Why Longevity Is The True Measure Of Sustainability
by Marc Minne, CEO and Co-founder of Eva-Last
The longevity of a product from “cradle-to-grave” is the truest measure of sustainability far beyond its carbon emissions. Durability determines the extent of a product’s useful life and consequently dictates the frequency of its disposal and eventual replacement. This has enormous implications for its environmental impact beyond air and water pollution and climate change. In fact, our very survival depends on it.
According to the World Green Building Council lifecycle assessments, up to 80% of a building product’s total environmental impact occurs over its use phase, including maintenance, repair, and replacement, rather than initial manufacturing.
Durability IS sustainability because it’s the most effective way to preserve resources, reduce emissions and pre-empt environmental regulations by preventing unnecessary production.
Modern management and manufacturers such as ourselves at Eva-Last, and indeed international regulators, are moving away from the detrimental ‘Take-Make-Dispose’ mindset of limited lifespan products towards more circular conciliatory thinking. Durability is valued over recycling and remanufacturing. Quality over Quantity. Planet before Profit.
Material replacement generates over 600 million tons of construction waste annually in the US alone, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, reinforcing that the most sustainable material choice is not the one that can be replaced or recycled fastest, but the one that is designed to last longest.
Lifecyle Analysis (LCA) is a comprehensive assessment of a product’s total environmental impact from extraction through production, to use and eventual disposal. It considers the product’s unintended impact on ozone depletion, as well as its water footprint including pollution and nutrient destruction. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) merely quantifies the greenhouse gas or carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) produced during its lifespan, examining factors such as fossil fuels, biogenic sources and land-use changes. PCF is only a part of the total Lifecycle Analysis.
The fact is, longevity decreases waste generation, conserves precious resources and energy, and prevents unnecessary carbon emissions. Decreased transportation and manufacturing activities mean less toxic compounds and less climate change. Longer lifespans mean less consumption which means less extraction, less production and less pollution of the planet. Period.
That doesn’t mean we stop producing products. It means we examine what and how we produce what we need. And constantly look to improve and enhance efficiencies and durability. This perfectly paves the way for responsible producers such as Eva-Last to develop durable products deliberately designed to enhance our built environment while preserving our natural one.
Now that’s True Sustainability.
