I recently came across the term “emotional sustainability” while perusing LinkedIn trying to find a job (art is not my full time gig unfortunately). In design, this concept refers to the human centered aspects of design, the parts that attract you specifically by creating an emotional relationship between you and the product. For me, it would be something like the product being made from natural fibres, being made on a small-scale by an artist who I can learn about through their content, if the product is made in such a way that supports local communities etc. A product being made from recycled goods is another one but this is a bit of a scam in my opinion (I’ll address this later). Just because a product might be made sustainably doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sustainable if it’s never used, or disposed of after a short period of time (McDonagh, 2017).
The more we love something, the longer we keep it. I think of what I’ve owned the longest; a polyester a-wear jumper belonging to my (now deceased) mammy, a tour t shirt from a 2013 blur gig, a lipstick that I’ve had for about 16 years (shut up!), a decade old sheet of plastic that scatters rainbows across the room when the sun shines through.
We can’t consume our way out of the climate crisis, but you already know this. For example, brands want you to think that you’re making better choices when choosing to purchase things made from recycled polyester. However, the recycled PET probably comes from plastic bottles, which is fine, but now that garment cannot be recycled. 98% of all recycled polyester feedstock comes from plastic bottles. Fibre to fibre recycling rates are very low due to the complicated nature of fibre blends in garments (Textile Exchange, 2024). That is not to say that you’re a bad person if you buy polyester garments, I have plenty. I just don’t think it’s common knowledge and that everyone should know what their garments are really made from.
I think a lot of us want to buy something that has a story attached, that’s why we love to buy vintage, secondhand, and handmade. Sure, Vinted is the leading retailer of clothes in France! Lately, there has been a disappointing increase in the numbers of people selling fast fashion and tat in markets. A number of years ago, I was selling my handmade pieces in a market and the stall beside me openly disclosed that they had bought all of their stock from aliexpress. Because they were able to sell their pieces for incredibly cheap, they made a killing, but where’s the soul in that? Are you driven purely by profit? More and more, I’m seeing ads on instagram for jewellers selling “waterproof” pieces, touting themselves as a small Irish business. One Google Lens search will show you their supplier and the markup they’re charging, ultimately you’re being ripped off.
I understand that we don’t always have the funds to purchase pieces that do have a story behind them, whether it has been made locally, by a small business, handcrafted, or supports those who make it, but when we do it makes it so much more special. We also can’t predict when something is going to stay with us forever. Emotional sustainability isn’t about perfection, it’s about connection. It’s the relationship we build with objects over time, through use, memory, care, and meaning.
In a world that’s always pushing new and more, this concept invites us to honour the old, consume less, cherish more. It asks us to rethink what makes something valuable, not just in terms of cost, but also presence, story, and emotional weight.