The Forgotten “R”: Why Refusing is key to a Greener Future

Most of us first learned about the original 3 R’s of sustainability in grade school, sitting on the carpet in a circle happily reciting “Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!” with crafty students gluing eyes and pipe cleaners on to empty pop bottles to create their recycled masterpiece.

A sweet childhood lesson to be sure, but the reality of today’s global waste problem is a bitter one, not simply solved with “Reduce, reuse, recycle”. Fortunately, we’ve graduated from elementary school, and the 3 R’s of sustainability have evolved too, adding in a keystone “R”: The right and choice to REFUSE.

Where do the best stories start? Well, at the beginning of course. That’s also where the most powerful decisions in sustainability begin as well. Each of the R’s have their place in minimizing environmental impact, but none with the level of importance as refusing to incorporate wasteful materials right from the start.

These costs can be hidden in plain sight due to the routines of the status quo and familiarity. In business we often inherit long-established processes, supplier contracts, and staff routines. The status quo can feel like a comfortable place to rest, but it can hide a myriad of problems.

Talk with your procurement teams about refusing to buy wasteful products, or switching to sustainable alternatives for a seamless swap. By making smarter purchasing decisions and setting expectations early in the process, it’s easier to “refuse” in the first place, with financial and environment benefits resulting from the change.

You choose to cancel your single-serve bottled water delivery contract and instead install a Vivreau micro-filtration water dispenser, filtering water directly from the source, giving you unlimited chilled still or sparkling water (or hot), ready to be served.

1. Reduced staffing hours in ordering, managing bottled water inventory
2. Staffing hours in receiving and moving physical crates of bottles from A to B, and restocking fridges
3. Storage space in warehousing, and within refrigerated spaces to chill bottles
4. Staffing to manage recycling waste of used bottles
5. Cost to purchase water bottle inventory
6. Added revenue stream from selling your own bottled water
7. Savings in fuel for transportation of single-serve bottles from manufacturing > distribution > your organization > waste pickup > energy to recycle

These savings were previously hidden costs. By refusing to continue with a wasteful product, you can unlock savings on staffing and inventory, while helping the environment at the same time.

At Vivreau, our specialty is providing turn-key solutions for organizations to simply and easily incorporate a world-class water program to their organization. A glass of great tasting water in a snap.

Start saying “no” to the rows and rows of unsightly plastic single-use water bottles for clients, and say “yes” to freshly micro-filtered water straight from the source, divinely chilled, still, sparkling or hot from the touch of a button.