Episode 17 - Zero Waste

The Disposable Society

Zero waste, or waste-free, is a reaction to the throwaway society and all of the problems that it has caused. The disposable society, throwaway society or throwaway culture are terms used to describe the overconsumption of short-lived or disposable items over durable goods that can be repaired.

Short-lived or low-quality items include things like fast fashion, as well as planned obsolescence and e-waste. Making things that don’t last very long is a viable business strategy because consumers then need to buy replacements. It is profitable because businesses aren’t held responsible for their product’s end of life. Next, there are also single-use items like plates, cutlery, straws, and bags. And of course there is also the packaging for all of these goods.

Disposable, or single-use, items are actually a pretty new invention. When disposables were introduced in the 1950s, they were touted as a timesaver for housewives.  Around that same time, plastic was introduced into the mainstream market.

A few plastic facts:

●      It has only been 113 years since plastic was first introduced.[1]

●      It has only been 55 years since the first plastic bag was created.[2]

●      We have produced over 320 million metric tonnes of plastic, which is heavier than every human alive combined.[3] And that figure is set to double by 2040.[4]

●      Only 14% of plastic has ever been collected for recycling, and only 5% has actually been recycled (rather than downcycled).[5]

Today, plastic has become so essential to how we live our lives that it has really gotten out of control. Globally, we generate 3.5 million tons of solid waste every day – approximately 10x the amount we produced a century ago. The average American produces 1,500 pounds of trash annually, sending 4.4 pounds of trash to the landfill every day.[6] And that is a problem for climate change because landfills are responsible for 16% of methane emissions in the US.[7]

Single-use plastics are a particular problem because they are so common and used for such a small amount of time. For instance, Coca-Cola produces 120 billion plastic bottles every year.[8] And plastic bags are used for an average of just 15 minutes.[9]

As William McCallum of Greenpeace UK has described it:

…we managed to create a material and use it at unbelievable scale with no plan for how to deal with it afterwards. Single-use plastic cutlery, plastic bags, and plastic-lined coffee cups have become central to our lives – used once for a matter of minutes, they will not break down for hundreds of years. It is untenable to carry on like this: we are consigning future generations to a world in which plastic might outweigh fish in the ocean in 2050.[10]

Most plastic ends up in landfill, but a lot of it also leaks into our water systems, ending up in the oceans. 12.7 million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year,[11] which works out to one garbage truck of plastic entering the ocean every minute.[12] There are an estimated 150 million tons of plastic in the oceans right now, equivalent to 300 of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world.[13]

When plastic gets into the oceans, it really messes with ecosystems. Approximately 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs.[14] And plastic ingestion and entanglement are really bad for seabirds and other wildlife. And because plastic is being eaten by everything and everyone, bioaccumulation is a risk for animals at the top of the food chain[15]

The Zero Waste Movement

The Zero Waste, No Waste, or Waste-free movement is essentially 25 years old. Most of the top advocates for zero-waste are (white) millennial women. Some examples include: Kathryn Kellogg (Going Zero Waste), Lauren Singer (Trash is for Tossers and Package Free Shop), Anne-Marie Bonneau (Zero-Waste Chef), and Bea Johnson (Zero Waste Home).

Principles of Zero Waste

In its simplest expression, the zero-waste movement aims to produce zero trash. But even the most ardent waste-free advocate will acknowledge that this is not possible in today’s society. We will always produce some trash, and we will always be complicit in the production of trash we can’t see.

This is why any zero-waste advocate will tell you that part of being zero-waste is making your voice heard – whether that’s political actions like voting, protesting, and talking to your Member of Parliament or smaller actions like writing a makeup company to say that you’ve stopped buying their product because there aren’t refillable options. 

Although recycling is a part of the waste-free movement, going zero-waste actually means recycling less. So, zero waste means reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost, in order of preference.[16]

Reduce

You can reduce by refusing to buy things with lots of packaging and by not buying things unless you really need them. This doesn’t necessarily mean being super austere: it means finding a balance of what you need. A 2015 survey found that more than half of Americans (54%) are overwhelmed with the amount of clutter that they have. Three-quarters (78%) said they did not know what to do with it or found it too complicated to deal with.

Reuse

Go for reusable items instead of single-use items, and durable instead of short-term. Then keep using stuff as long as you can. That means repairing stuff – and when you’re buying, look for things that can be repaired. Also, shop used when you can. And when something can no longer be used for its original purpose, repurpose it. Waste-free advocates often talk about “demoting” items. For example, the last plastic toothbrush I owned I demoted as a cleaning brush. It’s great for cleaning tiles. Basically, be like your grandparents.

Recycle

Recycle, where you can, but do it well: if more than 1% of a batch of recycling is contaminated, the entire thing may end up in landfill.[17] Zero-waste asks you to really look into what you’re recycling.

Compost

About 75-80% of all household trash is organic matter that can be composted, but we mostly aren’t composting it. If your city or town does composting, it can be really easy to do this. I keep a compost bin in my kitchen (food waste) and in my bathroom (for things like tissue, hair, and compostable floss). In a later episode on biogas, we talk about how food waste could be converted into energy, if you want to learn more!

Generally speaking, compostable plastics are not a solution to plastic waste. Very little of it actually gets composted. And in a lot of cases you cannot compost these items in home composting. There are also “biodegradable” plastics that can’t be composted. And nothing biodegrades in a landfill!

How to Become Zero Waste (ish)

Ultimately, going zero-waste will mean replacing some of the tools that you use to meet your daily needs. But it’s counterproductive to trash stuff that you’re currently using in favour of eco-friendly products, so waste-free advocates suggest a slow approach with small improvements.

Start with a waste audit

Go through your trash to see what some of the most impactful swaps could be for you. For me it is definitely snack foods – chips, granola bars – and receipts (which cannot be recycled or composted). 

Say no to stuff you don’t want

As Sarah Lewis of the Zero Waster puts it: “Just Say No to Crap”. This can include things like straws and paper cups. Being clear about your requests in advance is a good way to avoid problems. One easy solution is to put a “no junk mail” sign on your mailbox. When you are at a restaurant or café, be clear and polite but firm about your requests. Usually people are happy to accommodate, but if they aren’t you can choose not to return there in the future.

Gifts are difficult, because there are social customs and emotions involved. Zero-waste advocates generally recommend: (1) talking to your family and friends about why waste-free is important to you and (2) giving them tools to make it easy for them to give gifts that won’t cause problems for you.  Kathryn Kellogg recommends giving friends and family a list of consumables, experiences, and items you’d really value. It is key to do it well in advance. She even recommends adding notes about why you want something, which can help if people want to go off-list.[18] But ultimately, this is a thing you’re doing: if someone gives you a gift, accept it and thank them. The time to raise the issue is much, much later.

Buy things more intentionally

This means buying things only when you really need them. When you do buy something, try to find ways to buy it used or buy it new but built to last (repairable). Try waiting 30 days before purchasing something you want.

Start with some easy waste-free moves

Some of the easiest ways to reduce your waste include:

·      Saying no to straws (unless you need single-use straws for accessibility reasons);

·      Getting (and actually using) reusable bags. Set up a system so that they are with you when you need them; and

·      Getting (and actually using) a reusable water bottle and coffee mug.

When you’re ready, slowly start replacing disposables and short-term items with stuff that is refillable and/or built to last. Start with the problem areas you identified in your waste audit. For consumables, buy in bulk and avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. Glass and metal containers tend to be easier to recycle.

Think about end of life for your goods

Most people already recycle, but they key is to recycle well. Usually, your municipal government will have online tools to help you recycle properly. But it’s important to know that you can recycle things that your city or town will not accept. Increasingly, you can bring short-term items back to the companies that made them for recycling.

Check out Terracycle to see if any of their recycling programs meet your needs. Terracycle is an organization that collects difficult to recycle items in 21 countries. You have to join and look at their specific programs though – they work in partnership with companies. E.g. You can recycle Boom Chicka Pop popcorn bags through Terracycle. Other programs include: Tweed cannabis, several Burt’s Bees products, Europe’s Best frozen fruit and veg packages, e-waste, Nespresso capsules, and much more. Terracycle has public drop-off locations, or you can mail items to them. In the future we’ll do an episode on recycling so we can give it more attention.

Another great way to think about the end life of your consumables is to try composting! If you’re not composting your food, it goes into landfill where it produces methane. That’s because landfills are tightly packed so there isn’t enough oxygen for it to decompose properly. When food waste breaks down in landfill, it releases methane, which is a super potent GHG. Project Drawdown estimates that composting can reduce emissions by 2.3 billion tons over the next 30 years. About 40% of landfill material is organics – so if we all composted we could make a big difference.

And of course, if you are donating a good, be smart about it. Try starting with friends and family. Then, use the tips we suggested in our clothing series!

Try out a waste-free shop

Waste-free stores are shops where all of the products come with either no packaging or recyclable/compostable packaging. They usually have a system where you weigh your container, then you fill it and are charged by weight. Zero-waste stores have opened up in trendy neighbourhoods in the last five years. An article in the Guardian estimated that 100-200 zero-waste stores had opened in the last two years in the UK.

If you are in a medium-large city, there is probably a waste-free shop somewhere. Toronto has a handful of them, for example. There are some online as well: Package Free Shop is great, and I go to it for anything I can’t find in a local waste-free shop.

If there isn’t a waste-free shop in your area, you still have options. Check out Bulk Barn and other bulk stores for food items: it’s cheaper and there is more selection. If you aren’t sure where to find waste-free or bulk stores in your neighbourhood, this tool from Zero Waste Home is helpful. For produce, choose no/low packaging items at a grocery store or farmer’s market. For personal care products, Lush has an array of low/no-waste products.

You can also try “do it yourself” solutions using bulk ingredients. There are lots of recipes out there from all of the zero waste advocates mentioned above. Try one out! Things like cleaning supplies tend to be very easy and accessible to make. Lotions, lip balms, etc. can be super easy too.

Endnotes

[1] McCallum, Will. (2018). How to Give Up Plastic. London, UK: Penguin Life.

[2] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[3] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[4] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[5] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[6] Kellogg, Kathryn. (2019). 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste. New York: the Countryman Press.

[7] Kellogg, Kathryn. (2019). 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.

[8] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[9] Kellogg, 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.

[10] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic at p.3-4.

[11] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[12] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[13] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[14] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[15] McCallum, How to Give Up Plastic.

[16] Kellogg, Kathryn. (2019). 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.

[17] Kellogg, Kathryn. (2019). 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.

[18] Kellogg, Kathryn. (2019). 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste.

Episode 05 - Kyla and Kristen Ruin Christmas

Holiday Waste

The holidays are generally a wasteful time of year. The amount of garbage that we produce increases by about 25% over the holidays.

Christmas Trees and Ethics

If you live in the US, it’s likely that your Christmas tree is coming from Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, or Pennsylvania. Oregon is the country’s largest Christmas tree producer, and cuts more than 6 million Christmas trees annually.

Environment

Around 80% of Christmas trees, at least in the US, are artificial. Most artificial trees made out of PVC (plastic) and metal (steel). There is a lot of information out there on whether it is environmentally better to get an artificial or real Christmas tree. Three factors that guide how environmentally friendly a Christmas tree is: ‘tree miles’, length of ownership, and disposal methods.

Some argue that Christmas trees aren’t so bad for the environment. A five- or six-foot tree takes just under a decade to grow and usually a tree is planted in its place.

Most of the articles out there on the environmental impact of real versus artificial trees draws on a lifecycle analysis commissioned by the American Christmas Tree Association (which represents artificial tree retailers). However, I read the report and it seems like it’s largely reasonable. They compare the most common artificial and natural Christmas trees purchased in the US. According to the study, the most commonly purchased artificial tree is manufactured at a large facility in China. It is shipped to the US and distributed by a major big box retailer. It is 6.5 feet tall and weighs 11 pounds). The most common natural tree is a Fraser fir. They assume a 6.5 foot tree cultivated on wholesale natural tree farms and distributed through large retailers. They assume that an accompanying tree stand is 10% metal and 90% plastic. The study covers three time periods of use for the artificial tree – 1, 5, and 10 years. They assume that the tree stand is used for the same amount of time as the regular tree. The study finds that, by energy intensity, an artificial tree is more energy efficient on a 5-year scenario. By GHG emissions, the study finds that – unless a tree goes to landfill – the artificial tree is better than natural trees on a 5-year scenario.

 If you are going with a live tree, try to get one that is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

You can actually rent Christmas trees in some places. Essentially, you’ll get a live tree delivered with a root ball. Then it gets returned and is either rented again next year or permanently replanted. This option for sure exists in Ontario and BC. Oh, and using LED Christmas lights will save electricity.

Labour

Because Christmas tree farms require so much more labour over the holiday season, they use temporary labour – which means often long hours for migrant workers.

Wage theft in the Christmas tree industry has come up a few times. In 2002, there was a major court case over labour violations in the American Christmas tree and garland industry. Most of the workers were migrants from Mexico. One of the workers, for instance, was making $3.31 per hour (below the $5.15 federal minimum wage at the time) and working 80h per week. A similar issue came up in 2017. There are also fair trade tree options.

Ethical Gift Wrap

Can’t I just recycle my wrapping paper?

Paper gift wrap and cards can sometimes be recycled, but usually anything glossy or sparkly is not recyclable. A good rule of thumb is this: try scrunching the paper into a ball. If it scrunches and stays scrunched, it can probably be recycled. You will have to remove any sticky tape and decorations like ribbons and bows, since these cannot be recycled.

Putting non-recyclable gift wrap in recycling can contaminate an entire load of recycling, so you really want to avoid doing that. And even if your wrapping paper is recyclable, not every municipality will take it. Toronto does, but you should check with your local municipality before you put wrapping paper in recycling. If you absolutely must use disposable gift wrap, make sure it’s recyclable – and even better if it’s made from recycled material! – and minimize the amount of tape that you use. Remember to remove bows, ribbons, and tape before recycling.

If you do receive presents in non-recyclable gift wrap, try reusing it! A few ideas:

o   Roll onto empty tin cans for storing scissors, pens, and pencils

o   Shred and use in packaging or shipping to prevent breakage

o   Use to cover standard white photo frame mats

o   Save and reuse for next year 

Is reusable better?

Instead of going for single-use gift wrap, another option is reusable gift bags or fabric wrap. You can buy reusable bags. But you can also create your own pretty easily, either with or without a sewing machine.

However, you have to actually reuse the reusable gift wrap to make it worthwhile. I wasn’t able to find information on paper/plastic gift wrap versus reusable fabric specifically, but we can use an assessment on plastic versus reusable bags as a general approximation. A study by the UK government found that you would need to reuse a cotton bag 131 times to match the emissions of a plastic bag, because of the emissions intensity of cotton. (As a note, though, two other types of reusable bag only needed to be reused 4 and 11 times, respectively, to offset the emissions difference.

Depending on whether you take a sustainability or climate approach, you might decide that reusables are worthwhile or not. By emissions, it can sometimes be better to recycle (or even toss) a single-use item rather than reuse. But if you think about it from the perspective of honouring the earth’s resources, using a resource once and then having it burnt or sitting in landfill is not great. Planet Money did a pretty good two-parter on this a few months ago (Episodes 925 and 926).

If you are looking to make your own reusable gift bags, try using more sustainable fabrics like recycled cotton or hemp or linen! Or, upcycle old clothing by turning it into a reusable gift bag. 

Online Shopping and the Environment

A study done by Dimitri Weideli at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics based on US figures found that in-store shopping has a larger carbon footprint than online shopping. However, rushed online shopping was worse than both in-store and regular online shopping. Most of an in-store shopper’s carbon footprint comes from the emissions used in transporting goods from the store. Having said that, the study assumes that consumers are driving to the store. Since I exclusively walk or use public transit, it is probably better for me to buy in-store. For online shopping, most of the carbon footprint comes from packaging. And for rushed online shopping, there is also a large footprint from air freight. (So, like, the fact that I had to express mail my gift to you probably makes the entire gift unethical)

Kyla’s Links

Kristen mentioned Planet Money episodes worth a listen, here they are!
The Wickaninnish Gallery where Kyla bought the paintings.
Vancouver’s waste free shop, Nada.
East York Meals on Wheels.
Metro Vancouver has some great tips on recycling and reducing waste.
Halloween Spending Reports.
6 million turkeys.
Thanksgiving weekend shopping figures.
Amazon pledges to be net carbon neutral by 2040.
Some clever tricks companies use to get you to spend more.
The Verge talks online shopping and package waste.
Amazon’s Profits.
CNN reports on the environmental impact of fast shipping.
Buzzfeed News looks at the environmental impact of Amazon and suggests ways we can be better.
Log Driver’s Waltz.

Episode 03 - Ethical Teeth

One of the earliest lessons we learn in life is how to brush our teeth. We spend about 1,460 minutes every year meticulously scrubbing those pearly whites. Given how much of our time is going to dental hygiene, how could we calibrate this daily habit to match our values?

Toothbrushes

It pays to think about the sustainability of your toothbrush, since this is a product that you replace fairly regularly. It is recommended to replace toothbrushes about every three months, which means that you will go through a dozen of them every three years.

Waste-free mavens (like Trash is for Tossers) point to the virtues of bamboo toothbrushes. And they’ve got a very good point. In the US, somewhere between 1 billion and 3.5 billion toothbrushes are thrown away annually. That accounts for approximately 50 million pounds of plastic waste every year. The waste from discarded toothbrushes ends up in landfills and oceans. As such, toothbrushes are a significant cause of plastic pollution in our oceans. In total, between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually. Bamboo toothbrushes, unlike their plastic counterparts, will biodegrade if properly disposed of in a compost bin. There are plastic toothbrushes made from recycled materials (like this one), but ultimately these will still contribute to plastic waste.

On the sustainability front, toothbrushes with bamboo shafts are an easy choice. You can also buy bamboo toothbrushes with replaceable brush heads, which would reduce the amount of bamboo that you are consuming and disposing. Bamboo toothbrushes are now available in many grocery stores, as well as natural foods stores. You can also buy them online, but this often requires more packaging.

Things get a bit trickier when we move to the bristles of the toothbrush. There are some trade-offs. Vegans especially should take note: as this article highlights, you will have to choose between a fully-compostable toothbrush with pig hair bristles and vegan toothbrushes that use one of two nylon compounds for the bristles. The trouble with nylon is that it will not break down in a consumer compost bin.

Nylon-4 has been demonstrated to be biodegradable in lab studies, but it is not compostable. Nylon-11 is made from castor oil and can be recycled, but only if you remove them from the bamboo handle with pliers and find a nylon recycling facility.

My current toothbrush is from Brush with Bamboo. 

For the curious, we looked into electric toothbrushes and found this interesting article that compares electric vs disposable toothbrushes. Between the disposable heads, the batteries, and the energy usage of an electric toothbrush, we’ve decided we land on the side of disposable, especially if the handle is bamboo.

Toothpaste

Here’s how toothpaste works:

Toothpastes contain mild abrasives that scrub away plaque, which is acidic and breaks down the enamel. Fluoride strengthens/protects tooth enamel (the outer layer of the tooth). Some toothpastes also include: detergents (make the toothpaste foam); humectants (e.g. glycerin; these help the toothpaste to retain moisture so that it doesn’t try out); preservatives (prevent the toothpaste from growing bacteria); and flavouring/colouring agents.

If you’re interested in looking at the recipes Kyla used to make her own unsuccessful toothpaste, you can find them here and here.

What’s the deal with fluoride in toothpaste?

A lot of vegan and waste-free toothpastes out there do not have fluoride. This has to do with concerns about the health risks of fluoride, which are largely unsubstantiated. Fluoridated toothpaste has been shown to be safe and effective in preventing tooth decay. Too much fluoride can be bad - you shouldn’t be swallowing your toothpaste - but if used appropriately fluoridated toothpaste is a safe and effective way to prevent cavities.

The prevalence of fluoride-free toothpaste also has to do with regulatory rules. Essentially, whether or not toothpaste is fluoridated is a key determinant in how toothpaste is regulated. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration requires that toothpaste with fluoride in it be regulated as a drug and a cosmetic. Toothpaste without fluoride is regulated as a cosmetic. Cosmetic products don’t require FDA approval before they go on the market, whereas drugs do.

In Canada, if you put fluoride in toothpaste (and some other things), it has to be regulated as a “Natural Health Product” - which is the pathway for non-prescription health products like vitamins. Natural health products are a subset of the wider category of drugs. There are specific rules about the concentrations you can use, what safety statements need to go on the product (e.g.: do not swallow), etc. Toothpastes without fluoride are regulated as cosmetics. Producers of non-fluoridated toothpaste have to represent their product as a cosmetic. So, for example, a “kills germs” is a drug claim but “kills bacteria that cause odour” is a cosmetic claim. Natural health products require a licence before they can be sold, whereas companies just need to notify Health Canada that they are selling a new cosmetic. Cosmetics have to be safe, but regulation is complaint-based. So, it is more onerous to sell a fluoridated toothpaste, which is perhaps why so many waste-free/vegan toothpastes don’t have it.

When discussing fluoride in tap water and food, Kyla cited 123dentist.com, Metro Vancouver, and Epcor. When she decided to try adding cacao as a fluoride replacement, this is the study she was basing that information on. We don’t think there has been enough research to count on this as an actual alternative, and she probably added the wrong ingredient to get the benefits anyway, but she figured what the heck and tried it for fun.

Dental Floss

Dental floss is another product for which cruelty-free and waste-free objectives often clash. You can get waste-free dental floss made with silk. Silkworms are boiled alive in silk farming. So, if animal welfare is important to you, this may be a no-go.

There are vegan dental flosses, but they are usually made with nylon (a petroleum product which is difficult to recycle). And because it can’t be composted, nylon floss can end up in the ecosystem where it may injure or kill animals. So, nylon dental floss, too, is less than ideal for animal welfare.

I was able to find a brand that is both vegan and compostable. Flosspot Gold is made from corn fibre and coated with candelilla wax. It comes in a small jar, which you can refill. Flosspot Gold is less readily available than the silk Flosspot, which might make it difficult for you to find. You can buy it online, but none of the companies I was able to find have a plastic-free packaging guarantee. Sustain commits to reducing and reusing packaging where possible, so you may wish to go with them. If you are in Alberta, the Apothecary in Inglewood may also be an option.

Episode 01 - What is Ethical Consumption?

In this introductory episode, we explain what the Pullback podcast is all about. To illustrate how difficult it is to know what the right thing to do is, Kristen quizzes Kyla on the world of ethical consumption. If you are interested in trying the quiz, you can access it here.

Ethical Consumption Quiz

Below we include a bit more information on the themes from our ethical consumption quiz.

Ethical Consumer Labels

The first question is about ethical consumer labels. There are many of these labels, some with very robust standards and others with less rigour.

Most Effective Climate Solutions

We borrowed questions two and three from a a CNN quiz. CNN based the quiz on research done by a a group called Project Drawdown, which ranks climate change solutions.

Question two is all about food-related climate solutions. Even though throwing away less food was the most effective climate solution, the effect of eating a plant-based diet is similar. Specifically, Project Drawdown estimates the effect of the four food-based solutions as follows:

1.     Throw away less food: Similar to taking 495 million cars off the road;

2.     Eat a plant-heavy diet: Similar to taking 464 million cars off the road;

3.     Cook over clean stoves: Similar to taking 111 million cars off the road;

4.     Compost your waste: Similar to taking 16 million cars off the road.

Question three asks about waste-related climate solutions. Estimated effectiveness of the four waste-related solutions is as follows:

1.     Clean up chemicals in our refrigerators and air conditioners: Similar to taking 629 million cars off the road;

2.     Build with “greener” cement compounds: Similar to taking 47 million cars off the road;

3.     Use water more efficiently: Similar to taking 32 million cars off the road;

4.     Increase household recycling: Similar to taking 19 million cars off the road.

What’s the deal with refrigerants and climate? In the mid-20th century we used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in refrigerators. Unfortunately, we found out that CFCs and HCFCs destroy the ozone layer. So, in 1987 the international community came together and agreed on the Montreal Protocol, a treaty banning CFCs and HCFCs. Unfortunately, the refrigerants that have replaced the ozone-burning ones – hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – are really potent greenhouse gases. They have a warming effect 1,000 to 9,000 times stronger than CO2.

HFCs are supposed to be phased out, per an amendment to the Montreal Protocol that came into force in January 2019. The Kigali Amendment sets a goal of reducing HFCs by 80% over the next 30 years, which could avoid up to 0.4 degrees of warming. The Kigali Amendment has been ratified by Canada, Australia, most countries in Europe, and a few African and Latin American countries. The United States has not ratified the Kigali Amendment. Nor have China, Brazil, and India, which are three risk priority countries.

Managing refrigeration chemicals was ranked as the number one climate change solution, not only in this category but overall, as identified by Project Drawdown. The top five climate change solutions identified by Project Drawdown are:

1.     Manage refrigeration chemicals

2.     Install onshore wind turbines

3.     Cut down on food waste

4.     Eat more plants and less meat

5.     Restore our tropical forests

What a Waste!

Question four is about waste. According to a USA Today article by Byrnes and Frohlich — which draws on the World Bank’s What a Waste Database 2.0 — Canada produces the most waste per capita.

Generally speaking, wealthier countries waste more. High-income countries account for 16% of the world’s population but generate 34% of the world’s waste.

But this is not necessarily in the form of garbage. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is, according to Byrnes and Frohlich, “waste generated from companies, buildings, institutions, small businesses, houses, and yards”. It is often less than 5% of total waste. Canada ranks 22nd in the world for MSW.

Most waste is from other “special” waste categories - things like industrial, construction, and agricultural waste. Canada ranked as the most wasteful country in both agricultural and industrial waste.

Ethical Mobile Phones

Ethical Consumer is a nonprofit that provides information for ethical consumers. Among other things, they rate companies and products on a range of ethical criteria. Their mobile phone ratings give major phone brands a score out of 20. Ethical Consumer considers a 14+ to be an ethical company to support. 5-13 is sort of the middle range and anything under 5 is ‘needs improvement’. Most phone companies are in the messy middleThis is a holistic score looking at people, politics, animals, and product sustainability. Question five asks which major phone brand has the lowest ethical score according to this rating.

Fashion Transparency Index

Question six asks about the 2019 transparency index. Fashion Revolution is a global nonprofit that is working to make the fashion industry safer, cleaner, and fairer. Every year it publishes a transparency index which rates the transparency of 200 major fashion brands. Transparency, as they define it, means “public disclosure of sourcing relationships and of companies’ social and environmental policies and practices, goals and targets, governance, performance and progress.” The Fashion Transparency Index benchmarks brands’ public disclosures across five areas: policy and commitments; governance; supply chain traceability; supplier assessment and remediation; and spotlight issues.

Know the Chain

Know the Chain is an NGO that is working to eradicate forced labour in global supply chains. They produce annual reports on three sectors that they consider high-risk for forced labour. Those reports evaluate how major companies are doing on the issue of forced labour. Question seven asks about Know the Chain’s 2018 ITC Benchmark Report, which evaluates 40 large information, technology, and communications companies on how well they address forced labour in their supply chains.

Divestment

Divestment – or, disinvestment – is a tool that activists use to create social change. It is the act of no longer investing in something (like a financial boycott). Divestment is famously associated with anti-Apartheid advocacy targeted at South Africa in the 1980s. But it has since been applied to a range of issues. Question eight asks about a recent divestment from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

This year CPPIB quietly divested from GEO Group and CoreCivic, two companies which hold the majority of contracts to manage ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention facilities in the US. As of 2018, it had held nearly $8 million USD in stock from those two companies. CPP did not make a public statement, and it has denied that ethical considerations prompted this decision. In fact, the CPPIB says that it does not screen individual investments “based on social, religious, economic, or political criteria”. But this decision did come after pressure from civic groups like Sum of Us and Leadnow.

CPPIB still invests in fossil fuels. However, during the recent election campaign Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also pledged to divest CPPIB from coal, oil and gas, so we will see whether that will happen. CPPIB owns shares in the handgun manufacturer Smith & Weston, as well as Ruger and Olin Corp., which produces ammunition for AR-15 rifles. And as of 2018 CPPIB had not divested from tobacco companies.

The private prison divestment movement in the US is gaining steam. This year high-profile divestment decisions were made by prominent banks. JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, SunTrust, BNP Paribas, and Fifth Third Bancorp all announced that they will no longer provide future financing to private prisons companies. These banks represent 72% of the total current financing available to private prison companies.

Virtual Water Footprints

“Virtual water footprint” refers to the water used to produce a finished product or service is its “virtual water” footprint. Question nine uses a calculation by environmental organization Friends of the Earth in the UK to ask which product has the highest water footprint.

E-Waste

Question ten is about e-waste (electronic waste). Globally, we produce 50 million tonnes of e-waste every year, according to a joint report of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum. Only 20% of that waste is recycled. The total estimated value of e-waste is $62.5 billion USD, which is roughly similar to the Gross Domestic Product of Croatia.