My dad always used to say "it's all about moderation" and that applies to many things in life, including the things that we use everyday. So when we make decisions about what material to specify or which product to use, we must use our best judgment. Whether it is a new material or a tried and true product, it must be able to achieve the task we need it to do, in a sustainable way. This means making tough decisions sometimes, and not always the obvious ones.
First and foremost, a product or material must be durable. Time and time again designers and clients think only about the immediate present, but do not design or plan for the future. Take for instance the decision to pick a brick facade or a vinyl siding. Sure, the vinyl is cheaper and looks nice now, but it will only last maybe 20 years. Brick on the other hand is more expensive but has an indefinite lifetime. Also, that brick can be recycled and reused, the vinyl siding cannot. It goes straight to the landfill. According to this weeks reading, it is now "obvious that it is no longer enough for a designer to consider the environmental impact of products only during the time these goods are being used. Responsibility now extends to the product's entire life span." In this instance, brick would be the "natural" option to go with, and the siding being the synthetic option, since the vinyl is made from petroleum.
Now, let's take this same example from another angle. Say that the vinyl was made in such a way that it could be melted down and made into new siding. This is exactly what the cradle to cradle program has suggested. It gives recycling a new lease on life. According to the C2C doctrine, "This means petroleum-based synthetics(technical nutrients) that can be recycled perpetually and safely." The vinyl siding may actually be more sustainable than the brick to make and use, since when you tear a building down some bricks are likely to break and it is a very labor intensive process.
Another thing that needs to be considered is efficiency in manufacturing and production. According to the reading, only 7% gets into products at all, only 1% into durable products, and only 0.02% into durable products that later get recycled, re-manufactured or reused. Thus, U.S. materials flow is about 99.98% pure waste." It is like you have lost the race before you even got started. Companies can do this, and a few are leading the way. Take for example Ikea out of Sweden. They have committed to going 100% powered by renewable energy. This takes demand off of the grid from power systems that are almost comparably inefficient. They are working with suppliers to use less and healthier materials. They have designed their packaging to fit flat into your car so you don't have to rent a truck to get it home. Ikea is a very large company, and they impact the lives of millions of people. If more companies took the initiative that Ikea has taken, must less waste will be made, and we will have more materials for the new generation.
So the over-arching theme of moderation means doing more with what you have. It means not buying every last gadget in sight, so the factories have to use more materials and resources to make more. It means choosing materials that will last for generations and that can ultimately be recycled to make more material. Moderation is always the best policy.
Hey Josh. Good post - I am a business student interested in sustainable apparel textiles so I learned a lot from your reading and understanding of the interiors industry. In your fourth paragraph you say that only 7% gets into products at all...What are you referring to, energy?
ReplyDeleteI like the packaging to fit into cars to eliminate additional trucking by Ikea. I too agree the materials usage is also somewhat dependent on the consumers demand, as usual. More people need to become educated in the LCA of the things they use every day, hopefully they would start to create the demand for more sustainably and responsibly produced "gadgets."
Materials is what I am referring to, sorry, I was tired, haha. Are you an entrepreneurship major by chance? Yeah, I think Ikea could even take the packaging a step further and instead of cardboard, the material could be compostable. I would think most people don't recycle the cardboard. Have you eaten at Baja Fresh in the union yet? Their plates and wrappers are compostable, thought it was pretty neat. That and the food was great as well.(they source most of it locally too!)
DeleteI am an entrepreneurship major, I love it. The only problem with composting is that the compostables have to be buried into the ground in order to actually decompose, if they are dumped into a landfill with the other trash, they won't decompose.
DeleteAwesome! OSU has an outstanding program. Have you been to a landfill? They put many many layers of dirt in there. Also, there is quite a bit of organic waste that gets to a landfill, ie table scraps and unused food from restaurants, etc. that will aid in the "digestive" process.
DeleteHi Josh, great post this week. You bring up many good and useful facts. Although, I am too wondering about your 4th paragraph, can you clarify a little please? I have specified IKEA products for some of my projects in the past, because of their goals to become more sustainable with their merchandise. I also like the fact that they are now located in the US, making access to their products even easier. I also agree that more people need to become educated about the products that they use every day, both consumers, clients, and producers alike.
ReplyDeleteI was referring to materials. I am really intrigued by Ikea and their approach to cheap, semi-durable goods. Their cabinet compositions are impressive! Education is key, and Ikea is taking the right approach to it. You can't dive right on it, or you will be a environmental nut. Easing in is the best approach, because you can get to the same level of "green-ness" as the nut, but you will have a lot more people on board/accustomed to the ideas. We got into this mess a little at a time, and that's how we are going to get out.
Delete