What it’s made of

h åkan n or DI n , founding member of g reenpe Ace S W eden and Head of Sustainability at bolon , discusses why materials matter and why sustainability is a journey, not a destination.

We are in a state of transition towards a more sustainable world and the driving force is climate change. Within the design industry, there is a growing focus on sustainability and the role and responsibility of designers in shaping a better world. Whilst progress has been made, there’s a lot of work to be done. The good news is that all businesses and individuals can act today to make a difference and contribute towards saving the planet.

For designers and businesses who create products, there is much to consider, from suppliers to production methods. However, when reviewing carbon footprints for a range of different companies and types of products, it is clear that the biggest contribution to the carbon output comes from raw materials. Coupled with this is the fact that many products that are created today will become waste in the future, so designers and businesses have a responsibility to strive towards circularity. To transition from a linear to a circular economy, used materials need to be repurposed into a new product, which would eliminate waste and reduce climate impact. At Bolon, our goal is that by no later than 2028 all our flooring and rugs will consist of 50% recycled material. We have made great progress so far and are halfway towards achieving this goal, which has had a positive impact.

When moving towards circularity there are many challenges, however, such as sourcing large quantities of clean, recycled materials. On the other end of the value chain, the product end of life needs to be considered. At Bolon, there is a need to therefore maintain long-standing relationships with customers who will usually own the product for many years after it’s been installed, so that we can retrieve and recycle the flooring at the end of its life. This will be a challenge to overcome in the years ahead. Whilst we already have our recycling plant in place, we need to develop the systems, cooperation and business resources to retrieve our own floors after use.

Designers and businesses have a responsibility to work towards circularity, but for many, that may feel like an unattainable goal. However, they could and should take small, incremental steps to improve their sustainability credentials and work towards it, whether that’s through introducing a new recycled material into the production process, or working with their customers to encourage them to return the product at the end of its life, so that it can be recycled. Even making just one small change for the better will improve the businesses’ sustainability credentials and, more importantly, support global efforts to help the planet.

It is important not to greenwash, as sustainability practices and claims will be heavily scrutinised by the industry and your customers. However, this shouldn’t mean that designers and businesses shy away from talking about their efforts.

If your business is taking steps to become greener, but there is still a long way to go, be transparent, but more importantly commit to a sustainability journey. If you’re working towards something that you haven’t yet achieved, such as circularity, be honest about this, set ambitious sustainability goals and hold yourself and your business accountable. Show how you’re continuously working to improve your sustainability credentials, taking time to regularly analyse and evaluate your progress. Remember that sustainability is a journey, rather than a destination. Businesses should be proud of the progress they’ve made to date, and explain how they will build on this in the future.

At Bolon, we have been gradually reducing the impact of our flooring on the planet for 20 years. Whilst we are proud of our work to date, we recognise that there is still much more to be done. This thinking led to us launching our ‘Promise’ in 2021, which set ambitious new climate and circularity goals; by 2028 all our flooring will be 50% circular and we will halve the climate impact of our products, compared to a base year of 2018. This ‘Promise’ reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability and reaffirms that the future of Bolon will be defined by sustainable practices. To keep ourselves on track, we publish annual sustainability reports which highlight our progress, as well as, crucially, key areas for improvement.

There are challenges ahead, but also big opportunities when it comes to reviewing and improving current practices. I have been working in the sustainability industry for four decades and I remain optimistic and confident that the design industry will make the requisite changes to move towards a more sustainable world.

h åkan n or DI n , Head of Sustainability at bolon, has been working professionally within the sustainability industry since 1984. He has held roles as campaign manager and board member at greenpeAce SWeden and policy adviser for Greenpeace International, as well as expert roles for the Swedish government and as adviser to several companies and public organisations, including H&M and Ikea.

The future of our cities does not depend on the behaviour of tenants in their workplaces, although it will definitely influence it. A much bigger factor will be how real estate markets respond to the demands of hybrid working. This is important because any change in the supply of commercial property will be long-lasting and affect everyone, not just tenants and occupiers.

The jury is still out, although opinions are beginning to surface. Tenant behaviour today can be fickle, but investor sentiment and developer activity can change an entire city landscape.

The extreme alternatives for commercial property are ‘everyone goes back to the office’ at one end, and ‘large scale remote working is here to stay’ at the other. These are like bull and bear markets, with the bulls betting on a renaissance of office space, and the bears fearing the slow death of offices as employees continue to stay at home.

The ‘everyone goes back to the office’ scenario is reasonably summarised by a lot of market commentators who hope and believe that hybrid working, already discouraged by many hard-line business leaders and managers, will wither, and employees will gratefully return to the commute and their newly refurbished workplaces. As a recent J P Morgan report states “one thing is clear: many workers have returned to the office, at least for part of the working week, and the workplace lives on”, while confidently projecting rent hikes and high demand for Class A space for a decade (at least in London and other UK cities).

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