Sustainability was one of the main topics of conversation at Clerkenwell Design Week 2022, held a couple of weeks ago here in London. APM Team-members Sam and Leah attended some of the panel talks, and have put together some answers to the question – Sustainability, are we heading in the right direction?
Talk 1: Sustainability Debate at Tarkett – What more needs to be done to ensure materials are correctly disposed at the end of life? Hosted by Katie Treggiden.
The panel featured a variety of environment and sustainability specialists discussing what more needs to be done. Key takeaways areas for us all to consider:
Accessibility and Product Design
Panel member Lay Koon Tan – co-founder of @naturesquared – described Accessibility and Product Design as one of the biggest hurdles in truly sustainable product design.
It is of course excellent that we can create a very long-lasting product that is extremely ‘green’ in production and lifespan, however if it’s not beautiful, useful and timeless in design, is it worth making it? Consumers will only buy products if they have real longevity across many seasons, trends and style changes, so they need to be adaptable, genuinely useful, and timeless. They also need to be accessible – more eco-friendly products are increasingly available at friendlier price-points than a few years ago, though there’s a long way to go. Many consumers like the thought of investing in more sustainable design, but for many it’s simply not in their budget.
A Mindset Shift
Sunand Prasad – architect and advisor of the ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission’ declared the biggest issue faced when it comes to sustainability is mindset. While companies in the industry are doing more to produce and source sustainable and recyclable materials, mindset shift within the public, big business and our political leaders is continuing to take time, and we need to do more to change the mindset of many.
While changing mindset enough to action true environmental change often seems an impossible task, the solution is to be ‘Stubbornly optimistic’. Lay Koon Tan described this as the most powerful tool we have in pushing for true sustainability.
An End of Life Plan
Lay also noted the importance of ensuring there’s an end of life plan in place for a product – otherwise, what’s the point? It’s all well and good creating more “sustainable” products, but if there’s no way they can breakdown or be recycled, they’re not truly sustainable. A lot of product designers are doing this now – at trade fairs it’s increasingly common to see suppliers discussing a clear action plan for end of life of their product, or mapping out how their product can be reused again and again.
We are heading in the right direction, as companies push to make change & mindset shift is underway…we remain hopeful (and choose to be stubbornly optimistic) for a more sustainable construction industry in our lifetime.
Talk 2: Closing the Loop Talk – featuring speakers from Viaduct, Rodger Lewis, Knotel and Human Scale.
The focal point of the discussion was stopping ‘leakages in the systems’, ensuring all materials that go into a product can be used through multiple life cycles.
One solution is to move away from techniques which make an item unmendable should it break or wear due to age. We should move to a more modular way of designing so individual elements can be replaced if needed, giving the item opportunities for second life. It is a designer’s job to make the circle as infinite as possible and more suppliers are now doing this. While this may feel like a small step, it is encouraging to know we are moving in the right direction.
Key challenges to Closing the Loop were highlighted:
we are currently reliant on a linear system as designers and manufacturers – there is substantial change required throughout the industry as a whole
it’s often more cost-effective (or profitable) to replace a whole item rather than mend it
the second-hand market in the UK is fairly behind the rest of Europe; this includes the rental furniture industry
in the commercial sector particularly, there is a preference to buy new due to considerations such as tax treatment.
The panel also discussed that consumption is natural, and as humans we are inquisitive and creative with our surroundings – as shown by the trend changes in the industry. As a result, we need to design furniture that transcends time, as raised by Lay above. We need to think about how products made today can have the same spirit and soul as seen with vintage furniture – they should also be flexible and designed to be modular/adaptable.
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