Urgent Need for Sustainable Products in the Mainstream Market
Added: (Wed Apr 27 2022)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
The recent discovery of microplastics in the human bloodstream has caused global alarm about how tangible the biological impact of unsustainable consumption is. We are so ubiquitously surrounded by harmful materials such as plastics, aluminum, silicone, asbestos, paint fumes, pesticides, etc. that it is hard to imagine a world without them. Yet, it is this abundance of harmful materials in our environment that makes it more dangerous and more imperative for us to consciously switch to cleaner materials now. The reason is two-fold:
A. Harmful materials adversely impact our biological systems. For instance, intake of aluminum is known to cause neurotoxicity and prolonged aluminum intoxication can lead to Alzheimer’s Disease. Similarly, chronic effects of certain pesticides include tumors, birth defects, blood and nerve disorders, and endocrine disruption, to name a few.
B. Chronic exposure to some harmful substances can lead to genetic changes and impact future generations. For instance, the health effects of the synthetic insecticide, DDT, which was banned decades ago, can last for at least three generations.
The organisms in land and water ecosystems are similarly impacted when products made from such materials are discarded after use and end up in landfills and oceans. We are nearing a point of no return for most of our natural systems: a point beyond which the natural systems will no longer be able to rejuvenate themselves and come back to their initial state. This directly means that we need to rethink our consumption behavior and move towards an eco-friendly industry. What markets offer and what consumers buy is a two-way channel. Companies make products that they believe people want or need. Conversely, people oftentimes believe that they need the products that they see in the store. Hence, if companies start designing and manufacturing products that initiate consumer sustainability trends, it will lead to better consumption and less harmful waste downstream. Likewise, if people opt for conscious consumption, there will be a higher demand for sustainable products and it will force companies to move towards cleaner production. With growing awareness of the environmental issue, new brands today have started demonstrating more responsibility towards the environment. Holiferm, a UK-based company makes bio-surfactants to replace synthetic surfactants from soaps, shampoos, and cleaning agents. Pela, founded in 2010, makes 100% compostable phone cases. The Dutch brand,
Dzukou, makes lifestyle products from a range of eco-materials or clean materials such as wood, bamboo, linen, silk, steel, etc. Dzukou also tinkers and experiments along with craft communities in eastern India to bring out new eco-materials for premium products. It is beyond doubt, that the sustainable products market size is increasing today. But it has to grow at a
rate that curbs the current rate at which we are polluting the land and ocean masses. There is an urgent need for more sustainable products in the mainstream market. Buying and using eco-friendly products should have been normal. It should not feel like an altruistic consideration that we make for the planet.
- Prarthana Majumdar. Founder at Dzukou (www.dzukou.com)