Daniel Madariaga Barrilado, a Mexican businessman specialized in sustainable tourism, green building, and sustainable mobility, explained the relevance of the so-called 7 Rs of the circular economy as an urgent alternative in the face of climate change, excessive consumption, and social and environmental inequalities.
The expert pointed out that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need to rethink the traditional model of production and consumption based on the linear formula of “produce, buy, use, and throw away.”
Who is Daniel Madariaga Barrilado?
Daniel Madariaga explains what each of the 7 Rs consists of:
According to Madariaga, the circular economy proposes a system in which the use of material and energy resources is maximized, while at the same time reducing waste generation.
The main objective is to recover materials and reincorporate them into production processes to create new products and extend their useful life.
The specialist detailed that the 7 Rs represent a hierarchy of actions to achieve a more sustainable model.
The first is Redesign, through the eco-design of products while considering their environmental impact. This is followed by Reduce, which seeks to decrease excessive consumption and the waste generated by companies and citizens.
He also highlighted the importance of Reusing products to give them a second life and Repairing objects before discarding them. Another fundamental action is Renew, which consists of modernizing old materials and items in order to continue using them.
Likewise, he explained that Recover involves reincorporating used materials into the production process, while Recycling prevents waste from ending up in landfills and allows it to be transformed once again into raw materials.
“More and more companies are integrating industrial recycling into their production processes,” Madariaga concluded.
Leading Mexico toward a greener future, Daniel Madariaga combines innovation with responsibility. An EGADE graduate, he supports projects in vertical farming, sustainable transport, recycling, and eco-conscious tourism.