But Like, What The Hell Is ‘Sustainability’?
By Jo Lorenz
One of the questions we get asked a lot is simply ‘what is sustainability?’ So buckle up kids, class is in session
*adjusts reading specs and taps blackboard*
Simply defined, sustainability is “the ability to sustain”, or in other words, has the planet been left in a sustained manner? Are you certain that every step in the supply chains you’re attached to — via your personal consumption or your business practices — has been left sustained, regenerated, with the ability to thrive and flourish?
Sustainability affects every aspect of our consumerist lifestyle. What we eat, live in and wear, how we power our homes, how we clean — the list goes on! With the clean beauty businesses with whom we work, for example, they think about sustainability at every intersection of formulating a product. Is it responsible to use particular ingredients for both the desired effect on skin, yet also the growing conditions, the harvest, the people and communities, as well as the planet?
These businesses think about the entire lifecycle of the product, from the collection of raw ingredients; to the people that make it, package it and send it; to the effect it has on the body and health; and finally, what happens to it when it goes back down the drain. This is sustainability. Every step must be able to be sustained.
The fashion players with whom we work also recognise the gargantuan problem of sustainability within the industry. This is a pivotal and non-negotiable area of development — and adopting overarching sustainable business practices and/or circular business models ensure our consumerist tendencies are at the very least minimising waste and maximising resources, in order to be sustainable.
The businesses we choose cast a vote for the future we want. If you want more sustainable and circular businesses available to you in the immediate future, then you need to start engaging with those businesses now! This can be by buying from them (if you actually need a product!), yet also simply following, liking and commenting on their digital platforms.
Help spread the word on businesses sustaining people and planet, and we will see more of them emerge and thrive.
Want more?
Read more on Sustainable Lifestyle
Read more from the author of this piece, Jo Lorenz
