Debunking sustainability myths & misconceptions

Jessica Thomas, Director of the Sustainability Collaborative and Eda Kemahlioglu-Ziya, assistant professor in Operations & Supply Chain Management are quoted in a new article released by the Technician on debunking common myths about sustainability.

“Myth 1: Sustainability is expensive

While the cost of sustainable products may appear higher than traditional products, that’s because the raw materials used to create them are more expensive.

Jessica Yinka-Thomas, director of Business Sustainability Collaborative, said historically, it’s true: sustainable products have been more expensive than their equivalent traditional products. However, that value represents more closely the true cost of the product.

“You might have, for example, a company that’s making a shoe in a more sustainable manner,” Yinka-Thomas said. “So you might pay $20 for [other] shoes, but the cost of that pair of shoes is being borned by the people, who don’t have fair wages and fair employment. …That sustainable shoe might cost twice as much, it might cost $40. But I think that $40 much more closely represents the true cost.”

What then is the alternative? If sustainable products are expensive, what should we do? The truth is that not all sustainable practices are expensive, as the most sustainable habit of all is to stop consuming unnecessary products.

“I think the most sustainable product is the product you don’t buy,” Yinka-Thomas said. “I am 100% advocating for us to really think about how to be a conscious consumer, we only buy the products and services that you really need and that really bring value to your life.” “

Read the rest of this article at the Technician here.