Sustainability now – Consumers and sustainability

Thilafushi – or Rubbish Island – in the Maldives

The past few days I spent on an island in the Maldives planning a waste management project together with different stakeholders. 

In the Maldives, a country whose main focus is high-end tourism, a bed night can cost up to Rs. 800,000. Since some years the Government promoted the development of the guesthouse sector which enjoys increasing numbers of visitors. Being more affordable than resorts, even guesthouses are costly compared to other countries in Asia. In addition transport to the islands has its price and needs to be included when budgeting a holiday. 

In summary, everyone knows that travelling to the Maldives has its price. For the cost however every visitor is rewarded with islands, each one beautiful in its own way, a diverse and rich underwater life and great resorts and hotels challenging each other in being the best when it comes to recreation, hideaways, spas and other de-stress possibilities.

Waste management

During the discussions it became clear that waste management is a major issue in the country and there are different approaches to tackle the challenge, where islands are in many ways autonomous about it. Some places have set up and are extending waste management systems, where others do not care much about where their waste goes. 

Many resorts are contracting small boats to collect their waste to bring it to Thilafushi, the “garbage island”. If it ever arrives there is sometimes controlled, sometimes not. Also, the sewage and liquid waste from islands and resorts are rarely treated, most of the time it goes straight into the sea.

The whole world is struggling with waste, the example of Maldives is not a particularly special one, it just shows one thing clearly which is also relevant for Sri Lanka, and this is what I want to highlight in this article: how short-sighted business decisions are threating not only the natural environment and society as a whole, but also the businesses core activities which are supposed to bring the desired maximum financial returns for which nature and society are compromised.      

Consumer perspective

To understand the consumer, one only needs to think from their perspective. Why does anyone visit Maldives? Why does anyone come to Sri Lanka? 

Among the total amount of visitors we also find business travellers, students and returning family members; however the majority of those entering Maldives or Sri Lanka are tourists. So what are we selling to them and what does an average tourist expect? Why are they coming? 

Any tour agent’s advertisements for Maldives include beach, underwater world and resort amenities. There is no ad without a palm tree or marine life. For Sri Lanka we have a more diverse set of offers: usually it is beaches, wildlife in and outside water, tea and other agricultural products, culture and heritage, sports, Ayurveda and spiritual retreats. I have not seen an advertisement for Sri Lanka without promoting the islands nature, wildlife and cultural heritage. This is why tourists come and what they hope to explore in the country. 

Can anyone imagine a resort in Maldives without reef fish swimming around outside? Would anyone pay the same money for a resort which is built on dead coral or with a view onto patches of consumer waste in the water? How many would want to pay for a Yala safari without leopards, whale watching without wales, diving without corals and reef fish, white water rafting without a suitable river (thinking of Kitulgala), any beach hotel without sand (thinking of Unawatuna a few years back), and so on. Waste has its impact onto the natural environment, even if we burn it and believe it is out of the way.

For sure there are tourists who couldn’t care less about the environment of another country, but that means also they do not care about the country as a whole. So then it might as well make sense to attract that part of tourists which value the country and its beauty and become returning visitors which in the long run will benefit the country more. It might be in everyone’s interest to attract those visitors who come to explore the country with respect and intentions to enjoy their stay by experiencing what the country has to offer without destroying it – to “experience” the country and not to “consume it”.  

A few facts 

There are a few facts which entrepreneurs also have to think of: 

First, consumers in general expect ethical and sustainable corporate behaviour: there is controversy in how much they are willing to pay for it – research shows that it is not much. However fact is that if a corporate does not comply with these self-understood values, they will blame and shame that business, and nothing is easier nowadays than that - looking at the possibilities which social media offers. 

Second, the majority of consumers do not go out of their way for sustainable products. They are usually trapped in psychologically based justification patterns on how to not change their current behaviour. In addition consumers have low trust in CSR activities and ethical business claims –they mostly believe it is a green wash all together. 

Third, it is not how some assume that tourists have unlimited amounts of money available for travelling. Most consumers work hard during the year to afford a two-week holiday somewhere around the globe. There have to be enough reasons to come to Sri Lanka, otherwise there is plenty of choice to spend the holiday somewhere else.  

Some might say, but there is research which confirms that consumers would pay at least 50% more than for conventional goods. Yes there is research, however it needs to be assessed which methodology the researches uses; if it is questionnaires, FGDs and interviews the chances for a social desirability bias are high. Only experimental and quasi experimental research can reveal genuine results and give insights into the real life behaviour of consumers, which shows that there is a small percentage of sustainable consumers who have structured their lifestyles around sustainability, the majority however is still prioritizing aspects such as price, fashion or convenience.  

Where this sounds discouraging, the truth is that those who only try to convince consumers of their sustainable behaviour will find it hard to reap the benefits. Rather, setting up core activities according to sustainable standards is the only way of successfully running a business in the long term. This is not about charity, it is not about suddenly becoming an environmentalist or activist – it is about understanding the inter-linkages of the three dimensions (economy, society, nature) and aligning the core activities of a business accordingly. Today, for businesses to be really successful, have to look into solutions which balance the triple bottom line.

Coming back to the consumers, such self-understood sustainable behaviour as described above will first of all reap trust, because it is fully genuine, it will reap increased consumer interest and attraction because it gives consumers a real choice between sustainable and unsustainable offers. In addition there is no need for the business to convince anyone of their activities – by promoting their core business activities they are already showcasing sustainable conduct. A Maldivian island resort will only run successfully in the long run and can only reap the financial and reputational benefits if it looks after its natural environment and the people involved – this is the USP of the entire country. Similarly, Sri 

Lankan tourism can only be sustainable if it conserves and looks after those attractions why the majority of people come to the country! And besides tourism, isn’t it worthwhile to develop Sri Lanka into a place for all its residents to enjoy in the long term?

[The writer is working as consultant for sustainable development with the business sector, multilateral organisations and civil society on projects involving sustainable consumption and production (inclusive supply chains and industry development, renewable energy, consumer behaviour, waste management) and peace building (SD conflicts, social integration, resource conflicts). She is the founder of the Sustainability Hub Sri Lanka and the Colombo Fleamarket. She could be reached via [email protected].]