Sustainability and Design

“Solutions which meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfil their own needs” Thomas Sandell, Designer and Architect

As a nation, I feel that not enough of us understand or know the impact that we have on the world. The way a product is designed is a big problem, but not the sole root of it. Yes, as designers we can choose various eco-friendly materials and change the way products are made, but the growing population demands these products to be made in the first place. We can all recycle plastics and food waste etc, but there’s only so much that will help. Sustainability is a huge and ongoing problem and a current issue in the design world. There are alot of solutions that have been designed to help reduce waste, but for them to create change, we all have to know about and understand these. I feel that there could be laws and rules enforced to try and help, but the world is a huge place and to get everyone to obey these rules would be impossible. Therefore, the root of the problem is the growing population which we cannot prevent. Even through the use of recycled and reusable products, “No matter what sustainable strategies are in place, the one single requirement that will always be needed is energy to extract and create the product.”(Gibson and Johnson, 2014).

The images I selected below all show the ongoing creation by designers trying to help and impact the world with their sustainable design ideas. Some work better than others, but the ease of the products will allow whether they are succesful or not. Figure 4 and 5 are the most frequently used products, but figure 4 is the most realistic as it is much easier to produce on a large scale. But, they are both sustainable in different ways. Figure 5 is typically the most sustainable as it is used from waste and taken directly from the earth instead of being derived from a recycled product like the Carlsberg recyclable glue can holder.

Figure 1. Industrial waste created into furniture, Figure 2. Furniture made using pigs bladders and cow intestines, Figure 3. Tableware made using food waste

Figure 4. Carlsberg use recylable glue instead of plastic ring can holder, Figure 5.ecological chip packaging made from potato skin

References

Gibson, A. and Johnson, A. (2014). Sustainability in Engineering Design. Academic Press.

Sources:

All images taken from: https://www.dezeen.com/tag/sustainable-design/