Sustainability - nobody is perfect

If you want to be sustainable, you have to live a vegan lifestyle, stop driving a car and ban plastic from all areas of your life. And if you get on a plane or drink water from a plastic bottle, you can't be serious about sustainability - can you? That's what it often sounds like: all or nothing. We see it differently, because every step counts. Our plea against eco-shaming!

If you dare to step into the “eco-bubble”, you will quickly be confronted with this “eco-perfectionism”. But you don’t have to start everywhere at the same time to change something!

Eco-Shaming and Whataboutism

Greta Thunberg is photographed with travel provisions in plastic packaging and suddenly her credibility is being discussed everywhere. The fact that she has travelled around the world without getting on a plane is quickly ignored. On platforms such as Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, many who are committed to environmental protection have to expect malicious comments - just because they are not perfect acted in the interests of the environment. This means that many no longer dare to take a stand on sustainability or only do so in a completely share sustainable parts of their lifestyle, which distorts the perception of their overall actions. Terms like Sustainability bashing, double standards and eco- or sustainability-shaming are associated with this.

But it is not only public figures who fight for sustainability who have to stand up for their imperfect Justify actions. Any person who admits that they care about the future of the planet makes themselves vulnerable. Instead of praise and recognition for a step in the right direction, they are accused of not doing everything right.

You always ride your bike, but you buy vegetables that are wrapped in plastic? You no longer eat meat, but you fly on holiday? You always buy unpackaged goods, but you don't eat vegan? These are the cynical comments from your friends, acquaintances and family members. Pretty discouraging. This phenomenon is also called Whataboutism : In order to distract from an issue or to denigrate a success, reference is made to another problem - which strictly speaking has nothing to do with the original question, because we can identify several problems at the same time and yet address them individually.

Every step counts

Eco-perfectionism suggests that you can only credibly support the environment if you live in an ecologically sound way. This leads many people to give up altogether or take a step back.

BUT: You don't have to do everything at once to work for a better world. Everyone should decide for themselves how much they want to change. wants and can . Because a sustainable lifestyle also has a lot to do with privileges.

What is important is that we all dare to live a little more sustainably. And without fear of not perfect and having to justify decisions.

Every step, no matter how small, counts and is important. Instead of thinking about all the things that can be improved, you should pat yourself and others on the back.

Wouldn't it create more solidarity if we supported each other and celebrated every small change in the right direction together? - YES! So let's go?

Perfectionism at BRACENET

There is no room for eco-shaming in our team! But as a sustainable company, we are naturally confronted with a lot of eco-perfectionism. Especially when we take the step out of the eco-bubble with our cooperation and sales partners, this often raises questions. We firmly believe that you can make a difference if you think outside the box. That's why we also sit down with companies that are not associated with sustainability at first glance, because there is still a lot of undiscovered potential here. It is all the more wonderful to see when we can actively initiate changes there. We don't like black and white thinking, we see things in a colorful way. Would you like to have inspiration from us in your company, club or institution? Then take a look here.

Our Bracenet is also the ideal companion for a sustainable lifestyle. Always visible on your wrist, it is a daily reminder for small decisions towards environmental protection. And all without a raised finger.