This is a word that is thrown around far far far to much. This is something ive wanted to clarify for a long time - listen in Mar:
The common linking between environmentally sensitive design (words chosen carefully here) and 'sustainablility' is only a small part of the problem. Any company that mass produces their products and calls them 'sustainable' is full of shit. No joking, a capatialist society is completely unable of making 'sustainable' decisions.
Outsourcing production to China, for example, is not sustainable. Chinese minimum wages have risen gradually over the last few years, with a sizable wage increase last year (adding a few percent onto retail prices). At some point, it wont become economic to source everything through China. How do we as a society react when this happens? Are we fucked like the US automakers, geared to production of inefficient, poorly built automakers? International oil refieneries, geared to produce petroleum not diesel? These decisions were made with medium term profits in mind without considering long term consequences....
Much like mining crude oil from earth, coal from the crust, it all has a finitie end.
As international markets have realised over the past 9 months, growth comes with adjustment. Mass manufacture of pure SHIT out of china, sold for SFA and thrown out every year to produce profit is NOT A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS.
I dont have a huge problem with it all, just dont label your designs as 'sustainable'.
