#4 - Buying sustainably - how much for a bottle?!

Sustainable products, in general, are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. (On face value, at least).

This means that to a lot of people, it may feel like living an eco-conscious lifestyle just isn’t achievable.

But before you agree with what I’ve said so far and go on with your day, I’m going to do a deeper dive into WHY sustainable products are typically more expensive, and why they’re still worth buying.

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So why does it seem to cost so much to buy sustainable items?

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Firstly, you need to look at demand.

Although the desire for sustainability when shopping is on the rise, it’s still nowhere near where it needs to be to bring costs down. When there’s high demand for products, manufacturers will take advantage of the economies of scale – basically meaning the cost per item will decrease as production of the items increases.

Essentially, the higher the demand for eco-friendly products, the cheaper they will be.

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Next, there’s the cost of the raw materials and manufacturing for the products.

Items that are cheap are made with cheap materials, which are typically sourced irresponsibly and with no real regard for their environmental impact. Materials that are both ethical and sustainable are naturally more expensive, hiking up the cost at consumer level.

From here, when the products are manufactured, the price is increased further due to specialist processes, technology, and skilled workers, which requires further investment from businesses.

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Certifications also are a factor. For items to have certain certifications ( b-corp, fairtrade, etc) it can be pricey, and involve pretty detailed vetting and inspections. Certifications are important to set those that are truly sustainable apart from the evermore common ‘green-washers’.

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So, why, if they’re so expensive, should you buy sustainable products?

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Let’s take an example. Ocean Bottle have created a reusable water bottle that is fully recyclable, and part made from recycled ocean plastic. When you buy 1 bottle, it funds the collection of 1000 plastic bottles (11.4kg of plastic) from coastal areas where plastic pollution is worst, which can be expanded on through registering refills. (They also have a positive social impact on local coastal communities where the collections happen).

For their standard 500ml bottle, it will set you back ￡35. Now this may seem a lot for a bottle, but not once you break it down.

Ocean Bottle has a 10-year guarantee (they are built to LAST).

The average person in the UK uses?around 150 plastic bottles per year. If you say each drink bought cost ￡1, you could’ve bought 4 ocean bottles in that time with money left over. And that’s just over 1 year. Even a regular reusable plastic bottle will typically last up to 2 years, so although cheaper initially, it’s still more expensive in the long run.

So when you look at the upfront cost, it’s expensive, but if you are able to afford it upfront, it works out far cheaper.

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The same can be applied to so many reusable products, whether that be alternatives to cotton pads, sandwich bags, cling film, straws, cutlery, nappies, the list goes on. You spend more upfront, but the savings only increase the more you're not replacing single-use alternatives.

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We also mentioned economies of scale earlier (cost per item decreasing as production of the items increases, if you don’t remember and can’t be bothered to scroll back up).

For me, this is one of the most important reasons to shop sustainably.

There is never going to be a real shift away from mass-produced, unsustainable products if the demand for sustainability doesn’t increase. And the only way to increase demand is through more and more people opting for the greener choice when shopping.

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I mentioned Ocean Bottle as an example, but what other reusable products should I be aware of?

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(P.s. I’ve mentioned them before, I'll mention them again, Canopey is an online marketplace where you can buy trusted, verified sustainable products – definitely worth checking out for some sustainable inspiration).

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