Hello Reader,
Big news!
Our microwave broke.
I know, shocking, with massive implications for purpose, sustainability and innovation.
But for me it was.
My first thought was repair. We’d only had the microwave for two years and that seemed too short a time to just toss it and get a new one. Looking into that revealed that it was unlikely repairable and could cost as much as a new one.
Next option: buy a new one that is as energy efficient as possible. Not much to be done on that either. They’re high-power devices but you only use them for short bursts, so even the best of them is only marginally different (not: I am not a microwave expert. This is all internet research).
So, I am buying a new microwave and hopefully finding a sustainable way to dispose of the current one.
‘Relevance??’ I hear you ask.
Well, it got me thinking. It was very easy for me to get a new microwave. I can even have it delivered on the same day via Uber if I want. Despite this I still put the time in to try not to buy a new one. It didn’t work on this occasion, but it may have.
What if it had been as easy for me to repair as it was to replace?
Not everyone would think about it, but if it was the easiest option everyone would. If we, as businesses make the sustainable or ethical option the easiest, we’ll overcome the pesky intention/action gap.
Food for thought.
Adam
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Inspiring Purpose
Mortality isn't a fun conversation, but at some stage needs to be considered by us all. There are significant emissions associated with cremation or burial activities. While there are several options for 'green funerals', natural burials are a way to bury the dead with minimal impact. A natural burial provides a resting place for a body without inhibiting decomposition (like a lacquered coffin would do).
Recognising these benefits, Fiona McCuig has opened the first cemetery in Australia that is only for natural burials. Walawaani Way offers a site for burial where native trees are planted in place of headstones. This means that as well as minimising impact it regrows land that had been cleared for farming. Hopefully, a shift that takes hold in the funeral industry.
Business As Unusual Innovation
We've mentioned fashion and textiles and their impacts before and we're always champions for the use of waste to create something useful. Imagine our excitement when we came across Nextevo.
Nextevo take pineapple leaves and produce fibres that can be used for textile production. Why is this exciting. It's a double edged solution. Firstly it takes waste leaves that would be put into landfill or incinerated and functionally uses it. This diverted waste stream also reduces the need for land or water to be used for textile specific crops or reduces production of synthetic fabric from fossil fuels. A great circular initiative.
Roundup
🟢 Food supply chain stories always pique our interest. Exciting to see that some big European ingredient suppliers are trialling regenerative practices. A great start. We look forward to seeing more of this and a drive towards localised supply of ingredients in parts of the world where they're being used.
🟢 Edinburgh Council in Scotland is taking its pledge to address climate change seriously. Advertising of high-carbon products and services has been banned in the city. As we operate in a city that has billboards purporting the importance of fossil fuels to our economy, it's refreshing to see a city recognise the role advertising can play.
🟢 The AICD's annual Climate Governance Forum is happening in Sydney again in August and is looking to be another robust lineup and discussion. With Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek one of the guest speakers, Melissa is considering attending purely to ask about the logic of new approvals of fossil fuel projects in the face of a climate crisis.
🟢 With the eye-watering annual number of tonnes of clothing going to landfill, we love this idea of a Clothing Library to foster a culture of reuse, while still fulfilling the consumer need for newness.
🟢 Interestingly (and perhaps a little frighteningly) 85% of businesses in a new report by CDP and Boston Consulting Group have no commitment to cutting supply chain emissions. This is concerning because often, these Scope 3 emissions make up a greater portion of total emissions. Of the 15% of businesses that do commit to reducing them, 3 factors were identified as common among them: a climate-responsible board, active supplier engagement programs and internal adoption of carbon pricing.
🟢 A big thanks to one of our dedicated readers for sharing this publication with us which we found a valuable, insightful read. The standout quote for us was: "...we must cut through the hype and hyperbole, and identify where, when and how to invest. The risks cannot be avoided: rather it is a choice between the risk of early investment or the risk of displacement by competitors through acting too slowly." Hear hear.
What We're Reading
Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies and Companies - by Geoffrey B West. This is a beefy, behemoth of a book, at a total of 19 hours in audio format. A fascinating exploration of limits to growth from a biological and physics perspective, the author brings to light some incredulous commonalities across all life which gives insight into why 'exponential scale' makes no scientific sense - for living beings, cities and companies alike. - M
We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and that sovereignty was never ceded. We pay our respects to the Turrbal and Yuggera people who are the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work in beautiful Meeanjin (Brisbane), Australia. |
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