Sustainability Bingo 2: 2 Sustainable 2 Bingo
It hasn’t even been a year since the last time we played Sustainability Bingo and, already, the arguments have evolved.
Why does all this matter? Because these myths, these arguments, these misconceptions serve only to obfuscate how easy (and free!) it is to be more thoughtful about our consumption while attempting to negate the necessity of personal responsibility. You may think your habits have no impact, but, if every single industry in the world became 100% ethical and sustainable tomorrow, most people (read: Westerners) would have a noticeable decline in their quality of life from losing the harmful and frivolous conveniences they’re used to having that come at the expense of millions of others. By building your life around consideration for both people and the planet, not only will you stop consciously contributing to the subjugaton of entire populations, but you’ll find yourself happier with the choices you make…and probably save some money!
"Sustainability is for the privileged."
I have a few questions for anyone who truly thinks (or even simply parrots) this:
Do you think families with multiple children hand down clothes and toys from one sibling to the next because they’re privileged? Do you believe that people who mend holes in clothes and re-sew seams do it because they’re “too privileged” to afford a new item? Do you imagine that people who save their plastic grocery bags under the sink are doing so because they’re privileged? Or that people who take public transit are inherently more well-off than the person who chooses to drive (when the option for public transit is available and viable)?
These are all sustainable practices done out of necessity, and that’s not even the tip of the iceberg. What’s truly privileged is being wasteful when you have other options, or even have the financial means to overconsume items you don’t need. The idea that sustainability only looks like whatever fancy reusable water bottle/cup is popular right now, or $100 hemp pants is a lie perpetuated by those that profit off of discouraging you to be more thoughtful and encouraging you to spend more money on useless crap. Don’t fall for it.
"Sustainability is just a trend."
Overconsumption is the trend. Before capitalism and mass production, humans had no choice but to utilize what we had to the fullest extent.
"You have to be a minimalist to be sustainable."
Sustainability is not about how much you own, it’s about being conscious about what you consume. If you are using and caring for everything you own, you’re doing it right. I, personally, do not have a small closet (though it’s most likely smaller than you may think), but nearly everything will be worn by the time the Earth circles the sun again.
"It's all marketing."
Much like human labor and the earth’s resources, capital-S Sustainability has been exploited by many bad actors whose only motivation is to make a quick buck. That said, there are ways to avoid what we call greenwashing by recognizing the signs and doing your research.
"I don't have time to be more sustainable."
Start slow: make one sustainable switch out whenever it’s viable (dish towels for paper ones; beeswax wraps for plastic wrap; a reusable cup for single-use water bottles), and allow it to take hold as a habit. While we are technically in a race against the clock to make global changes in order to save humanity from a horrible, climate-induced death, you can still do it at your own pace. Ultimately, you’ll save both time and money as you find yourself having to replace things far less often.
"It's inconvenient."
Most of the conveniences we expect and enjoy as Westerners come at the detriment of people in the Global South and, increasingly, in our own backyards. Even something as simple as stopping to ask yourself if you really need that thing in two days before you hit Buy Now on Amazon is worthwhile and not as intrusive as you may think.
"The focus should be on biodegradability."
The focus should be on creating things that we don’t want to throw out at all, that can last hundreds of years and change hands dozens of times.
"Every brand should have a resale/buyback program."
I understand this sentiment, I do, but, we have to recognize that every corporation’s sustainability efforts are not made in good faith. For every company like For Days that takes old textiles and actually up/recycles them, or Tunnel Vision that makes quality products and resells them for those who can’t afford full price, there’s an H&M, whose recycling program is so sketchy and opaque that you could probably just assume those bins in their stores deposit directly into a garbage bin.
"You have to buy certain things to be sustainable."
While there are plenty of everyday items we could replace with sustainable alternatives, there’s just as many that we could simply…not use, and not replace with anything. For example: Dryer sheets work by coating our clothing with a residue that makes it feel softer but also wears out the fibers and makes it harder to dry, requiring more heat over time which also wears out the fibers quicker. Yes, you could buy wool dryer balls, instead. But you don’t have to, especially if staticky clothes aren’t the end of the world to you, personally.
At the end of the day, the most sustainable thing any of us can do is buy fewer things that we don’t need and a big step toward doing that is to stop and ask yourself if the problem you’re trying to solve by purchasing something—whether said purchase can be considered sustainable or not—is actually a problem at all.
"Reselling is unethical."
Below is a photo of a raghouse.
There are hundreds of these across America. They exist as the final stop before all the clothes we mindlessly drop off at Goodwill/in donation bins that don’t get sold go to a landfill, most likely in another country, like Chile…
…or Ghana.
Roughly 84% of our donations end up here, clogging and polluting beaches, rivers, deserts and even villages in the Global South. We should be making every possible effort to keep clothes from this fate.
"Fashion can never be sustainable."
I actually agree with this on some level. That said, if we look to history, we know that fashion has been sustainable for most of its existence. While it’s true, capitalism and globalization pretty much make it so almost everything we consume comes from some sort of exploitation, the goal is ultimately to dismantle capitalism, which will, naturally, fix a lot of the issues. In the meantime, real sustainability efforts, including legislation, have been ramping up over recent years and emphases on localization and accountability for brands both big and small are huge steps toward a more responsible fashion industry. You can follow some of those initiatives via Redress, Remake, and, you know, on my social media.
"We should just rent our clothes!"
I think renting clothes for formal events is a great idea, and I’ve utilized services like Rent the Runway before, as well as recommended local options for clients. Rental for everyday, however, doesn’t quite sit right with me.
Besides the environmental impact of constantly shipping clothes across the country, and the chemicals involved in dry cleaning them between wearers: I fail to see how renting every single outfit challenges the idea that clothes are disposable. Beyond even that, true personal style and, by extension, consuming fashion sustainably requires you to really sit with your wardrobe: to style and restyle, to experiment within limitations and keep your brain juices constantly flowing with ideas for creative new combinations of what you already have. Turning your closet into a revolving door that still depends on constant newness is pretty much the antithesis to that.
I see the value in renting for occasionally trying new things—after all, trial and error is a big part of finding your style—but it’s just not feasible as a replacement for ownership.
"I still don't care."
And once more, thank you for your honesty.
"Sustainability is ableist."
It is a bit hysterical that all it took was one picture of an unfortunate turtle (or was it a tortoise) to get the whole world (or at least Starbucks and, like, California) to turn against plastic straws. It’s quite a bit less funny that the cries of the disabled go unheard when we talk about just how much plastic “waste” is medically necessary.
As someone whose chronic illness required me to go through oodles of wrapping and bandaging weekly, and someone who’s experienced joint issues that turned pre-cut and individually wrapped fruits and veggies from convenience to essential, I will never, ever feel any guilt about doing what I need to do in order to accommodate my needs and no disabled person should. If we got rid of all the crappy fossil fuel based clothes, excessive and unrecyclable packaging for everyday goods and found some way to somehow, I don’t know, harness the power of the sun to create electricity, a lot of us would still need plastic in some form. And that’s not shameful. It just means we need to be more thoughtful in reducing the waste we can avoid.
"I'm just one person."
That’s very easy to say. So easy, in fact, that thousands, if not millions of people say it anytime they’re approached with the idea of taking any sort of action for the greater good. Now, imagine if even half of those people just took one little baby step toward being more sustainable.
Forgive the hokey metaphor, but every forest started with just one tree. We’re out here planting seeds, baby. (Insert something about deforestation, here, too, to round it all out.)
"Sustainable brands are overpriced."
Listen, I’ve been poor most of my life and broke for all of it, so I’m not going to pretend my wardrobe is filled with independent brands. I won’t even pretend I don’t shudder to pay full price for something. But, there is a difference between not being able to (or willing to) afford something, and it truly being priced more than it’s actually worth, and based on what the average person is used to spending on clothes, most people have no idea what clothes should cost.
I cannot stress enough that high prices do not always indicate better practices, however, it's crucial to recognize that the vast majority of the fashion industry (outside of luxury) operates on razor-thin profit margins. So, before you get upset at a maker charging $60 for a shirt that you saw knocked off for only $7 on Shein, consider this: When you subtract the cost of fabric, labor, overhead, and the logistics of getting that item to you, which price is more likely to provide enough income for the person who made that shirt to make a living?"
"I don't wanna wear the same clothes forever."
I strongly believe in ensuring that clothes have a life beyond us, rather than feeling obligated to use them forever. Recently, I had to completely overhaul my wardrobe due to some fairly significant body changes. However, I took great care to ensure that every item leaving my possession had somewhere to go. Instead of simply dumping everything in a donation bin or, worse, throwing it in the trash, I sold and gave away those items to individuals who I knew would cherish and love them just as much as I did.
"There's not enough sustainable fashion options."
Oh, they’re out there. I’ve compiled nearly 300 and I’m still going (and that’s just womenswear!).
"At least the sweatshop workers have jobs."
So true, bestie! Why does it even matter if sweatshops are deeply unhygenic and dangerous? Who cares if those workers get disabled or even die on the job? Let’s take it one step further, eh? Who cares if those Amazon workers have to pee in bottles? Who cares if your boss keeps slapping your ass and asking if he can masturbate in front of you? Why does it matter if you’re barely paid enough to afford an apartment, or have to choose between food or electricity every month? At least you have a job!
I’m sorry, I just can’t engage that “argument” in good faith, y’all.
"Sustainability is too complicated."
Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only person who grew up hearing “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” How much simpler could it get!?
"So, you want people to feel guilty?"
What does guilt accomplish? Quickly.
"Sustainability is white people sh*t."
This is an argument I’ve only heard once or twice, but both times, it smacked me in the face the way I assume it would feel if, like, someone smacked me with a fish. Like, a big ol’ trout.
Throughout history, and especially among cultures indigenous to the Americas and pretty much every area that was colonized by, you know, colonizers, people of color—before the concept of race even existed—have always had deep and meaningful ties to the Earth.
Even our grandfathers who would complain about their knees “acting up” when it was about to rain (which is a real thing caused by shifts in barometric pressure in the atmosphere causing joints and tendons to expand), or our grandmothers who would make and jar their own preserves from their own gardens after picking fruit with just the right ripeness were so deeply connected to the environment around them, it’s truly a shame we take it for granted, now.
I didn’t grow up refilling butter containers with leftovers and cookie tins with sewing supplies to throw it all away now (literally). Sustainability is in your blood, babe.
"Sustainability is unsustainable."
I can imagine the idea of making all these changes and being thoughtful and unlearning bad habits and doing that forever and ever is a bit intimidating. But, I promise, it can and will become second nature.
"I'm sick of hearing the word 'sustainable!'"
God, me, too! Especially when it’s used in conjunction with “(and) ethical,” as it implies the two can somehow exist on their own without consideration for the other. I propose that we start using “responsibly made” to encompass all of the above, not to mention, it’s a little harder to lie about.
"It's too late to change anything."
It’s very easy to feel defeated, especially as the people with the power to truly make a change continue to put profit over the survivability of the planet. I feel that way sometimes, too. But, even if you’ve lost all hope in saving us from climate change, you can still help your fellow man. That’s why I refuse to separate sustainability from ethics. Maybe Shein will never stop dumping their unsold garments until the world is one big ball of polyester halter tops, but, you can always help your neighbor. Unless you’re buried under the polyester ball, I guess.