Every item on a shop shelf has a story long before it reaches us. This European Week for Waste Reduction, we’re asking pupils a simple question: do we really need it? Find out what happened when Circular Schools explored material sufficiency in Ardboe and Antrim, what a smartphone has to do with it, and the challenge your school can try today.
Every day, we make decisions about the things we buy, use and eventually get rid of. Whether it is a new phone, a school bag, clothing or something as simple as a lunchbox, we do not always stop to think about where these products come from or what has gone into making them.
This is one of the key messages behind this year’s European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), taking place from 21 to 29 November, which focuses on Material Sufficiency. Last year’s campaign included 13,107 actions across Europe, and this year’s theme asks us to look upstream of recycling.
Material sufficiency is about rethinking how much we consume and making better use of the resources we already have. It means meeting our needs while respecting the limits of the planet, and preventing waste before it is created rather than only managing it afterwards. It encourages us to question whether we really need to buy something new, consider how products are made and look at how we can reduce, reuse, repair, rethink and remanufacture materials. As the campaign puts it: question our choices, value our resources.
For me, this is an important message to bring into schools. Helping young people understand the impact of the things they buy can encourage them to look beyond the product itself and think about the resources, energy and people involved in making it.
Looking Beyond What We Buy
It is easy to see a product on a shop shelf and only think about its price, appearance or how useful it might be. However, every item has a story long before it reaches us.
The materials and energy needed to manufacture products, along with the resources used for packaging and transportation, all contribute to their environmental footprint. Many everyday items travel long distances before reaching shops in Northern Ireland, meaning their impact begins long before we bring them home.
Choosing products that are made to last and making better use of what we already own helps reduce the demand for new resources. Buying locally can also help keep money within our communities, support local jobs and reduce the distance some products have to travel.
Material sufficiency is not about never buying anything new. It is about making more considered choices.
Circular Schools in Action: St Patrick’s Primary School, Mullinahoe, Ardboe
Our first Circular Schools workshop of the year, and our first with St Patrick’s Primary School, Mullinahoe, Ardboe, gave pupils the chance to explore material sufficiency through everyday products.
We started by looking at products made overseas and the resources and energy involved in manufacturing and transporting them. This led to a conversation about buying local and how it can benefit people and communities in our own area.
Pupils then examined a selection of discarded household items, including an old car radio, a mobile phone, a cooking apple and a DVD. Rather than seeing these as items that had reached the end of their useful life, pupils were challenged to think about what else could be done with them. Some could be repaired or upcycled into something new; old CDs and DVDs, for example, could become garden decorations rather than being thrown away.
Pupils also shared their own experiences, from things they had repaired themselves to items passed down to family members or friends. We then compared a linear economy, where we take, make, use and throw away, with a circular economy where materials stay in use and waste is reduced.
It was great to see pupils sharing their own ideas and recognising that there are often many other possibilities for the things we no longer need or use.
School Spotlight: Antrim Grammar School
We also worked with the Year 13 Biodiversity Group at Antrim Grammar School, exploring the environmental impact of the products we use and the resources needed to make them.
With older pupils, we went deeper into product carbon footprints, looking at how materials, manufacturing and transportation all add to an item’s overall impact. We also used the waste hierarchy to discuss why preventing waste should be prioritised over dealing with it afterwards.
Working with the Biodiversity Group was a great opportunity to explore how everyday purchasing decisions connect to wider environmental challenges.
Did You Know?
Most of a smartphone’s environmental impact happens before you ever switch it on. According to Deloitte’s 2022 estimates, around 83% of a smartphone’s emissions come from manufacturing, shipping and its first year of use. Yet the same research found that about 24 million spare smartphones had been kept in UK homes over the previous three years, worth over £1 billion between them.
Clothing tells a similar story. WRAP’s 2022 figures show the UK bought 1.42 million tonnes of textiles that year while discarding just over the same amount.
This is why repairing items, keeping them for longer and avoiding unnecessary purchases can make such a difference.
One Thing Your School Can Try
The ‘Do We Really Need It?’ Challenge
Encourage pupils to think about something they might normally buy new, such as a school bag, pencil case, toy, piece of clothing or electronic item. Before buying it, ask them to consider:
Pupils could share their answers with the class and create a display showing the different ways they could make more considered choices. You could also challenge them to go one step further by choosing one item they already own and finding a way to make better use of it rather than buying something new.
Rethinking Our Relationship with Resources
European Week for Waste Reduction is a great opportunity to reflect on how we use resources, but material sufficiency is something we can carry into everyday life all year round.
Through the Circular Schools programme, I want pupils to start making connections between their everyday choices and the bigger picture. When young people question whether they really need something, consider where it comes from or think about how it could be used for longer, they are already thinking in a more circular way.
Being more sustainable does not always mean doing something complicated. It can be as simple as looking after the things we own, buying second-hand, or deciding that we do not need to buy something at all.
So, the next time we are thinking about buying something new, perhaps we should take a moment to ask ourselves: do I really need it, or could I make better use of what I already have?
If your school would like to take part in European Week for Waste Reduction or find out more about the Circular Schools Programme, get in touch. We would love to help your pupils explore material sufficiency.
