As average consumers in modern society it is too easy to concern ourselves only with the process that is driving to the store, picking a product and paying for it. A more discerning eye will find that every product has an extensive and unique lifeline pre-market. Whether it be in the countless conceptual design iterations, the gathering of various materials, or the assembly of these materials, a product passes through many hands before it can reach our own.
If it is within a scope of sustainability that we choose to examine this pre-market process, we must ask many questions. How carefully is the product designed? For whom? How are the materials gathered? Are these natural resources preserved or cared for? Are the assembly workers treated well?
Surely it is the equal responsibility of the company, manufacturer, and consumer to ensure the utmost quality and integrity of the product's entire lifeline! Yet how unfortunate is it, that each entity often functions as an individual, blissfully ignorant of the others' agenda. I believe this is a trend in "complacent consumerism" that plagues modern society. If left unchecked, we will continue to deplete our natural resources until exhaustion. That being said, there is hope to be found in responsibility and diligence in the preservation of our environment.
My Product was the Sennheiser Momentum Over-ear Headphones: they are a luxury headphone produced by Sennheiser as a "fashion" headphone and this much is made clear by the lush and liberal use of leather that covers both the headband and the ear cushions. While I'm not too sure myself of the manufacturing conditions/ process I can imagine that there is a considerable eco-price associated with the mass production of leather-bound products.
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