“We're never going to scare people into living more sustainably! We have to be able to demonstrate just how dynamic and aspirational such a world could be” - Jonathon Porritt ('The World We Made', 2013)
Ever wondered why it’s so tough to distinguish between fashion and style? The answer is simple; people follow fashion till it’s overused and eventually dies. Whereas style, it’s about creativity, about making something distinctive. Fashion has a timeframe, but style is omnipresent. The 21st century is an era of followers who are unaware of the potential they possess of becoming a leader through their creativity. To give you a simple example; buying 10 cents a plastic bag, 10 times in a month and collecting it seems more convenient and comfortable to go with the flow to most people then buying $1 reusable bag. Wearing denim made of synthetic fibers is in fashion, but wearing denim with fibers made from recyclable plastic is creativity (style). Sometimes creative, sustainable products are not promoted in the way an unsustainable products are developed with a little touch of greenwashing. Market researchers are aware of the type of customers, their knowledge of products and their target country for profit. A plastic bag is just one example; few others include multilayered chips packet, hazardous aerosols in the form of hair spray, and deodorants.
Ever wondered why it’s so tough to distinguish between fashion and style? The answer is simple; people follow fashion till it’s overused and eventually dies. Whereas style, it’s about creativity, about making something distinctive. Fashion has a timeframe, but style is omnipresent. The 21st century is an era of followers who are unaware of the potential they possess of becoming a leader through their creativity. To give you a simple example; buying 10 cents a plastic bag, 10 times in a month and collecting it seems more convenient and comfortable to go with the flow to most people then buying $1 reusable bag. Wearing denim made of synthetic fibers is in fashion, but wearing denim with fibers made from recyclable plastic is creativity (style). Sometimes creative, sustainable products are not promoted in the way an unsustainable products are developed with a little touch of greenwashing. Market researchers are aware of the type of customers, their knowledge of products and their target country for profit. A plastic bag is just one example; few others include multilayered chips packet, hazardous aerosols in the form of hair spray, and deodorants.
Photo credit: www.fastcoexist.com
The demand we have created in the market for such goods is irrelevant, and usually act as a catalyst for attracting customers with short term thinking approach. E- purchase, a market thriving at present, makes it convenient to buy what we like with just one click. However, the multiple boxes used for packing one single item looks fashionable but it’s not at all creative (stylish). If you think from my point of view, the story is not 100% true, there is a social and economic cost attached to everything. It’s true “profit” is the backbone for every innovation. An idea with benefits to people and planet is incomplete if it has no interest attached to it. Who wants to invest in a business that doesn’t provide any return on investment? Profit often delineates the whole idea of sustainability. The problem is not the product; the problem is consumer awareness. How can we promote sustainability, especially amongst youth, in a way that it sets a style statement and also generates profit required for further development? It is something every industry will have to work on.
The demand we have created in the market for such goods is irrelevant, and usually act as a catalyst for attracting customers with short term thinking approach. E- purchase, a market thriving at present, makes it convenient to buy what we like with just one click. However, the multiple boxes used for packing one single item looks fashionable but it’s not at all creative (stylish). If you think from my point of view, the story is not 100% true, there is a social and economic cost attached to everything. It’s true “profit” is the backbone for every innovation. An idea with benefits to people and planet is incomplete if it has no interest attached to it. Who wants to invest in a business that doesn’t provide any return on investment? Profit often delineates the whole idea of sustainability. The problem is not the product; the problem is consumer awareness. How can we promote sustainability, especially amongst youth, in a way that it sets a style statement and also generates profit required for further development? It is something every industry will have to work on.
Photo credit: www.fastcoexist.com
To promote the sustainable design, and sustainable thinking following areas plays a significant role:
Moral of the story- Support your decision of buying sustainable products and feel pride in describing its benefits to your friends and family. Talk about it even if people don’t ask about it, use it as an icebreaker.We all have marketing skills in us; we just need to use it for right products. Set your style, be an ambassador, promote sustainability.
“Simply doing 'better' environmentally will not stop the unravelling of ecological relationships that we depend on for food and health. Vastly larger changes are needed than we have seen so far “- Robert Engelman, President, Worldwatch Institute in State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?
To promote the sustainable design, and sustainable thinking following areas plays a significant role:
- Target Audience and their location: Every product has a target audience; it can be youth, elders, toddlers, industrial units and so on. Promotion tailored to target audience and their location highlighting the importance of long term thinking by using the sustainable product can do wonder. Consumer giants do follow this trend but lack in transparency while disclosing data. A hairspray ad highlighting the way it sets your hairstyle sounds appealing, but it’s incomplete without any mention of ingredients, sourcing or long term benefits to the customers.
- Responsibility: Every producer has a responsibility towards their customer. A feedback form is not the only option to know how well your product is being accepted in the market. Every customer should be provided right to know about sourcing of the products, and impact on the environment of the ingredients being used.
- Glamour touch: Its high time glamour industry understands the power it posses in changing behavior of consumers. Users follow the brands their celebrity endorsing without even knowing the history and benefits of the products. A perfect example is cosmetics promotion. The celebrity endorsing a sustainable product will have a greater impact in creating the awareness amongst consumers.
- Responsible consumers: We as a responsible consumer have a significant part to play in setting an example for coming generation. I believe, we have the power to promote sustainable design, sustainable product and sustainable thinking as a new style statement.
Moral of the story- Support your decision of buying sustainable products and feel pride in describing its benefits to your friends and family. Talk about it even if people don’t ask about it, use it as an icebreaker.We all have marketing skills in us; we just need to use it for right products. Set your style, be an ambassador, promote sustainability.
“Simply doing 'better' environmentally will not stop the unravelling of ecological relationships that we depend on for food and health. Vastly larger changes are needed than we have seen so far “- Robert Engelman, President, Worldwatch Institute in State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?