sustainability

Consumption habits & sustainability: are we missing the point?

/ 4 Comments

Between consumerism & lifestyle choices


The conversation about having responsible consumption habits seems to get wider attention. Of course, not the central role it should have, becoming the heart of every serious discussion. But, at least, there is a growing interest in this matter.

The impact of consumerism  

More people acknowledge that our actions have an impact on the planet. Specifically, our mindless consumerist culture is causing irreversible climate and ecological breakdown. And irreversibility is a fact we cannot ignore.

However, what leaves us quite perplexed is the idea of splitting consumption habits into multiple areas. Indeed we see sustainable fashion, sustainable tourism, organic food, and so on. On the one hand, segmenting helps to tackle the issue field by field. But on the other hand, it brings along a certain inconsistency.

Sustainable consumption habits: are we missing the point?

First, communication tells us that consuming green-labelled products will solve the issue. Second, you can consume sustainable products in your favourite segment and get away with it. For instance, you can purchase sustainable fashion garments but care less about wasting food.
There’s no logic in that!

Shifting our behaviour towards healthier consumption habits is a lifestyle choice. So, it regards every product we purchase and any experience.

Therefore, we can promote sustainable fashion, tourism, furniture, and food. Automobiles and technology. But to make our behaviour effective, sustainability must embrace all our individual choices. We need to develop a conscious behaviour towards life. 

The line that separates sustainability and greenwashing is very subtle. Our lifestyle doesn’t become sustainable because we buy more green products. We can make products with eco-friendly materials, but still, we will impact the environment. 

We will reduce our impact on the planet only if we consume less. Much less. And it’s a lifestyle matter. Taking a sustainable approach means stopping what we were doing!

And so, are you ready to change your consumption habits?

Consumption habits & sustainability: are we missing the point? Read More »

COP 27: the climate show is on!

COP 27 is becoming more of an international show leaving people in doubt about its effectiveness. We hear world leaders urging us to worry about the climate emergency for about ten days. After that, no action follows, and things are only getting worse. So, do we really need it?

With more than 35 thousand people involved, the cost and impact are crazy! In the first two days, 40 private jets landed in the Egyptian desert. For a conference on climate change? It sounds like a joke!
However, most of the leaders participating in this summit are the same ones who contributed to creating the problems we face nowadays. And their strong connection with oil and corporations is at the heart of the matter.

So, a simple question arises, which doesn’t require rocket science but the common sense of humble people like us. Can those who caused a disaster help find solutions? It seems unlikely to happen.

Corporations are the face of capitalism. If asked to change, they will shift to green capitalism. But this will not reduce their impact on the planet because they will continue to overproduce goods. So, people and planet exploitation will continue. Just with a different colour!

Indeed, believing that corporations will be active in finding solutions to climate change is quite naive. Ethics and business aren’t good friends. Until the very last drop of oil is available, they will persist in exploitation and make money out of it. All the rest, COP 27 included, is just a facade. A kind of big greenwashing machine which has the effect of manipulating people. Or unnerving those who don’t buy it.

Capitalistic growth led to the destruction of the world. Making capitalism green will change its colour. But a new facade will not eradicate the element that caused the disaster: never-ending growth. Which is cancer to humanity and nature.

Our planet cannot bear it anymore. We need to question endless economic growth. If growth is life, overgrowth is death.

And so, we don’t need world leaders discussing the climate disaster for ten days, hand in hand with corporations. COP 27 is pointless. We need people who care 365 days a year!

COP 27: the climate show is on! Read More »

Generation Z & sustainability

The topic of sustainability has a warped meaning and understanding amongst most consumers today, Generation Z included.

Gen Z is said to be the upcoming generation for a positive environmental shift in our society. This generation has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement. Pushing companies and brands to conduct sustainable practices in an effort to save the planet we are destroying.

What sustainability means to Generation Z

But does this young generation truly know what sustainability means?
Unfortunately, this “green movement” has become misunderstood as greenwashing. With the lack of research and education on environmentalism, brands have been able to blatantly lie to their consumers. By engaging in greenwashing tactics, they conveyed an image of sustainability and ethicality that simply does not exist to them.

It is now the responsibility of the younger generations to wake up, and do their research. And hold these brands accountable for their greenwashing schemes and harmful environmental practices.

The research on Gen Z

I spent some time interviewing college students currently studying abroad in Milano to understand their point of view. What sustainability means to them. And how they practice it in their daily lives. From these conversations I concluded a distorted idea of greenwashing and an unhealthy practice of overconsumption.
All this is due to a lack of transparency between brands and consumers. When discussing the students knowledge of sustainability or familiarity with the term ‘greenwashing’, I received a variety of answers. Many had never heard of greenwashing or how it affected the choices they make daily.

The truth on Gen Z & sustainability

Students told me that sustainability meant being cautious and putting the environment first. Also, an item or lifestyle alleged to be sustainable, can be trusted with no further questioning. Such contradictory answers surprised me. How can one be cautious yet trust that the word ‘sustainable’ is 100% true?

Students attest to practising sustainability by donating clothes, vintage or thrift shopping, and creating capsule wardrobes. But, when asked what brands they typically shop from, the most common response I received was some of the brands guilty of the greatest greenwashing techniques. The brands these students shop from attest to caring for the earth and market themselves as “conscious” or “committed” to sustainability. Yet still participate in mass overproduction.

Although students brought up capsule wardrobes quite often, overconsumption still seems to have a huge hold on this generation due to the hyper-fast fashion movement. Students claimed to go shopping regularly, at least once a month.

An advice I can give to this generation who yearns for a more sustainable lifestyle is to question everything you see. Don’t support brands that shout about sustainability to sharpen their image for the purpose of gaining social acceptance. But a brand that does good because they care. The word ‘sustainable’ is not regulated and, ultimately, does not need to hold any truth. So, when you see that buzzword word on a tag, don’t forget to fact-check that claim.

Generation Z seems to have an interest, and desire for a more sustainable earth. But, unfortunately, lacks the inclination to question the brands they shop from. Hiding behind the term “ignorance is bliss” is not a viable excuse for a dying planet screaming for change.

*

A piece written by Leyla Jackson – apparel merchandising student from Washington State University. Currently studying at Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore in Milan and interning for suite123. Passionate about working towards a more sustainable future for not only the fashion industry, but our planet.

Generation Z & sustainability Read More »

Climate disaster: the closing window

A slap from the UN Environment Program report

Talking about fashion in the face of a climate disaster needs a radical attitude. Also, if we consider fashion a reflection of our society, we cannot start any discussion without setting priorities.

Climate change is the priority, and we need to understand what happens in order to make the right choices. Even when it’s about what we wear.

Climate disaster: the UN Environment Program

A few days ago, the UN Environment Program released a report which finds that “the international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster.”

Are you surprised? Sadly, we are not. Sustainable is a trendy label. Indeed, we hear countless panels about sustainability because it is a popular topic. But they open their mouths just to put out words and make content for social media. No action that brings a positive impact ever follows. Therefore, they are pointless.

Furthermore, on November 6 in Sharm-El-Sheik – Egypt will be held the UN annual Conference of the Parties, COP27. There is no better opportunity to jump on a private jet and be part of a corporate event. And, this time, members participating can also enjoy a sunny place! It will be just another waste of money and resources.

What can we learn from this?

Climate change is an opportunity to drive business, and sustainability is the capitalistic response to the issue. Most sustainable brands represent a survival strategy set in place by capitalism. Indeed, corporations have flooded the market with green/organic/eco-friendly/low-impact/vegan/recycled/sustainable products. Nice buzzwords! Which, in essence, are empty claims. Misleading messages whose true face is greenwashing.

Our economic system cannot respond adequately to climate change because it is itself the cause. Buzzwords are just fluff! In fact, the negative impact of climate change grows every year.

The climate disaster calls for rapid transformation of societies and their economic system. And this transformation needs every nation and every community. All of us! Now!

Climate disaster: the closing window Read More »

Life in plastic?

Why recycling plastic is a dead-end street

In the search for a sustainable lifestyle, great discussions revolve around recycling plastic to limit waste. Even though we pay attention to separate our waste at home, unfortunately, that is not a solution. So a new report on plastic pollution says.

The plastic report by Greenpeace

A new Greenpeace USA report – the source of this post – states that “plastic recycling is a dead-end street. Year after year, plastic recycling declines even as plastic waste increases.”

The good news is that paper, cardboard and metals are effectively recycled. But the bad news is that most plastic is not recyclable.

According to this report, U.S. households generated 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, but only 2.4 million tons were recycled.

Furthermore, once the U.S. exported plastic to China, they counted it as recycled, even though much of it was burned or dumped.

Plastic recycling: why doesn’t it work?

1- plastic waste is extremely difficult to collect
2- impossible to sort for recycling
3- it is environmentally harmful to reprocess
4- it’s often made of and contaminated by toxic materials (therefore unusable for food)
5- too expensive to recycle

In the end, the study points out that a circular economy based on recycling plastic is pure fiction.

“Corporations like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Unilever have worked with industry front groups to promote plastic recycling as the solution to plastic waste for decades. But the data is clear: practically speaking, most plastic is just not recyclable. The real solution is to switch to systems of reuse and refill.”

Greenpeace

Of course, refilling and reusing make sense. We refill and reuse plastic containers as much as possible. But plastic is everywhere! And there’s too much of it! Every single item we buy comes with a plastic container and plastic wrap: food, beauty products, cleaning products, and tech stuff… Everything! In fact, the world is submerged by plastic. And researchers found plastic in human blood, too!
Therefore, recycling is not sufficient to solve the plastic waste issue. It’s clear!

The solution? Governments should put an end to plastic production.

Life in plastic? Read More »