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Sustainable Design (what)
a new way of branding
Mona B. Dahlquist, Communication Design, KEA. We all want to take responsibility, be the modern consumer, the green consumer. But do we know how to take responsibility? How do the consumer become the modern consumer and what is in it to be the modern consumer? The article here is based on the buying sustainably. Do the consumer really know what sustainability means? And how to find out? What is sustainability? Has it become a matter of course or is it still a matter of choice? How to become the modern consumer? I have been out and interviewing the consumer during the Copenhagen Fashion Fair in Forum. The response was: Interviewer (I): “What is sustainable design?” Target 1 (T1): “(silence) have no idea!” I: (same question) T2: “Should I just answer right away, can I talk to anyone about it first? (no) then I do not know ... “ I: (same question) T3: “Is it like cradle-to-cradle, clothing made of wood and you can lay it out on a lawn and then it will disappear?” T2: “Oh yeah, organic. Ecology!“ I: (same question) T4: “I have no good answer to that, I think it’s something that last for a long time. Long shelf life.“ I: (same question) T5: “It’s when you are environmentally friendly and only uses some organic products... I do not know” Women from the age of 18-35 are the target group I have chosen, as I believed that they would have the biggest knowledge about “sustainable design” but what I didn’t expect was, that after interviewing these women, it turned out that these women actually almost didn’t know nothing about this subject and weren’t able to give a definite answer on what “sustainable design“ means. The closest answer I got from my target group was that sustainabilty design had something to do
“It is a fun thought, to become challenged on the choices you make in business, when it is things you do not think so much about and maybe should think more about in relation to cooperate with your customers.“
with being environmentally friendly and anything organic or ecology. The problem is if everyone wants to be the modern consumer, but nobody actually knows what it means, my question is would you like to become something you actually don’t know what is? T2: “So I think that people want to be sustainable and take responsibility, because it is modern”
Seller from Maison Scotch about the new demin line of knits made of reused jeans.
T4: “Well is it not just becoma a self-evident that all companies should take in consideration, then we don not need to know what it really is? If everybody do it anyway?“ Far from all companies involves sustainable design, but it is true that the trend is increasing because the audience demands better companies. So to remain competitive, it is clearly a parameter, most companies should take into account.
What is “sustainable design”?
Being sustainable means that designers and companies are taking on additional social responsibility, which they incorporate environmental, sustainability and innovation with functionality in their design. It is about reducing the influence of nature. Sustainable design has therefore not only focus on the design CO2
footprint, but also on the imprint as production, pollution and transport sets. Products must be along this reason could be reused and possibly is made of already recycled materials. This means that materials and resources must be utilized in a new and innovative way.
Sustainable without knowing it
Many companies work with elements of sustainability without necessarily knowing that they do. For many companies, it is quite natural to work with the working conditions of employees, they focus on the environment and the thinking in optimizing their bottom line from the premises. It is natural, common sense and
good business sense. “It is a fun thought, to become challenged on the choices you make in business, when it is things you do not think so much about and maybe should think more about in relation to cooperate with your customers.“ Seller from Maison Scotch What will be a good idea to do in the future? Is it enough that “we are all sustainable”, it is self-evident and therefore a selection criterion for clothes and the fashion industry, or should each company be better to put focus on actually doing something good for all and that without them would our future would look different.