Sustainability is Sassy!

Sunday afternoon, with no concrete plans my Husband and I had entire evening to ourselves.

We started talking casually and somehow we landed on my favorite topic! Sustainability and how climate change is the resultant of our ill choices. I was telling him about how post Industrialization Green-house-gas emissions and Carbon foot prints sky rocketed. "In my opinion 'SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE' is the way forward" I told him, to which he cringed his face and commented "Your Sustainability theory is a rip-off!" I was shocked.. where was this perception coming from? Of all things adopting Sustainable life style is turning out to be 'expensive'!

I started reading about it and it was hard to believe, but there are questions around Sustainable products being expensive and high maintenance life-style. In the name of "Organic", "Man-made/Hand-made", "Sustainable", "eco-friendly", etc.. products are sold at a premium as if it is an additional feature. Is Sustainability new Sassy?

Whereas the fact is natural resource is the gift to us, how did we end up making it so rare to find, for it to be sold at such 'premium'? This is nothing else but another deceptive marketing practice, "Greenwashing".

"Greenwashing" involves misleading advertising or branding that creates the illusion of environmental responsibility without actually implementing meaningful sustainable practices.

It can take various forms, including:

1. Misleading labels: Companies may use eco-friendly imagery or labels on their products or packaging that imply environmental benefits when, in reality, the product or company may have only made minimal or no efforts to reduce their environmental impact.

2. Exaggerated claims: Some companies may make exaggerated or vague claims about their environmental efforts without providing specific evidence or transparent data to back up these assertions.

3. Cherry-picking information: Greenwashing can involve highlighting one or a few environmentally friendly aspects of a product or business while ignoring or downplaying less eco-friendly aspects. This selective presentation can create a false impression of overall sustainability.

4. Diverting attention: Companies might use green marketing to distract consumers from larger environmental issues or controversies surrounding their practices in other areas.

5. Empty symbolism: Some organizations may engage in symbolic gestures or token environmental efforts that have little real impact on their overall environmental footprint.

Bigger question is how do we differentiate? ""Teja mein hoon, MARK idhar hai!" ;)

Greenwashing is a concern because it can mislead consumers who genuinely want to support environmentally responsible products and companies. To combat greenwashing, consumers should be critical and look for

• credible certifications,

• transparency in sustainability reporting, and

• verifiable evidence of a company's environmental initiatives.

• Regulatory bodies in some countries also monitor and take action against false or misleading environmental claims to protect consumers and promote genuine sustainability efforts.

Our effort is to bring as much as clarity and burst all possible misleading myths about Sustainability and Greenwashing. We intend to curate Sustainable solutions to make #AllThingSustainable natural way of life, the way it was meant to be.