The design brief for a more sustainable future

Have you noticed the design and specification shift that’s subtly gathering speed? The backlash to 'bin it and buy new’?

It’s being felt in every sector, from electricals and electronics, to fashion and furniture.

Spanning the interconnected worlds of business and design, companies of all sectors, sizes and offerings are navigating the cultural shift (back) from 'trends-driven' to ‘timeless’.

Where value stems from quality and longevity, and business success is not through sales, but service models supporting shared goals.

This means:

• No more 'planned obsolescence' where a product deliberately stops functioning with no access to parts or repairs, heading off to landfill to leak toxins and pollute our air, land and water.

• No more lifestyle products rapidly designed and released so the previous are quickly deemed 'out of fashion’ - spurring us to buy the latest, or be deemed 'out of fashion’ too. 

• No more races to the bottom on price so that quality is too poor to repair, as companies become more and more accountable for their disposal, so design them better to start with.

Instead, a more enlightened and long-term approach, where businesses build service models based on less, but better, supported by symbiotic relationships with customers to keep products enjoyed and in use for longer.

With this and more in mind, here are five of the questions that designers and design specifiers are increasingly being asked.

1. Is 'new' necessary?

In other words: Can the product have been repaired or repurposed, or disassembled and reclaimed from a previous project? Or, if new, has the process or performance of a pre-existing product been improved?

2. Is it solving a problem?

In other words: What local economy are you supporting? Which lost skills are you bringing back? What ecosystem are you helping to restore? What waste are you diverting from landfill or rescuing from oceans?

3. Is it toxin-free?

In other words: Do the products/materials include chemicals like formaldehyde, which are released into our air, water and food systems (affecting our health), and prevent repair, reuse and sustainable disposal?

4. Is it regenerative?

In other words: Are the products and processes designed to contribute to the environment, for example, using natural materials that can replenish themselves, capture carbon, or purify the air?

5. And when it breaks?

In other words: How do you support us post-sale? Repairs, maintenance, guarantees, 'how-to' guides, returns for safe disposal? What's the service model that preserves resources and leads to loyalty and longevity?

Which ones are you on top of, and which are opportunities to explore?