Sustainability prospects in trying times
-- Packaging Digest, 1/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
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How does one even begin to summarize the rollercoaster year of 2008? Few could have predicted that we would experience record-setting highs for oil prices, followed by an equally stunning price collapse—all in seven short months.
Since we are experiencing the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression, it's no stretch to think that 2009 will be defined by rapid changes both in our economic systems and in our policies. We likely will see fundamental changes in energy, climate and environmental policy with the new Obama administration.
This crisis has exposed the incredible vulnerability of many of our systems: our dependence on consumption, dependence on credit to support consumption and the foreign oil needed to drive the engines of commerce. We have also witnessed a collapse in demand for recovered materials. What does sustainability have to do with any of this? On the side of solutions, I would argue a lot.
As individual investors, we are told to diversify our portfolios and reduce our risk by sacrificing high rates of return so we have a nest egg to retire with in the future. This is also an economic sustainability strategy for our personal futures. At many levels, we have failed to heed some of the most basic wisdom of this common-sense advice.
In the past 15 years, there has been an evolution in the focus of sustainability considerations, from corporate social responsibility to environmental issues, and now to a sharp focus on economic sustainability. In the first six months of the year, many “low-hanging fruit” strategies associated with the pursuit of sustainability in packaging—like source reduction, materials and energy optimization—were effective, cost-saving strategies. Deeper sustainability analysis challenges us to prepare for what appears to be a very uncertain future for energy, climate and material resources, all of which will have profound consequences on global markets and consumption patterns. Many of our business models are based on the abundance of natural resources, ready access to these resources and growth of consumption. These models are proving increasingly vulnerable—with not only economic but military consequences.
It takes leadership to handle change and uncertainty. Thinking that sustainability engenders can open the doors to new models and solutions. As we apply tourniquets to stop the hemorrhaging, we should recognize that we stand firmly in the midst of vast change, and need to seize the moment to think about how we can create value in the future, identify opportunities to create jobs and new industries and identify the technologies to lead us toward a more sustainable future.
Rather than retreat from the vision of sustainability in difficult economics times, my hope is that we recognize opportunities to create economic value, social benefits and environmental improvement. We could make great strides in packaging sustainability if we decide there's value in creating domestic markets for post-consumer materials and invest in education, infrastructure and technologies needed to make the process efficient.
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