As Sales Manager for Asia, Lothar sees the global plastic crisis as one of the biggest challenges. “In Southeast Asia, you see it everywhere – even the most beautiful beaches are littered with polystyrene.” However, putting all the blame for this problem on the countries in this region would be unfair, as all major sustainability issues are globally interconnected. Malaysia, for instance, is one of the largest recipients of waste from Germany. So, for Lothar, it’s crucial that when we talk about “sustainability”, we consider the social and economic dimensions that affect the people involved, and not just the purely environmental aspects.
Three sustainability tips from Lothar Hüser
Provide financial support
One building block for improving sustainability could be donating money to organisations that promote sustainability causes. Lothar, for example, supports “Sungai Watch” – an organisation that works to prevent plastic waste in rivers and streams. Its work mainly focuses on educational programmes in Southeast Asia. “They visit villages and help people understand that throwing rubbish into rivers can have a negative impact on fishing and thus on their own livelihoods. It’s all about helping people to understand the consequences of their actions.”
Eat more mindfully
For Lothar, food is an excellent starting point for improving sustainability, because it’s something we can control directly and is part of our everyday lives. The consumption of meat is an issue that he is particularly interested in personally, given its far-reaching global impact. Lothar has significantly reduced his own meat consumption – both for sustainability and to improve his health.
Think long-term
Change often takes time. Lothar finds it unfortunate that companies sometimes face criticism for starting with small steps like “just” making their packaging more sustainable. He considers every achievable improvement to be meaningful progress: “On the journey towards sustainability, every single step counts!”
You can find out more about sustainability at DMG here.