Two boys sort out plastic recyclables as they work in a yard in Peshawar, Pakistan November 19, 2018. Image: REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz via Thomson Reuters Foundation Sweden’s IKEA is taking steps to reduce waste, allowing customers to rent rather than buy furniture, as part of a trial. Big companies have come under fire in recent years over the enormous amount of waste they are responsible for and been accused of encouraging a throwaway culture to drive sales. The trial is the retail giant’s latest show of support for the circular economy, which involves finding ways to reuse materials including minerals, metals and biomass—once they have served their initial purpose, rather than discarding them. But a number of smaller enterprises have been doing it for a while. Here are seven: * Green Baby: Based in Hong Kong, Green Baby collects, repairs and resells second-hand baby clothes, toys and accessories. It helps teenage and single mothers into work by employing them across the business. * Retalhar: Working with companies across Brazil, this São Paulo-based social enterprise turns used uniforms into gifts, such as bags and blankets, hiring women from low-income households to make them. * Ecopost: This Kenyan social enterprise collects waste […]
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