4 Decisions You’ll Make
receive—for which we contribute nothing. Worth remembering is that
these planetary forces can carry on just fine without any of us—while
the reverse can never be said. When it comes to sustaining life on this
planet, the environment holds all the cards.
The answer to freeloading was supposed to have been sustain-
ability. In theory, sustainability embodies an appreciation that humans
are one small part of a delicate environment and tenuous existence. The
practice of sustainability was intended to give back instead of always
taking.
But for all the honorable aspirations, sustainability is guided by few
social norms; its importance is largely in the eye of the beholder. So while
the word sustainability was being tacked on to scores of initiatives, its
power to inspire societies was fading. Businesses set their own finish line,
then declared themselves victorious. Questions about “greenwashing”
mounted, then faded away.
Thus, when seafood in supermarkets was labeled as “certified sus-
tainable,” there was no guarantee that the fishery was indeed any more
sustainable. Why? Third-party certifying organizations do not regu-
late, set catch limits, control marine biology and habitat, or ensure that
illegal fishing is not happening.
When crop farmers enrolled in proprietary programs with names
like SUSTAIN, they were offered promises that these programs would
enable them to “keep nutrients and sediment where they belong—
on farm fields.” While such programs might help with placement and
timing of fertilizer applications, there were never any assurances that
less fertilizer would be used or water quality in streams and waterways
would improve.
Petroleum-based “biodegradable” plastics were offered as a partial
solution to plastic waste filling the oceans, ending up in fish and ulti-
mately in the people who eat them. But when university researchers
compared plastics containing the additives to make them biodegradable
versus those without, no differences were detected.
In the corporate world, sustainability initiatives and reports were used
to boost companies’ public images. In 0 4 , Volkswagen Group, at the
time the world’s largest car manufacturer, declared that the company
“has a long tradition of resolute commitment to environmental protec-