12 December 2016
I’ve just launched a new sustainable lifestyle magazine called pebble that responds to the growing desire of consumers to live a more conscious or more responsible life. But what does being ‘sustainable’ really mean for businesses?
Being sustainable nowadays isn’t a green, tree-hugging goal, it’s a way of making sure businesses and brands put purpose before profit and in doing so retain their consumers for years to come. It’s become a short hand term for living within our means, replacing resources and using new technology to develop alternatives that ideally come with no waste. A circular economy (i.e. one with no waste) is the goal for many trying to divert our wasteful world onto a kinder, lighter course.
Sustainability can come in many guises. At pebble we cover food, fashion, travel and tech with features on everything from chefs who run zero waste restaurants to a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees. For us, being sustainable isn’t about stopping doing the things you love but about making responsible choices that heal rather than harm the planet. We also recognise that it is impossible to be perfect, but doing what you can does make a difference.
If that still leaves you scratching your head, consider this, a recent Deloitte report states that a quarter of millennials surveyed this year judge business success on their ethics and positive impact on the world, not their balance sheet. They prioritise working for a company that makes a difference and doesn’t harm the environment or communities (and would even take a pay cut to do so) and will pay more for organic or ethically made goods. If businesses want to attract millennials, they need to measure up sustainably.
The younger generation does seem more in tune to being naturally sustainable, just as they navigate the pitfalls of social media or embrace the barrage of new technology more seamlessly than the older generations. But creating a more positive relationship between the economy and the environment shouldn’t be down to one generation. We all have to think more carefully about the power we have as consumers to change the world. Sustainability? It means securing a future for all of us.
© Opinion 2016
I’ve just launched a new sustainable lifestyle magazine called pebble that responds to the growing desire of consumers to live a more conscious or more responsible life. But what does being ‘sustainable’ really mean for businesses?
Being sustainable nowadays isn’t a green, tree-hugging goal, it’s a way of making sure businesses and brands put purpose before profit and in doing so retain their consumers for years to come. It’s become a short hand term for living within our means, replacing resources and using new technology to develop alternatives that ideally come with no waste. A circular economy (i.e. one with no waste) is the goal for many trying to divert our wasteful world onto a kinder, lighter course.
Sustainability can come in many guises. At pebble we cover food, fashion, travel and tech with features on everything from chefs who run zero waste restaurants to a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees. For us, being sustainable isn’t about stopping doing the things you love but about making responsible choices that heal rather than harm the planet. We also recognise that it is impossible to be perfect, but doing what you can does make a difference.
If that still leaves you scratching your head, consider this, a recent Deloitte report states that a quarter of millennials surveyed this year judge business success on their ethics and positive impact on the world, not their balance sheet. They prioritise working for a company that makes a difference and doesn’t harm the environment or communities (and would even take a pay cut to do so) and will pay more for organic or ethically made goods. If businesses want to attract millennials, they need to measure up sustainably.
The younger generation does seem more in tune to being naturally sustainable, just as they navigate the pitfalls of social media or embrace the barrage of new technology more seamlessly than the older generations. But creating a more positive relationship between the economy and the environment shouldn’t be down to one generation. We all have to think more carefully about the power we have as consumers to change the world. Sustainability? It means securing a future for all of us.
© Opinion 2016
