Sustainable design: challenging prevalent ideas to shift an industry

Transitioning the design industry to more sustainable standards is an articulated process that needs to take several different directions.

What follows is a series of insights covering less mainstream aspects of sustainability in the design industry…

non-new options

“Recycling and climate change have not been top of private shoppers’ minds historically. Although we’re seeing a marked change, levels of knowledge about sustainability remain low. Taking refurbishments as an example, many people still have a kind of “throw-away” mentality and want everything to be “fresh and new”.
Cit. Kerstin Lagerlöf - Tarkett

Purchasing is commonly associated with the idea of getting something new, something that comes straight out of a factory. So far, the only exceptions have been second-hand and vintage items, whose flaws and imperfections can be praised as a sign of value. Yet not-new is not necessarily flawed. Refurbishment updates and repairs existing objects to a flawless state, and remanufacturing uses old components to make new products. In both cases, the end result is flawless despite not being fully new, and carries a much lower environmental footprint than a brand-new item.

embracing variation

“Circular or recycled materials have to become the norm and that’s going to affect the aesthetic in design and architecture, as it produces greater variation. Colors and surfaces can’t be exactly the same every time, so we need to develop an aesthetic that celebrates this variation.”
Cit. Christian Lodgaard - Flokk

Aesthetic standards are something we create as a society. Designers have a crucial role in developing an aesthetic sense that embraces and values variation and recycled inputs: product designers, turning unsuspected materials into interesting pieces, and space designers, crafting harmonious atmospheres with those items.

seasonality as a design concept

“It may be that some materials will only be available seasonally: for example, snow poles in spring, ocean plastic in the summer and bio-based materials in fall and winter.”
Cit. Christian Lodgaard - Flokk

Being mindful of the environment also means following its cycles. As it already happens for produce, embracing a degree of material seasonality would reduce the environmental footprint of design products while inspiring a more connected relationship with the availability of resources.

responsible trade shows

“For 2021, exhibitors are being offered The Nude Edition, a scaled-back stand concept with a focus on sustainability. This is a way to make sure that everyone can take part in the 2021 event, despite parts of the industry having a tough time financially this year.”
Cit. Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair

Design trade shows are important appointments in the industry but – at the current state – they’re also great sources of waste. Can we not think of more sustainable and efficient ways? A pioneering example comes from Vestre, with a booth created entirely with bricks, wood and gravel – all simple materials assembled in ways that allow actual reuse once the fair is over.

taking the leap

“[In 10 years’ time], many companies will probably have either disappeared or completely restructured their business in order to keep up with developments and embrace economic growth that doesn’t cost the earth. I imagine that’s where the real challenge is going to lie – how do you break away from the outdated way of doing things and take a leap into a new world with both feet.“
Cit. Daniel Svahn

Embracing change is always uncomfortable, but not doing it might end up being even more uncomfortable this time. Keeping in mind why change is important is crucial: what’s at stake is nothing less than a liveable planet – for us and for future generations of human beings.

The transition towards a more sustainable design industry requires deep mentality shifts, new priorities, adjustments of existing processes and more. Never like today, we can all do something: manufacturers, fair organizers, designers, clients… The more individual actors initiate change, the more the whole industry will move.

Quotes drawn from Stockholm Design Week 2021 interviews.