Insights & Innovations

The Three Rs in the Pet World

By, AgriglobalMarket News

April 07, 2025

There are a large number of concepts that can be linked to the 3 R principles, for example: ecology, animal protection, research, among others. Let's look at some of them.

The three Rs rule, also known as the three Rs of ecology, or simply 3Rs, is a proposal on consumer habits (reduce, reuse and recycle) popularized by the environmental organization Greenpeace, which aims to develop habits such as responsible consumption. More than eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. In recent years there has been a huge interest and awareness raising regarding the impact we leave on the planet, with work emerging around sustainability and the circular economy. Sustainability represents a way of living in balance with our environment and preventing a shortage of resources that could put lives at risk. The circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves sharing, renting, reusing, repairing, renewing and recycling existing materials and products as many times as possible, thereby generating added value. It proposes a new look at our way of producing, consuming and disposing, to optimize the planet's resources and generate less and less waste. It is an alternative model to the linear economy. This model proposes a concept of the seven Rs of redesign, reduce, reuse, repair, renew, recover and recycle. There are some alternatives and actions that can be carried out with what our pets use to collaborate, for example: food packaging, insect protein-based foods, toys. The 3 Rs imply a transversal methodology, recycling includes reusing and in this way, it reduces, generating a positive impact on the environment and future generations. Reduce It involves reducing the amount of matter we eliminate. Reuse It is being able to find new uses or ways to use objects before throwing them away. Recycle It allows you to renew an object, to convert something that would no longer be useful into something new. Now let's talk about research, the less pretty part, we could say. Many animals are the object of study for the growth of science, greater knowledge of a species, diseases, response to treatments, drugs, etc. Even in the field of nutrition, tests are carried out on animals to evaluate the palatability and acceptance of a food, as well as its therapeutic effects. There are committees for the use and care of experimental animals. In my personal opinion, many should have stricter monitoring. In this area, the 3 R's play a crucial role. Replacement Methods that avoid or replace the use of animals. This includes both absolute replacements (replacing animals with computer models) and relative replacements (replacing vertebrates with animals with a lower perception of pain, such as some invertebrates, monoclonal cells). Reduction Using a smaller number of animals to obtain sufficient data to answer the question being investigated, or maximizing the information obtained per animal, thereby potentially limiting or avoiding the subsequent use of other animals, without compromising their welfare. Refinement Modification of animal husbandry or procedures to minimize pain and distress and to improve the welfare of animals used in science from birth to death. We hope that the advancement of science and awareness will have a positive impact and will be oriented towards promoting animal welfare, and that as veterinarians we can work towards this end. An animal experiences well-being if it is healthy, comfortable, well-fed, safe, free of pain or unpleasant sensations such as fear, and is able to express itself through its behaviors and habits, which allow it to have inclusive physical and mental well-being. As a veterinarian, my inspiration is sentient living beings who expect my empathy and love. If we have that to give, we would change everything, but if we lack that, we should at least do it based on respect. 'A population should be judged by how it treats animals' By: Dr. Candela Bonaura Source: All Pet Food Magazine

The Three Rs in the Pet World