Interview – During the cooperation with the Barilla brand, the Japanese consultant gave us an exclusive interview. It’s a chance to question him about his organizational principles, as well as the “recycling” gestures that do good, such as extending the life of empty pasta boxes.
In mid-March, for World Recycling Day, Barilla announced an unexpected partnership with Marie Kondo, the queen of tidying up. For a famous Italian pasta brand, a Japanese consultant has thought about recycling solutions for empty food boxes.
Madame Figaro: Why this desire to give a second life to pasta boxes that usually end up in the recycling bin? What attracted you to this project?
Marie Kondo. I often use unused boxes to organize my clients’ drawers and other storage. That’s how I found it stimulating and rewarding to assign a new role to containers that had a first life. When Barilla approached me, I realized that with the brand I had an opportunity to extend the existence of pasta boxes that would normally end up in the bin as soon as they were emptied. However, they eventually allow, as I recommend, to send packages of items sold and bought on the platforms, used clothes. This gesture is practical and economical. This collaboration between Barilla and myself is above all an opportunity to introduce new eco-friendly reflexes into everyday life and to extend the life of a “disposable” object, delaying the moment when it becomes waste.
Does, like tidiness, reuse objects bring a sense of peace? Why would tidying up make us feel better?
I think that tidying up and taking care of things is also taking care of yourself. And reusing objects is also a way to take care and extend their use. It also improves your self-image and therefore gives you a sense of peace.
Can you remind us of some of the principles of your storage and cover the main points of your method?
The KonMari method is characterized by “choosing what brings joy,” “organizing into categories,” and “letting things go with gratitude.” Surrounding yourself with objects that bring you joy not only makes everyday life more pleasant, but also enhances the ability to choose and is also fulfilling. And this philosophy can be applied to all spheres of existence: friends, work…
This philosophy can be applied to all areas of existence: friends, work
Marie Kondo
You say that objects that are important to us emit positive energy. can you explain to us why and how we can use this energy in our daily life?
If something is valuable to you, it makes you happy or gives you positive feelings just by looking at it. Because when we are surrounded by the objects we love, we feel supported by those objects every day; they are useful to us because they are beautiful, practical in our eyes. In short, they help us.
Does this art of living around neatness also mean consuming less?
Reducing consumption is not the goal of tidying up, but it is true that tidying up often has the effect of limiting it. When you get organized, you start to see what’s really important to you. When you know what makes you happy, what you really need, you’re less likely to make unnecessary purchases. As a result, you tend to consume less after tidying up.
Can you give us some examples of changes in attitudes towards consumption as a result of your work?
One of my clients loved to shop and bought a lot of clothes every season. As he tidied up, he realized two things. she already had enough clothes to satisfy her, and her life was filled with what she already had. After realizing this, he decided not to buy clothes for a year. Which he managed to do effortlessly. I think this shows how decluttering allows us to get clear on what’s really important and therefore adopt more sustainable behavior.
Since you’re working with Barilla, let’s talk about the kitchen. it’s a very special room. What are your tips for keeping it neat and functional at the same time?
In cooking, you can apply the basics of the KonMari method, that is, choose what brings joy and satisfaction. In the kitchen, we often find products that have expired a long time ago. You need to get rid of them and then start sorting them into categories. We start by defining large categories such as eating utensils, cooking utensils, food, and more. Then we divide each of them into subcategories. This mindset makes it easy to decide where to store your equipment. And of course, we also think about the availability of equipment. in the kitchen you need to put things in and out easily.
Source: Le Figaro
