2.3.2

Paper & Board: The Six Rs

Test yourself

The Six Rs

Reduce, refuse, re-use, repair, recycle and rethink. The six Rs have been introduced to allow designers, engineers, and consumers to protect the environment and people.

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Reduce

  • In terms of paper, reducing is the idea of keeping things paperless or reducing the amount of paper we use to print.
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Refuse

  • We can refuse products that use excessive material.
  • We can choose local products that have fewer (reduced) air miles or have used sustainable resourcing for their material selection and production.
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Repair

  • We can choose to fix boxes and packaging to allow its reusability and prevent it from being thrown away, this will also have an effect on its shelf life.
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Recycle

  • In terms of recycling paper companies and packaging companies aim to use these recycling symbols:
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Reuse

  • A key point to remember is that recycling paper turns the paper into a pulp which is then remade into paper.
  • Reusing paper is different. This is when the paper is used again as it is.
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Rethink

  • Rethinking is perhaps the most important as the right thought process and the right ideas can help to end issues surrounding the environment.
  • For example, some local councils use rewards through a points-based system to promote the correct methods of recycling for paper and other materials.
  • This positive method enables more paper to be used, recycled and remade.

Jump to other topics

1Core Technical Principles

2Paper & Board: Specialist Technical Principles

3Timber: Specialist Technical Principles

4Metal: Specialist Technical Principles

5Polymers: Specialist Technical Principles

6Textiles: Specialist Technical Principles

7Designing & Making Principles

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