With so much eco-friendly terminology out there today, it’s hard to keep it all straight. When you’re shopping or deciding which brand you would like to be associated with, it is pretty important you understand the brand’s priorities and make sure you don’t get confused with wrong messages.
In this short article, we will clear the air so that by the end, you will have no doubt when to use the word sustainable and durable when discussing environmental issues with your friends and family. Let’s go.
SUSTAINABLE
Sustainability means meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability does not only apply to environmentalism.
DURABLE
Durable means being able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration in quality or value.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE AND DURABLE?
Sustainability takes into consideration its effect on the environment, people, and economy. It is less concerned with how long something will last, but instead focuses on what harm this something could potentially cause to the planet, people, and profits.
On the other hand, durability is concerned with how long something will last rather than what the impacts are on the environment, people, and the economy.
This is not to say that sustainability and durability are entirely separate entities, they are not. Companies that practice sustainability generally want their products to be durable so that they last a long time and to be reusable, in opposition to single-use items.
WHAT IS PARMI POSITION?
At Parmi, we take our engagement seriously and we consciously perform specific actions to limit our footprint and lead by example. We view the sustainability path as a continuous one and we believe two actionable paths drive our sustainability vision and ensure it remains relevant in the long run: MINIMAL WASTE & MAXIMAL USEFULNESS.
Therefore, we are not only concerned with how long our lifewear can be used without wearing out or breaking, but we are also concerned with how our raw materials are sourced, how employees working for our manufacturing partners are treated, and how the products (and all related packaging) can be recycled, composted or passed over at the end of their life.
Prioritizing durability through a sustainable path is the core of our mission, which is to create a “lifewear offer” made for multi-use and multi-styles. Durability also gives us the power to reinforce products’ circularity, which supports our sustainable engagement. At Parmi, we aim to make reselling & rebuying the new norm. We believe in simplifying the process and dream of a community where products circulate from one person to another over the span of their useful life.
To summarize, Parmi is creating a sustainable and durable commitment to its community by:
- Creating a brand built on core values.
- Developing long-lasting products that can be used for multiple occasions.
- Making garments with renewable yarns and components, and with fabrics that need less washing.
- Working with manufactures that prioritize ethical practices and that treat employees fairly with fair compensation.
- Designing with a remanufacturing intention (with leftovers).
- Encouraging honest and open discussion to help consumers choose the right product.
- Offering repair patches to make it easy for our consumers to extend the life cycle of their products.
- Discouraging excessive orders to avoid unnecessary returns.
- Shipping in a minimalist and 100% eco-friendly packaging (recycled, reusable and compostable supplies).
- Offering a marketplace tool to facilitate the product circularity within the community.
We hope this clears up any confusion between sustainable and durable. If you have any questions or comments, let us know down below. Our sustainability journey is an open and honest conversation with our community.
Parmi Lifewear aims to simplify your wardrobe with a selection of multi-use, multi-style, eco-conscious and high-quality garments that can be passed on from one generation of outdoor enthusiasts to the next.
