What is Sustainability: 5 Surprising Insights

Here is what most get wrong about what sustainability is. A trendy, modern music festival hands out wristbands made from plastic. When the weekend ends, 92 % of them go straight to landfill. Thousands stay unused. 

Meanwhile tens of thousands of plastic cups, bottles, bits of trash pile up and become waste. UK festivals create about 23,500 tonnes of plastic waste every year. Many festivals say they are “eco‑friendly” yet leave behind a mess. Far worse than the operation of even the biggest farms in the countryside have. That shows people often believe wrongly about sustainability.

What is sustainability, simply

Sustainability means caring for three things together:

• Nature: forests, rivers, air, and soil
• People: workers, neighbours, health, and fairness
• Money / cost: doing things that last, that don’t waste, that stay doable

If you look after just one and ignore the others, you miss what real sustainability means.

Why people miss big parts of sustainability

Many think sustainability means:

• Recycling
• Reusing plastic
• Avoiding single‑use straws

Those are fine. But often the worst harm hides behind:

• Big energy used before you see a product
• Water taken to make materials
• Trees cut far away
• Waste made when things break or change

1. The 3 Pillars of Sustainability: Environment, People, Money

More and more people say a company’s environmental record matters when they pick a job. Many also say they would pay more for brands that act fairly to people. These are not small preferences. They show that sustainability includes more than nature. It involves how people are treated and how money works over time.

What are the three pillars

Many experts describe sustainability as three parts that must balance. If one is missing, the whole thing can wobble. 

1. Environment
   • Keeping air, water, land healthy
   • Using resources without draining them
   • Avoiding pollution and damage to ecosystems
2. People
   • Fair treatment of workers
   • Fair access to clean water, education, health
   • Communities can live well now and in future
3. Money / Economic
   • Doing things that last, that pay off in the long run
   • Costs should not be hidden
   • Fair trade, fair pricing, avoiding waste

How real people view these pillars differently

People today expect more than talk. They want visible action. They pay attention. They compare. They decide by evidence. Here are findings that show how they care about sustainability in all three parts.

• More than just looking good
  People pick brands not for fancy adverts but for proof of how the brands work in environment, people, cost. If a company says “green” but treats workers badly or wastes money, Gen Z especially will notice.
• Bridge between values and wallet
  In a recent survey over 23,000 people, about 70 % said environmental credentials matter for employers. Also around 65 % say they are willing to pay more for sustainable products.
• Authenticity demands
  People want honesty. Brands that try to hide social or environmental costs lose trust. Those that are open about supply chains, raw material sourcing, energy usage, workers’ conditions score higher.

Why balancing all three pillars matters

If you focus only on nature but ignore people or money you create new problems. Here are how imbalances show up:

• Environment‑first alone can lead to high costs or unfair burdens on people
• Focusing only on people can mean higher ecological damage or resource loss
• Prioritising money or profit alone often harms environment or people in the long term

Scholars use frameworks like the Triple Bottom Line or Planetary Boundaries or Doughnut Economics to show that you must keep the environment, social, and economic limits inside safe limits. 

2. Why we usually notice the wrong things when asking what is sustainability

You scroll through Instagram. You see “eco” tags, green logos, people holding metal straws, recycled totes. You feel good. But many big harms are behind the scenes. You rarely see the carbon in shipping, the water behind producing raw materials, or the invisible cost of energy. Knowing what sustainability means is seeing those hidden harms too.

Things people see easily

These are the obvious parts everyone thinks of first when asking what is sustainability:

• Plastic bottles, straws, single‑use cups
• Reusable bags, electric cars, solar panels
• Recycling bins, compost heaps

These are good and important. They catch attention. They make us feel we act. They get shared on social media.

Things people miss

These are the hidden costs that matter a lot more than many realise:

• Supply chain hidden energy. How much energy a product used before it reaches you—factories, shipping, cooling, packing—often adds more cost than what you see.
• Water used far away. Water for growing raw materials, for paper pulp, for dyeing fabrics. Many parts of the world are already water‑stressed.
• Deforestation and biodiversity loss. Paper, wood, and other plant‑based materials may mean cutting down old forests. That hurts species, soil, and carbon storage. (Paper business cards contribute to this, see here for more).
• Waste from short use and disposal difficulties. Many items are discarded soon. Business cards are a good example. They often go in bins fast. If they have special coatings or thick print they may not be recyclable.

What studies show people actually value

To better understand what is sustainability, look at what younger generations care about. Their attitudes reveal what parts of sustainability matter most yet get missed.

• Brand values over logos. About 75 % of Gen Z say sustainable purchasing is more important to them than just buying from big brand names. So, with sustainability you can beat the big brand.
• Gap between what people say and what they do. Studies show people often support sustainable ideas but do not always act fully in line. For example many worry about cost, lack of info, or feel small actions won’t matter.

Why the “invisible” parts change what actions make sense

If people only focus on what they see, actions tend to be surface level. If you see that:

• You might buy a “recycled” product that comes from far away
• You might reuse a tote but ignore water used and chemicals in its dyeing
• You might support a festival with “eco” branding though the wristbands and plastics go to landfill

Knowing what sustainability means you pick actions that cover both visible and hidden costs. That gives more meaningful change.

3. Small choices, big ripples

One person refuses plastic cutlery for lunch. Another uses a canvas bag instead of plastic. Alone those seem small. But when millions do the same small thing, they change what companies offer, what governments regulate, what you believe is normal. That shows that sustainability truly works when small choices become many.

Examples of small acts that ripple out

Here are acts many people do or can do that seem small but add up fast. They help answer what is sustainability by showing change from real habits.

• Buying less new stuff. People are choosing resale and thrift more now. Second‑hand markets in fashion have grown fast because young people detect waste in “fast fashion.”
• Demanding transparency from brands. Many people, according to some sources 80%+, say they want to know where materials come from, how workers are treated, how sustainable the logistics were. They distrust vague “green” claims.
• Making sustainable everyday decisions. This means making it easier for people to do the small things right. Like turning off lights, using fewer plastic bottles, choosing products with less packaging, checking labels. These choices cost little or nothing extra. They build habits.
• Spreading awareness. People share articles, posts, messages, join conversations about climate or sustainability once they get that your brand and the positive change you provide is for real. They push others to act. Research shows that is the way that, for example, Gen Z influences purchase decisions of older generations. 

Data that shows small acts scale

These figures help see how what is sustainability becomes more real when many people act.

• Willingness to pay more
  About 72 % of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced goods. (arbor.eco) arbor.eco
  Gen Z is even more willing, especially when products are ethical, transparent, or have minimal waste. Kadence+1
• Consumer influence
  A survey found 75 % of Gen Z prefer sustainable products over well known brand names. That means sustainability can beat image when enough people care. (weforum.org) World Economic Forum
• Attitude‑action gap
  Even though many young people say they care, fewer fully act on sustainable choices. Studies show barriers like cost, lack of clear info, or habits make it hard to act always. This makes what is sustainability a moving target of intention and action. (sciencedirect.com) ScienceDirect

How little changes shift big systems

When small acts become many, they change supply chains, business models, norms. Here is how:

• Brands see demand for sustainable options, so they reformulate packaging, find cleaner materials, and reduce waste.
• Governments respond by regulating packaging waste, banning harmful materials, incentivising renewable energy.
• Education catches up, schools include more sustainability in what is taught.
• Social expectations shift, making sustainability part of everyday choices, not just expensive options.

If you want your own small choice that ripples out, try a digital business card instead of paper cards. It saves resources, cuts waste, and sends a message about what matters. Sign up free here.

4. Standards: what makes a thing truly sustainable

You buy the cheapest reusable water bottle, then three months later it cracks. You swap contact details by printing new business cards every few months because your title changed. That waste shows many things called sustainable still fail when you test them for what is sustainability in real life.

What criteria matter when judging real sustainability

To understand what sustainability truly is, you need standards. Here are what good criteria look like, drawn from recent studies and cases in our field of producing business cards. These help you spot what really lasts.

How digital vs paper business cards compare under those criteria

Here is a comparison using recent research to show how things stack up when you ask what is sustainability.

Surprising trade‑offs and what many miss

Even digital options have trade‑offs. Knowing these helps sharpen what sustainability is.

• Energy for servers and devices. Digital cards rely on powered devices, data centres. If those run on non‑renewable energy the carbon cost is non‑zero. But studies show life cycle impact is still usually lower than frequent physical printing.
• Digital divide. Not everyone has access to good internet, latest phones or feels comfortable using digital tools. Inclusivity matters. People in some areas still rely more on physical tools. If digital options are excluded, they fail part of what sustainability should include.
• Quality and design matter. A poorly designed physical card wastes more—ink, lamination, gloss, shipping back and forth. A poorly designed digital card may look cheap or confusing, but tends to waste less physical resources. Design investment pays off more in the digital realm.

What is sustainability, redefined with these criteria

After seeing these comparisons, you can see what is sustainability in practice:

• It means choosing options that last and that you can adapt
• It means thinking about hidden costs, not just what is visible
• It means measuring real waste, not just having a “green” label
• It means balancing environment, people, and money over time

When you apply these criteria, digital business cards often win. They tick many boxes: low waste, updateability, transparency, cost over time. They are not perfect, but they are strong in doing what sustainability asks you to look for.

5. The double edged sword of digital tools

You download a PDF via a link, rather than requesting a paper catalogue. That seems a clean and seamless way to be sustainable. But behind these digital services, the servers run. Data costs energy. Devices need rare metals. When you ask what sustainability is, you must include what is hidden in digital tools too.

What digital tools help with

Digital tools solve many visible problems. Here are what they bring to the table:

• Less physical waste
  No plastic coatings, no printing, no ink, no shipping. That cuts down obvious waste.
• Instant updates
  If your job title changes, or your contact changes, digital cards update immediately. No waste from re-making or reprinting.
• Reach and sharing
  One digital link or QR code works many times. You can share with many people without extra resource use.
• Lower physical storage and transport cost
  You do not need to send paper cards, or store them, or move them around. That saves energy, fuel, and materials.

What digital tools cost

Digital tools look clean. But when you dig, they have real costs. Adding them helps answer what is sustainability properly.

• Energy use of data centres. Data centres consume a lot of electricity. In the US over 2,000 data centres generate large CO₂ emissions yearly. In a recent study, US data centres used more than 4 % of total US electricity consumption and caused over 105 million tonnes of CO₂e in one year.
• Fossil fuel dependency. In many places the electricity powering devices or data centres comes from coal, gas or other fossil fuels. That means using digital tools still causes emissions unless power is clean.
• Water used for cooling. Data systems need cooling. Cooling uses large amounts of water, especially in arid or water‑stressed areas. This can strain local water supplies, especially where water is scarce.
• E‑waste. Devices age. They break. They get replaced. Old phones, laptops, tablets build up. Much of their disposal is messy. Rare metals, toxic materials, plastic parts. When not properly recycled they harm environment.

How digital compares to paper under full cost thinking

When you compare digital and paper business cards with full cost thinking, here is what emerges:

What is sustainability, re‑answered with these trade‑offs

To understand what sustainability is, you need to notice both sides. Digital tools often win if:

• You reuse devices well
• You use clean energy or demand clean energy from providers
• You recycle old hardware properly
• You design analytics and usage to minimise waste

But sustainability calls you not to assume digital is always clean. You must check your tool’s power source, efficiency, and waste profile.

If you want a tool that leans into the good side of digital while cutting waste, try a digital business card instead of paper cards. It carries fewer physical burdens and uses fewer resources over time. Sign up free here.