Can The Japanese Philosophy Of Wabi-Sabi Help Us To Achieve A More Circular Economy?

You may have already read about Wabi-Sabi in one of our earlier journal posts. Wabi Sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic philosophy, particularly the acceptance and appreciation of the beauty in imperfections.

The mindful company describes it as ”a shift in perspective, from one that chases perfection to one that appreciates what is”. It can range from accepting your own flaws, or finding beauty in the ordinary.

Perfectly imperfect packaging

When developing Wǒ we found ourselves coming head on into Wabi-Sabi. We consciously decided that we could accept to be different, our packaging didn’t need to look perfectly white and perfectly glossy, not if we could accept the beauty of what it really was - a mixed-up combination of up to 80% recycled plastic PET bottles, that now lived on as a small beauty vial.

The imperfections are accepted as we see the beauty of how reusing, recycling and accepting the differences that occur from an amalgamation of sources makes for a more harmonious environment. The beauty doesn’t stop there, as it is PET, which is widely accepted at recycling stations, it can continue to be recycled, and so the beauty continues.

Minimal waste, use what you need

We want to minimise waste as much as possible, we don’t need to use cardboard to house each product, and by taking the diagnostic you understand exactly what your skin needs. The measured dose means only the correct amount is used and you can carry exactly the amount you need.

According to website c2es.org, travelling lighter can be of huge benefit. “Each individual traveller can make a big difference in fuel consumption by packing lightly and the weight reduction means fewer CO₂ emissions from the aircraft”. A statement from Delta Airlines rep Ashton Morrow  suggested that “If all passengers packed lighter by around 2Ib or 1KG, the aircraft’s fuel savings would be the same as taking 10,500 cars off the road for an entire year”.

We want to support the concept of a circular economy to move towards eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. We are at a critical time for managing our carbon emissions, when we last checked, we have less than 8 years left to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5oC. You can track the live status according to the MM carbon clock here

If you are interested to learn more about the <<circular economy>>, to use things rather than use them up and keeping materials in use. Watch the video from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation:

We are always looking for any novel ways in which you might reuse, recycle or minimise waste– take pictures and share them with us on social, or tell us how you have accepted the beauty in the ordinary. Tag us with #wabisabiwo or comment below.