Disruption through design: How can we implement ecological change?

An ecolabelling scheme, Montalti believes, represents a tangible opportunity to promote climate protection. Such labels can provide guidance to consumers, while at the same time offering an incentive for manufacturers to raise their standards, and ultimately to enjoy the benefits of having a competitive edge in the market. However, according to Montalti, some labels are based on such weak standards that they seem to serve as little more than a marketing instrument, or a “greenwashing“ ploy.

A basic problem in this context, Maurizio Montalti adds, is the rather vague use ofthe term sustainability, which is often confused with the concept of being organic or compostable. Montalti calls for a revival of practices which apparently pre-date modern times, but are nonetheless far superior to current production systems in terms of ecological values. What’s more, in our current times, authentic communication and transparent practices need to be considered as an integral aspect of industry and design.

Maurizio Montalti is a pioneer in the research and development of a wide range of mycelium-based technologies for the production of natural products and biomaterials. He started to cultivate materials through his own Amsterdam- based creative practice and consulting business, Officina Corpuscoli (NL), working on the interface between design and biotech. Later he founded Mogu (IT), an innovation-driven, eco-conscious company dedicated to developing, standardising and marketing various types of high-performance biomaterials and end products made from mushrooms.

Melusine Reimers also addressed the question of ecolabels, pointing out that, from a quality perspective, the Cradle to Cradle label is one of the world´s leading environmental certifications. However, these days there are also a number of online platforms and initiatives, such as the blog started up by Reimers and the hashtag #whomademychair, that provide information on a product’s environmental status. The work-in-progress project displays manufacturers’ global supply chains on a Google Map, making production processes transparent to consumers. According to Reimers, these days it isn´t enough for a manufacturer to just have an ecolabel as a kind of alibi.

Reimers also stresses the urgency of political action. Only binding rules that structure and control sustainable economic activity would lead to a significant change in production and delivery conditions. As a result, a Cradle to Cradle seal would unfold its full potential and obtain the necessary significance.

Melusine Reimers, managing director and co-founder of Readymade, is committed to the idea of the post-growth company. With her furniture-sharing start-up, she is exploring alternative concepts to the present ownership model. Readymade allows people to rent furniture for a limited period of time, becoming part of a sustained cycle of re-use incorporating renovation and re-letting. If you decide you want to keep the furniture, you can buy it later on. For Readymade, sustainability is not just a matter of resources, but equally a question of consumption.

According to Essi Johanna Glomb, one crucial question surrounding sustainable production is whether environmentally friendly technologies, such as natural dyes from Glomb, can be produced in industrial quantities and for the mass market. Long-term studies showed that, initially, the pigments developed by Glomb exhibited some irregular fading when exposed to sunlight. On the other hand, harmful chemicals would be needed in order to achieve long-lasting colour fastness over a 30 to 40-year period – but, as Glomb remarked to the group, who really wearsa T-shirt for that long?

This type of “fault“ in the dyeing process has since been resolved through collaboration with a sports clothing manufacturer. Ultimately, however, Glomb would prefer consumers not to regard imperfections as faults, but to develop a new aesthetic understanding based on new values. According to Glomb, the dye industry could play an active role in this regard.

Essi Johanna Glomb, textile and surface designer and co-founder of the design studio Blond & Bieber, is involved in the interdisciplinary futureTEX research project Textile Prototyping Lab at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. She is committed to promoting a new understanding of design which shifts the focus away from product development towards processes, concepts and research. Her own design work, for which she was nominated as a newcomer-finalist in the German Design Awards 2019, features an exciting synthesis of insights from design and materials research combined with traditional craftsmanship techniques.

Architecture and design depend on standards and regulations. This is the view of Filippo Lodi, who recently invented a colour called “The coolest white“ at UNKnowledge. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, this “ultra-white“ colour also has a functional purpose – it protects buildings against solar radiation and helps to reduce the amount of energy used in cooling systems.

Lodi also calls for the comprehensive use of the latest technologies, such as bigdata, in order to analyse user behaviour and generate optimal solutions. UNStudiois currently organising a pilot project along these lines for the urban development of a new “Brainport Smart Distric” in the Dutch city of Helmond.

Lodi names several key stakeholders involved in the development of sustainable design: 1) Legislators and political decision makers who lay the foundations required for innovation to occur 2) Private lobby organisations; and 3) education systems which encourage new ways of thinking. Lodi also emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation between architects, designers and industry professionals.

Filippo Lodi has master‘s degrees in engineering, architecture, arts and economics, making him an all-round thinker. As the head of Innovation and Knowledge Management, Lodi is at the helm of UNKnowledge, UNStudio‘s strategic think tank, where he works on developing disruptive technologies for the building environment. His activities range from creating a coating that that helps to cool buildings down and wood-based biocomposites for facades and interior walls, through to advising companies on their workflow and rebranding strategies. UNStudio is also developing a creative vision for the »Brainport Smart District« in the Dutch city of Helmond, which provides for gradual growth based on the principles of the circular economy.