Environmental-friendly consumption can be tough work and we constantly face new myths about “sustainable” and what it is to make environmentally-friendly decisions. There’s a lot of helpful information out there building on the three Rs of waste management: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But there’s also a lot of advertising material and misinformation (greenwashing) that doesn’t really help us make better buying decisions.
Do myths matter?
When it comes to acquiring promotional products for your marketing campaigns, making the right decisions becomes even more important. Because now you are making choices on behalf of others. And you are also making choices that will directly impact your brand. Promotional items don’t just send a message because of the logo they carry. The choice of the product, and its impact on the environment will also affect your image. So it is important to know what information is correct. But how do we go about deciphering myths from facts? In this article we’d like to debunk 5 popular myths about “sustainability”.
Myth #1: Luxury items are unsustainable
Luxury products are made from durable materials designed to last longer. Buying items that will last longer is the first step to reducing consumption and waste.
Myth #2: Sustainability is expensive
Making the right product choices can actually turn out to be more cost effective because they will last longer and have a more lasting impact in delivering your message.
Myth #3: Recycling solves everything
Unfortunately recycling does not solve the root causes of waste. So stay away from single-use materials and items that have a shorter lifespan.
Myth #4: Your choices don’t make a difference
It is true that your choices will only have a small impact (unless you are Greta Thunberg). But each of us has the power of influencing others in the choices we make. And ultimately, we create a multiplier effect in all we do. So our choices influence those of our family, our neighbours and our friends. Ultimately even if you feel you are just a small variable in the larger equation, do you want to feel that you are part of the problem, or part of the solution?
Myth #5: “Eco-friendly” materials means sustainable
Unfortunately while some materials might be more be biodegradable than others, this does not mean that they are all equally good for the environment. For instance it takes more than 20,000 liters of water to produce just one kilogram of cotton. But creating a tote bag from recycled cotton for instance involves almost no additional water consumption. This is where understanding where the material came from can make a big difference to the environment.
We can help
Questioning your choices is a good start to making better and more environmentally-friendly decisions. If you feel that it’s too much information to digest reach out to us and we’d be more than happy to guide you.
