COMM 484 Weekly Blogs

Menstrual health and education are extremely important to people who menstruate. Yet, there seems to be a severe gap in menstrual education not only in understanding the impact that periods can have on those who grow through it on a monthly basis but also in the impact menstruation can have on the environment. This facet of menstrual education is something I was recently introduced and yet I am grappling with the lack of awareness regarding sustainability and menstrual cycles. 

According to an article on Global News, 90% of menstrual pads are made of plastic and almost all tampons contain plastic. The issue with having a high level of plastic in hygiene products means that they cannot be reused and end up collecting in landfills and even sewage systems. Apart from the post-use impact of hygiene products, manufacturing period products also contribute a significant amount of carbon to already dangerously high carbon emissions (Collie, 2020).

However, all hope is not lost. Recently, there has been an increase in the use of more sustainable and even reusable period products. According to the article, 59% of people who menstruate either use or are considering sustainable alternatives to traditional menstrual hygiene products. From my own knowledge, August is a sustainable menstrual hygiene company. By using organic cotton, the company does their part in reducing carbon emissions. Some of their period products also fully dissolve in water- solving the issue of menstrual waste. However, there is an issue of affordability; upon comparing the prices of 18 tampons from August vs. at Walmart there is a $15 difference between the two (Walmart being cheaper). If we consider those who are in a lower socio-economic class, there is a big problem of accessibility, where even if they want to move into sustainable menstrual hygiene they simply cannot afford to. 

There are also other alternatives. Menstrual and diva cups are reusable menstrual hygiene products. As they are made of medical-grade silicone, the sterilization process simply consists of boiling the cup after use making this product convenient and accessible in terms of cost as well. However, it does consider those who have faced sexual trauma or even those susceptible to Toxic Shock Syndrome making it difficult to use these products.

Sustainable Menstrual Product Alternative

In short, there are definitely alternatives to traditional and non-sustainable period products but in my view, those products do not consider the diversity of people who menstruate in terms of income and lifestyle and thus alienate certain groups. While it is great that such sustainable products exist, governments need to work with retailers and producers to make them more accessible and affordable to ensure that both people and the environment are cared for. 

 

References:

 Collie, M. (2020, February 23). Pads and tampons can harm the environment. what’s the alternative? Global News.
  Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://globalnews.ca/news/6535090/pads-tampons-climate-change/

 

The FIFA World Cup was a welcomed event after the COVID-19 pandemic. Personally, it seemed as though I could not focus on anything but the games and even though my team lost, I had a great time watching the matches. This particular World Cup was marred with a number of controversies. Most of it was surrounding the human rights violation within the country- in terms of workers involved in building the stadium.

According to a BBC article, FIFA claimed that the 2022 World Cup was carbon neutral, a statement that is untrue and falls under the reign of greenwashing. In 2010, FIFA announced Qatar as the host country which confused a number of people. The World Cup is usually held in the summer months but considering that temperatures in Qatar can often rise above 45°C in the summer it would be dangerous for players and spectators. Secondly, Qatar did not have the infrastructure to host a global football (for the purpose of this blog I will use football for soccer) event. An estimated 9 new stadiums had to be built in the small city of Doha in the space of 10-12 years for which there was simply no space (Lockwood, 2023).

Due to space concerns , Qatar developed a new city (Lusail) to house stadiums. It seems bizarre to me that for an event that lasts about a month, a new city had to be developed which inevitably produced a significant amount of pollution in an extremely short time frame. Not only that but because of the lack of labour, Qatar brought in migrant workers from countries like India and Nepal who were housed in extremely poor conditions with little to no pay. In hindsight, Qatar seemed like the least prepared host country at the time of its ‘election’.

Lusail Stadium

https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a41993731/2022-fifa-world-cup-stadiums-in-qatar/

I absolutely love to watch football and I do believe that it is a sport that has the power to bring together strangers but we also have to be mindful of the fact that organizations like FIFA have been given an immense amount of power which they seem to be misusing. There has to be a way to use the game to help the world, which is why I was really thrilled to find that there are teams of footballers who use their talent to speak out against environmental malpractice. We Play Green is a non-profit that uses the power of football to rally people to develop infrastructure that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is a great step which definitely deserves more global support to bring together fans to create a difference through something they love.

 

References:

Lockwood, D. (2023, February 22). Is FIFA’s football expansion putting money before planet? BBC Sport. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64717357

 

Stepping out in Vancouver without seeing at least 5 electric vehicles in 20 minutes is almost impossible. Electric vehicles are now trendy and eco-conscious, so why shouldn’t people have them and get amazon government rebates for the same? However, are electric vehicles truly a green commodity, if so, are there limitations to the same?

In 2021, CNBC published an article stating that EV’s claim of eco-consciousness is complex and has many moving parts. The first moving part is the battery, a regular combustion engine car runs on petrol whose virgin resource is fossil fuels. Fossil fuels we can all agree are detrimental to the environment sending plumes of toxic smoke into the air. The easy alternative to this destruction is cars running on batteries which simply need to be charged via electricity. The batteries in electric vehicles contain lithium, and mining lithium is an extremely energy-intensive procedure; in fact, producing electric vehicles produces more carbon emissions than traditional cars. A second complaint against electric vehicles is the charging process itself. The electric grid in some countries runs on fossil fuels and charging electric vehicles puts a further strain on a grid running on a non-renewable and significantly polluting resource (Choudhury, 2021).

https://www.iea.org/reports/electric-vehicles

Yes, electric vehicles make up for the extra carbon emissions in some way or another but to me, it seems like an endless cycle of trying to correct a wrong. I don’t believe that we can move forward from a ‘net-zero’ goal to a ‘net-positive’ goal unless structural changes are made. Structural changes such as changing what supplies electrical grids using renewable energy or even building systems in place for recycling batteries (a system which currently is extremely weak. 

Electric vehicles are definitely a great alternative to petrol-powered methods of transportation but they are not the best. As the article suggests there’s significant work to be done for this mode of transportation to become a sustainable alternative. We also cannot forget the social and economic aspects of sustainability. The average cost of an electric vehicle is between $32,000 to $160,000 in Canada; even with added discounts and rebates this investment is not viable for certain members of the lower income tax bracket whose concerns are food and shelter (Scotiabank).

The challenge remains how do we make electric vehicles a sustainable venture under all three pillars of sustainability to ensure they are actually helping the world rather than digging a deeper grave for it.

 

References:

Choudhury, S. R. (2021, July 26). Are Electric Cars ‘green’? the answer is yes, but it’s complicated. CNBC. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/lifetime-emissions-of-evs-are-lower-than-gasoline-cars-experts-say.html

https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/advice-plus/features/posts.how-much-does-an-electric-vehicle-cost.html

 

IKEA is a common household name for all things furniture and even stuffed animals. Being such an enormous furniture retailer though, especially using forest resources as their raw materials raises some questions about the sustainable impact of the brand. 

In 2020, IKEA decided to open up a pilot store in Stockholm to dive into retailing recycled furniture. The plan was to get used furniture donated by customers which would then be upcycled and sold below the piece’s initial asking price. This plan supplements IKEA’s circularity goal for 2023- only using renewable or recyclable materials for their products. In theory, IKEA was indeed trying to make a change at the systems level; where they look at reducing emissions and negative externalities with regard to their value-chain and production process. In addition to this step into the world of circular economies, IKEA also picked a mall specializing in recycling and reusing products to be the location for its brand-new store (Ringstrom, 2020). This admittedly is a smart decision by IKEA particularly because it communicates a building relationship with customers who are eco-conscious (for these customers seeing a big brand like IKEA in a mall focusing on recycling and reusing materials builds a positive association).

https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2020/11/04/the-worlds-first-secondhand-ikea-popup-store-opens-in-sweden?assetID=F8E6B9D2-9D94-402B-96F0-B5FB3692752F

However, there could be a catch to this plan. IKEA though affordable has always had a problem with quality. From my personal experience, IKEA furniture does not last as long when compared to its high-quality hardwood furniture counterparts. This obsolescence could be planned or unplanned, but the point remains that it is still pushing people to discard their old furniture to go buy new pieces. It would be difficult to convince some customers that the upcycled pieces are of good quality especially if it is being sold at a price lower than the initial one. Contrary to this argument, it can also be said that even if IKEA pieces have the same obsolescence as their products at least, the old furniture pieces will be recycled and resold rather than sent off to live in a landfill.

I think it is a good first step for IKEA to work towards their sustainability goals as it provides inspiration to other big brands to start thinking about innovative ways to try and implement sustainable practices in their production process. IKEA Second Hand Store is still open and functioning in the ReTuna Recycling Mall in Sweden.

References:

​​Ringstrom, A. (2020, October 29). IKEA opens pilot second-hand store in Sweden. Reuters. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-ikea-second-hand-idUSKBN27E3GO

Greenwashing is taking the world by storm and not in a positive way. Greenwashing is the process by which organizations communicate that they are sustainable but in reality are not. With an increased demand for transparency from the public, a number of companies are facing severe backlash for employing greenwashing tactics in their promotions and company communications. 

HSBC was one such company that recently faced backlash. Apart from promising to work towards reducing carbon emissions and undertake sustainable activities, there has been a growing cry from environmentalists to ask people to consider an organization’s fingerprint. A term brought out by the cleaning company Seventh Generation, it refers to the involvement of their partners with other stakeholders. For example, if an advertising company working with Seventh Generation also works with an unsustainable organization; Seventh Generation to some extent has its fingerprint in the profits of an unsustainable organization, even if they did not know it. In another case, if an organization promises that they are sustainable, yet directly collaborates with other external stakeholders with a negative impact on the environment– they are said to also be greenwashing. 

This was the case for HSBC, in October 2021, bus stops in London and Bristol saw HSBC adverts stating their promise to help their clients achieve the ‘net-zero’ climate dream (reducing carbon emissions to zero). However, the Advertising Standards Authority of the UK (ASA) flagged these posters stating that HSBC’s claims are not fully accurate (Liang, 2022). The big bank has financed a number of organizations that directly contribute to increasing carbon emissions. The issue here was that HSBC was not transparent in where they actually invest their assets (areas where they had their fingerprint in) which in turn reduced the ‘potency’ of their net-zero message; along with sowing distrust in their consumers, as they were flagged for spreading misinformation. This issue was the first of many; shortly after being called out for the misleading advertisements, a senior official stated that climate change and its dangers are far too exaggerated.

HSBC Advertisement in London

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/19/watchdog-bans-hsbc-ads-green-cop26-climate-crisis

In my eyes, greenwashing is often seen mainly in consumer products such as the Volkswagen scandal but it is interesting to look into the service sector and what greenwashing can look like on their part. This is particularly important so that we are able to efficiently identify when as consumers, we are not being given the complete picture.

 

References:

Liang, A. (2022, October 19). HSBC Climate Change Adverts banned by UK watchdog. BBC News. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63309878

While analyzing sustainability and debating the differences between sustainable practices in countries across the globe, I cannot help but wonder about the sustainable practices of different cultures that are not seen first-hand but rather play out behind the scenes. Particularly, the practices of Indigenous communities and native communities of the East.

Indigenous communities have had a special relationship with nature since time immemorial. The practices of these communities must have promoted a closed-loop economy for nature to have thrived the way it has for centuries before the onset of colonization and the Industrial Revolution.

Indigenous communities have often performed regenerative farming. Rather than leeching the nutrients from the soil, regenerative farming promotes the proper distribution of energy and actually reduces the carbon emissions emitted during the process of farming (Viswanatha, 2021).

Other than farming practices of Indigenous communities, communities in the East also have histories of sustainable practices which have found their way into contemporary life. There can be many reasons attributed to the inclusion of such sustainable practices; particularly a variable like purchasing power. For those communities, who cannot afford new products all the time nor can they afford sustainable products retailed at a price premium; simple “homemade” sustainable products are their best bet.

India is the second-largest cotton producer in the world which is already an extremely sustainable textile. Interestingly, India is a pioneer in recycling and reusing old clothes and garments. Old saris and ‘kurtas’ are often restitched and repurposed to become long-lasting bags used for a variety of things (Ketki, 2021).

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/from-a-saree-to-a-bag-recyclart–333125703679550057/

It is interesting to consider what would happen if these common practices found their way to the West and whether there would be an increased price point on these items as there so often is. In any case, “developing” nations have their own way of sustaining nature which often gets swept under the rug and I think we would all fare better if we adopted these practices to fit the Western environmental, social and economical context as well.

References:

Viswanathan, L. (2021, August 3). How indigenous sustainable farming practices mitigate the impacts of climate change. Indigenous Climate Hub. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://indigenousclimatehub.ca/2021/08/how-indigenous-sustainable-farming-practices-mitigate-the-impacts-of-climate-change/

Ketki. (2021, December 27). Sustainability Lessons from traditional Indian practices. Curiosity Saves the Planet. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://curiositysavestheplanet.com/sustainable-lessons-from-india-intro/

Living a sustainable life is the objective for many of us, especially if we are to manage our resources for generations to come. However, while we all endeavour to reach this goal, we have to ask, is a truly sustainable lifestyle possible for everyone? 

It is a well-known fact that eco-friendly products cost more than those that are not. For example, a fleece jacket from Patagonia, a brand known for its economic endeavours costs $189 whereas a fleece jacket from Amazon costs $30. To answer the question of whether a sustainable life is possible for everyone we need to look at why it might not be possible (Copelli, 2020).

According to StatCan, historically women have received the raw end of the deal when it comes to financial security. Women’s financial security is often tied to relationships developed with men, especially in the context of families. Women also have consistently been earning less than their male counterparts. Coupled with the extreme financial vulnerability which comes with a divorce or single motherhood; there is no doubt that at times certain populations need to forgo a sustainable purchase option for a more accessible one (Fox & Moyser, 2018).

While making a purchase decision, often there are three spheres to think about: 

• Safety
• Accessibility 
• Sustainability

One has to consider how safe a sustainable choice is for oneself and any other dependents, and how accessible a product is in terms of affordability as well as for the disabled population. Finally, if the product is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable must be considered as well.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-relationship-between-safety-accessibility-and-sustainability_fig2_318239665

With certain populations at a disadvantage in terms of purchasing power, we cannot necessarily ‘ostracize’ those who cannot buy sustainable products; especially because they are often priced at a premium compared to other non-sustainable products. Instead, I believe the brunt of change on a macro level lies in the hands of corporations and governments to make changes. Governments hold the power to make legal changes and incentivize innovation and sustainable operations and help drive down costs as a whole so that choosing sustainable products does not become a difficult one.

 

References:

Copelli, F. (2020, June 26). The accessibility of Sustainability. Medium. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from  https://medium.com/wherefrom/the-accessibility-of-sustainability-9221fd3d7843

Fox, D., & Moyser, M. (2018, May 16). Women in Canada: A Gender Based Statistical Report . The Economic Well-being of Women in Canada. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/54930-eng.htm

Sustainability is taking the world by storm and for good reason especially when we are producing far more than we actually need; talking about sustainability is not a bad thing. However, the question remains: can we be truly sustainable if we ignore certain classes of people? 

Shein, a fast fashion company estimated to have made around $10 billion in revenue in 2020 is an affordable and size-inclusive clothing brand shipping articles of clothing from China (Testa, 2022). See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/style/shein-clothing.htm for a full profile on Shein. With a single t-shirt costing around $10, it is an easy alternative to expensive outlets such as Zara. However, are we paying the true cost of that t-shirt? It seems unimaginable that a shirt being shipped to Canada from China only costs $15 including shipping. 

According to Cachon and Swinney, fast fashion has two components: a short lead time (it takes the company no time at all to match supply to demand) and a trendy catalogue (Cachon and Swinney, 2011). Today, the overload of information makes us more aware of the world we live in but it also reduces our capacity to critically engage with this information. Trends become obsolete in a matter of weeks; Shein has capitalized on that climate by providing an online platform for easy and quick shopping.

We have to ask who is bearing the brunt of these trends. When we as consumers see changing trends, all we have to do is click a few buttons and order new clothes, but who is making our clothes? Shein, time and time again has been under trial for unfair labour practices. According to an article by CNN, a documentary from BBC4 discovers that workers are expected to work 12 to 13 hours a day often with no concrete schedule for off-days (Liu, 2022). 

Shein workshops in China (https://fashionmagazine.com/style/shein-violates-labour-laws/)

In a changing world where we are identifying ourselves not only as consumers but as global citizens, there is an onus on us to care about what we buy and who we buy it from. This is not to attach those who cannot afford clothes from Zara or Aritzia every time the trends change not only because of money but also because historically big name brands do not cater to plus sized people. It is instead a commentary on those who do “hauls” from Shein for over $500 on any given shopping trip. Can we truly justify spending so much money on clothes made by people who are earning a fractional amount of what we pay for them especially when we should be striving towards sustainable practices?

References:

Testa, J. (2022, September 1). The People’s Republic of Shein. The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/style/shein-clothing.html

Cachon, G. P., & Swinney, R. (2011). The Value of Fast Fashion: Quick Response, Enhanced Design, and Strategic Consumer Behavior. Management Science, 57(4), 778–795. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25835736

Liu, J. (2022, December 6). Shein tells suppliers to end long working days at factories by end of the month | CNN business. CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/06/business/china-shein-labor-conditions-investment-hnk-intl/index.html