Zero waste lifestyle makes the world greener

Climate change, landfills full of plastic waste, forest fires, the decline of animal species, even if you're a relatively casual follower of environmental news, you've no doubt noticed that there's no shortage of worrying stories lately. As scientific research continues to reveal the negative environmental impact of humans and plastic on the planet, the dire consequences will become increasingly apparent if we don't find a way to make our way of life more sustainable. Unfortunately, most sustainability news tends to focus on the environmental impact of plastic and the dangers of climate change. They offer relatively limited advice on what you can do to live a more sustainable and green lifestyle and reduce your carbon footprint.

However, what is clear is that, as human beings, we must take drastic measures to address the sustainability of our current way of life. While many solutions exist at the corporate, local, state, and federal levels to prevent toxic runoff and reduce emissions and the use of fossil fuels and plastics, the efforts cannot stop there. Instead, individual citizens like you should take action that you can take to address your personal sustainability concerns; For most, this process involves taking an honest look at the product sustainability of the items you use every day, and the plastic and other waste they produce.

Why is personalized attention to sustainable products so important?

Of course, on a planet of over 7 billion people, reducing the amount of plastic for one person, or even one family, seems relatively inconsequential. However, even if you think that switching from plastic to sustainable products is like changing a single grain of sand on an entire beach, consider the collective impact of millions and billions of grains of sand. Just as the movement of a single grain of sand can ultimately change the shape of an entire coastline, with dramatic impacts on land and sea, individual eco-product choices can collectively help repair the damage plastic has caused. in our environment and prevent more. the damage occurs in the future.

Additionally, the trend toward more sustainable products by individuals, households, and regions may influence companies that produce the products we use every day to act more responsibly. The motivation to replace plastic with recycled and eco-friendly raw materials is at its highest when more than half of the population consider themselves eco-friendly and express interest in sustainable products and companies that produce sustainable products. When looking for eco-labels that indicate green products, buying sustainable products for everyday use, and products and companies that avoid plastic and high-waste production processes, focusing on personal sustainability can have a much bigger impact than you might think.

What is a sustainable product?

Promoting the use of sustainable products is all very well, but it can be difficult to take steps toward a green or sustainable lifestyle if you don't understand any of the details that make the products you choose sustainable. Worse yet, the word "sustainable" can have different meanings depending on who you ask. For example, a company that used to produce products in single-use plastic packaging can call itself "more sustainable" as long as it makes at least some effort to switch to recycled plastic; however, this does not mean that their products are inherently sustainable. .

For a product to be truly sustainable, its production and use must not be harmful to the planet or its inhabitants, so its existence is beneficial for humans and sustainable for the environment. Unfortunately, most of the products that consumers use on a daily basis are not sustainable because they cause some kind of harm to the environment, deplete one of our non-renewable resources, or even directly harm humans or wildlife.

How to know if a product is sustainable

Characteristics of sustainable products

So what is a sustainable product? In general, a sustainable product will have the following characteristics:

This product is made from renewable resources. Sustainable products use renewable resources, unlike non-renewable raw materials such as fossil fuels and other minerals, which are finite and run out over time. These renewable resources can be replenished and used to make more products in a reasonable amount of time. Common renewable resources used forTo produce sustainable products include solar power, hydropower, and renewable biodiesel.

This product is manufactured ethically and responsibly. Companies that make sustainable products must also ensure that their products are sourced, developed, and produced in a responsible manner. For example, truly sustainable companies have safeguards in place to protect the health and well-being of their employees and to minimize the impact of their facilities on local flora, fauna and populations. In addition, sustainable companies take steps to ensure workforce diversity, fair wages, and fair labor standards.

The product does not harm humans or the surrounding ecosystem. Perhaps most importantly, regarding the above two characteristics, sustainable products do not harm the earth or its inhabitants in any way. Sustainable products employ sustainable practices and generate relatively little waste during production compared to other products. Additionally, these eco-friendly products use sustainable packaging that can be thrown away, reused or recycled without increasing the amount of waste we end up in landfills.

What is sustainable development and why is it important?

As we already mentioned, sustainability is more than creating products from renewable resources or producing products that can be recycled at the end of their life cycle. Instead, it must be ensured that a product, from conception through production, distribution and use, to the end of the product's life cycle, does not cause harm to the environment, animals or the people who use and produce it. This focus on sustainability is intended to have a positive impact on the environment, the societies that produce and use products, and the overall economic outcome for all involved.

The process of ensuring sustainable development involves conducting a life cycle assessment of a product, process or other element of economic development and ensuring that it protects the environment and safeguards the welfare of the people, plants and animals involved. The key components of sustainable development include special attention to three important issues:

Is the action environmentally sustainable? Any action taken must not harm the environment. In terms of sustainable products, as mentioned above, sustainable product design and sustainable product development aim to use renewable resources, minimize the use of fossil fuels, and generate very little waste during production and use. An example of an environmentally sustainable product feature is recyclable or reusable packaging instead of single-use plastic.

Is the action socially sustainable? Any action taken must help individuals, communities and societies to achieve a positive movement to improve the quality of life. Regarding the sustainable development of products, companies must ensure safe conditions, equal employment, etc., to ensure that production and use do not harm anyone or groups of people. A common example of socially sustainable product development is reducing reliance on harsh chemicals or dangerous conditions during production.

Is the action economically sustainable? Any action taken must focus on providing people with equal opportunities for economic growth at all stages of the process without sacrificing environmental health. For sustainable products, this means that product production contributes to economic growth for all and a fair distribution of wages and rewards to people at all stages of production. A prominent example of economic sustainability is the move to fair trade coffee (and other fair trade products), which adheres to international economic standards and creates trade partnerships that ensure adequate compensation for the farmers responsible for producing the world's coffee.

What are the greenest products and services? How do you identify them?

In a recent consumer survey, 37% of adults said they actively search for green products and believe they care about sustainability when buying consumer goods. A higher proportion (45%) of the world's largest consumer group (ages 18-34) say that a product's sustainability is "extremely important" when making a purchase decision. Perhaps most importantly, these people are willing to pay up to 5% to make sure the products they choose are sustainable.

As a result, it has become a common marketing strategy to label products