the next big thing in business
1. With more focus on the environment, the need for sustainability is growing.
Between 2016 and 2020, the number of tweets on nature and biodiversity loss jumped between 30 and 50 million tweets, which is a growth of 65, according to a 2024 report. The report also revealed an increase of 71% in the number of searches that focus on sustainable products. The research carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and funded by WWF revealed that 60 percent of companies have begun collecting data on the sustainability of their supply chain. These numbers are vital for addressing the populace increasingly wanting to know if conducting business with a business can aid or hinder efforts to fight climate change. Globally, around a third of people are willing to pay double the price of sustainable products. For the United States, 64% are willing to pay more and seek reliable brands to be a part of.
2. more stringent Regulations will be costly for those who aren’t on the right track.
From taxing emissions to bans on the use of single-use plastics. The political muscles that could force changes are already being stretched. Suppose you don’t make plans for the disposal or recycling of the packaging you use. In that case, you could be in a spot where the cost of doing business is rising due to new taxes, or you’re trying to find a replacement for an existing system that’s about to be outside of the regulations. Visionaries and leaders in the industry who are aware of the upcoming changes and have a plan for the future will help create businesses that are not just able to survive but even endure these storms and achieve success.
3. The most successful people would like to be part of the process of changing.
In a poll of around 1,000 employees, over 70% said a company with an environmental focus rather employ them. Around 30% of respondents said they’d had to leave a business because they didn’t have a sustainability strategy.
The ability to inspire, create a vision, and have confidence in their work creates a positive environment that employees would like to be part of. There’s never been a Great Resignation at the Prep to Your Door because everyone wants to be a part of our work. The sustainability plan you have affects the demand, cost, and turnover. Do three factors impact the profit of a company more?
To ensure that your business doesn’t just survive but grow, it is essential to be an integral part of the standard and practices that enable the world to flourish. According to the McKinsey study, “Profits with purpose: How organizing for sustainability can benefit the bottom line,” “a growing body of evidence indicates that sustainability initiatives can help create profits and business opportunities.” This is an opportunity that you cannot afford to miss.
