Take-Make-Destroy: Exploring Unsustainable Production-Consumption Systems and Policies to Address Product Destruction

Abstract: The practice of product destruction, whereby retailers or manufacturers dispose of viable consumer products such as unsold goods or consumer returns, is an extreme expression of the linearity of our current production-consumption system. This qualitative exploratory study aims to uncover why companies engage in this highly unsustainable and resource-inefficient behaviour, and to explore the potential policy interventions required to effectively address the issue. Sixteen practitioners with relevant knowledge of product destruction in the textiles, electronics and food sectors were interviewed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the forces driving companies to engage in this practice and provide a bottom-up perspective to inform a policy framework. This study found two distinct sets of factors that contribute heavily to product destruction. Upstream factors influence overall levels of customer returns and unsold stock, and include aspects of the retailer business model, consumer expectations and product design. Downstream factors, on the other hand, influence the companies to dispose of these products rather than pursuing product life-extension strategies such as repair and reuse. Key downstream factors include economic incentives, profit-margin considerations, liability and brand integrity concerns, the availability of reuse networks and management issues. This study found that, if product destruction is to be meaningfully addressed, a policy mix is required, simultaneously targeting both upstream and downstream factors in order to modify the behaviour of a wide range of different actors, from manufacturers and retailers to consumers and reuse organisations. Intervening upstream to address the root causes of product destruction, in particular, will require far-reaching changes to mainstream business models along with the type and volumes of goods produced, combined with shifts in consumer norms. In this way, tackling product destruction presents a vital opportunity to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and just economy.