FILM & sustainability

5 sustainability lessons learnt from the Lion King movie

Having grown up watching the original Lion King cartoon as one of my all-time favourite films, the new one was a must-see! It was both nostalgic and fresh, not only because of the incredible CGI and effect, but because of a new point of view as a father and as a sustainability-focused professional. I was delighted to see the sustainability messages throughout the film, some very bold, others more subtle. I want to believe that my love for the original cartoon 25 years ago has contributed to my passion for sustainability and the path I took to dedicate my career to making our planet a better place. It is great to see that blockbusters like this are educating children about the right values and inspiring them to live a more planet-friendly life. Here are my top 5 messages from the Lion King movie:

1. Balance

QUOTE:
Mufasa: Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures - from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.
Simba: But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?
Mufasa: Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.

INTERPRETATION:
This is one of the main messages from the film, explaining that everything in nature is connected and that in order for the planet to function, everything needs to stay in balance. It suggests that as long as we do everything responsibly and in moderation, the balance remains in harmony. This is a crucial educational message in today’s planetary circumstances, where we have put almost all of our ecosystems out of balance through the negative consequences of actions that we take as individuals, governments and businesses.

SIMBA'S BUSINESS TIP:
Consider adopting Circular Economy thinking into your business operations and supply chain, to shift away from a Linear (take-make-use-dispose) model, which takes resources out of the system and doesn’t offer anything back to it.

2. Greed

QUOTE:
Scar:  When I am king, the mighty will be free to take whatever they want. Because a hyena's belly is never full.

INTERPRETATION:
Greed for money and growth is one of the underlying problems of our society, which is a cause for a lot of our environmental problems. In this scene, Scar is depicted as a rogue leader, which could be interpreted as both big corporations or political leaders, that are greedy for profit, power and popularity. The approach of “the mighty will be free to take whatever they want.” is what is creating unsustainable systems, where there is no consideration for the other inhabitants of the planet and the negative impact that is creating.

SIMBA'S BUSINESS TIP:
Set a mission and vision for your business that embeds social and environmental responsibility and ensures that your business decisions will not jeopardise these values when your business grows. Consider becoming a Certified B Corp - a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. B Corp’s are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.

3. Overhunting (exploitation of resources)

Nala: Everything's destroyed. There's no food. No water. Simba, if you don't do something soon, everyone will starve.
Sarabi: You’re overhunting, Scar.

Scar’s approach (and the hyenas’ endless demand for more) to keep hunting as much as they want as long as there is food has led to an environmental disaster, with no living flora and fauna in the Pride Lands. Overexploitation of resources by companies and governments is caused by a growing market demand and therefore a need for greater supply of products. We are becoming more and more consumerist, believing that we always need new clothes, new phones, new cars, even if we already have enough and they are in perfect functional conditions. This has caused an equally alarming environmental disaster on Earth, with deforestation, biodiversity loss, overfished oceans and other destructive consequences.

SIMBA'S BUSINESS TIP:
Understand the Life Cycle Analysis of your products and the resources that go into producing them, in order to reduce reliance on scarce ingredients and materials and consider finding more sustainable alternatives with a lower environmental impact and lower carbon footprint.

4. Alternative Proteins

QUOTE:
Simba: I'm so hungry I could eat a whole zebra...Any antelope? ...Hippo?
Timon: Nope! Listen, kid; if you live with us, you have to eat like us. Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub. ...Mmmm. Tastes like chicken.

INTERPRETATION:
Not sure if this was an intentional message in the original 1994 film, but it’s certainly a trendy topic in 2019! The point is...We could all do with less meat in our lives! If Simba - a lion can (I’m dubious about that), then humans certainly can! The meat industry is one of the highest emitters of GHG - Green House Gases and is also creating other environmental damage through the pollution of waterways, deforestation and antibiotic use, amongst many others. The answer is a more planet-friendly diet that involves less meat, especially less red meat. Vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets are trending and alongside plant-based alternatives, another industry on the rise is - insects as a source of protein, in the form of powder supplements, energy bars, crisps and burger blends (eg. half-beef, half-crickets).

SIMBA'S BUSINESS TIP:
If you are a food business, begin the shift towards meat alternatives and broaden your offer. The demand is growing and consumers are becoming more and more environmentally conscious! If you are non-food related, consider transforming your company catering to a vegan-only offer or try introducing new ingredients such as plant-based proteins and insects. After all, as Timba says - “Tastes like chicken!” :)

5. Optimism

QUOTE: 
"Hakuna Matata"

INTERPRETATION: 
Although I wouldn't agree that we can adopt a "no worries" philosophy to our planetary problems, I strongly believe that we must overcome the 'helpless doom' approach and that the only way we can achieve anything good is if we have a positive and optimistic vision for a better future!

SIMBA'S BUSINESS TIP: 
Have clear, optimistic plans for what your business can achieve and how it can make the world a better place and never lose faith in it!

​By Dejan Mitrovic

---