Fostering a sustainable world through innovative products

THE phrase "sustainability" tends to be thrown around frequently in discussions. On one hand, sustainability can mean developing solutions that create a comfortable living experience in harmony with the environment. On the other hand, it can also mean cutting down on human consumption to ensure that future generations will be able to inherit the same or better quality of life than the one that we currently have. While we may argue on the specific definition of "sustainability", what we are in concurrence is that the world is slowly drifting from anything remotely close to "sustainability". An explosion in rapid urbanisation and population growth coupled with climate change has created an environment where there are noticeable increases in sea levels, wildfires, droughts and extreme weather. This is leading to an unsustainable future.

However, does this mean that we have to sacrifice the things we have today for the future tomorrow? I believe there is a possibility of compromise - to be able to foster sustainability using innovative products. There is an increasingly important business recognition that innovation is swiftly gaining traction across all industries. As organisations constantly discover and derive new ways to do the same thing better, this emphasis on innovation and reinvention dovetails neatly with the core premise of sustainability.

So, what are innovative products? I believe that innovative products are products that bring out the potential of raw materials to their limits. They are not meant to introduce a new variant of existing products in the market, but are meant to improve and revolutionise the way we accept the current status in the world. This can mean improving on existing products, and also creating products specifically aimed at eliminating problems that are currently being faced in the world.