One of the key guiding principles of beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship is to approach and contextualize sustainability challenges through Systems Thinking. Consequently, Visioneers began their hybrid learning journey in June with discussions about their understanding of sustainability. As they progressed, they collectively agreed to view sustainability as a system´s property, where the economy serves people while operating within planetary boundaries.

To build on this foundation, our Fellows received insights into environmental and social sustainability principles, equipping them to define the “rules of the game” for innovation and define the environmental challenges they want to address. As a result, they became prepared to draft definitions of sustainability that were relevant to their environmental contexts and communities.

Given that our 500 Fellows represent diverse regions across America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, they brought unique perspectives to the table. As they explored and defined sustainability, one question that kept emerging was; Is sustainability a choice or a privilege?

The Luxury of Choice

Think about your daily life. How many choices do you make every day? How many of those choices are made with sustainability in mind? Do you take the train or the bike to work? Do you go to the chain supermarket or the organic greengrocers? Do you eat a plant-based diet? Do you only buy sustainable clothes?

Having all these choices is a privilege. To be in this position you must earn a certain amount, living in a highly-developed country in a city that can offer you this wealth of choice. When this image of sustainable living is presented as good and righteous and any other way of life is ‘’unethical’’, it’s easy to see why a lot of people resent this exclusionary vision of sustainability. 

This definition of sustainable living is tailored exclusively to a wealthy tax bracket in major Western cities. Many people outside this small percentile feel that the costs associated with eco-friendly choices are prohibitive. According to the 2023 GlobeScan Healthy & Sustainable Living study, which surveyed nearly 30,000 consumers across 31 countries, when it comes to living more sustainably, affordability is a major barrier. This belief is particularly strong among those with lower purchasing power, younger individuals, and people living in emerging markets, where the gap between the desire to live sustainably and the ability to do so is most pronounced.

Moving from a One-size-fits all Sustainability to an Inclusive Sustainability 

A lot of this exclusionary definition of sustainable living is based on the idea of environmental responsibility on the individual, the consumer. However, the gatekeeping of sustainable living extends beyond individual responsibility, as launching a sustainable business is also harder to achieve without the means to secure investment, and accessing established supply chains and markets that are familiar with eco-friendly practices and products. 

Whether we’re comparing individuals trying to live more sustainably or people trying to launch sustainable businesses around the world, the question remains the same; how do we begin to bridge this vast gap? We have to work towards an inclusive sustainability that allows people of all means and capacities to access sustainable living. A definition of sustainability that adapts to what is available to you and is connected to your local community. We’re thrilled to boast a vast diversity of experience amongst our current Cohort of Fellows. 

“For me, inclusive sustainability means ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background or resources, has the opportunity to participate in and benefit from sustainable practices. It’s about creating accessible and affordable options so that sustainability isn’t just a luxury for those who can afford it.”

Fátima Alonso Hernández, Cohort 2 Fellow, Mexico

When it comes to the sustainability privilege, food is central to the conversation. People with disposable incomes and access to a range of products can have diets that are healthy for the body and the planet but it’s not a given outside of the privilege bubble. Maureen Wambui is a Kenyan Fellow who is focusing on the issues of food insecurity in her region and how it is connected to waste management. Due to the increasing cost of living, many people in the cities and rural areas are barely able to afford the most basic amenities which are usually heavily processed. Her goal is to promote sustainable farming practices that don’t damage the soil and produce sustainable and healthy crops. She wants to implement a circular system that maximizes the potential for food waste as fertilizer. 

Recycling is not available to everyone. In cities like San Francisco, Singapore and Vancouver, over 60% of citizens recycle because they have the infrastructure to do so. Our Fellows are trying to rectify this and are navigating benefits, and trade-offs. Whilst the benefits may seem obvious, some considerations that many countries take for granted are the Increased waste management efforts require significant government resources, which might limit funding for other public services. Also, a large part of introducing recycling is education and public awareness campaigns take time to change behaviors and may not yield immediate results

David Rodriguez is a Cohort 2 Fellow based in Mexico City and he’s trying to give his community the privilege of recycling. His goal is to establish a recycling center where homeless people can be employed as part of a community-driven initiative. He’s recognized that the issues of waste management, homelessness, and sustainability awareness can be addressed through one idea. 

Being sustainable in an unsustainable system

It’s impossible to question what sustainability means for different people in different parts of the world, without emphasizing that sustainability goes hand in hand with the systems that we live in. We have a number of Fellows working on ideas to make the current system work better, as well as Fellows working to devise new systems entirely. In more economically developed countries, there tend to be more regulatory bodies and legal frameworks to help ensure effective governance and there is more economic capacity for technology investment and quality infrastructure for waste management and resource efficiency. 

One of our Ugandan Fellows, Aaron Nuwamanya, is currently exploring zooming out to explore this macro issue. His goal is to improve natural resource governance in his region but he’s facing the issue of lack of awareness. He identified the root cause being poor access to tailored quality education about climate change impacts, leading to little or no access to information at all levels, both locally and nationally. This, in turn, leads to low levels of investment in rural agricultural research & tech development. He’s aiming to tackle this challenge by raising awareness on the level of policy and governance and removing barriers that prohibit people from accessing the tools and knowledge they need to participate in a more sustainable life. For a better understanding of how Aaron is exploring this issue take a look at his Iceberg Model diagram:

Part of subverting top-down thinking is addressing complex issues on all levels; from individual, to local community, to regional and beyond. Some of our Fellows are also striving to create an inclusive sustainability by engaging with larger actors such as their national government or the large multinational companies that operate in their region. For Nyasha Mandivheyi, this step is crucial to forming more sustainable systems. 

“I believe that sustainability is a right. If companies or businesses are contributing to unsustainability, they should give back to the community without having second thoughts. At the end of the day, they are making money in those communities.”

Nyasha Mandivheyi, Cohort 2 Fellow, South Africa

Sustainable living, as we know it, is available to privileged people but it doesn’t have to be. When we look at sustainability as a duty and factor in what we can have an impact on, inclusive sustainability can be reached by people of all walks of life. This topic has provoked a lot of insightful discussion within our community and we’d like to hear what you think! Join the conversation and add your thoughts in the comments.