Reuse in practice: the UK’s car and clothing sectors

Abstract

Ongoing efforts to seek better resource efficiency have highlighted the role of reuse as a contributor to achieving circular economy objectives. In order to improve resource efficiency, the motives, means and opportunities for reuse need to be understood such that best practice can be identified and measures implemented to foster more effective and more extensive reuse. This study compares and contrasts reuse in the car and car components sector with the clothing sector as a means to identify commonalities and differences, and seek facets of effective practice. The car sector is found to align more with financial motives than the clothing sector, the latter providing more marked and apparent social benefits. Three key aspects appear common to both sectors. First, whole lifecycle – cradle to cradle – approaches to enhancing reuse are emerging and have considerable merit from a circular economy perspective. Secondly, the internet has become a key tool for the facilitation of reuse and is likely to grow further in this regard. Thirdly, decisions regarding the end-of-use of consumer products are critical and need to be better understood. Fourthly, for any reuse initiative to deliver positive outcomes, consumers must be fully engaged. We conclude that whilst some sector-specific adjustments may have to be implemented in future initiatives to promote and enhance reuse activities, the overarching principles and optimum methods of reuse facilitation may well be common for contrasting sectors.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Peter Shaw: orcid.org/0000-0003-0925-5010

ORCID for Ian Williams: orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-1219

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