Writing/Triangulation Task

1. Document your 3 connecting texts - use close reading to help you.
2. Make a list of what patterns and/or connections you have discovered.
3. Write 250 word blog post based on your reading and understanding of your 3 texts (and any other reading you might undertake) discuss different perspectives of each text and how it relates to your chosen theme.

THEME: Sustainability

PATTERNS/CONNECTIONS: Sustainable products, the ethics of sustainability, how the consumer interacts with sustainability.

Many texts that I researched have presented an interest in the marketing side of sustainability, and why people do or do not buy sustainably branded products. An article from the Harvard Business Review states that 'In one recent survey 65% said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, yet only about 26% actually do so', this shows that people are wanting to buy sustainable products but aren't. Why is this? However, a second article, also from the Harvard Business Review, titled 'Research: Actually, Consumers do buy Sustainable Products' shares statistics that demonstrate a significant increase in  the number of sustainable products in the market. 'Products that had a sustainability claim on-pack accounted for 16.6% of the market in 2018, up from 14.3% in 2013, and delivered nearly $114 billion in sales, up 29% from 2013.' this would suggest that there is more demand for these products. However, the previous article shows that consumers are interested in the sustainable products, leading to companies investing more time into fulfilling the consumers interest, only for them to not buy said products. John Dienhart wrote an article talking about whether the Green movement is sustainable, he states it isn't 'not unless it pays a lot more attention to global and domestic poverty'. This overrides any statements about whether people are buying a particular product or not if the whole movement is doomed to fail anyway. Dienhart raises research into people who have money, and have done a lot for the environment, alone. And when he's looked into larger corporate companies he discovered there is no one paying attention to poverty, thus creating two 'ethical gaps' where those who have money can afford to be green and those without money can't. Ultimately making the movement itself at a stand still, whether we have, or even buying sustainable products or not.