Sustainability has been making headlines with socially conscious brands and products. The need for sustainable products is the most it's ever been. With our environment’s natural resources depleting at a rapid rate, it is extremely important for companies to shift to a more sustainable way to create products that will improve the current state of the environment.
What exactly is sustainability? Sustainability is meeting the needs of ourselves without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability can be defined as having three main pillars: economic, environmental, and social--or more casually as people, planet and profits. The stance behind sustainability has increased steadily over the past decade, in response to unsustainable practices such as fast fashion brands, to the depletion of fossil fuels. There are various ways to combat these issues that are currently present. By being more socially conscious it can play a vital turning point to save our planet.
The primary goals of sustainability are to end poverty and hunger, to achieve equal rights for all people, to reach viable economic growth with strong economies, handling climate change and pollution, and to sustain the health of the land, air and sea. This is quite the extensive list of objectives that sustainability would like to fill, but in order to create the best living environment for all people, it is simply something society must embrace.
In order for sustainability to truly be effective, the three aspects of economic, environmental, and social must do their part.
In terms of economic sustainability, businesses rely on clean air, water and biodiversity. The dollar cost of a product will have to outweigh the externalized cost of production. When sourcing materials, employees, textile mills, areas of production, etc., these must be taken into account to ensure that the production practices are following the guidelines, which would therefore create a sustainable atmosphere. It is not a matter of if companies will do this, but rather how and when. The growing population of the planet will not survive if businesses do not shift to a sustainable way of doing business. By enacting a carbon tax, subsidising, and encouraging more sustainable business practices, the negative impact made by businesses can be significantly reduced. Consumers should also be conscious of where they are shopping and try to ensure that the businesses they are supporting have fair and safe practices.
Environmental sustainability is a very vast concept-- recycling, energy resources, waste disposal, new environmental technologies-- the list goes on. The main goals of environmental sustainability are to ensure the health of ecosystems. By protecting the longevity of ecosystems it can ensure the availability of resources that can be needed for social and economic needs. When making economic decisions, the environment is also impacted. Burning coal provides a short term, cheap option for energy but we are not taking into account the implications that follow. Thinking about the future generations and how this will affect the environment in the coming years is something that must be considered when making decisions that can impact the natural state of the planet. Currently with man-made global warming, the consequences of wildfires and hurricanes is apparent. The planet is warming at an alarming rate and to ensure that we can have a safe and healthy environment to live on in the future, steps must be taken to prevent the further environmental impact on the Earth. The environment gives humans everything they need to survive and prosper and should not be viewed only as a tool to make money. The land should be protected for the animals, biodiversity, and for future generations.
Social sustainability is the act of practicing socially conscious behavior for the environment. When a consumer is shopping, looking into businesses which are more sustainable and put efforts to be more aware of the impact they have on the environment is something that they should look for before making a purchase. Individuals can also be socially conscious about sustainability by making changes in their own lives, such as being mindful of waste, recycling, the use of energy, getting involved with social justice-- these are just a few examples of what can be done. Sustainability has to be an effort made by everyone to create an impact that will help the planet be a safe and fruitful place to live for our future generations.
Sustainability is an achievable goal. It starts with you, in your own community, and bringing awareness to others. To ensure the safety and natural resources that the Earth provides, each person must do their part to be more conscious. We only have one planet to live on and if we don't make the effort now it can have a detrimental impact in the future. Every living being should be able to live happily and safely. So by looking at all aspects of sustainability and how each pillar can have an impact on the state of the planet, it is possible to change the course we are on. The change starts with a small step to create a big impact.
Purnima Chopra
References
Chouinard, Yvon, et al. “The Sustainable Economy.” Harvard Business Review, 7 Sept. 2017, hbr.org/2011/10/the-sustainable-economy.
Pettinger, Tejvan. “Environmental Sustainability – Definition and Issues.” Economics Help, 9 Dec. 2019, www.economicshelp.org/blog/143879/economics/environmental-sustainability-definition-and-issues.
“Social Sustainability - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Https://Www.Sciencedirect.Com, Science Direct, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/social-sustainability.
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