I Don’t Think “Sustainability” Means What You Think it Means

Businesses are scrambling to earn your business. As consumers place more importance on environmental causes, corporations will adopt the latest relevant buzzwords including “sustainability”, “renewable”, “green”, and “eco-friendly”, just to name a few.

The problem is, a word like “sustainable” can get easily hijacked by those who want to align the word with their business, instead of the other way around. When businesses try to push the eco-conscious talk without the eco-conscious walk, this is commonly known as “greenwashing”.

But the truth of the matter is, this eco stuff is complicated. Although some businesses may greenwash their narrative on purpose, I believe others do it unintentionally.

The “environment” consists of complex biospheres and chain reactions delicately balanced by Mother Nature herself. Claiming a product is “sustainable” or “green” is an oversimplification of a very complex issue.

A beauty company that incorporates recycled plastic into its products is not saving the world, they are just making their product marginally better. Yes, these small improvements are technically better, but they aren’t going to save the world. However, they are marketed that way. Why? Because it makes you feel like you are making a difference.