Without belittling the mess we’re seeing around the world today, times are pretty tough back home in the UK too. Wage stagnation, political unrest, climate anxiety, an ongoing war in Eastern Europe, and the recent hike in inflation are collectively making 2022 a contender for the “Worst Year of the Decade” award.
Chief among these challenges, sits the niggling desire to balance our way of life with a desire to do better for our planet. With the cost of living reaping chaos across households up and down the country, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for many to prioritise long-term necessities over short-term comforts.
I want to start by breaking this down a little as there are some fundamental areas that impact such decisions and shouldn’t be taken lightly:
Cost It may not be the most popular thing amongst climate activists, but the truth is that living a truly ‘sustainable’ life can be expensive. More often than not, a sustainable t-shirt costs around three times as much as one bought from a regular high street brand. The reality is that clothing should be expensive to purchase, however we’ve shifted away from the true ‘cost’ of making quality products in favour of cheaper alternatives that instead have a cost on the planet and environment we live in.
Greenwashing Whilst mainstream recognition of a need for greater sustainable practices is a good thing, many companies are jumping on the bandwagon and claiming to be ‘sustainable’ in fear of losing customers or missing out on a hot consumer trend. However, in truth, many don’t have the true visibility into their supply chains to be able to back up the claim—as we regularly see with fashion brands getting caught operating factories with poor labour conditions. This has given rise to the term ‘greenwashing’ to highlight that companies who talk the talk don’t always walk the walk.
Accessibility Despite a push towards creating greener, more sustainable brands, there are many communities even in the UK who don’t equal access to others—most notably in the north-south divide. Living sustainably (at least in the UK) is a privilege that is normally reserved for the white, educated middle class. Of course there are exceptions, but in terms of demographics, there are many marginalised communities that aren’t catered for in this respect—another thing that is in desperate need of being addressed politically and socially. Despite this reality, we’re not here to simply highlight the bad stuff and focus on the doom and gloom when there are ample positive ways we can all change our lifestyle to live affordably and sustainably. Here are just a few on the Ubuntu list.
Firstly, societally we need to address the notion of perfectionism when it comes to sustainability. We recently attended the Festival of Sustainable Business (check out our write up here) held in Bristol, and heard from a range of sustainable business owners and organisations at various stages of their journey. One brand who particularly stood out was Meera Pandya, founder of ethical kids clothing brand MojaKid, who cautioned attendees to lower the bar both in their personal and professional lives. She suggested looking at sustainability as a goal, with small incremental steps building upwards.
For example, if you can’t afford sustainable clothing you could:
For those who don’t have access to more sustainable foods, there are a wealth of options side from the more extreme plant-based-only or organic diets:
When it comes to knowing which companies are truly sustainable or not, things can get tricky. As we mentioned earlier, greenwashing is rife, and cutting through the BS can be hard.
We know becoming truly 100% sustainable is difficult (if not impossible), but there are always things we can do as we learn and grow. For the record, we completely understand that people have varying situations and circumstances, and sometimes there truly are few (if any) options available. But as Meera advised, start small, and you never know where you may end up.
We’re not your average, run-of-the-mill creative agency. We were founded and built on a passion for helping companies do better - for themselves, for people, and for the planet.
We appreciate that all life on earth is under threat, so we’re using the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it. Reducing the negative impact on people and the planet.
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