The Friday just past was this year’s Earth Day, a day when most of us try to be a little more aware of the issues facing our planet and what we can do to work towards a sustainable future. At least, we try to be more aware than we were last year, continuously iterating towards being a more conscientious species. While we may associate Earth Day with virtuous (if symbolic) actions, this year’s Earth Day motto is a little more direct. “Invest in Our Planet” is a call to make substantial contribution towards something we all claim to care about, something that luxury watch brands have been putting more and more resources into over the past few years.
We already know that brands such as Panerai (with their extensive use of innovative and sustainable materials) and IWC (widely acknowledged a watch industry leader in sustainability initiatives) are actively pursuing product policies that take their environmental impact into consideration. What we’re ecstatic about is the fact that this shows no signs of being a passing trend, something that companies do in order to signal to consumers that they’re worth buying from. More and more brands are undertaking serious projects and making committed statements about fundamentally transforming their operations into something more ecologically oriented.
The best of these projects don’t come across as preachy or over-serious; they are built on the understanding that climate awareness may be a pressing issue, but you are allowed to take pleasure (and maybe even have a little fun!) in the process. That makes a lot of sense to me — spending time on the things you care about (like the planet we live on) shouldn’t be onerous; it should be gratifying. The recent launch of the Maurice Lacroix Aikon #Tide is a great example of this. It’s meaningful and wholly enjoyable at the same time.
It’s worth mentioning that our parent company GMT Publishing has been certified carbon neutral by MyClimate, one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations in climate protection. So while there is a lot of discussion out there about the environmental impact of online activity due to electricity consumption, you can browse WorldTempus to your heart’s content without worrying that every article you read is adding another drop to the ocean of global carbon emissions. Of course, that also means that our sister title GMT Magazine is also fully carbon offset, not only for the paper they print on but also their shipping and distribution activities. I hope that helps you to make up your mind the next time you pass by a magazine kiosk and wonder which watch periodical you should buy.
Instead of seeing environmental awareness as specific, discrete actions, start seeing it as a way to live your life. Because Earth Day is not really a day at all. It is a movement. And I think that in the watch world, we know a thing or two about being driven by movements.
