SUNIES SUSTAINABILITY

BIG WORD, BIG IMPACT: SUNIES SUSTAINABILITY

I had the Word document with the text I was working on left open on my laptop and on my way back from the kitchen with my cup of tea, my 8-year old daughter welcomed me with big eyes and an even bigger question:

“Mommy, what is soo-tan-si-bli-litee?”.

“What?”, I was puzzled, but then looked at the screen, and smiled.

“Aaaah, you mean sustainability?”, I said. “Hmm…, come, sit down, I will explain”.

And so began my short (self-)lecture about sustainability.

 Take my daughter’s headphones, for example. Shopping for them was a no-brainer, since we make fewer compromises when it comes to our children. But the irony is, it is exactly because of them that we should stop and think before we buy anything nowadays, because our purchases today will affect their well-being tomorrow.

“Throw-away society” has gotten out of control: it is easier – as is sadly mostly done – to buy a new toaster, phone, washing machine, than to have the old one repaired.

And when it comes to fashion, the story is dire.

I always try to measure, in my head, the excitement of buying a new pair of shoes every fall and every early summer, against the excitement of re-discovering the still-good, worn-in, comfortable and comforting, well-made shoes from last year. And almost every time, the latter wins over the former. It is the long-term comfort of the proven over the short-lived excitement of the novel.

I am not saying there shouldn’t be excitement in buying new things. By all means, this is a part of the process, and I know I am guilty of having bought too many things on a whim, or because they were cheap (oftentimes both in price and quality). And let’s be honest: shopping is fun!

But every time we buy shoes – or clothes –  that we know straight ahead are disposable, we are contributing to a myriad of problems: sweatshops, poverty, pollution…

So, at least with your choice of summer shoes, this dilemma should be easy to tackle. 

Or, as I tell my daughter, who has just fetched my green Butterfly Sunies (which I now wear at home as well) so that I can show her, with a real example, what that big word really means:

recyclable –  we can make new things out of worn Sunies and cut down on pollution and waste;

vegan – for compassion to life and harmony with nature;

waterproof – practical and versatile, utilitarian (but still pretty), reducing the constant need for more;

ecological – saving the planet for your, and generations to come after;

natural – cutting down on plastic, which means cutting down on health hazards, ocean life pollution, pretty much most things that are wrong with today’s fast consumption!

 It was so easy explaining sustainability to my 8-years old.

 Now, how about you, adults? Are you listening?

It literally only takes a step to start the journey: a fashionable step in super sustainable Sunies!

with ❤️ 

the Sunies team!