SMILIES PROJECT
Small Mediterranean Insular Light Industries Enhancement and Support
ECODESIGN GUIDE
30September 2011
Contents
1Introduction
2Sustainability and eco-design
2.1Sustainability: problem and solution
2.2The concept of Eco-Design
2.2.1Production without destruction
2.2.2Impacts
2.2.3Stages for eco-design that can minimize impacts
2.2.4A product’s lifecycle
3Effects for Designers and Industry
3.1The context for designers
3.1.1Challenges for Designers
3.1.2Key opportunities for designers
3.1.3Key actions for designers
3.2Key issues for Industry
3.2.1Challenges for Industry
3.2.2Key opportunities for Industry
3.2.3Key actions for Industry
4Eco-friendly fashion
4.1The context
4.2What is eco-fashion?
4.3Is eco-fashion sustainable?
4.4Eco-Fashion and materials
4.4.1Conventional cotton: production and pesticides
4.4.2Organic cotton: a new approach
4.4.3Other materials
4.5Eco-Fashion and Designers
4.6Brands
4.7Controversy
5Eco-design: a quick guide
1Introduction
This paper presents the main concepts regarding eco-design and eco-fashion, providing information about the current trends in the industry. Moreover, it provides practical guidelines for both designers and industries regarding the adoption of eco-friendly tools and methods in developing fashion goods. Overall, the present report and is a supportive position document for the Smilies project as far as eco-design is concerned.
The report is based on the results obtained from the support provided by SEPEE and Dotmel Ltd. to the 7 pilots within the ‘eco-design’ theme, as well as extensive research in the field.In particular, as far as the 7 pilots that SEPEE supported throughout the Smilies project, the following
-Mumu is a clothing company from Greeceproducing organic women's clothing, using 100% organic cotton fabrics.
-Talasli is a company working with hand-made glass products.
-Lalari is a company trading t-shirts and aimed at extending its activity of ink-jet printing of imaginative graphics on t-shirts.
-Axiotis is a cultural organization based in Myconos, which proposed to develop jewelry and other works of art from recycling waste materials, such as glass.
-Pivicciis an Italian company, which produces artifacts (mainly handbags) from recycled PVC material.
-Microcosmi is an organization working with local communities aiming at making them self-sustained.
-O2 Italiais part of the network of O2 global international sustainable design ( which offers mainly training facilities.
SEPEE supported these pilots, in a number of different ways:
-assisting the development of e-shops (Mumu, Talasli and Lalari),
-promoting their activities through SEPEE’s magazine and the Web site (Mumu and Lalari),
-supporting them in identifying business opportunities in Greece(Pivicci) and abroad (Mumu),
-supporting them in attracting funding for specific activities (Lalari),
-facilitating cooperation between pilots for common activities (Talasli and Axiotis), and
-monitoring their activities in order to identifying future co-operation possibilities (O2 Italy and Microcosmi).
Through the interaction between SEPEE and the pilots, this report aims to put into context the current situation in eco-design and to provide guidelines.
2Sustainability and eco-design
2.1Sustainability: problem and solution
The problem
The number of people living on earth has doubled over the last century. At the moment, a small number of these people use huge amounts of the earth's resources like land, energy and water. Unless we share these more fairly around the world, we are going to run out of resources.
The solution
To behave in a way that not only makes our lives better today, but also means that people in the future will be able to live well.This is called sustainable development.
Why is technology so important?
Our lives are shaped by technology. Not just new technologies like mobile phones and computers, but also the traditional technologies that we use to make food, homes and clothes. So if we are going to live in a sustainable way, the technology that we use has to be sustainable.By thinking about sustainability when we design, choose and use technology, we can play an important part in building a better world for the future.
2.2The concept of Eco-Design
An international concept, developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at the Rio summit, eco-design is the culmination of a holistic, conscious and proactive approach. It consists in designing a product -or service- so as to minimize its impacts on the environment. Eco-design applies at every stage in a product’s life: raw material extraction, production, packaging, distribution, use, recovery, recycling, incineration, etc.
2.2.1Production without destruction
For several decades, consumer society has made profitability its credo, producing and consuming more and always at the lowest price. This tendency translates into overexploited natural resources, the intensification of air and water pollution, disappearing plant and animal species, and the proliferation of waste. Breaking this chain means taking urgent action to “produce more with less.” In other words, to satisfy global demand for goods and services while limiting waste and avoiding excess and pollution. Companies have now adopted this approach and have taken sustainable development onboard in their strategies. It has become a political issue too. In 2000 in Malmö (Sweden), world governments launched an appeal in favour of sustainable production and consumption, “to improve finished products and services while diminishing impacts on the environment and health.” In a word, to herald the era of eco-design.
2.2.2Impacts
All consumer goods, even "green" ones, have negative repercussions on the environment. They are manufactured using raw materials, energy and water. Then they must be packaged and transported to their place of use, before finishing up as waste. Eco-design is a means of minimizing these impacts throughout a product’s lifecycle for the same degree of efficiency and utility.
2.2.3Stages for eco-design that can minimize impacts
1st stage: raw materials. Manufacturing a product means first exploiting raw materials. Extracting and processing these constituent parts consumes natural resources, uses energy and is a source of pollution.
Solutions: reduce quantities, choose the most appropriate materials, transform waste into raw materials, prefer renewable materials and products that use only one type.
2nd stage: production. Manufacturing tends to consume large amounts of energy because of the complex processes it involves.
Solutions: optimize production processes, assemble products so they are easy to separate into their different components for repair or recycling.
3rd stage: packaging. Bottles, boxes, cans and other packaging currently account for over half the volume of household waste in developed countries.
Solutions: concentrate products, reduce the amount and volume of packaging to make savings along the chain, from manufacturing to waste disposal.
4th stage: transportation. Delocated production, cost-cutting and liberalized markets all add up to one thing: products travel thousands of kilometres before being used.
Solutions: choose manufacturing sites according to the products’ final destination, use combined transport and alternative fuels, optimize loads.
5th stage: use. Using products, operating appliances and maintaining them in working order requires more or less energy, water, etc. Usually designed to be frequently replaced, goods today are increasingly fragile and hard to repair, which encourages wastefulness and generates waste.
Solutions: design functional, energy-saving or autonomous products that are lasting, safe and easy to maintain or repair.
6th stage: disposal and recycling. Worn-out or damaged products are more or less easy to recycle. The multiple components, alloys and other combinations of materials from which they are made render disassembling and processing a complex and costly procedure.
Solutions: develop reusable or recyclable products and components.
2.2.4A product’s lifecycle
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool that serves to evaluate eco-design concepts. It examines inputs (e.g. materials, resources, energy) and outputs (e.g. emissions to air and water, waste) at every stage in a product’s lifecycle to then quantify its environmental impacts. This framework has been standardized within the series ISO 14040.
3Effects for Designers and Industry
3.1The context for designers
Sustainability proves the point ofdesign thinking in that it suggeststhat one consider the materials,processes, and practices that abusiness employs. It is essentialthat business is able to see thelayers of value that are createdand the layers of waste. Design is the tool to analyze this.
In recent years sustainability has moved to the centre of political, business and public agendas. The combined issues of climate change and a global credit crisis means that the design industry needs to refocus its offerings to industry and society. This renewed responsibility is an opportunity for designers to position themselves as key intermediaries between science and technology, policy and the public. Using design to solve some of the world’s most intractable problems has been a focus of debate for decades and has gone through various stages of criticism and aspiration. We have seen the spill-over of design thinking into ‘non-traditional’ areas such as health care, public policy and food systems. Some commentators have suggested that design is being stretched too far. There is a fear that the use of design in public policy runs the risk of social engineering or repeating mistakes of the past.
There are many tangible examples of design being used as a tool for social change and sustainable development. Within Europe there is increasing evidence showing how design contributes to the competitiveness of businesses and regions.
Interestingly developments in emerging economies such as China and India are showing the value of design in facilitating a shift from cost-based competition to value-added innovation. We are also seeing how design can play a role in facilitating sustainable behaviour change towards producing less waste, using less energy or adopting services instead of consuming products.
3.1.1Challenges for Designers
Sustainability should not be seen as an additional activity or an optional extra and it should set the context within which design is practised. This is no easy task and one of the many challenges that designers face when approaching sustainability is the inherent contradictions that the issue throws up, for example, the apparent contradiction between designing for recycling and the need for product durability. Designers are better equipped than most to deal with the ambiguity of these situations and a key challenge is for designers to develop the confidence to make sound decisions based on the available resources and context in which they are working.
A number of market studies point to the increased awareness amongst consumers on sustainability issues. In a number of sectors this is leading to a shift in consumer purchasing patterns. Some of the most widely noted areas include Fairtrade labelled products. While these can be positive drivers for change, designers and businesses must operate with caution. If the design strategy is to be responsive to trends there is a risk of green-washing and creating green fatigue. Aggressively marketing a product or service on environmental terms without consideration of a broad spectrum of sustainability issues can lead to backlash from consumers.
There are a number of commercial and legislative drivers pushing sustainability up the business agenda. Some sectors are under increasing pressure to improve the environmental performance of products because of specific European and International legislation. Some of this legislation directly impacts on the design and development of products.
A concern among some designers is the potential conflicts between creativity and sustainability but the issues are inseparable and sustainability should prove the point of design. How a designer interprets sustainability is determined by a range of factors such as existing skills and capacity, leadership, relationship with client and project resources. By starting today designers can begin to add value to the design process by considering sustainability issues.
3.1.2Key opportunities for designers
- Improve the scope and quality of offerings to clients.
- Help clients proactively comply with environmental and social legislation.
- Help clients reduce costs through more efficient production methods and material selection.
- Improve brand positioning of studio.
3.1.3Key actions for designers
- Define a sustainable vision and strategy to influence studio work.
- Find ways to develop key skills or where to source additional skills related to specific skills such as simplified life cycle analysis (LCA), life cycle costing, carbon footprinting.
- Take a leadership role by engaging clients in sustainable development discussions. Do what you can when you can.
- Begin to measure the sustainable benefits of individual projects so you can communicate these results to new clients. This will help to avoid greenwash.
- Develop an eco/social flagship range to build capacity over time. Do not position yourselves as a sustainable agency on the basis of one or two projects.
3.2Key issues for Industry
As already mentioned, sustainability is no longer a fringe issue and in the last few years it has moved to the centre of political and business agendas. The companies that are initiating change in preparation for more sustainable business practice are doing this in order to proactively secure shareholder value and competitive advantage in the short and long term. This shift to sustainability as a strategic business issue has ignited many debates on the potential conflicts between sustainable business practice and competitiveness. There is no fundamental conflict between sustainability and competitiveness. In fact, leading political and business commentators have explicitly made the point that taking a strategic view on sustainability is good for competitiveness.
There is evidence that the benefits of strong early action on climate change outweigh the costs. Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the longer-term, and it can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or poor countries. The earlier effective action is taken, the less costly it will be.
3.2.1Challenges for Industry
SMEs face many challenges when addressing sustainability. These challenges have been well documented and include a limited resource and knowledgebase, lower control and leverage within their supply chain, proportionally high amount of sunkinvestments in old processes and technologies and potentially higher degrees of cultural inertia.
On the other hand, some SMEs can have distinct advantage over their larger competitors in being flexible and responsive to new market niches and demands. SMEs have shown a great deal of adaptability and entrepreneurialism in times of crisis, such as during the post-Dot Com crash era. SMEs can be at the forefront of innovation and adaptation to the combined current crisis of climate change and the global credit crunch. Individual responses to the combined challenges of sustainability, such as climate change, the reduction in low cost inputs and a more integrated regulatory landscape, will be very different for each business and sector. There is no ideal solution or scenario for a multi-national, SME or a micro-sized business. The response will rest upon individual business beliefs, values and the ways in which the business deals with risk and opportunities.
Eco-design can help businesses enable change on an individual and organisational level. By adopting an integrated approach to developing innovations and organisational practices that prepare businesses for sustainable development, eco-design-led SMEs can develop resilient and sustainable competitive advantage. While we recognise that each business is different and will require different structures and solutions the key message is to start making the appropriate changes now.
3.2.2Key opportunitiesfor Industry
- Create value by meeting, exploring and developing unmet needs and niche markets. A company’s brand reputation can be significantly improved through eco-design and producer responsibility.
- Find ways to accelerate innovation through the strategic use of eco-design and green-technologies.
- Learn from other areas of innovation and technological adoption.
- Create longer term value and potentially radical innovation, e.g. new business models based on the provision of services rather than cost-based competition on products, or new cost models based on extended product life cycles.
3.2.3Key actions for Industry
- Build internal capacity or identify external resources that can help the business manage trade-offs and capitalise on decision making.
- Build business intelligence based upon measurable environmental and socialimpacts, using appropriate methodologies e.g. life cycle analysis (LCA), carbon footprinting, sector benchmarks and standards.
- If the company makes real environmental or social improvements, find ways to effectively communicate this to customers and other stakeholders.
- Research suppliers to ensure that they can meet expectations and reflect business aspirations.
- Build open systems of innovation that allow the business to share knowledge with competitors, non-competitors, suppliers and customers.
- Plot out the business’s sphere of influence and promote internal and external collaborations for innovation, e.g. establishing multi-disciplinary teams within the business and/or through external business networks or clusters.
4Eco-friendly fashion
4.1The context
The world of fashion may be stylish, glamorous and exciting. But from an environmental point of view, the clothes we wear and the textiles they are made from can cause a great deal of damage.
- The pesticides that farmers use to protect textiles as they grow can harm wildlife, contaminate other products and get into the food we eat.
- The chemicals that are used to bleach and colour textiles can damage the environment and people’s health.
- Old clothes that we throw away take up precious space in landfill sites, which are filling up rapidly. However, most of these clothes could be recycled or reused.
In addition, the people who make clothes often have to work in terrible conditions. Many clothes bought in northern countries are imported cheaply from the South, where they are made by sweat shop workers (often children) who work long and hard for very little money.So the traditional fashion industry isn’t very sustainable.