Lately we see many brands on the market that mention the term Sustainability, but we don't know what it really is. Sometimes it is believed that it is the same as organic, or recycling, or planting trees or a lot of actions that may be part of a sustainable whole, but they reach the meaning of “sustainability.”
So let's go to the concept, according to the UN, Sustainability is defined as what allows the needs of the present to be met without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.
Let's initially delve into the first part of the concept, let's talk about the needs of present generations: We live in a world that lies to us and makes us believe that we need a lot of objects or comforts with the aim of leading us to carry out and promote the consumption of excessively (note that the responsibility is not only the consumer but as a brand and productive industry we have that responsibility from marketing and our productive systems). For example, there are people who believe that they “need” to travel by private plane? There are other people who believe that they must buy a certain amount of clothes monthly and that they cannot be seen with the same outfit at several events because it would be a crime (Insert emoji with little eyes up), when really that is not meeting our needs...
In the following graph we can see how our excessive consumption has been promoted in recent years. Situation that has been a slow and permanent process of years, gaining strength since the industrial revolution as one of the main causes of the change in average global temperature, affecting and generating imbalance in our ecosystems at the same time that it has generated important repercussions on the balance of our planet:
So what really are the needs of the present generation that should be met?
When the concept refers to satisfying our needs, it means that we can live comfortably. For example: It is important to protect ourselves but it is equally important to inform ourselves about how and with what to do it. Buy clothes? yes, but as much as possible clothes made in a sustainable way that last longer and are of good quality, which reduces the unnecessary consumption of constantly buying tons of clothes that you DON'T NEED. It is important to have quality of life and access to items that provide us with comfort or that facilitate communications, but it is not necessary that every year we have to purchase the latest product to stay up to date. Yes, with trips and transportation, but not using the car for short trips or without using public transportation because we are lazy... We need to clearly define our needs as a society to be able to live “well”, without the production and generation of these needs affecting us. our planet to the point of putting it at risk as well as our existence.
Here I also think it is important to clarify that I have seen many people, industries and governments sending all the blame to the consumer, and although yes, we must improve our consumption habits and as consumers we can pressure the industry so that there is a migration to more sustainable practices , there is a great responsibility from public policies as well as control and mitigation of our productive systems. We have made a lot of progress in different types of technology but there are industries that seem not to want to advance on our planet, but rather continue with their business as usual and only waiting for the return of their capital. Gentlemen businessmen, brand owners, great industrial leaders; We need them to direct and promote clean energy, natural raw materials without being predatory, energy efficiency, water savings, reduction of micro-plastics sent to the oceans, among many others within their production systems. It is of no use to say that they have a water treatment plant as if this were the best sustainable action in the world, if this is required by regulations for their plants to operate. Do your plants have any percentage of water reuse and control? Does the wastewater leaving the plant have better quality than the water taken from the natural tributary or public sewer? Are you mitigating the amount of micro-plastics in the outlet waters? These should be the starting points to be able to mention sustainable actions of a productive industry, not a WWTP that barely meets the required regulations...
It is also important to control marketing: It is extremely perverse to launch malicious campaigns that invite people to consume under the slogan of Sustainability with the aim of promoting sales, the latter being a right and a necessity of a company, but it is not correct to do so from the invitation that induces to create false needs from excessive consumption that even becomes unethical. For example, fast fashion with uncontrolled marketing produces in individuals the need to consume, creating erroneous emotions and sensations such as feeling validated and powerful because of the clothes they buy, causing deformation of happiness and social recognition in their psyches; aspects that end up creating multiplying stereotypes on social networks to show what you have... As brands we are also responsible for how we reach and offer our products.
So what is sustainability? Having productive systems with impact control that improves year after year; It is the generation of rational and not excessive consumption levels so that we can meet our needs without entering into a lack of control or saturation (Batteries with needs), allowing the existence of resources for future generations.
Entering the consciousness of sustainability means analyzing the present, questioning what is happening, proposing solutions from each one of us, assimilating that resources are not infinite and that we are not owners of a planet that was lent to us for a while. Thus; It is important that we question ourselves: How would we feel if we could travel to the future and see that due to our present actions our children do not have easy access to drinking water or would never be able to see corals? We cannot be selfish and believe that because we do not have offspring it does not matter what happens to the planet... We must be coherent and not just enter into discourses to really act towards profound changes. We must work today to have a future.