Words matter. One of those I hold most dear is sustainability. For that reason I feel obliged not to use the word in vain. And for the same reason I believe those of us who subscribe to sustainability should be exact in explaining what we mean by it.
I am inspired by the United Nations report Our Common Future published in 1987. The report, better known as the Brundtland Report in recognition of former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland's role in the making of it, placed environmental issues firmly on the political agenda.
MS. Brundtland aimed to discuss the environment and development as one single issue. And she came up with a definition of sustainable development that I believe makes sense: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
To me, by combining the presence and the future, this definition captures a life philosophy that transcends its 23 words. While neither luxury nor leather goods are basic human needs - anyone who says differently don't know what they are talking about - we should allow ourselves to live today, but carefully consider how our choices will impact on future generations.
When founding Vakigrad I had in mind that people might want to express themselves through things that are made by sustainable principles. That's why I developed these three principles: timelessness for style; product quality for longevity; and cleaner materials to develop superior sustainable leather goods. For that I owe Gro Harlem Brundtland and the UN World Commission on Environment and Development my sincere thanks for the understanding and inspiration of sustainability.
x Vaso Vukovic,
CEO and founder of Vakigrad
