“今年我不会再买衣服了。”

“我在外面捡了一个塑料筐回来DIY。”

“这是我收集了三天的厨余垃圾，准备拿来做堆肥。”

“这五块钱，是我刚卖废纸壳子赚的。”...

上述，是我在一个标题为“2022零废弃日 | 刚刚好的生活提案”小视频中看到的内容。

极简、环保、可持续、回收再利用...似乎成了#当下新消费的内容之一。

所以，今天的Buzzword也想和大家聊聊Zero Waste 零废弃这个概念。

Hearing this expression, you know that it has something to do with environment and sustainable living.

今天咱们就来聊聊和环保以及可持续生活方式有关的Zero Waste, 零废弃的概念.

Now it sounds simple, but it's not as simple as your parents telling you don't waste food or don't waste money.

It is actually a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused.

零废弃的这个概念, 它是基于 waste prevention, 最大程度地避免废弃, 避免浪费所建立的一系列的准则.

It encourages redesigning resource life cycles.

它关注的是重新设计各种资源的生命周期, so that all products are reused.

The goal is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean.

现在我们很多的废弃物、垃圾, 最终会到要么是landfill 垃圾填埋场, incinerator焚化炉, 或者直接排到海洋;

零废弃就是为了避免这些传统的垃圾处理方式.

The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) has an even more detailed definition.

零废弃国际联盟, 它对于零废弃的定义就是:

Zero Waste

The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of all products, packaging and materials.

通过负责任的生产、消费, 所有产品的重复使用和回收, 负责任的包装设计和材料选择来实现资源的保护和节约.

Without burning them and without discharges to land, water or air that threatened the environment or human health.

避免对废弃物进行焚烧, 或者是向土地、水源和空气中排放可能会破坏环境或威胁人类健康的物质.

Zero waste examines the entire life cycle of a product or material, highlighting inefficiencies and unsustainable production and consumption practices.

零废弃最大的一个特点就是, 它不只是针对一件产品;

它关注的是每一个产品或者材料的全生命周期, 生产消费各种操作中不够节能环保, 不够可持续的部分。

Zero Waste refers not only to keeping waste out of landfill, but also pushing our economy to be less wasteful in production and consumption.

它不仅是要减少最后会出现在垃圾填埋场的垃圾, 还致力于全方位的让我们的经济在生产和消费这两方面都能够真正的减少浪费.

实现零废弃需要整个社会的努力

This is a massive plan.

So the Zero Waste principles include three underlying obligations that target different sections of society.

这里面包括:

Producer responsibility, 生产端的责任, mostly in product design and manufacturing;

Community responsibility, 社群的责任, this is about consumption and disposal.

In between, there is political responsibility. 中间其实是政府组织还有权威机构的责任.

They must bridge the gap between community and producer, promoting both environmental and human health while enforcing new laws designed to promote the zero waste principles.

So that's the general background.

零废弃的两个概念

Now I would like to share with you two concepts in this whole zero waste thinking.

The first is called Cradle to Cradle Thinking. 首先来说说零废弃里面 “摇篮到摇篮”的概念.

To introduce Cradle to Cradle, first of all, you need to know Cradle to Grave.

其实我们更熟悉的应该是Cradle to Grave, “摇篮到坟墓”.

所谓的 “摇篮到坟墓”本来说的是人的一生, 但是作为一个产品的 life cycle,

Cradle to Grave is a linear model that begins with resource extraction, moves through manufacturing, and sees products end up in landfill.

但作为一个产品来说, 指的是一个线性的产品生命周期, 就是说产品从获取原材料到生产到使用, 最后到废弃, 最后到垃圾填埋区这样的一个过程.

但是零废弃就提出了Cradle to Cradle, “摇篮到摇篮”的这样一个circular model, 环形或者循环的模型.

This model minimizes waste and keeps resources in use for as long as possible, considered a closed loop that promotes sustainability and strives for zero waste.

这种闭环的设计可以最大限度的循环利用资源, 推动可持续的生活方式, 让我们能最终实现或者接近零废弃.

The other concept in zero waste is called Zero Waste Hierarchy Principles.

另外一个概念是“零废弃层级结构”的概念.

简单来说, 把所有的生产、消费一直到废弃物处理, 这里面所有的操作, 按照它对于环境和人类健康的影响, 分成不同的等级, 从best practice 到 worst practice.

So from the best, you have Rethink /Redesign.

最优的层级叫做从源头重新思考, 重新设计.

This is a systemic change that redesigns the system to avoid needless and/or wasteful consumption.

The second tier is Reduce.

减少浪费或者减量级.

This is about reduce the quantity and toxicity of resources, products, packaging, and materials.

The next tier you have Reuse.

重复使用.

This is when we use products or components again, for the same or similar purpose.

For example, we can reuse water to wash our hands and then flush the toilets. This is all reuse.

再下面一个层级是 Recycle and Compost, 再生利用和堆肥.

This is using mechanical process or biological process to dispose of the waste, 通过机械或者生物手段来处理废弃物.

再往下一个层级就是Material Recovery, 材料回收.

It is mostly about salvage additional materials after the actions above.

上面的所有层级都已经完成, 还余下来的废弃物可以进行材料回收, 这里不包含燃烧废弃物发电.

再下一个层级是Residual Management, 剩余的废物管理.

This is about handling waste in a way that does not threaten environment or human health. Analyze what was wasted and why.

The last tier is called Unacceptable.

最下面一个层级被认定为是不能接受的操作.

Systems and policies which encourage wasting or threaten the environment and human health.

So hopefully now you know a little bit more about Zero Waste Principles.

例句示范

Example 1：

-The zero waste movement is the collective pursuit of the zero waste principles.