Are you still confused about sustainability and eco-friendliness? It’s time to take action and understand the difference between these two crucial concepts. In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with messages about living a more sustainable or eco-friendly lifestyle. But how can we make informed decisions if we don’t even know what these terms mean? It’s time to educate ourselves and make a positive impact on the environment. Let’s start by understanding the specifics of sustainability and eco-friendliness.
Sustainability vs. Eco-Friendly
So, everyone’s telling us to be more eco-friendly these days, but there are so many fancy words flying around that it can be hard to keep up. People often use “eco-friendliness” and “sustainability” like they mean the same thing, but they’re actually different. But don’t worry, both of them are still important if you want to live a greener life.
Sustainability
Basically, sustainability is all about the long-term benefits of a product for the environment, society, or economy. But when it comes to green living, being sustainable means that whatever you do has a positive impact on the environment.
Take wood, for example. It’s often seen as a sustainable resource because you can grow more trees after you cut one down. This means that over time, the number of trees used for making wood and paper would probably stay the same.
On the other hand, let’s look at fossil fuels, the classic example of something that’s not sustainable. When we extract them, it directly harms the environment, and they won’t replenish themselves over time. Plus, using them has both short-term and long-term negative effects on the environment, which goes against the whole idea of sustainability. To sum it up, for a product to be environmentally sustainable, it has to meet two criteria: it has to benefit the environment, economy, or society, and it can’t directly harm any of those things, like pollution.
Eco-friendly
Being eco-friendly means that a product or activity doesn’t cause much harm to the environment, or ideally, none at all. For example, being eco-friendly could mean that the manufacturing process is less damaging to the environment. Maybe it uses fewer fossil fuels, although not completely eliminating them.
These reduced impacts might make the product more eco-friendly compared to others, but it’s important to remember that they can still have negative effects in the long run.
What’s the Difference?
Well, when it comes to the environment, sustainable products actually help it without causing any direct harm, while eco-friendly products just do less damage than the usual stuff. But here’s the thing, sustainable is a much bigger term. It covers not only the environment but also the economy and society.
On the other hand, eco-friendly only focuses on the environment. Let’s say we decide to rewild most of our farmland. That would definitely be eco-friendly, but it might not be sustainable for our country’s economy and society.
Now, it’s not entirely wrong to say that sustainable products are also eco-friendly. However, not all eco-friendly products meet the criteria for sustainability.
When it comes to living a green lifestyle, sustainability and eco-friendly living both have a part to play. And even though there are some small differences between these ideas, incorporating both into your life can be a great way to reduce your overall impact on the environment.
Upshecle is a brand that promotes sustainable fashion and lifestyle. The initiative is driven by the ambition to foster a more sustainable way of living on Earth.
To ensure a circular economy, Upshecle empowers marginalized women within workshop areas by designing, sourcing, and crafting goods. Additionally, the brand collaborates with local artisans and small farmers from various regions in Indonesia to create unique designs and timeless styles that have a positive impact on the community. Let’s explore our products!
References:
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sustainability.asp
- https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/ecofriendly-mean-18033627.php