Beyond recycling: How circular consumption supports consumer rights and resource efficiency

Two global days, one challenge

On 15 March, World Consumer Rights Day calls attention to key consumer issues, from product safety and fair pricing to the accessibility of sustainable choices. Just three days later, on 18 March, Global Recycling Day highlights the role of recycling in conserving resources and reducing waste. While both days focus on responsible consumption, they also underscore a critical challenge: sustainable consumption cannot depend on individual choices alone. Recycling and ethical purchasing play an important role, but they can only be effective within a system that enables and encourages circular behaviours.

The transition to a circular society requires systemic conditions that make sustainable consumption the easier choice for everyone. Households play a key role in shaping everyday behaviours, but their decisions are influenced by broader structures – including the availability of sustainable products, their affordability, supportive policies, and research-driven solutions. While structural change is necessary, real transformation starts at the household level. This is where CARE comes in.

First CARE human centered design workshop in Norway on the topic of clothing in the summer of 2024. | © Christina Ek Reindal

The CARE project, funded by Horizon Europe, helps households adopt more circular practices, particularly in food and clothing. By working directly with households, CARE explores what drives circular behavior and how small changes can create meaningful impact.

The insights gained throughout the project will be shared with key stakeholders across Europe, including researchers, policymakers and local authorities, through policy reports and recommendations. This ensures that sustainable choices are not just available but also actively encouraged and integrated into everyday life.

Why circular consumption is more than just recycling

Recycling is a vital part of waste management, but it often treats the symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of overconsumption. The waste hierarchy, established in the EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), prioritises prevention, reuse and repair over recycling as more effective strategies for reducing environmental impact (European Commission, 2008).

To illustrate the impact of overconsumption, let’s look at two industries where recycling alone cannot solve the issue: fashion and food.

The fashion industry contributes approximately 2 – 8 % of global carbon emissions and accounts for about 20 % of global wastewater, primarily due to dyeing and treatment processes. Despite these challenges, less than 1 % of used clothing is recycled into new garments, underscoring the limitations in textile recycling. ​(UN environment program, 2023; European Parliament, 2020)

Similarly, the issue of food waste is significant, with approximately one-third of all food produced globally being lost or wasted (European Commission). At the same time, climate change is already threatening global food security, making it even more urgent to adopt circular strategies that prevent waste before it happens. However, initiatives such as educational campaigns and offering flexible portion sizes in restaurants have proven effective in significantly reducing food waste (Joint Research Centre, 2023).​

These examples illustrate why recycling alone is not enough to create a sustainable future. A shift towards circular consumption – where resources are used efficiently from the start – is needed to support consumer rights and environmental sustainability simultaneously.

How the CARE project works towards circular consumption

Brainstorming at CARE’s human centered design workshop in Norway. | © Christina Ek Reindal

The CARE project takes a practical approach to circular consumption by testing real-life interventions in food and textiles with households in five European regions.

CARE focuses on:

• Encouraging sustainable household habits by addressing everyday consumption choices related to food and clothing.
• Exploring ways to extend the lifespan of textiles, such as promoting repair, washing practices, and wardrobe planning to reduce unnecessary purchases.
• Reducing food waste by helping households plan better, understand portion sizes, and make the most of what they buy.

At the core of the CARE project are the circular food and clothing pilots, designed to empower households to make practical, sustainable choices in their daily lives. These pilots will test and evaluate engaging, hands-on interventions, such as learning repair techniques, planning purchases more efficiently, and exploring ways to extend product life cycles. By working directly with households, the project seeks to understand what motivates long-term behavioural change and how circular practices can become part of everyday routines.

As the project progresses, CARE will analyse which approaches are most effective and use these insights to drive future actions. This includes developing policy recommendations, publishing reports based on household experiences, and exploring how circular business models interact with consumer habits. By translating research into action, CARE aims to provide practical strategies for making sustainable choices more accessible and scalable.

From awareness to action: What comes next?

Raising awareness is only the first step. If we truly want to align consumer rights with sustainability, we must ensure that consumers are not just responsible for making better choices – but that they are given better choices to begin with.

By focusing on everyday choices and behaviour patterns, CARE provides a bottom-up perspective on circular consumption. The project does not aim to change entire systems overnight, but it contributes to the broader conversation by ensuring that the realities of household consumption are at the center of sustainable policy and business strategies.

As we observe World Consumer Rights Day and Global Recycling Day, it is clear that circularity requires more than just better waste management— it requires a rethinking of how we consume in the first place. Consumers have the right to sustainable choices, and ensuring those choices exist requires collaboration across different fields.

Join the conversation on circular living!

Transforming consumption habits requires collective action. At CARE, we work closely with households to explore how circular consumption can become part of everyday life. But change happens when ideas are shared, discussed, and put into practice – on a systemic level.

How can circular consumption be made more accessible and practical? What barriers do you see in your own community? We invite you to join the discussion and share your perspectives and experiences. Learn how to get involved with CARE here.

Together with CARE, we transform our world for the better.

Header image: Photo by Ready Made | Pexels