Organic and Eco-Friendly Products

Defining Environmental Sustainbility

‘Environmental sustainability’ is a concept that is not easy to define, and in fact has over 300 definitions produced by academics, governments, and organisations. One of the more recognised definitions is produced by the World Commission on Environment and Development. This organisation was established by the United Nations in 1983 in recognition that environmental problems were global in nature and that it was in the interests of all to establish policies and practices for sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development was defined as “forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” These needs are both social and economic, and will be affected by accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources.

‘Sustainability‘ is about the capacity to endure and is inherently long-term in nature. The idea of sustainable development is that humanity has been concerned only with short-term benefits which have now been recognised to have significant long-term consequences. As a result, the Business Dictionary defines ‘environmental sustainability’ as “maintaining the factors and practices that contribute to the quality of environment on a long-term basis”. This definition is slightly different to the previous one, as it has more of a focus on continuity whereas the former focuses more on change, on developing policies, on forms of progress.

Unsustainable Living

Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly political issue since around the 1980s, rather than a purely ecological concept. As science has shown that humanity is increasingly functioning in unsustainable ways, demands for change have become louder and louder.

It is a concept that relates to a very diverse range of issues, from population growth, the consumption of non-renewable resources (such as fossil fuels), the disruption of natural ecosystems (including everything from species extinction to climate change), individual lifestyles (including cultures of consumerism and materialism), agricultural and business practices, social organisation (e.g. sustainable cities, preservation of local culture), waste disposal (recycling and reduction) and the development of technology to improve sustainable practices (green technology, renewable energy).

The Organic Movement

The movement is based on a set of ideas involving the promotion of healthy food, human and animal health, and environmental sustainability. The movement can be seen both as a rejection of modern methods of farming and food production (involving fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides) or a return to traditional / peasant agriculture. The founders of the organic movement perceived it as the latter, or a positive acceptance of the ‘natural order’.

It is seen as establishing a virtuous circle that nourishes the soil to produce healthy food. This is known as the ‘Rule of Return’ where the soil’s fertility should be maintained by humans returning wastes to enrich the humus content. As a result, the movement was concerned not only with healthy food and agricultural methods, but also human nutrition, sewage disposal and rural life.

Origins of the Movement

The movement took place in the context of “agricultural depression” in the interwar years within the United States, where financial capitalism was blamed and Marxism also rejected (Philip Conford, 2001, ‘The Origins of the Organic Movement’).  The third way it established was a mixture of both social aims for stability and economic goals based on agriculture rather than industry.

The movement gained popularity during the 1940s through publications (e.g, The Land Quaterly) and the establishment of organisations such as Friends of the Land, which at one point had over 10 000 members. While this movement gained momentum, other alternatives put forward at the time did not fare so well. These included distributism, regional socialism, Tolstoyan anarchism, social credit and guild socialism. By the 1950s national interest in the issues of soil fertility, water and food quality as well as the sanctity of nature were to decline.

Although interest died off for about two decades, the 1970s showed a revival in concern for the environment. This activism took place in the context on increasing social ferment at the height of the Cold War, with protests over nuclear developments and the Vietnam War. However, this new generation would be motivated by principles of ecology rather than more socialist concerns.