Are you ready for
The Challenge?

Each year, Digital2030 will introduce a new Challenge aligned to a different Sustainable Development Goal inviting youth to critically reflect on how to take action to build a more sustainable future while exploring various ways technology can be utilized ethically.

Sustainable Consumption & Production

Digital2030 is challenging YOUTH (7-22) to rethink how we can sustainably change our consumption and production habits in support of climate action.

In this Challenge, we will be focusing on SDG # 13: Climate Action and SDG #12: Sustainable Consumption and Production. The climate crisis is a crisis of overconsumption, and it is critical for us to rethink how we consume and produce to live sustainably and in harmony with the planet’s resources. We need to act fast!

Where We Are Now

Since intelligent life first evolved, Earth’s inhabitants have taken natural resources and manipulated them to meet their needs.

Starting out as hunter gatherers, humans lived in balance with the limits of nature, and reused their resources.

However, with rapid automation, industrialization, and changing consumer preferences for cheaper, more convenient and more sanitary choices, humans have begun to extract resources at a far quicker pace than the Earth can naturally replenish them.

This is the Linear Economy.

It is the practice of taking resources, using energy to manufacture them, which generates emissions, and ultimately creating waste which can continue to harm nature.

Extract

Produce

Use and Waste

We have an alternative way to reimagine how we use the planet’s resources.


Moving from a linear economy to a more regenerative model...

Where We Want To Be

This is the Circular Economy.

Our current economic model often follows a "take, make, waste" cycle, depleting resources and creating pollution. The circular economy offers a more sustainable alternative. This graphic illustrates a closed-loop system where materials are kept in use for as long as possible. Let's break it down:

Design & Production

The circular economy starts with smart design. Products are built to last, be easily repaired, and potentially have multiple lives. Manufacturing aims to minimize waste and utilize recycled materials whenever possible.

Distribution & Consumption

Efficient distribution networks get products to consumers who use them responsibly. This might involve choosing durable options, extending lifespans through proper care, and participating in sharing economies like renting or borrowing.

Recycling & Recovery

When products reach their end-of-life, advanced recycling technologies turn them back into raw materials for new products. Even leftover waste can be converted into energy, minimizing true "waste" in the system.

Repair & Reuse

Before throwing things away, the circular economy prioritizes giving them a second chance. Repairing broken items or finding new uses for old ones reduces reliance on new resources.

The 7 Rs of the Circular Economy

There is no one fixed definition of a circular economy, with different groups and organizations using different terms for different phases of the economy. We are using seven steps, or 7Rs here, as they encompass the whole cycle of circular economy practices.

Rethink

Most production processes are designed to cost the least money. In a circular economy, we must rethink how products are designed and produced, to make them easier to repair, reuse or recycle. Manufacturers would think circular in design to eliminate waste and minimize the use of virgin (new) materials.
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For example: A mobile phone could be designed to be modular, therefore easier to replace parts when just one part is no longer working, such as Fairphone.

Repurpose

Sometimes, goods cannot be easily repaired to return to good-as-new use. In these cases it might be time to repurpose it. This is altering an item to use it in a different way than it was first designed; which could include refurbishing it to be used as furniture or decoration.
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For example: Abandoned industrial buildings can be refurbished for public use, such as Toronto’s Distillery District or Montreal’s Technopôle Angus eco-district.

Refuse

Products are made because there is demand in the market to purchase them. So what if consumers stopped buying? By refusing to buy new products when there are alternatives, we can collectively prevent production in the first place.
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For example: Patagonia ran an advert in 2011 on Black Friday asking consumers not to buy a new jacket. Think: do you really need to buy something?

Reuse

Just because you no longer need something, doesn’t mean it’s the end of its life. By selling or giving away goods to be reused, you avoid creating waste and prevent the production of something new. This means less resources are used, and someone else gets to benefit from your stuff!
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For example: Selling or giving away things no longer needed means they aren’t wasted, and a new item is not produced, like donating furniture to Furniture Bank.

Rot

Some goods cannot be reused - others eventually reach the end of their life. The most sustainable disposal method is biodegradation, or rotting - letting the earth take nutrients from goods as they decompose to nothing. There is another (controversial) disposal method: waste-to-energy burns waste to generate power, reducing fossil fuel use.
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For example: You can compost organic waste from the kitchen and garden to create a nutrient-rich addition for soil using guidelines from the Compost Council of Canada

Reduce

A lot of goods we produce and buy are things we need. But a lot of necessary goods are unnecessarily disposed of. To reduce waste, we need to value goods more - and think about how to extend their life. This includes repairing things before throwing them away and buying replacements.
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For example: Communities are beginning to set up repair cafés, like one in Toronto, to help people mend their stuff, or teach them to do it themselves.

Recycle

When products are no longer of use, and there are no other options left to keep them in circulation, they can be recycled into materials. These materials can then be used to make new products, which reduces the need and demand to create virgin materials, and also reduces overall waste.
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For example: Paper waste can be recycled into sustainable toilet paper, which must be a single use product. This reduces the need to cut down new trees.

Click here to learn more about the circular economy framework
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Let's Put The 7 R's into Practice!

Learn, play and become a sustainability pro!

7Rs of the Circular Economy

Quiz Game

Now that we’ve learned about the circular economy and the 7 Rs, it’s time to reflect on our consumption habits and explore sustainable choices that can positively impact our environment. 

In this activity, you will encounter seven different scenarios. For each scenario, select the most appropriate R and discover the potential impact of your choice!

What do you do?

(source)

You’ve taken a significant step in understanding how your everyday choices can positively impact the environment and advance a circular economy. By reflecting on scenarios and exploring sustainable practices, you’ve seen how small changes can lead to meaningful outcomes.

Now, we invite you to take the next step: make a pledge to commit to taking sustainable action below to make a difference in our world!

Make Your Circular Pledge!

Pledging to take climate action is a powerful step you can take to support sustainable consumption and production. By pledging, you commit to a specific action that helps reduce waste and promote a circular economy. Explore the options below and choose one or more pledges that you can incorporate into your daily life, or create your own!
Ready to pledge!
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
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Pledge Count

Rethink

25

Submitted Pledges

Refuse

19

Submitted Pledges

Reduce

19

Submitted Pledges

Repurpose

13

Submitted Pledges

Reuse

15

Submitted Pledges

Recycle

17

Submitted Pledges

Rot

15

Submitted Pledges

Total

123

Submitted Pledges

Digital technology in Action for a
Sustainable future

While technology has contributed to unsustainable consumption, production practices, and the climate crisis, it also holds the key to our planet’s recovery. By ethically harnessing technological advancements, we can promote a circular economy, reduce waste, and drive impactful climate action. Below are some real-world examples of how digital technology is being used in innovative ways. These examples are not endorsements from us, but are provided to encourage critical engagement with these digital technological solutions. We encourage you to explore them thoughtfully and consider their implications on society and the environment.

IntuitiveAI

IntuitiveAI leverages AI to automate waste sorting, boosting recycling efficiency, and reducing contamination rates.

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Litterati

Litterati motivates people to document litter, generating data to guide waste reduction strategies and promote business sustainability. 

Learn More

Recycleye

Recycleye uses AI robots for precise waste sorting, promoting circular economy practices with high-quality recyclable outputs.

Learn More

Kathryn Kellog

Kathryn Kellog shares zero-waste living tips, with guides and challenges to help others adopt sustainable lifestyles.

Learn More

Aditi Mayer

Aditi Mayer, a sustainable fashion blogger and climate activist, champions ethical fashion practices.

Learn More

Sarah Robertson Barnes

Sarah Robertson Barnes advocates for sustainability by sharing tips on eco-living, conscious consumerism, waste reduction, and climate action

Learn More

OLIO Food Sharing App

OLIO connects neighbors and local businesses to share surplus food, reducing waste and promoting community-driven sustainable consumption.

Learn More

Buycott

An app that helps users make informed purchases by scanning barcodes and revealing company practices, promoting refusal of unsustainable products.

Learn More

Bunz

A community-based app for trading goods and services without using money, encouraging reuse of items.

Learn More

Keep Learning

Here you’ll find valuable links to educational resources to continue to spark your curiosity and interest.

Bring the Challenge into your classroom!

Scratch Coding Activity
Join Terra, our beloved planet Earth, in "R or Not!" This fun and educational quiz game helps you discover new R words beyond reduce, reuse, and recycle that can help save the planet.
Open Activity
Digital Leader Discussion Guide:
Sustainable Consumption & Production
This guide builds on the DM2030 Challenge by exploring how we can take climate action by making changes to the way we extract and use the planet’s resources in a fairer way.
Open Guide

More Resources

Organizations taking action towards advancing the SDGs and Climate Crisis:
Additional Resources for Educators

Explore More Challenges!

References

Educational References

Ellen MacArthur Foundation 
‍The Butterfly Diagram: Visualising the Circular Economy - Teaching resources
‍Lesson 1
‍Lesson 4

‍Other
‍Circular City Actions Framework  
‍Waste as a Resource: A Sustainable Way Forward
‍Measuring the environmental performance of cities | Veolia Institute
‍https://www.sustainability-pathways.com/blog/7rs-rethink

Image Credits

Some images on our website are generated using Adobe Firefly. This tool helps us create high-quality visuals that support our mission while ensuring originality and copyright compliance. Adobe Firefly uses advanced AI technology and follows strict ethical guidelines to promote responsible and sustainable digital content creation.

"As part of Adobe’s effort to design Firefly to be commercially safe, we’re training our initial commercial Firefly model on licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content where copyright has expired. Additionally, as a founding collaborator of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), Adobe is setting the industry standard for responsible generative AI. The CAI is a community of media and tech companies, NGOs, academics, and others working to promote adoption of an open industry standard for content authenticity and provenance.

This is in conjunction with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), which has developed an open technical standard providing publishers, creators, and consumers the ability to understand the origin of different types of media, including the ability to add a Content Credential that allows creators to indicate that generative AI was used. Find out more about content credentials."

Other Images:
Photo by Sinitta Leunen on Unsplash
Photo by J K on Unsplash
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