My grandmother never heard the word sustainability.
She would have found it suspicious.
In the village, there were no “green movements,” no circular economy consultants, no carefully curated eco-luxury brands explaining how to live better. There was simply reality and reality had no patience for waste.
Things were used, reused, repaired and made into something else when they could be. Not because it was trendy. Because throwing something useful away was simply foolish.
A handful of flour became dinner. Wild greens from the field became a meal. Leftover olive oil, ashes from the fireplace and animal fat became soap.
Not artisanal soap.
Not sustainable soap.
Just soap.
What the modern world now calls “upcycling,” “circular design,” “zero waste” and “sustainable living” was simply Tuesday.
Luxury wasn't rare ingredients shipped from the other side of the planet, wrapped in ten layers of branding and followed by a long list of things you're supposed to feel good about.
Luxury was knowing how to use what you had. Making something good from what was left. Taking care of materials because you knew exactly what it took to get them in the first place.
That's DISDAIN.
Disdain
12€
We took the leftovers of our own production, the scraps, remains and excess pieces, and decided not to throw them away.
We turned them into soap.
The wrapping is self-made paper from old Snob Duck packaging, closed with whatever we happened to find in the workshop.
Buying new, perfect packaging for a soap made from leftovers felt ridiculous.
This isn't nostalgia.
And it's not an attempt to look “green.”
It's simply a reminder that you don't need a new word every time an old idea becomes fashionable.
Waste was waste.
Making do was making do.
And using something properly was just common sense.
Today we call it sustainability.
We call it circular economy.
My grandmother never needed a word for it. She would just call it not being stupid.