Companies Are Working with Consumers to reduce Waste
A) As consumers, we are very wasteful. Annually, the world generates 1.3 billion tons of solid waste. This is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2025. The developed countries are responsible for 44% of waste, and in the U.S. alone, the average person throws away their body weight in rubbish every month.
B) Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that companies have no incentive to lengthen the life cycle of their products and reduce the revenue they would get from selling new goods. Yet, more and more businesses are thinking about how to reduce consumer waste. This is partly driven by the rising price of raw materials and metals. It is also partly due to both consumers and companies becoming more aware of the need to protect our environment.
C) When choosing what products to buy and which brands to buy from, more and more consumers are looking into sustainability. This is opposed to just price and performance they were concerned about in the past. In a survey of 54 of the world’s leading brands, almost all of them reported that consumers are showing increasing care about sustainable lifestyles. At the same time, surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about minimizing energy use and reducing waste.
D) For the most part, consumers control what happens to a product. But some companies are realizing that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy, especially when tossing something away seems like the easiest and most convenient option.
E) Some retailers and manufacturers in the clothing, footwear, and electronics industries have launched environmental programs. They want to make their customers interested in preserving their products and preventing things that still have value from going to the garbage dump. By offering services to help expand the longevity of their products, they’re promising quality and durability to consumers, and receiving the reputational gains for being environmentally friendly.
F) For example, the Swedish jeans company Nudie Jeans offers free repair at twenty of their shops. instead of discarding their old worn-out jeans, customers bring them in to be renewed. The company even provides mail-order repair kits and online videos, so that customers can learn how to fix a pair of jeans at home. Their philosophy is that extending the life of a pair of jeans is not only great for the environment, but allows the consumer to get more value out of their product. When customers do want to toss their pair, they can give them back to the store, which will repurpose and resell them. Another clothing company, Patagonia, a high-end outdoor clothing store, follows the same principle. It has partnered with DIY website iFixit to teach consumers how to repair their clothing, such as waterproof outerwear, at home. The company also offers a repair program for their customers for a modest fee. Currently, Patagonia repairs about 40,000 garments a year in their Reno, Nevada, service center. according to the company’s CEO, Rose Marcario, this is about building a company that cares about the environment. At the same time, offering repair supports the perceived quality of its products.
G) In Brazil, the multinational corporation Adidas has been running a shoe-recycling program called “Sustainable Footprint” since 2012. Customers can bring shoes of any brand into an Adidas store to be shredded and turned into alternative fuels for energy creation instead of being burned as trash. They are used to fuel cement ovens. To motivate visitors to bring in more old shoes, Adidas Brazil promotes the program in stores by showing videos to educate customers, and it even offers a discount each time a customer brings in an old pair of shoes. This boosts the reputation and image of Adidas by making people more aware of the company’s values.
H) Enormous opportunities also lie with e-waste. It is estimated that in 2014 the world produced some 42 million metric tons of e-waste (discarded electrical and electronic equipment and its parts) with North America and Europe accounting for 8 and 12 million metric tons respectively. The materials from e-waste include iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum materials that could be reused, resold, salvaged, or recycled. Together, the value of these metals is estimated to be about $52 billion. Electronics giants like Best Buy and Samsung have provided e-waste take-back programs over the past few years, which aim to refurbish (翻新) old electronic components and parts into new products.
I) For other companies interested in reducing waste, helping the environment, and providing the sustainable lifestyles that consumers seek, here are some first steps for building a relationship with customers that focuses on recycling and restoring value to products.
J) Find partners. If you are a manufacturer who relies on outside distributors, then retailers are the ideal partner for collecting old products. power tool maker DeWalt partners with companies, such as Lowes and Napa Auto Parts, to collect old tools at their stores for recycling. The partnership benefits both sides by allowing unconventional partners (for example, two companies from two different industries) to work together on a specific aspect of the value chain, like, in this example, an engine firm with an accessory one.
K) create incentives. Environmental conscientiousness isn’t always enough to make customers recycle old goods. For instance, DeWalt discovered that many contractors were holding on to their old tools, even if they no longer worked, because they were expensive purchases and it was hard to justify bringing them in to recycle. By offering instant discounts worth as much as $100, DeWalt launched a trade-in program to encourage people to bring back tools. As a result, DeWalt now reuses those materials to create new products.
L) Start with a trial program, and expect to change the details as you go. Any take-back program will likely change over time, depending on what works for your customers and company goals. Maybe you see low customer participation at first, or conversely, so much success that the cost of recycling becomes too high. Best Buy, for instance, has been bearing the lion’s share of e-waste volume since two of its largest competitors, Amazon and Wal-mart, do not have their own recycling programs. Since the launch of its program, Best Buy changed its policy to add a $25 fee for recycling old televisions in order to keep the program going.
M) Build a culture of collective values with customers. A stronger relationship between the retailer/producer and the consumer isn’t just about financial incentives. By creating more awareness around your efforts to reduce waste, and by developing a culture of responsibility, repair, and reuse, you can build customer loyalty based on shared values and responsibilities.
N) These examples are just the tip of the iceberg, but they demonstrate how helping customers get more use of their materials can transform value chains and operations. Reducing waste by incorporating used materials into production can cut costs and decrease the price of procurement (采购): less to be procured from the outside and more to be re-utilized from the inside.
O) Companies play a big role in creating a circular economy, in which value is generating less from extracting new resources and more from getting better use out of the resources we already have--but they must also get customers engaged in the process.
36. Some companies believe that products’ prolonged lifespan benefits both the environment and customers.
37. A survey shows shoppers today are getting more concerned about energy conservation and environmental protection when deciding what to buy.
38. Companies can build customer loyalty by creating a positive culture of environmental awareness.
39. When companies launch environmental programs, they will have their brand reputation enhanced.
40. One multinational company offers discounts to customers who bring in old footwear to be used as fuel.
41. Recycling used products can help manufacturers reduce production costs.
42. Electronic products contain valuable metals that could be recovered.
43. It seems commonly believed that companies are not motivated to prolong their products’ lifespan.
44. It is advisable for companies to partner with each other in product recycling.
45. Some businesses have begun to realize it may not be effective to let consumers take full responsibility for recycling.
由题干中的关键词 products’ prolonged lifespan (产品寿命的延长)和 benefits both the environment and customers (对环境和顾客都有益)定位到 F 段。F 段提到，Nudie Jeans 公司的哲学是 extending the life of a pair of jeans is not only great for the environment, but allows the consumer to get more value out of their product (延长一条牛仔裤的寿命不仅对环境大有裨益，也让消费者能从产品中获得更多价值)。这里的 extending the life”对应 prolonged lifespan”，great for the environment”和 get more value”对应 benefits both the environment and customers”。所以选 F。
由题干中的关键词 survey (调查)、 shoppers (购物者)、 energy conservation and environmental protection (节约能源和环境保护)定位到 C 段。C 段明确提到 In a survey of 54 of the world’s leading brands... surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about minimizing energy use and reducing waste (一项针对54个全球领先品牌的调查显示……对美国和英国消费者的调查显示，他们也关心最大限度地减少能源使用和减少浪费)。题干中的内容与原文描述完全吻合，是典型的同义替换。所以选 C。
由题干中的关键词 build customer loyalty (建立客户忠诚度)和 a positive culture of environmental awareness (一种积极的环保意识文化)定位到 M 段。M 段指出， By creating more awareness around your efforts to reduce waste, and by developing a culture of responsibility, repair, and reuse, you can build customer loyalty based on shared values and responsibilities (通过围绕减少浪费的努力创造更多认知，并发展一种责任、维修和再利用的文化，你可以基于共同的价值观和责任来建立客户忠诚度)。这里的 build customer loyalty”是原词重现，creating a culture of...”与题干意思一致。所以选 M。
由题干中的关键词 launch environmental programs (发起环保项目)和 brand reputation enhanced (品牌声誉得到提升)定位到 E 段。E 段末尾提到，通过提供服务来延长产品寿命，这些公司 are promising quality and durability to consumers, and receiving the reputational gains for being environmentally friendly (向消费者承诺质量和耐用性，并因环保而获得声誉上的提升)。这里的 receiving the reputational gains”与 brand reputation enhanced”是同义替换。所以选 E。
由题干中的关键词 multinational company (跨国公司)、 discounts (折扣)、 old footwear (旧鞋)和 used as fuel (用作燃料)定位到 G 段。G 段开头就点明，在巴西， multinational corporation Adidas (跨国公司阿迪达斯)运行着一个名为“Sustainable Footprint”的旧鞋回收计划。后文提到， it even offers a discount each time a customer brings in an old pair of shoes (每次顾客带旧鞋来，它甚至提供折扣)，而这些旧鞋会被 turned into alternative fuels for energy creation (被转化为替代燃料用于能源生产)。题干信息与 G 段细节完全对应。所以选 G。
由题干中的关键词 Recycling used products (回收旧产品)和 reduce production costs (降低生产成本)定位到 N 段。N 段明确指出， Reducing waste by incorporating used materials into production can cut costs (通过将旧材料整合到生产中来减少浪费，可以降低成本)。这里的 incorporating used materials into production”对应 Recycling used products”，cut costs”对应 reduce production costs”。所以选 N。
由题干中的关键词 Electronic products (电子产品)、 valuable metals (贵重金属)和 recovered (回收)定位到 H 段。H 段在讨论电子垃圾时提到， The materials from e-waste include iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum materials that could be reused, resold, salvaged, or recycled (电子垃圾中的材料包括铁、铜、金、银和铝，这些材料可以被重新使用、转售、回收或再循环)。这里的 valuable metals”是对 iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum”的概括，而 reused, salvaged, or recycled”则对应 recovered”。所以选 H。
由题干中的关键词 commonly believed (人们普遍认为)和 not motivated to prolong their products’ lifespan (没有动力去延长产品寿命)定位到 B 段。B 段开头就提到， Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that companies have no incentive to lengthen the life cycle of their products (传统观点似乎表明，公司没有动力去延长其产品的生命周期)。这里的 Conventional wisdom”对应 commonly believed”，no incentive”对应 not motivated”，lengthen the life cycle”对应 prolong their products’ lifespan”。所以选 B。
由题干中的关键词 partner with each other (互相合作)和 product recycling (产品回收)定位到 J 段。J 段的小标题就是 Find partners (寻找合作伙伴)，内容中举例说明工具制造商 DeWalt 与零售商合作回收旧工具，并指出 The partnership benefits both sides (这种合作使双方受益)。整个段落都在阐述公司间合作进行产品回收的建议。所以选 J。
由题干中的关键词 not effective (无效)和 let consumers take full responsibility for recycling (让消费者承担全部回收责任)定位到 D 段。D 段明确指出， some companies are realizing that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy (一些公司正意识到，将回收的负担完全放在消费者身上并不是一个有效的策略)。题干是对这句话的完美转述。所以选 D。
