Month: April 2016

As opposed to my other blogs that are based on new products, innovative ideas, and regulation topics, I decided to post casually about something that caught my attention. I came across this posting when browsing on Pinterest, and it became a simple and sharable reminder of how to shop ethically. It feels like an engineer’s diagram, but for the everyday person.

Shopping ethically and sustainably has always been a challenge for me. But after this Sustainability Marketing course my view has really changed. It’s not just about what I’m purchasing and the ethical implications of that item, but also about why. I think this diagram is so relatable to everyone that even those with confused or cynical “shades of green” can understand.

Sustainable doesn’t just mean buying eco-friendly products. 

By considering the option to purchase a quality used or new item from Craigslist or eBay can also solve the concern of price/value while fulfilling the purpose of “reusing”. Because of that, it also does very well on the “degree of confidence and compromise” perception matrix where it’s a win-win purchase,

I’ve realized that being a sustainable shopper doesn’t mean I have to compromise with anything immediately, but rather taking the first steps of ethical shopping and transitioning that into sustainable shopping.

Adidas has been on fire since 2015 in the sneaker game. Everyone in town used to rave about the latest Nike’s. But every since Adidas launched its new line of Boost and UltraBoost series and releasing a limited number of each shoe in all stores, it seems impossible to get a pair that suits you. I’m one of those guys. Ever since the launch of the Kanye West Adidas Yeezy Boost 350’s, I’ve been on a streak to get them all. Yeezy 350’s, Tubular X, NMD’s etc.

So when I saw Adidas create a shoe made of…waste from the ocean…I was actually open to the idea of wearing one and thought it was kind of cool, but it’s not for sale. The article here from Huffington Post  talks about the creation of the shoe.The upper shoe is made entirely of yarns and filaments reclaimed from illegal deep-sea gillnets and other ocean waste, while the base is made from sustainable cushioning material.

A spokeswoman for Adidas said, “This is not a plan, this is an action,” she said. “We did this to show what we are capable of doing when we all put our heads together.”

Despite the fact that it’s not for sale, I am intrigued by the actions they are taking here. It is a big step forward in promoting the idea of a sustainable future for shoemakers and apparel makers to use recycled waste. They impact goes beyond the shoe, but rather a lifestyle behaviour and statement that is driven by it – to incorporate sustainability into the very “fabric” of our lives. Even if Adidas doesn’t mass produce this shoe, their steps for adding recycled materials into parts of their shoes is admirable.

In the last few month’s I’ve been paying close attention to picking out organic produce. Being a university student on a budget, I never considered this before. I always thought that I was young, it doesn’t matter that much, and that it’s all the same. I even thought at one point that it was just a “fad” and the cost didn’t justify the benefits of eating organic.

After watching the  “OMG-GMO” documentary on Netflix one day, my view has changed. I’ve since then learned to budget better to enjoy the benefits of less pesticides in my food, fresher produce, and richer nutrients – most of all enjoying the fact that I know what’s going into my body.

What I didn’t consider was that eating organic is not just good for me, but actually great for a sustainable planet as well!

Organic production is currently only 1% of the global agricultural land, and I believe that will be expected to change in decades to come. Environmental benefits of organic production has been proven. Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosion (Science Daily). Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects and microbes as well as genetic diversity.

To my surprise, it is actually more energy efficient and that is because it doesn’t rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. It’s great knowing that my shift towards organic purchase decisions was great for me, but now that I can be assured it’s also good for the planet makes me feel much better about the value of my choices.

So this has been an exciting week in automotive news. Tesla released pre-orders for its highly anticipated Model 3 car. Actual details about the Model 3’s specifications were slim. We learned that it will come with top-rated safety features and supercharging, even for the basic version of the car. We learned that all the Model 3s will come with the hardware necessary for autopilot features. (Although certain autonomous functions will require the customer to buy an upgrade.) And we learned the car will go 215 miles on a single charge at a minimum, and it will get from zero to 60 in “less than six seconds.” (Arstechnica)

What got me interested is that I had a few friends make reservations for the cars, which required a $1,000 deposit. For $35,000, it is incredible that Tesla has been able to make an electric car affordable and attractive. It’s been about 10 years since we first heard Elon Musk announce the dream for electric cars to be available for the masses. Benefits of electric cars has always been centred around the lack of tailpipe emissions and its lower cost to operate and maintain which directly and indirectly affects the environment. It still blows me away that for $35,000, few thousand more than a standard Honda Civic, you can have a Tesla with a 15″ landscape touch screen, and go 0-60 MPH in under 6 seconds while being friendly to the environment.

New Partnerships….?

All this buzz around Tesla’s new Model 3 has made everyone excited, but just today Tesla also announced a new partnership that makes an attempt to highlight what the company is really focused on at its core – innovation – aside from just making cars for profit. We discussed in our recent classes briefly about key partnerships that work together synergistically for social causes. In this case, it looks like Tesla is prepared to work together with Quantas Airlines on their “Future Planet Program”.

“Qantas will become Tesla’s airline of choice in Australia and offset all the car maker’s domestic corporate travel emissions as part of Qantas’ Future Planet Program. Regular meetings will occur between both companies to investigate future opportunities around sustainable transport. Qantas’ Head of Environment and Fuel, Alan Milne, said the collaboration was a meeting of minds.”

“Both our companies are passionate about continuing to push the boundaries of customer service, innovation and sustainability in the transport industry.” (Quantas News Room)

It’s great to see two companies that are transportation giants in their own respective industries partner together where their goals are aligned. Although to many consumers it may seem small, these partnerships and initiatives with the intention of innovating for sustainable ideas will go a long way. If these companies don’t set the example of effective collaboration and lead the way, who will?

EDIBLE CUTLERY 

We’ve talked about edible cutlery briefly in class on our discussions, so I thought it would be interesting to see what all the buzz was about and if it’s actually working. I came upon this Forbes article that highlights BAKEYS, a company based in India by entrepreneur Narayana Peesapaty.

He makes the utensils by blending millet, rice, and wheat flours that are then baked dry. He’s even got flavours!

“Our Edible Cutlery is meant to be eaten after use. If you do not want to eat, simply throw it away. Insects and stray animals will eat them up or they will degrade naturally in less than three days.

These are made of flours. The flours are kneaded with plain water – no additional chemicals and not even preservatives. They are 100% natural and made under strict hygienic conditions.” – Bakey’s

According to their website, the cutlery, which is really just a spoon, will naturally decompose “anywhere between 3 to 7 days if insects, dogs, birds do not eat it”. Other ingredients can also be requested to be mixed into the formula and every spoon is expected to last about 18 months. And if they’re not eaten, they will just decompose.

But as critical thinkers about sustainability marketing, we need to question again if a sustainable initiative or idea has a process behind it truly supportive of the intent? As something like this scales, I wonder if this utensil requires manufacturing of heavy machinery. The processes required for planting and harvest then producing it could use up acres of unsustainable fields, and of course synthetic fertilizers. Is this somehow better for the environment than a utensil that will be used thousands of of times? I do appreciate the progress that’s being made as disposable utensils of one form or another are here to stay.