The Waiting Game in Recycling and How We Move Forward

In working on products made from recycled materials, I’ve noticed recurring pattern: everyone is waiting for someone else to move first.

Governments often wait for industry-led initiatives or clear public pressure before introducing policies around recycling, recycled content or product stewardship. Without that momentum, regulation tends to progress slowly.

Many brand owners, in turn, wait for clearer mandates or subsidies to reduce the cost gap between recycled and virgin materials. From a commercial perspective, virgin materials remain the simpler and more predictable option.

Consumers are part of this loop as well. People are generally open to more sustainable products, but only when they are accessible, familiar and reasonably priced. When those options are limited, most purchases naturally default to what’s already available.

Recyclers face their own challenge. Without consistent demand from brands, there is little incentive to scale recycling infrastructure. This is one reason recycling rates remains relatively low.

As a founder, I sit within this system too. I’ve chosen to act by becoming a brand owner who actively sources recycled mateirals and turns them into new products. Even then, adoption takes time. New materials, new products and new price points all require trust and understanding to build.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about recongising how interconnected the system is.

Progress doesn’t happen when everyone waits. It happens when someone takes the first step…small, imperfect, but real. Those early steps help make the next ones easier for everyone else.

That’s how change compounds.