By Divyana Das
With the increasing awareness regarding social, economic, political and environmental issues people and companies around the world are changing their age-old policies. As man would have it, even sustainability has become a capitalistic domain. Buy this to reduce this. Use this to replace that. Instead of utilising what we have to its fullest potential, there is this unnecessary need of more things created in our lives. Yet, despite this apparent aggravation in consumer trends, we cannot ignore the actual efforts of several parties in searching for and coming up with sustainable solutions.
If you were to scroll through instagram today you would be able to clearly see the large number of social influencers still guiltlessly promoting fast fashion brands. Brands which are known to promote unsustainable consumer behavior as well as being notorious for not following ethical production standards. Existing in sharp contrast, you will also notice that over the pandemic a large number of small businesses dealing in thrift shopping and upcycled/recycled clothes have come up. There are several small businesses that offer hand-made products that are produced and created sustainably. These small businesses promote healthier, eco-friendly substitutions to mass-produced commercial products which are not as eco-friendly. Within one single social network you can see two extremely opposite trends existing. The difference, or if I may say so, similarity exists in the consumer's own choices. Even if they opt for the sustainable option of thrifting their clothes, if they are purchasing beyond their need the effect is the complete opposite. The same contradiction has existed for commercial products for years now and that’s where the problem began.
Going back to commercial multinational companies, we cannot deny that they are one of the biggest contributors and instigators for global waste creation. Yet, in 2021 we also cannot deny that several brands are taking on sustainable solutions that are actually showing results. Nowadays, companies make it a point to include sustainable projects in their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) campaigns. Starting from packaging to raw materials, companies are slowly revamping their production processes. The reason for such a change is simple - consumers. Many people have come out of their passive buying habits and have become conscious about their purchases. What they are buying, where they are buying from, how their purchases are produced; people care a lot about these things today and they should. It is only when we are making informed purchases and are advocating against unsustainable and unethical practices can we change the way the socio-economic market behaves. It can be direct involvement like writing reviews, doing surveys, protesting, spreading awareness or it can be indirect like refusing to purchase from particular brands and making informed purchases.
So, is sustainability a Pop-Culture fad?
The answer is - Not yet.
Sustainability for many is just another click-bait method to gain more popularity in a social standing. For many it is a very important matter of concern. Like several things being churned around in the public domain, sustainability can also turn into a simple trend eventually left to be forgotten once it reaches its shelf-life. We must make sure that we all understand that it is not something with an expiry date. Sustainability is a way of life, one that we should and must adopt moving forward.
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