What Is Sustainability For Us And Those We Are Surrounded By
When Kathryn Beaton and I started our brand, we wanted to build it upon our core values. One of the most important values we have is sustainability for us and those we are surrounded by.
Sustainability is one of our favourite words here at Live Well Health Essentials. (If one can have a favourite word!) The reason it features so much for us is to us sustainability is all about being determined to stay in business! Being sustainable in business we know is one of the most important things we can do to support our community and maintaining that responsibility with pride is something we take quite seriously. So what does that look like?
What is Sustainability?
While the term sustainability is subject to interpretation, the main definition of the phrase is the search for improved life for all in the environmental, social and economic aspects of life and development.
We always want to do our best in all these areas, but our strongest focus is on economic sustainability, how we can stay in business and help support other businesses to do the same.
Sustainability has a multifaceted definition that holds different meanings for different people. It can also mean different things whether you are thinking about it from a business standpoint or a personal one, and there is no one way or ‘right’ way to be sustainable. I think that is one of the reasons I love the word is that it has many layers to its meaning, but at its heart it literally is to 'sustain' and I like the idea of sustaining others through the work we do.
The general goal behind being sustainable is the focus on long term solutions that benefit not just the people or corporations that stand to make a profit, but also the peoples and environments surrounding them. Sustainability has become more and more valuable to us in the last few decades, especially through a local lens as the importance of supporting Australia’s local and regional communities’ economy has remained an integral goal for us.
From an Australian business perspective, being sustainable means focusing on finding sustainable strategies to maintain production, manufacturing and transportation by using methods that are not just viable actions for now but will prove sustainable for future generations. A big part of making sure future generations are supported is through economic prosperity as well - for a functioning society to be sustainable, we must have a prosperous and sufficient economy. Making sure this economy is equitable for everyone and finding ways to support the integration of people living in rural areas so that they are a part of this prosperous economy is a vital part of what being sustainable as a business means to Live Well Health Essentials.
What does sustainability mean to Live Well Health Essentials?
When it comes to Live Well Health Essentials we see sustainability through the lens of who we are connected with. Taking the time to make sure we are supporting Australia’s national and local economy and ensuring Australia’s economic sustainability is strong is something Live Well Health Essentials aspires to keep integrating into our business values and into our holistic care approach, and shapes the way we create our products and business foundation.
Regional communities
Did you know Live Well Health Essentials’ products can be found in over 1000 local pharmacies around Australia? We know the importance of providing local business revenue in rural and big city stores, which is why we put so much effort into always expanding our connections to small businesses to stock our Live Well Health Essentials products.
Our Team
Our regional warehouse and company base is set in the sunny Central Coast, and we make sure to hire local employees to join our Live Well Health Essentials’ family because we want to strengthen our contribution to the regional economy and support our local communities. By making sure that our warehouse base is in a regional area, this allows our workers to work flexibly around their schedules and avoid having to travel far distances into the cities for work - more time with family and a ten minute commute makes our employees happy, which makes us happy.
Aussie farmers
We use a grain called lupin in all our hot and cold therapy bags, and all our lupin is locally sourced by Australian farmers and collected sustainably. We only use Australian made and sourced materials in our holistic health care as the economic benefits and environmental perks help make our company as sustainable as we aim for. Our regional suppliers provide the best quality lupin and make sure that the local economy is supported.
What is the economic benefit of being sustainable?
Australia is slowly moving to transition more and more into what’s referred to as a circular economy. Basically what this means is that in a circular economy, the materials come from local sources and are distributed locally, with the overarching goal being to eliminate excess waste - all the while making sure fuel earnings from the products made of these local materials is channeled back into the local or national economy so it becomes a self-sufficient business model on a national scale.
By prioritising supporting local workers, Live Well Health Essentials is helping support this shift towards a more sustainable model of business, which not only has many economic benefits but is helping to shine a light on Australian made products.
Understanding the economic benefits on a local scale can be overwhelming with all the information that’s coming to light in the recent years from new studies, so it can take time to fully absorb the basic concepts - basically, using sustainable practices in businesses not only benefits the economy, but those benefits actually apply to us in everyday lifestyles once enough companies start sourcing locally and contributing to our national economy.
What are the economic benefits of supporting Australian made products?
When you buy an Australian made product, you are contributing to the amount of local jobs made available. And when there are more jobs, that allows for more Australians to be hired, so job stability and opportunities are greater. This support of local towns and communities rather than hiring internationally means that there is less pressure to keep outsourcing from overseas and allowing local manufacturing to be sustained.
Why is sustaining local manufacturing important?
When we can maintain a local manufacturing cycle, this means we can become self-sufficient in the long term.
Lower costs
Buying Australian made products means that there is less overhead cost for companies compared to importing products from overseas, and the cost of shipping and tax is then lowered for consumers.
There are many more economic benefits to buying locally other than supporting local suppliers and businesses, including increasing tax revenue which allows governments to direct more funds towards things like improved infrastructure, education, and lowering the cost of welfare.
Environmental Awareness
Ensuring that environmentally safe measures in terms of development are being implemented in businesses is essential to creating a sustainable, long-term business model. More and more policies regarding the protection of ecological sites are being put into place to make sure we aren’t damaging the environment more than what’s already been done, and now when we talk about sustainability a lot of the systems in place are to undo this damage. When you purchase Australian made products, there are less transportation costs and gases emitted due to lesser travelling distance, supporting more sustainable practices.
Can I make a difference?
We can always make a difference to help contribute to Australia’s sustainability as a country in every aspect - economically, environmentally and socially. There are always things you can do to be sustainable as an individual. All the things we’ve talked about help make a difference:
- Buying Australian made products to help support local farmers, jobs and small businesses.
- Supporting companies with sustainable values.
One of the easiest ways to promote sustainability is by buying Australian grown products and farmers just like we are at Live Well Health Essentials, and we are always conscious of making sure we provide sustainable business solutions.
