Materials as resources, not residues
Every material in circulation has value. The definition insists that value is conserved, not destroyed. This means no burning. No discharge. No convenient reclassification of destruction as "recovery."
Zero Waste
/ˈzɪə.rəʊ weɪst/ · noun & design principle
"Zero waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning, and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health."
Widely adopted by zero waste practitioners in 2018. Zero Waste International exists to protect and promote its universal adoption.
A word only works if it keeps its meaning.
A term without a fixed meaning is a term anyone can claim. And when governments and corporations use 'zero waste' to describe systems that simply still allow waste, the concept loses the power to drive genuine change.
This definition draws a clear line. It includes responsible production, consumption, reuse, and repurposing. It is specific enough to hold people accountable and broad enough to apply at any scale - from a neighbourhood composting scheme to a national resource strategy.
A design principle, not a target
Zero waste is often treated as a percentage - something to aim for, usually with caveats. That framing misses the point.
At its heart, zero waste asks a more fundamental question: why are we creating waste in the first place?
It is a design principle. It asks us to rethink products, systems, and economies from first principles - not to manage the symptoms of an ailing condition but to prevent the disease in the first place.
What the definition protects
Environmental and social cost
True efficiency accounts for the full cost of resource use - environmental, social, and economic. The definition makes this explicit by including protections for both the environment and human health.
A caring economy
An economy that produces waste at scale is, by definition, careless - with resources, with people, and with the future. Zero waste is not just about materials. It is about values. The definition encodes that principle.
Adopt it properly. Turn it into action.
This definition already informs practice in communities, municipalities, and organisations worldwide. The next step is to help people and governments adopt it properly - and to galvanise the effort that turns it into action.