“Sustainability” is often a term used in mainstream media that is synonymous with “environmentally friendly”. The fast fashion industry is a culprit of this and often markets their product as ‘sustainable’ by having their clothes be made from recycled fabric (or something of that sort). Although this has been revealed to be a marketing scam to make consumers feel like they are making the right choice, this is not what this article is about. Instead, I would like to focus on the concept of sustainability itself and would raise the argument that it should encompass ideas that are more than environmental. For the sake of this article, I will make references to the fast fashion industry because I have already been pretty vocal about it in my past articles.
The dictionary provides the word “sustainability” with two definitions – “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level” and “able to be upheld or defended.” Personally, I see something sustainable as something that can be maintained–something that can be made to last. Sweatshops, child labour, unsafe working conditions, work abuse, and a whole load of bullsh*t is not a business model that is made to last. We associate sustainable fashion with clothing items that are made without killing our environment, so why not expand the notion of sustainable fashion being made without killing workers too? Often enough, the people who are causing such environmental distress to our planet are the same people who have employers in sweatshops. This is true in not just the fast fashion industry. I have already explored the environmental and social consequences of this industry, so I shall elaborate on a different industry.
The tech industry is notorious for causing environmental and social harm. Many parts for our gadgets are extracted from natural resources. Not only does this cause over extraction and further environmental degradation, but it is not surprising to hear that the miners are severely mistreated. The Guardian released an article of Congolese families suing big tech companies, such as Apple and Google, for the deaths of child miners. In particular, these children were responsible for mining cobalt, a natural element used in most of our rechargeable batteries. Aside from the fact that these companies are literally hiring children to work in mines, the lawsuit highlights a lot more issues that come with working for these companies. In this lawsuit, families are seeking compensation for how the companies’ lack of supervision, forced labour, unsafe work conditions, and more have led to the deaths and serious injuries of children. Worse still, these companies are seeking to dismiss the case as they contend that they have no control over the mining companies. While that is true to a certain extent, these companies are not completely innocent. These tech giants are powerful and wealthy enough to ensure that their supply chain is not held up by the hands of children and slavery.
This is just one part of the long supply chain that creates our products, and there are undoubtedly more injustices along the way. On a less violent scale, the tech industry is infamous for having a toxic, hectic, unhealthy, and competitive work environment. It is not just this industry either. I have personally seen my family members in corporate jobs work themselves to the bone and not get paid overtime because of the work culture’s expectations. How is this culture sustainable? Again, I have talked about hustle culture in another article, so I won’t be a broken recorder here, but how is burning yourself to the ground and having your job be your entire personality healthy and sustainable? I feel like putting your value into one aspect of yourself is selling yourself short and making you feel like less of a person.
Fortunately, I am not the only one who has this opinion. The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals not only include climate action but are also dedicated to fostering justice and equality. Some of my favourite highlights from this goal are to increase women’s public safety in developed and developing countries (because this is an issue all countries face!), fighting systemic corruption and other injustices, bettering the safety and livelihoods of children, and reshaping institutional frameworks to be more inclusive. While I do believe we have a long way to go, I think that we are going in the right direction. With the world being so bleak to the point where many of us are desensitized to violence and horror, I find it a little comfort knowing that there is at least one person out there trying to make the world a better place.