DESIRABLE SUSTAINABILITY PT 5: Change begins at the top

This series is from our talk at London Packaging Week on the Luxury Unboxed stage as a part of the Pentawards: Capital of Design Sessions in 2022. If you haven’t read the first instalment catch up here

CHANGE BEGINS AT THE TOP

What do we mean by that?

Well, the short version is that as designers & brand owners we are in control.

By controlling what we put out into the environment we can hugely influence how people use and dispose of what we produce.

So what if we eliminate unrecyclable, uncompostable, unpurposeful materials from the design process?

Asking the consumer to be responsible for the disposal of our material choices is like trying to solve a problem from the bottom up.

For the longest time waste has been a consumer problem, the moment it leaves our studios & warehouse it’s someone else’s problem.
And true luxury should be solving problems, not creating them.
It should make our lives better and make us feel good about our purchases.

Luxury brands can drive sustainability.

As role models, you can lead the charge and set the trend for other brands. 

With some creative consideration, ‘luxury’ does not mean excess, and ‘sustainability’ does not mean austere.

Both champion quality, durability and longevity.

By using high-quality materials that can be reused, refilled, repaired, returned and recycled, luxury brands can pioneer positive change.

THE TAKEAWAY

1 - LUXURY IS AN EXPERIENCE

• Engage at a sensory level - touch, sound, scent, sight

• Know your audience - Share their values & principles

• Build a story - heritage, craftsmanship, provenance

• It’s elevated & unexpected

2 - TRUE SUSTAINABILITY IS AUTHENTIC

• Embed your sustainability goals at a brand level rather than a product level

• Make those goals aspirational but attainable

• Be transparent & be accountable

• It should sustainable for your business to support

3 - INNOVATE OR ITERATE?

• Look to the past to inform the future - Analyse what works & what doesn’t then improve on it

• Get creative . Create less - look to repurpose what’s already in our midst

4 - WASTE IS A DESIGN FLAW

• Plan a second or third life for your packaging - What else could it become?

• Consider your materials & finishes - are they all needed? Are they renewable? Will they alter the recycling/composting opportunities?

• Think - REDUCE, REUSE, REFILL - aim to remove the burden of waste from the consumer

• Recycling is good, compostable is better

5 - DO YOUR BEST UNTIL YOU CAN DO BETTER

• Remember that there is no ‘perfect’ solution

• Aim to improve your supply chain
  - Materials - Renewable
  - Suppliers - Local
  - Distribution - Responsible
  - End of life state - Circular 

• Aim to improve as you grow, as materials advance, and as you can afford to.

As designers and owners of brands, we are in a unique position of power to affect real, impactful change from the top down.
If we don’t create it, it can’t end up in the environment.

So, design for the kind of world you want to live in.

And remember, change begins from the top.