In today’s consumer goods market, sustainability has moved beyond a trend reserved for niche health-food shoppers and eco-enthusiasts. With the reality of climate change and intensifying environmental concerns, product sustainability has become crucial for consumers and businesses alike. From reducing carbon footprint to conserving natural resources, sustainable products play a role in mitigating climate change and fostering healthier choices for the planet and people.
Here’s more about product sustainability, strategies for producing and selling sustainable goods, and examples of products that have redefined the sustainability marketplace.
What is a sustainable product?
A sustainable product is designed and manufactured to minimize its environmental impact throughout its full lifecycle, from raw material extraction to final disposal. A product’s sustainability encompasses resource use, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and social factors like the labor force’s working conditions. The goal is to ensure the product meets present consumer needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
When assessing product sustainability, consumers often—understandably—look first at the product itself. Was it made from recycled, sustainable materials or renewable resources? Is it biodegradable? Who made it, and what were their working conditions?
Another equally important line of inquiry into a product’s sustainability examines the business itself. For example, some business models may produce products made entirely from recycled, biodegradable materials, but if the manufacturing plant relies on fossil fuels, the net benefit of these sustainable products could be negligible due to the production process’s environmental impact.
4 pillars of product sustainability
Product sustainability is often reduced to eco-friendly goods, but it encompasses much more than using recycled materials. Here are the four main pillars of product sustainability:
1. Resource efficiency
Sustainable products optimize the use of natural resources, employ product designs that use less material overall, and minimize waste generation throughout their life cycles. They incorporate renewable resources, lower energy consumption in production, transport, and warehousing, and adopt efficient manufacturing processes.
2. Impact on environment
Sustainable products are designed to have minimal environmental impact and consider many factors—from carbon emissions to water usage during manufacturing. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate and mitigate impacts across the entire product cycle, from manufacturing to disposal. It considers the energy and materials required throughout the product’s value chain and calculates the resulting environmental impact. An LCA result won’t necessarily be a single numerical grade or ratio, but rather a compilation of holistic insights into a product’s environmental footprint.
The International Organization for Standardization’s 14000 series of sustainability standards includes the most widely recognized procedures for conducting an LCA study, particularly ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. Ultimately, a good LCA is tailored to your specific goals and needs, as well as customer standards and sensitivities.
3. Social responsibility
Sustainable products are made in ways that uphold ethical standards and promote greater equity, ensuring fair labor practices, safe working conditions, and respect for human rights throughout the supply chain.
4. Economic benefits
Sustainable products must be economically feasible and profitable in the long term. If the product lacks market viability, it will likely be replaced by a non-sustainable alternative that harms the environment.
Makers of sustainable products must still focus on reducing costs through efficiency improvements, accessing new markets with eco-friendly products, and enhancing customer loyalty through transparent practices.
How to produce and sell sustainable products
- Select the right materials
- Optimize energy use
- Promote supply chain transparency
- Be thoughtful about packaging
- Research and acquire the right certifications
- Educate your customers
Developing and marketing sustainable products can be a delicate, complex, and time-consuming process. Here are some steps to help ensure success:
1. Select the right materials
Choose materials with lower environmental impacts, such as recycled material, 100% bio-based materials, or sustainably sourced alternatives. For example, choose products made from recycled PET plastic or bamboo, which have a smaller carbon footprint compared to conventional plastics and hardwoods.
Although it may not be possible to make your entire product recyclable or biodegradable, are there certain components you can source more sustainably? For instance, you might be able to swap out your plastic lotion tubs for reusable glass or use bamboo buttons on your blouses instead of plastic ones. Each small change can make for a big difference and a unique selling proposition.
2. Optimize energy use
Be mindful of the energy used in manufacturing your products, and aim to reduce carbon emissions by opting for renewable energy sources, like solar power or wind energy, whenever and wherever possible. According to a study by McKinsey, 63% of the companies they surveyed are reducing energy use in business operations to reduce their environmental impact and save money.
If you run a brick-and-mortar business, review your use of utilities during your next store audit to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption. If you run an ecommerce store, consider hosting your site on a platform that prioritizes and contributes to sustainability efforts—like Shopify.
3. Promote supply chain transparency
Ensure transparency and accountability across your supply chain. Disclose on a page on your site where you source your raw materials, what processes you use to build products, and how you deliver them.
For example, Great Wrap, a company that manufactures plastic-free, compostable cling wrap from potatoes, answers questions about its manufacturing process in an extensive FAQ page on its website.
4. Be thoughtful about packaging
Ideally, you can minimize your use of packaging overall while following local and national regulations. Where packaging is necessary, use eco-friendly materials like biodegradable labels and mailers, recyclable cardboard boxes, and reusable containers.
If you buy materials that come in significant amounts of packaging, consider how you might be able to reuse them. For example, reuse the bubble wrap your essential oils come in when it’s time to package your finished candles.
5. Research and acquire the right certifications
Seek certifications from third-party organizations that verify sustainability claims, such as Fair Trade USA or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Having these certifications not only makes your products more appealing to consumers but going through the process of measuring environmental performance will also inspire your sustainability efforts and alert you to any aspects you may be missing.
6. Educate your customers
Educate consumers about the benefits of sustainable products and empower them to make informed choices. These efforts can double as marketing for your products.
For example, Seed is a probiotic supplement company that sends customers paper packets of probiotic capsules they can use to refill the glass jar they got with their first order. In addition to sporting sustainable products and packaging, Seed provides educational articles on its blog designed to help customers get the most out of the products and live an eco-conscious lifestyle.
Examples of sustainable products
- Skin care and beauty products: True Botanicals
- Fashion: The Social Outfit
- Packaged foods and drinks: Ka’Chava
Many products qualify as sustainable thanks to their materials, manufacturing processes, or business practices. Here are three examples:
1. Skin care and beauty products: True Botanicals
Makers of sustainable skin care and beauty products face a tricky balancing act: minimizing environmental harm while producing disposable items that often result in significant packaging waste at the end of their life cycle.
True Botanicals walks the line. In 2022, the company transitioned to packaging made entirely from sustainable materials, like 100% recyclable and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)–certified paper.
2. Fashion: The Social Outfit
Humans produce about 92 million tons of textile waste annually. As such, more shoppers have prioritized sustainability in their wardrobes, and clothing manufacturers must now focus on the environmental and social factors of their operations.
The Social Outfit sources its materials responsibly, minimizes waste through efficient production methods and recycling initiatives, ensures fair labor practices throughout its supply chain, designs durable, timeless garments to reduce turnover, and—most importantly—prioritizes transparency in its operations and customer communications.
3. Packaged foods and drinks: Ka’Chava
To make packaged foods and beverages more sustainable, use environmentally friendlypackaging materials like compostable cardboard, reduce packaging waste through optimized portions, source organic food or seasonal ingredients, and support ethical supply chains to ensure fair labor practices.
Ka’Chava sells healthy, plant-based protein powders and shakes that avoid contributing to the environmentally harmful livestock industry. All ingredients are sourced from farms that practice sustainable growing, pay fair wages, and ensure safe working conditions. Ka’Chava also partners with the Rainforest Trust, directing a share of its profits to replant rainforests globally.
Product sustainability FAQ
How do you make a product sustainable?
Integrate eco-friendly materials, optimize production processes to minimize waste, ensure ethical sourcing and fair labor practices, and prioritize durability and recyclability throughout the product’s lifecycle.
Why is product sustainability important?
Product sustainability ensures the responsible use of resources, minimizes environmental impact, and addresses social and ethical concerns, promoting long-term viability and resilience for businesses and society.
Do customers prefer sustainable products?
Yes. Many customers prefer sustainable products because they align with environmental values and sustainable lifestyles, demonstrate corporate responsibility, and often indicate higher product quality.
