When we think of climate action, images of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars frequently spring to mind. But there is an often overlooked and equally powerful force causing climate change right under our noses—or perhaps more accurately, in our bins, and sadly, strewn across our environments.
You guessed it: waste. While often treated as a separate environmental issue, it’s actually at the heart of our climate crisis. Every single-use item, every discarded product, contributes to a vast chain of environmental consequences that ties waste to climate change in ways that are profound but often little discussed.
In a significant step that draws focus to this topic, we are pleased to announce that Let’s Do It World (LDIW) has become a partner of the European Climate Pact—a partnership that reinforces our vision of a clean and healthy waste-free world, while bringing much-needed attention to the often-ignored links between waste and climate.
The European Climate Pact is a keystone of the European Green Deal, recognising the vital role of citizens, communities, and organisations uniting in a collective effort to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. This important initiative is designed to encourage individuals and groups across Europe to take concrete climate actions, share ideas, and support a transition to sustainable living.
As a Climate Pact partner, LDIW can have an even greater impact on our planet’s future. The partnership will elevate our visibility across Europe, amplifying our waste-free message, and enabling collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Through the partnership, LDIW will set the path to work with policymakers, businesses and local governments to promote innovative solutions and systemic change that address the twin crises of waste and climate.
Heidi Solba, LDIW President and Head of Global Network, explains the potential impact of this partnership: “Our alliance with the European Climate Pact will help to amplify our message and increase our impact—allowing us to shape policy discussions by showcasing successful projects and on-the-ground insights from our extensive experience in community mobilisation. In so doing, we’ll inspire more communities to join the movement, and demonstrate the importance of social movements and cooperation beyond cleanups for combatting climate change.”
The relationship between waste and climate change is more complex than we often realise. While many people view waste primarily as a pollution issue, the extent of its role in producing greenhouse gases frequently goes unnoticed. The carbon footprint of waste begins at the very start of a discarded product’s life cycle—through the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, and transport—and continues even beyond its disposal.
When a product is discarded, the emissions generated across its entire life cycle become part of its environmental legacy. Disposing of waste not only squanders these embedded emissions but often adds further greenhouse gases through processes like landfill decomposition, incineration, and the release of methane from organic waste. These emissions amplify the environmental impact of waste, making its management a critical component in the fight against climate change.
Plastics, one of the most environmentally problematic materials we produce, provide a striking example of the significant carbon impact of waste. Manufactured primarily from fossil fuels, with petroleum as a key component, it is estimated that 90% of plastic’s carbon footprint comes from its production(1). According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), plastics’ global life-cycle emissions amount to a staggering 1.8 billion tonnes annually. When coupled with the fact that a significant portion of plastics are discarded after a single use, the connection between waste and climate change becomes profound.
With the current status quo of a linear, ‘take-make-use-dispose’ method of resource management contributing significantly to global carbon emissions, changing the system is indispensable to those working for positive climate action.
A growing body of research advocates for transitioning to a circular, closed-loop economy, with organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Circle Economy Foundation estimating that global emissions could be drastically reduced with this model. Potentially as much as 39%(2). This shows the enormous potential of circular, zero-waste approaches to reduce emissions—and the crucial nature of LDIW’s work.
But what does a zero-waste future look like, in practice? Picture a world where every product is designed for durability, reuse, and recycling—a world where waste becomes a resource, not a by-product. This vision lies at the heart of circular economy principles, rethinking production and consumption to minimise resource extraction and keep materials in circulation.
This approach is already flourishing in parts of the world, notably in Northern Europe. Amsterdam showcases circular construction with neighbourhoods like Buiksloterham, built using modular, reusable materials designed for deconstruction and reintegration into the supply chain. In Sweden, the town of Eskilstuna is home to ReTuna, a retail park dedicated entirely to circular consumption, where stores sell repaired, upcycled, and repurposed goods—from furniture to electronics—reducing waste and creating local jobs. Meanwhile, Finland’s Renewcell leads the way in textile circularity by turning discarded fabrics into Circulose, a biodegradable raw material used to produce new garments, closing the loop in the fashion industry.
LDIW’s European Climate Pact partnership embodies a simple but transformative idea: the solutions to the waste crisis are also solutions to the climate crisis. By reimagining waste as part of a broader ecological and economic system, we not only prevent waste pollution but address a wide array of interconnected challenges.
With the European Climate Pact’s support, LDIW can elevate waste reduction as a cornerstone of climate action. Through collaborative action, bold new policies, and community engagement, this partnership aims to foster a Europe where waste is minimised, resources are used wisely, and the health of people and the planet is prioritised. This isn’t merely an environmental vision; it’s a blueprint for a sustainable, interconnected future.
.svg){kind=logo}