Sustainability. Probably one of the most used words during the last decade. The concept has been democratised in the sense that every person and organisation feels like a stakeholder. That is a good thing.
The not so good thing is how the concept has been ‘othered’ to borrow a term from sociology and alienated. Sustainability as a segment has grown to become both a vertical and also horizontal across large organisations. Large amounts of money have moved to this vertical.
What it has achieved among other things is turned sustainability into a science, something niche, something that the subject matter experts deal in.
I saw the other side of the spectrum a few days back when I entered the only repair shop in our neighborhood to get my iron repaired. I have seen DIY tool shops sprout while repair as a service vanish.
Is there even a possibility that repair shops will become sustainability startups? Because this is the most immediate and most impactful sustainable measure, no? This alone can slow down consumption.
But are repair shops too uncool to be sustainability ‘startups’? Will they get funding only if they employ robots?
I have seen a few online shoe repair services come up. Theshoexpert is one. There is another in Gurgaon.
If you know of any other, please mention. I will love to do a piece. Also, what are your thoughts.
