Next Results for articles with tag 'sustainability' (7 total)
02/12/2009 02:46:08 PM 
Whether it's gadgets or clothing, many of us seemingly don't want to get caught with last year's model.
What if there was a new way to buy and a story based on longevity and durability?
Howie's has made a good attempt to do this with its Hand-Me-Down line of clothing and bags.
"We live in times of limited resources but unlimited desire to consume them. The answer though is real simple: to consume less as a consumer; to make a better designed product as a manufacturer.
Going forward we will have to take more responsibility for our consumption. The manufacturer and the consumer will both have to share that responsibility.
We live in interesting times.
From where we stand as a manufacturer, a product that keeps working for longer uses less-resources in the end. The key ingredients to this are quality and good design.
To make something well, you know, the best you can do, means going that extra mile. Every stitch, every zip, every little feature considered. The weakest points made strong. Then, and only then, can we say that we have fully understood the responsibility of making something.
This product is guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years from the date of original purchase. The chances are it will last a good deal longer than that. So now you have to decide whom you’d like to hand this product down to? Err??"
Can and will others follow?
Posted by Ed Cotton
12/10/2008 06:59:55 AM
Here's the list in brief..
1. More privacy because of increasing populations
2. Greener- less reliant on cars- the creation of communities that allow more walking
3. A return to traditional ways of building- rubble will be used, not thrown away
4. People will grow their own
5. Plastics will be ruled out and become like smoking and fatty fooods
6. A return to simple pleasures-small dinner parties, warn out couches, natural materials- the end of designer minimalism
7. Nature becomes more precious- so homes will blend the inside with the outside
8. Computers will run homes
9. Homes will become centers of interest and intellectual pursuit- it will not be about showing off- think of a lab as the next important room
Clearly, much of this stuff has been with us for years, but clearly the changing economy is going to be forcing this through at a faster pacer. Anyone in the home/housing business is going to need to take action.
One big example is Ikea, who has recently been pushing its sustainability policy pretty hard
Posted by Ed Cotton
05/23/2008 03:42:30 PM
1. Briefly describe your background?
My background is in industrial design but I have worked in almost every related field from hardware design for Microsoft to conceptual or "innovation" design for Kodak to brand, packaging and web UI design for startups. Today, the projects I take on are as diverse as the market but more and more, clients reach out to me because they have an interest in sustainable or "green" design.
2. Sustainable Design is a current buzzword, how do you interpret it?
The concept has been around for a while. Victor Papanek and Bucky Fuller were among the first to start pushing for more responsible solutions to our everyday needs not because they were hard core environmentalist but because they realized that sustainable design, or design that uses nature as the developmental model is far superior especially as you look at long term solutions. Today I consider sustainable design that which incorporates social and environmental aspects holistically into the design process. The inclusion of these variables triggers unforeseeable innovations and cost savings.
Two key things are happening today that have triggered the green or sustainability movement, corporations are seeing value in more sustainable approaches and informed consumers are demanding more responsible products
3. How difficult is it for designers to think about sustainability? How do they know their actions are going to produce positive results?
The difficult part is getting informed you know, not only being on top of all the latest materials and processes etc., but considering a products complete life cycle into your design process is an essential aspect of sustainable design so this means more research in related areas beyond just form, function and experience. The great part is that it brings much more meaning to what we do as designers because we can measure results beyond just financial success, we can see social and environmental contributions.
4. Shouldn't we be producing better products that last longer or even encourage people to get more use out of old things, rather than producing new stuff all the time?
Yes, having fewer but better things would help but the problem we have today is not just that we are making and using too many unnecessary products, it's that we are making and using them in ways that are destructive to us and our environment. I don't think we have to stop being consumers, we just need to implement more sustainable models like the service model. The fun part is that we as designers get to redesign everything, we get to re-think the way we do most things and this needs to happen now, in our generation.
5. Consumers are addicted to the shiny and new, it's part of the thrill of consumption. How could we encourage consumers to think about this and should we?
I think that slowly but surely we are all starting to realize that good design is inherently "sustainable" and corporations and consumers will evolve their understanding of what is good design and what is desirable. The only reason why we need to consume less is because most of our consumption is unhealthy but if we can design and manufacture healthy products that are beneficial to us and our environment, then there would be a reason to encourage consumption.
Posted by Ed Cotton
01/13/2008 08:17:08 AM
"Another year, another electronics and gadgets conference that is out of whack with modern concerns around sustainability and the planet. The C.E.S. is an arrogant refusal to admit to the problems the electronics industry has created in terms of material waste, poisonous polution, energy waste and over-consumption."
He is not alone, today's New York Times Magazine has a great piece by Jon Mooallem called "The Afterlife of Cellphones".
The piece explores the world of cellphone recycling and tries to understand why we need to constantly upgrade our phones. Reading the article forces you to think again about waste.
Jon concludes;
"Even the most idealistic visions of how e-waste should be recycled and reused take for granted that consumers and businesses will never reconsider why we are buying and discarding so many of those products, so quickly, in the first place. If the rush of castoffs isn’t likely to stop, we need to clear a proper path for it, considering all the inevitable compromises and costs along the way and delivering those products to as consequenceless a place as possible."
Most companies seem pre-occupied with creating "lust' for their objects that ensures continued market share and admiration.
While on the surface, this doesn't appear to be a responsible attitude, it reflects the realities of the marketplace.
Consumer electronics are the new fashion, so much so, that they are taking share from the fashion business and it's one of the reasons the US sports shoe business is so soft right now.
The presentation below is from the design team at Nokia and it does a fantastic job at explaining how the company creates lust objects. It's all insights and needs driven, but it does nothing to bring sustainability into the mix.
This is a battle about hearts, minds and marketing.
With Macworld coming up this week, Apple and Steve Jobs are masters in the creation and marketing of lust objects, they do it so well.
Governments aren't going to force the issue, pressure groups like Greenpeace have limited voice, change is going to need to come from the market.
If companies want sustainability to be considered, they are going to need to do as good a job as Apple in making it sexy.
On the positive side, it appears to be easier than ever for new brands to enter the consumer electronics space, just look at flat panel TVs for that.
Could here will be a new electronics brand with real sustainability built into its DNA that emerges in the next couple of years?
Could, somewhat ironically, that brand come from China?
Posted by Ed Cotton
11/22/2007 03:15:15 PM
Spotted on a store window on the Lower-East side of NYC.
Posted by Ed Cotton
10/31/2007 07:37:49 AM
He presented recently at the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design conference where he highlighted the problem with design and designers. His presentation highlights the massively complex challenge involved in creating products that are better for the planet, because the definition and proof of what constitutes "better" is hard to come by and hard work to generate. He does however suggest some solutions that designers should be taking and suggests that consumers may soon have the tools to understand if one product is truly "better" for the environment than another.
He uses the example of the Prius and the Hummer to illustrate his point.
The consumer is clearly looking for a simple solution and explanation to define what is better. They have no concept or understanding of "cradle to cradle" thinking and don't have the time to work it out for themselves. This makes it easy for brands to "sell" only part of the story and to convince the consumer that they're a better alternative.
Nathan suggests new ratings systems and evaluation tools might change this and make it tougher for brands to make claims they can't prove. However, these systems are currently in their infancy.
His complete presentation can be found here ::Nathan.com
Posted by Ed Cotton
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Articles for tag sustainability (7 total).