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| Image: The Sun |
We
are living in the age of contradiction. On one hand, we abhor violence and on
the other, we continue to discriminate. On one hand, there is a growing sense
of environmental responsibility and on the other, we continue to ravage
and exploit the planet in umpteen ways.
The Trump administration's decision to loosen
restrictions around the import of elephant trophies from
Zimbabwe and Zambia has stirred a hornet's nest.
Reminds me of Cecil the Lion, an
interesting subject for introspection on defining such polarities.
There was a global backlash on the merciless slaughter of Zimbabwe's
favourite lion by an American dentist and part-time game hunter
..and there was also a wholehearted support for him especially in the
light of Mia Farrow's tweet disclosing his business address to the haters
at large in addition to people citing legitimacy of his barbaric actions
while game hunting.
The Chanel head designer (who also heads up
Fendi and his own eponymous label) vehemently supports the fur industry
justifying his supporting the growth of the trade in saving jobs of
people engaged in it since he believes they cannot do any other job besides
slaughtering!
Then
we have trailblazers like Jane Birkin, Hermès’ Birkin's eponymous
muse who wanted her name struck-off of the crocodile-skin version of
the bag; Stella McCartney for bringing eco-cool to the
luxury bandwagon with her environmentally sustainable and ethical clothing line
although her brand which is part of The Kering Group holds many brands
under its umbrella that do not conform to eco-fashion standards that she
identifies with.
There
are a lot more pro-planet initiatives across the globe; hand-made, sustainable
fashion; causes and hashtags on animal cruelty, fair trade, organic
farming and sensitive subjects like the child and cheap labour in the
third world nations. While we are also seeing massive amount of
plastic, hazardous material and trash accumulating in our oceans; The
carbon footprint is growing despite a gradual transition to the Green and
Clean.
Hand-made
has a strong historical reference. The old world loved
hand-crafted products and history is a testimonial to the fact
that craftsmanship was a dominant force sans waste,
over-consumption and mass-consumerism. Man-made on the other hand
also reflect on how we can increase our eco-conscious and socially
empathetic imprint.
Jim
Thompson revitalized a cottage industry of hand-woven silk and transformed Thai
Silk into a world-renowned luxury brand using sustainability methods and best
labour practices... Gandhi popularized khadi and for a long time, Khadi was a
Gandhian legacy, a movement that propagated the use of hand-made with khadi.
Khadi was never actually revered as the fabric of choice by the fashion
conscious. But now handloom - khadi, jute, wool, organic cotton and silk
(obtained by natural processes and non-violently) and coloured by vegetable and
herbal dyes are being used even though sparingly by designer labels and also
have found a small niche in the market amongst the fashion elite of the world.
Polarities exist socio-political context too. While
many world leaders, chief executives and investors commit more
funding to slow climate change and
governments crusade for the green and clean energy, We also have heads
of state, who can't differentiate between
weather and climate and continue to change policies in their respective countries
that aren't climate friendly.
Denmark has far surpassed its energy needs just
through renewable wind energy, Germany
continues to have a greater share of renewable energy(solar,
wind, hydro and biomass plants) every year, while
parts of the world remain heavily dependent on depleting oil & gas
reserves and few other countries struggle to even provide
basic energy utilities to their citizens.
The
world’s divided between people who want to protect and
people who want to hunt. There seems to this constant contradiction in the
world today where everyone seems to be pitted against the other. In
the light of these polarities, we are experiencing a heightened extremism
in the guise of remaining newsworthy but becoming less and less relevant.
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Nearly every CEO says they want to use their business to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, but only 17% say they’re actually doing it.
- Read more @ Fastcompany
Humans
are abundant but endangered species and environmental resources aren't.
Economic productivity and growth operate on the logic of demand and
supply! So the supply of resources largely depends on us as we as consumers
decide the cycle and extent of consumption.
Up-cycling,
trashion or zero-waste are the terms widely used for
recycling and involves using processes that creatively and
effectively use existing resources. The Higg Index standard is
increasingly being used to assess environmental and social
responsibility throughout the lifetime of creating a product from the
start to the end of the production cycle. There are other reference tools
available today as well like Eco Index, Nike’s Apparel Environmental
Design Tool, and Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP) that can help in
aligning industries in achieving sustainability.
More on this sentiment as perpetuated by Nike:
Companies need to view sustainability as an opportunity to innovate.
More on this sentiment as perpetuated by Nike:
Why Nike Sees Social Responsibility As An Opportunity To Innovate
We can support projects that contribute to minimizing the environmental impact of industry and society, and that makes it easier for companies we buy from to make informed decisions when it comes to sustainability.
Before our intellectual dogmatism invades our future prospects, It’s time for a collective call on making a positive environmental impact, supporting at large the Green Industry – truly, the industry of Now!
-Amit Anand
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