Why Are Sustainable Products So Expensive In India?
Sustainable products are expensive in India for 3 main reasons.
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The Demand for Sustainable products is not as high as traditional products.
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Fair labor and ethical practices cost more than traditional ones.
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Supply chain implications, It is not easy making products that have minimal impact on the environment.
Sustainable living is a way to change your habit to use natural resources mindfully with minimal waste and choose a product that promotes sustainable practice by reducing our carbon footprint or just to contribute to a positive social impact.
Look at the table of price comparisons between eco-friendly products and regular products. We’ve collected these costs from online shopping portals like amazon and a quick trip down to our local grocers.
| Regular product |
Sustainable product |
|
|
Cup |
Tea/Coffee/Soup/Mug Cup, 110 ML 4Pcs. ₹190.00 |
₹411.00 |
|
T-shirt |
₹399.00 |
₹999.00 |
|
Soap |
135/- |
Organic Activated Charcoal Cleansing Soap Bar – (Pack of 3) 550/- |
| Bedsheet |
Cotton Double Bedsheet with 2 Pillow Covers ₹599.00 |
Organic Cotton Double Bedsheet with 2 Pillow Covers ₹1,499.00 |
|
Food |
₹369 |
₹799 |
Isn’t it unbelievable how much more expensive “ sustainable ” items are?
Beyond the trend of eco-friendly, there are substantial reasons why certain sustainable products come at such a high cost to the consumer. For the most part, it has to do with the cost of production, supply & demand.
The interesting fact about sustainable and eco-friendly products is, Throughout its lifespan, the ideal eco-friendly product doesn’t negatively impact the environment—be it during production, usage, or disposal. If they do, they try to make up for it in other ways, such as offsetting their carbon footprint by funding a carbon dioxide-saving somewhere else.
Living sustainably more expensive is because of the following factors.
- Eco-friendly agricultural practice
- Fair Labour Employment
- Green Processing
- Low demand
- Certification
Eco-friendly agricultural practice
Working with organic farmers for years, I learned that one of the popular practice of organic farming is to avoid the usage of any chemicals that can harm our environment by killing off endangered insects, disrupting the ecosystem, as well as an adverse effect on our health.
while cutting down the dependence on chemicals to grow a crop means farms will have to employ more workers for simple tasks like weeding, cleaning, and manual controlling the pest damage. That’s why the organic price tag reflects the costs of growing produce in environmentally friendly ways.
Post-harvest handling of organic produce results in higher costs because of the mandatory segregation of organic and conventional produce, especially for processing and transportation.
This makes organic farming as a premium because it is not the ‘normal’ way to grow food. Instead, pesticides and other nasty practices of mass production are not endorsed which can lead to health issues also ruins and biodiversity.
Fair Labour Employment
Green companies provide workers with fair wages and safe working conditions would naturally mean higher costs, that have to be covered by a higher price tag. The way workers or laborers are paid has a large impact on the cost of products. Many Ethically run business pay their employees well and offer important human rights such as t limits on working hours and a safe working environment. Choosing to manufacture these ethical products drives up the costs significantly for sustainable products.
Green Processing
The processes of manufacturing sustainable items also tend to bring higher costs. This means a lot of effort must consider resource efficiency including a minimal amount of material and minimal energy consumption during the overall manufacturing of sustainable products.
To get to the root of the high price tag on sustainable items, we have to consider the different extent include everything from the cost of water used in production to the social aspect, such as fair working conditions and wages, while purchasing if the consumer doesn’t bear the cost, someone else will—be it workers or Mother Nature.
When you look at a sustainable product, the brand has taken the time to understand their supply chain and the provenance to ensure that everyone along the supply chain is looked after and that the environmental impact of the item is managed correctly.” Importantly, when you pay a higher price for a sustainable product, you’re paying for the protection of the environment and workers.
Low demand
Due to the low demand for sustainable products over the conventionally manufactured ones, which means the prices of green items are high is partially due to low demand.
The culture of sustainability is always deeply rooted in Indian culture, but a shift to follow the trend has changed their mindset. but slowly people are now understanding the importance of the environment and its changing climate and shifting their outlook towards sustainability.
The more market demand there is for a product or service the more competition it creates driving down prices when manufacturing in higher volumes. Due to smaller customer demand, sustainable brands must produce in low quantities which drives up the price of production.
Certifications
Although the government upholds organic standards in India, it doesn’t actually certify organic products. Third-party certifying agents, accredited by the Government, perform organic certifications and inspections. The certifying agencies inspect and evaluate the production and handling of the standard regulation of the growing processing and handling of organic products.
Certification takes time and money and it contributes to a high price tag. Converting to organic production can take from 15 to 36 months and during this time, products cannot be sold as organic. Producers must also pay for one year of pre-certification, and renew annually.
Farmers must use organic seeds and may not use banned chemicals and substances on their fields for at least three years before they may call a crop organic. Strict record-keeping must also be established for the accountability of organic produce.
Similarly “Fair Trade” is also a specific and complex process.
To gain fair trade tag producers undergo a lengthy process of applications, inspections, audits, and interviews to ensure that they meet the Fair Trade standards. includes ecologically sound practices,farmer-owned cooperative businesses, and Labor standards, including the prohibition of child labor.
Will sustainable products ever get cheaper?
Sustainable products are expensive because we don’t prefer enough sustainable options to promote businesses to consider their processes to have minimal impact on the environment.
As we demand eco-friendly and sustainable options, green companies can escalate up and costs can be reduced to lower. Even then, there may be many aspects to which prices cannot go below, due to natural reasons for fair labor and eco-friendly processes.
Expensive is a subjective word for sustainable products, When sustainable items are put in the reference to the product’s shelflife the sustainable ones either don’t cost a lot more or will even save you money in the future.
Reusable tumbler is a great example of this as the good quality ones don’t actually cost more. In fact, many cafes now provide discounts if you bring your own container as part of their green initiative. As a consumer, buying a sustainable item costs a bit more, but it adds much value to the intention of making a low carbon impact.
Image by GraphicMama-team from Pixabay
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