Tsüri.ch made November its circularity month, partnering with Greenbuzz and One Planet Lab Switzerland for their event Product longevity & repairability in Switzerland and beyond, and Repair Thursday is at the door! 

While Switzerland is quite advanced when it comes to recycling, repairability and avoidance of waste are also gaining momentum. In 2022 already, 14 organisations from all parts of Switzerland have formed the Long live our products coalition to support the transition to a true circular economy in Switzerland. The coalition wants to support the creation of a framework at federal level and encourage economic actors to further develop their offer in extending the lifespan of consumer goods. 

According to the OECD indicator on municipal waste (waste collected and treated by or for municipalities, included waste from households, commerce and trade, office buildings, businesses, yard and garden waste, street sweepings, litter containers and market cleansing), people in Switzerland generated 700 kgs of waste per person in 2021,  a trend that had been increasing since 1990. In particular, an average of over 23 kilos of electronic waste is disposed of per capita every year in Switzerland. Some electronic devices are indeed difficult to recycle because of their complexity and the variety of materials they contain. According to Joelle Herrin from Greenpeace and the Long live our product coalition, if we were to recondition mobile phones instead of producing new ones, we would use 80% less resources while also avoiding 4 to 5 times the CO2 emissions usually emitted.

With Repair Thursday on November 28th, the Zuerich repair association decided to make our life easier so we could repair objects instead of throwing them away. Repair Thursday sees workshops, repair businesses and dedicated craftspeople open their doors throughout Zurich. Driving force behind the working group for the creation of a repair and upcycling centre in the city of Zurich, the association offers an online platform mapping existing repair businesses (including the repair cafés that we already know!) and partner with Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich (ERZ), offering repair advice as part of the Mobile Recycling Centre pilot project.

As the association joyfully says, “Repair Thursday – an opportunity to finally get those repairs you keep putting off done – because throwing things away is not an option!” Be part of the movement!

We live in a connected, consumer-driven, capitalist world. Ultimately, we are all consumers, but we have a choice about what kind of consumer we want to be. We have a choice about what we buy and how well we take care of our possessions or how quickly we dispose of them. The things we buy have the potential to harm the environment, both during production and in transit and disposal.

You have the choice to become an environmentally conscious consumer. It’s in our hands what kind of consumer we want to be. Environmentally conscious consumers think about the environmental impact of their purchases and whether they need to buy anything at all.

“If it can’t be reduced, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refurbished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be curtailed, redesigned or taken out of production. – Peter Seeger

You’ve probably heard of the 5Rs: discard, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot. By now, they’ve become the 7Rs! If you work through them all, you’re well on your way to living a life of minimal impact. Some things may still end up in the trash, but if that’s unavoidable, do it responsibly and recycle or compost what you can.

1. RETHINK: Sit back and think about what kind of consumer you want to be and what that means for the environment. Which companies are very active in green-washing their operations? Which companies put environmental protection ahead of their profits

2. REFUSE: Think before you buy, and be prepared not to buy at all. If you only use an item once in a while, can you borrow it from a neighbor, friend, or sharing platform? If you use it more often, can you buy it used on a secondhand platform like Ricardo.ch, Tutti.ch or Marketplace? Environmentally conscious consumers buy less and buy products that are least harmful to the environment, such as items that are already on the planet, and give them a second life.

3. REDUCE: Buy fewer, but high quality products that have little or no packaging and last a long time. Items you no longer need or rarely use can either be donated to those in need, sold, or made available to others on sharing platforms.

4. RE-USE: Upcycle something instead of throwing it away. Examples: Glass jars can be used to store dry goods, old calendar pages serve as homemade envelopes, old toothbrushes are used to clean hard-to-reach places, empty toothpaste tubes are used as funnels.

5. RE-GIFT: When you re-gift something, you are giving someone a gift that you received from someone else and probably didn’t need. Don’t feel guilty about re-gifting! It’s a good thing to pass the gift on to someone who will enjoy it more than you. You do have to follow this etiquette, though: The gift is brand new and in its original packaging. You’re sure the gift will please the recipient. However, don’t pass on handmade gifts that others have made for you.

6. RECYCLE: Put things back into the waste stream to be used for something else. Glass is used for road construction, plastic is melted down to make new products. Metal cans are reused to make new metal cans. Batteries and expired pharmaceutical products must be disposed of in appropriate recycling sites.

7. ROT: Compost your own organic waste or participate in an organic waste composting program. Organic waste that we compost is used to fertilize our gardens or fields or is converted into biogas.

For more inspiration and insight, check out our online Resources.

Creative Frugality means the practice of being creative while coming up with ways to be more sustainable and spending less at the same time. While practising Creative Frugality you stop for a moment and start thinking creatively before solving your “problems” with money.

Simple frugal living is about appreciating and using what you already own instead of always looking for the next new gadget. It’s about carefully managing what you purchase, looking for the most environmentally friendly option. However with Creative Frugality, you come up with novel solutions or new ways of fulfilling your needs.

What does frugal mean? Avoiding unnecessary expenditure of money or of anything else which is to be used or consumed; avoiding waste. You break the cycle of perceiving a need and then immediately spending money to meet it. Instead, you pause and think first, asking yourself if there’s another way to meet this need besides spending money. You look for alternatives, and if there are none, you look for ways to spend less. An example is developing the skill of decorating your home without walking into retail stores and buying what you see on the shelves. Instead, you find alternatives, like repurposed items, yard sales, antique or thrift store finds can add beautiful touches to your home. Using your creative skills uses less resources, and it creates less waste. 

What does creativ mean? Being creative means solving a problem in a new way. It means changing your perspective and breaking with routine and doing something different. Creative frugality can become a big part of your life, repurposing or upcycling what you already have, providing mental exercise, and allowing you to have fun in the process.

How does Frugality develop creativity? Frugality is a constraint on what you spend, and that constraint is what promotes creativity. For example, let’s take “clothes”. Having that constraint on buying new clothes means you need to get creative if you want to find new trendy clothes. A humble and inexpensive way to get branded clothes is to go to second hand shops or online platforms! Or participate in Clothing-Swap parties. These are excellent ways to meet your need for new clothes, protecting the environment and not overspending. By putting constraints on what you can spend, you may find your own creativity expanding, finding ways to spend less while still meeting your needs.

What is the difference between being frugal and being cheap? Being cheap has a different focus than being frugal. The purpose is to simply spend less and try to find the cheapest solution. Environmental aspects are not a focus. Being frugal involves looking for the best value for your money. Being cheap can cost more money in the long run. High-quality items may cost more upfront, but they tend to last longer and perform better. 

Some sustainable &  frugal living ideas, to help you shift your mindset:

• Avoid recreational shopping. If you catch yourself aimlessly wandering retail stores or clicking around online because you are bored—stop! Otherwise, you will most likely waste money and resources. Ask yourself first, “Do I really need this?” if the answer is yes, “Can I borrow it from a friend or a sharing platform?”, if not, “Can I buy it pre-loved”? 
• Borrow or rent instead of purchasing if it is something you’ll only use a couple of times. There are some great platforms like Sharely.ch to rent items.
• Wait before buying something to ensure you really want it. Even just 24 hours later, you may find that the desire has disappeared. Setting this rule helps to avoid impulse purchases.
• Beware of “sales.” Remember that you only save money when you get a great deal on something you need. You don’t save any money buying something you don’t need, even if it is on sale. 
• Plan ahead for your purchases: Research large purchases and buy quality items that will last longer. Take the time to read product reviews.
• Try using less. Use only what you need to get the job done.
• Take care of what you own. Maintenance is less expensive than repair.
• Attempt to Do-It-Yourself whenever it makes sense. Before you buy something, consider if you could make it or do it yourself, or even upcycle another product you no longer need.

Here are some additional tips from a time where being frugal was necessary for survival:

• Buy used. Avoid buying new whenever possible! Use what is already on our planet. It is incredible how many bargains you can get at yard sales, estate sales, or thrift stores. You can also search online for used items at sites like Ricardo, Tutti and Facebook Marketplace. Remember though, to purchase only what you really need.
• Avoid waste. Try to eat everything you buy. Look through your fridge for those items that get shoved to the back before they become inedible.
• Grow an urban garden. Growing your own food, especially with organic methods, can produce healthy vegetables. And at the same time you avoid all the plastic packaging that you would otherwise get from the supermarket.
• Make your own cleaners. The basic ingredients of vinegar and baking soda can be used for many cleaning jobs. 
• Make homemade gifts. These can be fun to make and may mean more to the recipient than a store-bought item.
• Learn how to sew. Making simple repairs or alterations can save a lot of fabric-waste. Sewing a button back on a shirt saves that shirt, so you don’t need to buy a new one.

Frugal living and beyond

Define why you want to spend less so you can stay motivated. Frugal living will help you live on a smaller income, take time off from working, retire early, reduce your personal carbon footprint, or spend more time with your family.

Stretch the money you have using frugal living tips and principles. Be creative and resourceful in getting what you need for less.

Every time you put your hand on your wallet, use this as a cue to think about your financial goals and environmental impact.  It is a matter of putting dreams before things, especially things you don’t need. You can earn more money, but without a frugal lifestyle, the risk is that you only spend more. The gap between earning and spending is what makes your financial dreams possible.