SHAME ON YOU!

About eco-shaming and black jeans

I was on stage in front of a large audience of people from the fashion industry. I had just made a presentation of my ‘How to eat an Elephant’ tool and my e-learning modules and was now taking questions from the crowd. The first person to raise his hand asked me: “How are you sustainable?”

Small steps in black jeans

In my 40 years on this planet, I have obtained many bad habits. Many. Even though I have profound respect for people, who do things 100%, such as vegans, this could never be me. It works better for me to take small steps; I can have one meat-free day, and it is not too unrealistic that I could increase that to 2-3 meat-free days a week.

I prefer to wear black jeans, and when I need a new pair, three parameters count: fit, price and sustainability. So, I go through all the second-hand stores in my hometown, but, believe it or not, it can be a bit difficult to find black jeans with a great fit in a second-hand store.

This means that I have to compromise, and if I need to disregard one of my three parameters, the first one to go is not fit. I also have a limit when it comes to the price. In the end, I have to admit, it may be sustainability that has to go. Not perfect, I know, but reality bites.

“How are you sustainable?” – it felt a bit like an attack. As if because I am here talking about sustainability, I have to be perfect. But I’m not perfect – I don’t think anybody is. And I do believe that we should be better at supporting and acknowledging each other for the small steps we do take, instead of shaming each other for the things we don’t do.

Nobody is perfect – but we try

I have often visited companies and heard them shame other companies in the business because they are ‘not good enough’. I myself am on a journey towards becoming more sustainable, and I think that many of us, including companies, are on this journey together.

And just like me, companies have ingrained bad habits that are difficult to change. However, one small step in the right direction is better than no steps at all. If we become better at acknowledging the steps, we each take on this journey, we can inspire each other and become motivated to take more steps.

I truly believe that we should support each other and be better at sharing the difficult aspects of becoming more sustainable. Don’t be afraid to talk about your tries and failures and how you moved forward despite.

We don’t lift each other up by preaching from the top. Companies that are 100% sustainable (if there is such a thing) can’t serve as a source of inspiration for the majority of companies, but companies that take realistic steps can be the best source of inspiration for many.

 In other words, we have to place ourselves in the middle of it all and acknowledge that you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to do your best, and take the steps that are possible for you. We are on this journey together, and we should help and motivate each other to move forward.