More than a decade ago, an organization known as Fronesys published a report originally developed to make a business case for sustainability. The report laid out no fewer than six reasons companies should embrace the sustainability concept. Nearly 12 years later, there are still companies grappling with whether they should get on board.
We get the idea of a business case for sustainability. If we expect companies to be more sustainable, there needs to be a business reason for doing so. But as a broader concept, sustainability is about the entire planet and all its occupants, not just businesses trying to reach out to a customer base that is gradually becoming more sustainable itself.
With all that in mind, there are many valid reasons sustainability still matters in 2023. Those reasons go beyond the mere business case presented by Fronesys in 2011.
The whole point of sustainability is to limit our impact on the planet so that future generations can live the lives they want to live after we are gone. In order to do that, resources need to be used wisely. The fact is that most resources are limited to some extent. Wasting them is jeopardizing the future. For the record, even the lithium that goes into our USB-C batteries is a limited resource. It is one of the reasons we so strongly encourage battery recycling.
A sustainable culture should theoretically limit its waste. When sustainability is not a priority, waste tends to be greater. The problem with waste is that it begets more waste. The easier it is to throw things away, the more frequently we do it. And the more frequently we throw things away, the easier it is to make more things we can throw away. A waste-oriented culture must make a concerted effort to change. The sustainable mindset is part of that effort.
A fundamental law of physics states that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Another way to put it is that actions have an impact. They produce consequences. Sustainability still matters because, one way or another, the actions we take today will impact future generations. Something as simple as changing the types of consumer batteries we use will have long-lasting impacts that reach far beyond our own lifetimes.
No doubt modern life enjoys far more conveniences than in past generations. But our collective thirst for convenience has had detrimental impacts on the world around is. Guess what? There is more to life than convenience. There are other things that matter more. Sustainability recognizes that convenience is not always the best end-goal.
Last but not least, the need for practical sustainability efforts goes right to our kids and grandkids. All of us are going to leave this world at some point. And when we do, we will leave a legacy to future generations. Our kids and grandkids deserve better. They deserve to inherit a planet capable of meeting their needs. If for no other reason, sustainability still matters for them.
Trading in your disposable batteries for Pale Blue Earth USB-C batteries will not help the world reach its sustainability goals by itself. But it is an easy way for you to contribute to the overall goal of passing on a better world to future generations. Always remember that one rechargeable lithium-ion battery can keep as many as 1,000 alkaline batteries off the production line. Now that's practical sustainability.
