11 moments that made 2021 the year of sustainability
By Pia King 
Sustainability, circularity and climate change. The most heard words throughout 2021 are the ones that mark the path to be followed in the years to come. There is no doubt that this year marked a turning point for all of us, our lives have changed since the COVID pandemic, and with it the notion that this is the time to preserve our most precious asset: our planet.
By Pia King
Throughout the world, the need to change our actions and habits, strengthening our environmental commitment, has become a priority. The consequences of climate change are already being seen more frequently. Fires, storms, floods, heat waves and extreme cold are becoming closer, reason enough to start taking action. Unlike previous years, we are beginning to see alternatives that promote a lifestyle that is slower, conscious, responsible and connected to our surroundings, whether in the fashion, beauty, travel, food or lifestyle industries. lifetime. Although the road seems slow, this year that is ending leaves us with the feeling that change is already underway. Something changed in all of us, and there is no way to look back.
As happens every time the end of the year approaches, we look back, to see the path we have traveled and the lessons we have learned along it. In terms of sustainability, 2021 left us with a wide range of lessons that invite us to go through a new year with a look full of hope and with the certainty that we all have the ability to be agents of change so that we can have a better future. .
1. Slow and conscious fashion gains strength in Latin America
Latin America is a land where sustainable design has many possibilities to develop. Ancestral knowledge, proximity to high-class textile materials and a wide variety of artisanal techniques make more and more designers and brands assume their environmental and social commitment. The proposals that can be seen are adapted to the particularities of all countries, although they maintain a common denominator: the lack of resources is not an impediment, but rather a possibility that opens doors to creativity. In recent years, Latin American sustainable brands and designers have gained wide international recognition, becoming role models worldwide.
2. Craftsmanship rises up in favor of sustainability
The cultural and ancestral legacy that make up the Latin American essence managed to occupy a central role in the work of many of the region's brands and designers. Recovering these values implies reconnecting with the local, with what constitutes us and is part of our essence. For a long time, the mass production of garments and other objects displaced local and artisanal production, due to lower costs and regardless of the quality of these products. Today, ancestral and artisanal knowledge have a priority place in the region, becoming resources that make a difference and connect us with a slower (and more real) way of perceiving time. Craftsmanship also promotes the social and environmental well-being of all communities.
3. Pre-owned, resale and vintage garments affirm that there is no better clothing than the one that already exists
The premise is simple: there is no better garment than the one that already exists. That's why this year pre-owned, resale and vintage garments dominated the scene. The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective or Troquer are some of the names that made those archive garments take on a new value in favor of sustainability. Yes, the overconsumption and overproduction of garments has become more and more intense and its environmental cost is becoming noticeable. In recent months, the news of the Atacama desert turned into a textile dump due to the discarding of fast-fashion garments has been released. It's time to face it: the era of disposable clothing has come to an end. Today, extending the life of our garments has become one of the commandments of fashion.
4. The textile revolution is led by bio-materials and plant-based textiles
Mushrooms, cacti, mango, apples and grapes. Textiles are evolving and plant-based alternatives are leading the revolution. The use of leather and animal skins will soon be history and its new versions made from vegetable leather sound promising. These materials seek to be biodegradable options, free of plastic and essentially free of animal abuse. Bio-materials, for their part, are also establishing themselves as part of the new generation of textiles that use natural resources, such as the mycelium of fungi, acclaimed for their low impact. Materials that are regenerative and that can return to the earth without having a negative impact are the future of an industry that is open to change.
5. Natural ingredients support the future of sustainable cosmetics
Clean, blue, green, slow... natural cosmetic trends have been growing throughout the year. Today we know that the care of our skin and our body depends on the type of ingredients that the products we use have. Because they all impact our body and also the planet. Cosmetics is one of the areas where the greatest changes have been seen in terms of sustainability, mainly due to the impact that products have on the water, the oceans and their ecosystems. But also the change in this industry for one free of toxic ingredients has to do with our health. Undoubtedly, beauty products made with natural ingredients are the ones that we should begin to consider.
By Pia King
6. Plastic Detox: The Practice We Should All Try
July is the 'plastic free' month, where the global Plastic Free July movement invites us to do a plastic detox to understand what the consumption of single-use (or disposable) plastics implies and what is the impact they have about our planet. Plastic takes thousands of years to decompose and releases toxic components to the earth as it does so, polluting the water and damaging the balance of marine life mainly. That is why plastic, when it is discarded after one use, only generates more and more plastic garbage, which is difficult to be recycled and recovered. Doing a plastic detox invites us to discover new (and accessible) ways to say no to plastic, especially those for single use. 
7. We can learn (and change) a lot from how we eat
'Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are'. 2021 was the year where food took on a leading role, becoming (also) a political act. Eating a plant-based diet is not only about avoiding animal abuse but also about contributing to the preservation of our planet. Today the meat industry and the activities that revolve around it are considered one of the most polluting in the world. The advance of deforestation related to this industry is wreaking havoc throughout the region, especially in the Amazon rainforest, which today is reaching its breaking point. Eating healthy, with plant-based diets or as close to them as possible, also favors our health. Movements such as meatless Monday or flexo-vegetarian diets are presented as good alternatives for those who choose to reduce their intake of meat and dairy, to preserve our planet.
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8. Caring for animals (and biodiversity) must be a priority
When we talk about empathy saving the world, we are serious. The conservation of biodiversity, ecosystems and animal species is an issue that we can no longer ignore. The latest report published this year by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in conjunction with the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) decreed that the climate crisis is closely linked to the balance of biodiversity and human action on our planet. When we talk about sustainability, we must not lose sight of the fact that in the face of the environmental, social and economic crisis that climate change implies, the balance generated in ecosystems gives us the guideline to find a way out.
9. ECO alternatives to products are becoming more accessible
The change is already underway, and although it is a slow process, there are more and more alternatives that we find to lead a more sustainable and ecological lifestyle. From cosmetic products made with natural ingredients, household cleaning products, clothing made with upcycling or zero-waste techniques, compostable packaging, the alternatives that help us reduce our waste are increasingly accessible. Yes, sustainability and ECO products are everywhere today. The key to being able to identify them is to know what the laws that make greenwashing are, to know how to avoid falling into it.
By Pia King
10. Generation Z has a lot to teach us
Greta Thunberg initiated and inspired a generation of young people to take the path of environmental activism. Today, the movement of young people who fight to preserve our planet has gained great magnitude. The famous Fridays For Future marches already have a global reach, what's more, during the demonstration in Glasgow in the context of COP26, 300,000 people asked their leaders for justice and climate action. This generation, which has Latin references such as Xiye Bastida or Nicole Becker, is not afraid to face the great world leaders, on the contrary, they are the ones who ask the most for their future, the one that they have in their hands today.
11. The solution to the climate crisis is possible if we take action (NOW)
David Attenborough already said it in his documentary 'Breaking the limits: the science of our planet', the time to reverse and stop the climate crisis is NOW. We are going through the hinge decade where every action that is done counts. Now is the time to drastically curb and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate deforestation, and take action so that our planet's temperature does not continue to rise. The circular and regenerative economy, plant-based diets, reducing the use of single-use plastics, and consuming consciously are some of the things we can do to do our bit. Definitely the future of our planet and future generations is in our hands and there is no time to lose.