what is sustainability? (and why is it important?)

There’s a chance you’ve seen the word sustainable or sustainability around whether that’s on packaging, related to food or a companies’ policy. But what is sustainability and why is it important?

what is sustainability?

According to dictionary.com sustainability is defined as “the quality of being able to continue over a period of time”.  In the context of this blog think of it as the longevity of the items/products we buy and consume. 

There’s three subcategories of sustainability (known as the three pillars of sustainability), which are economic, social and environmental. You’ll notice these three pillars are often intertwined within one another. It’s often hard to give a distinctive definition for each term, but can be generally defined as below. 

economic sustainability

Economic sustainability is all about long term economic growth (think money and consumption of goods and services), without negatively impacting the social and environmental aspects of our community.

examples of economic sustainability

• supporting local (small) businesses
• donating to good causes
• buying from local op shops (second hand stores)

social sustainability

Think of social sustainability as being able to sustain social justice, without negatively impacting the economic and environmental aspects of our community too. 

examples of social sustainability

• support brands that pay their workers liveable wages
• only buy from brands that are cruelty free
• support local (small) businesses

environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability refers to the longevity of our environment (aka our beautiful planet we call home; Earth). We do this without impacting the economic and social aspects of our community as well. Notice a theme appearing?

examples of environmental sustainability

• buy from local op shops (second hand stores)
• say no to single use plastic
• bring your own reusable bags

Many of the examples go hand in hand. Often when making one sustainable lifestyle change whether that be for environmental, social or economic reasons, the change will likely have an impact on all three pillars. 

why is sustainability important?

Now you have a basic understanding of what sustainability is, we’ll move on to why it’s important, especially now. There’s a lot of talk about textile waste, plastics, microplastics, liveable wages and working conditions, and having a liveable earth for many generations to come, for example. These very issues, which cover all three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) are why sustainability is SO important right now.

I believe there’s no better time than the present to make small changes for a better future. One change today is one step toward a more sustainable future, and that is important. 

Let’s get started on your sustainable swaps journey today!