Duurzamer

Duurzamer is the comparative form of the Dutch adjective duurzaam. In Dutch, duurzaam describes something that is viable in the long term and is often associated with environmental, social, and economic considerations. Duurzamer translates roughly as more sustainable or more durable and is used to compare two or more options, systems, or practices.

The nuance between duurzaam and duurzamer depends on context. In everyday language, duurzaam can refer to durability as well as sustainability, while duurzamer emphasizes a relative improvement in sustainability or long-term resilience. The term is commonly applied across domains such as products, processes, buildings, transport, and policy choices. Examples include een duurzamer product (a more sustainable product), duurzamere materialen (more sustainable materials), or duurzamere productie (more sustainable production).

Duurzamer is frequent in Dutch media, business reports, and policy discussions about climate action, resource use, and the circular economy. Related terms include duurzaamheid (sustainability), duurzaamheidsbeleid (sustainability policy), and circulaire economie (circular economy). The concept of what is considered duurzamer depends on criteria like lifecycle assessments, emissions, recyclability, and social impact, and it remains relative rather than absolute.

In usage, duurzamer serves to express incremental improvements and aims to compare alternatives based on chosen sustainability criteria rather than to establish an universal standard.