Obviously economic recession is not a long-term environmental strategy. The challenge is to re-engineer what survives and re-invent the new, so that when the economy revs up it’s not back to polluting business as usual.

This is what comes to mind when I hear the phrase ‘never waste a good crisis’ (which seems to be quite a fair bit at the moment). I reckon that if necessity is the mother of invention then design is the industry of invention. We are trained to find those ingenious ways to help solve the hardest of challenges. We really should stop being so detail focused for a moment and collectively set about solving these big global issues.

If you open your eyes to the real impact of our industry and take a look around your studio, your house, your life you will see that design lies at the heart in much of our everyday choices. Step back through the chain of suppliers, before this stuff hits the shelves – through manufacturers, corporations, decision-makers – you will find the impact in material, energy, water and waste were determined right at the design and concept stage and therefore most probably by a designer.

Some industries like the vehicle industry have become much more efficient in their design of a better car (but in the same period our car use has increased globally). And in areas where products are directly accountable for using or emitting pollutants there has been improvement. Other positive impacts have come from Legislation. The waste disposable push from Europe through the WEEE directive and increasing landfill taxes and have forced alternative thinking on a product’s after life. There are now a growing number of new Management systems that focus on sustainability and the debate still rages on about obligation or peer pressure. If people aren’t driving it then legislation must impose it.

Too many clients are still wedded to the system of selling as much product as possible as this is still how we calculate profit and growth. There seems to be an obligation for designers to accept commercial rationale to create such objects though clearly we must find ways to make sure that such processes create environmentally benign stuff.

The focus on resource depletion and challenge of material efficiency is an increasingly exciting area. Recent documentaries have highlighted some extraordinarily resourceful communities in Lagos and Mumbai slums that we would do well to learn from. These people show creativity and inventiveness whilst eking out a living from the stuff thrown out by the rest of society. Not Utopian in any means but resourceful and incredibly efficient.

There is also some fantastic innovation going on in R&D with regards to disassembly and recovery of resources. It seems crazy to me that some designers still do not understand the consequences of their decisions that are sometimes purely concerned about aesthetics. Simple things like co-molding two different plastics together in a toothbrush design or laminating a piece of paper can predetermine its painful and slow landfill demise. This will be where new alliances for designers, waste and materials industry can flourish.

Inevitably as oil prices keep rising and with the much predicted peak oil (the point in time when the maximum rate of global extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline) materials and resources will become ever more expensive pushing further the drive for more environmental efficiency.

Mike Pitts from the Chemistry KTN talked at greengaged in 2008 about other ‘peaks’ in mined materials. He presented a memorable slide of the periodic table – a visual representation of every known element on the planet – showing how, if we continued using and designing without easy (and safe) disassembly and recycling we would banish a big chunk of these essential building blocks to landfill very soon (very soon being 5–10 years in some instances).

So there is need for more responsibility in the way we choose materials and a wider outlook for new opportunities to turn waste into someone else’s raw material. But responsibility does not mean boring. What designers can bring to the party is much more than a reactive approach.
What’s fascinating about sustainability is that it’s fundamentally a value system characterised by reducing and eradicating environmental impact in much the same way that nature does. Taking generic principles like efficiency, non-pollution, whole life design, dematerialisation - one can use them in any area of design. The more creative and more ingenious we are – the quicker and bigger the positive environmental paybacks.

As a final thought I should really mention cost. Everyone always asks about costs. Doesn’t it cost more to produce something more sustainably? Clients don’t want to pay or pass on any extra; designers don’t want to give others the competitive advantage.

The reality is that none of this impact is accounted for, like a lost number in the mother of all excel spreadsheets. Even if you are a hard climate sceptic you cannot get away from the consequences of our excess this planet is now coping with and the role we are unwittingly playing.

Over forty participants are given an array of low-carbon technologies – solar thermal water heaters, PV panels, super-insulation – and an three story scaffolding frame. 

Working in teams they have two days to use the components to build a low-carbon all-weather shower facility.

Found out more here: www.thinkup.org/index.php/news/view/low-carb-at-the-big-rig-gets-the-temperature-rising/

The inaugural list has been established to profile the incredible achievements of 50 talented women leaders, including Sophie who will have a huge impact on the cultural life of the UK in years to come.

These women are already making a significant contribution to industries including design, libraries, literature, museums, heritage, music, performing and visual arts, the historic environment and creative businesses and have the potential to become influential and established senior leaders in the sector within the next few years.

“Sophie will continue to be a leading figure in design, in particularly in the critical area of sustainability, helping designers to understand their role and responsibility in developing products and services that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable”

“For me, building a successful design business has never been focused on creating enough profit to be able to buy myself a yacht,” says Sophie. “Like many female headed practices we are powered by passion and drive to build up benefit for all. It is therefore great to be recognised for this and I am enormously proud of all our achievements”.

As well as celebrating talented women within the sector, the list has also been established to address the lack of women in positions of senior leadership by inspiring and encouraging more women to aim for the top.

CLP received almost 200 high-quality nominations, from across the UK. After much deliberation these were whittled down by the high-profile judging panel - made up of figures from the cultural and creative industries, the media and popular culture and chaired by Jenni Murray OBE, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour – to the final list of 50.

Jenni Murray, said: “I speak for the whole judging panel when I say that arriving at a final list from such a high quality and quantity of nominations was both a delight and a challenge. While we are obviously celebrating the achievements of outstanding individuals, it is also important to see these women as a collective force and as representative of women’s potential to reach the top of their game within this, and any other, sector. Congratulations and watch this space!”

More information on Women to Watch can be found at: www.culturalleadership.org.uk/w2w

As a dynamic, medium-sized studio, this role will not solely focus on developing new business, but encompass managing and expanding our existing portfolio of high quality projects.

We want someone who:

• has exceptional communication, research and negotiation skills 
• is responsive and intellectually astute has at least 5 years experience (with proven account management and business development skills) and practical knowledge of the creative sector
• is able to create, compose and edit written materials for pitches and presentations
• has a strong grasp of of PM methodologies including budgeting, planning, managing, scheduling, project scoping and profitability
• has an understanding of/ interest in sustainability 
• is interested in a full-time position 

Please send your CV to studio@thomasmatthews.com
or to our Studio Manager at thomas.matthews, 8 Disney Street, London, SE1 1JF.

No agencies please.

Sophie was invited by D&AD to contribute to its recent thought-piece series for London’s Metro daily paper. The series have been highlighting a weekly guest editor’s choice of design or product where interesting, and in this case sustainable things are happening.

Sophie chose to showcase the super smart and innovative company ‘Worn Again’ founded by Cyndi Rhoades and focused on their new range designed by Christopher Raeburn. The raw materials for this range come from deconstructed Eurostar uniforms and decommissioned Virgin parachutes. This collaboration between D&AD and Metro aims to get readers talking about creativity and to give them insight into what makes good design.

Read the piece here: http://dandad.typepad.com/dandad/ and in today’s Metro on your tube journey (remembering to recycle it after you have read it!)

We created a series of limited edition prints based around the usefulness of a simple orange bowl. Members of the studio were invited to contribute by either illustrating, screenprinting or letterpressing on top of the bowl image to create something amazing.
 

Find out more and register at: http://greengaged.com