I AM a plastic Bag

Ethics in fashion/accessory design and productions of clothes is an issue often overlooked by consumer and designer alike, sure there is plenty of publicity about anti-fur/animal products, but what about cheap labour, out-sourcing, sustainability etc etc, the list of things to consider is enourmous. Recently UK supermarket chain sainsbury's released a limited edition non-plastic shopping bag designed by Anya Hindmarsh, supposedly eco-friendly the aim was to promote the discontinuation of the use of plastic bags thereby reducing waste, HOWEVER! Produced in China, the materials used to make the bag are neither organic nor fair trade. Outted and shamed! Not that these 'minor' details are curbing people's desire for this fake of a bag (a bag that is 'fake' in it's principles.... a new one for the 21st century I think...) as auctions on eBay are reaching hundreds of pounds with ludicrous Buy it Now prices of £150.



If you do want to buy a version of the bag with a social conscience, I'd opt for the 'I'm not a smug twat' version by Marissa V - at least it doesn't utilise cheap labour!

Irene Rayment

Peta- People for the ethical treatment of animals.

http://www.peta.org/

Peta is people for the ethical treatment of animlals, an organisation of people who are fighting for the rights of mistreated animaals around the world.
Peta are known for there advertisements against animal cruelty, they are sometimes striking, bold, very graphic and also maybe offensive,and have even been banned but they are gaining attention for the issues that face animals in the world today.
Recently a competiton was run by Young guns design agency for design students to create an ad for Peta about the mistreatment of chickens. This competiton is an example of how designers can be involved in awareness campaigns to highlight contemporary issues.
You can look at the details here:

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2007/02/so_many_peta_ad.php

or the people choice award winners here:

http://www.peta.org/feat-youngguns-top20.asp

Here are some of the entries that were recieved,

This was the 2nd prize winner, which was an entry recieved from Australia.

This posters caption reads "Anytime is good to warn you that 98% of fried chickens contains faeces".

What do you think of these posters?
There are also some very funny quicktime movies on the peta site, the one entitled "Fur is Dead" is a really clever idea which is shocking but at the same time very effective. Take a look at it on the Peta website above.

Blog Advertisements

Here are some advertisements our group made to promote our blog, You can print them out yourself if you want to remember the blog address or if you would like to hand them out to people you know so they can also come see our blog. The top image is a small poster/leaflet, and below is a business card sized one in case you want to carry it around with you.

And this one is a screensaver that you could use for your computer.
You just have to click onto the image that you would like to print and it will be shown at it's full size, then you can save it to your own computer and keep it or print it off with our permission. Hope they are useful to you!

Handbags made from Candy Wrappers

This bag is made from Candy wrappers

Ecoist is a company that makes handbags and accesories with recycled candy wrappers. The idea is simple and the products look really strinking. The products use the redux theory where instead of throwing something out, they actually reuse it in another way, which is what has been done with these products. They have a website where you can purchase any of their products or just to have a look at what can be done with a piece of rubbish!
The website shows handbags made from candy wrappers, which is ecoists' signature item, as well as newspaper handbags, belts from candy wrappers, barcode bags and also purses and other accessories.
While the candy wrappers may have originally been seen as rubbish, they are now converted into trendy products that have featured in many famous magazines such as Elle, InStyle, Vanity Fair, Vogue and People magazines, making them a must have piece, that no longer is trash, but treasure.
Take a look at the website, which shows all of the products that you can purchase.

http://www.ecoist.com/

Handbag made from recycled drink can tabs

Bag made from recycled newspapers
Handbag made from recycled candy wrappers

Belts made from candy wrappers

"Letter written in 2070"

Do you want to see what the future could be like if we don't act on Global Warming today? We need to act NOW! Click on the link below to view the powerpoint.

http://eskwela.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Year2070.pps

Post: Kate Stanistreet

Sustainable Marketing

Marketing and marketer play an important part in the development of sustainable design, having tremendous influence over the environmental and social impacts of businesses and their products, policies and production processes. The integration of marketing and sustainability plays an important role in providing a support network including: facilitate discussion, create new ideas, produce knowledge, and disseminate intelligence. This brings together peoples, ideas and agenda for positive marketing and sustainable development. This is achieved by combining sustainability issues into marketing thinking and practice, and the application of marketing thinking.

More specifically, referrenced from http://www.cfsd.org.uk/smart-know-net/index.htm

To stimulate strategic discussion over the role and implications of marketing in progressing towards more sustainable systems of production and consumption within more sustainable societies.
To disseminate new ideas, information and best practice which will inform that strategic discussion, and that can contribute to making the discipline of marketing more sustainable.

To develop methodologies, tools, and training for marketing professionals to allow them to better understand, respond to, and contribute to the growing debate about the social and environmental impacts and implications of businesses, their products and production systems.

To promote educational materials which will allow the discipline of marketing to incorporate sustainability concepts more effectively, and to help to produce a new generation of more socially and environmentally aware marketers.

To create a sense of community amongst practitioners, academics, policy makers and students with an interest in marketing and sustainability.
Helping to meet demands of those working within the market, providing clear guidelines to the growing social and environmental pressures that businesses face and their implications in terms of the need for more sustainable marketing strategies and solutions for the future.

Marketing and sustainability issues include:
Marketing Influences
(Marketing Re-thought)

- Marketing’s Role in Corporate Strategy & CSR

- The Marketing Environment

- Marketing Ethics

- Consumers & Professional Purchasers
Marketing Research

Marketing Practices(Marketing Re-Mixed)

- Products, Design & NPD

- Packaging & Labelling

- Promotion & Communications

- Pricing & Distribution

- People in Marketing

Marketing Resources(Marketing Re-Equipped)

- Introduction to Marketing & SD

- Case Study Examples

- The Sustainable Marketing Toolbox

- Marketing Wisdom

- Information Resources

By Melissa Stewart

What can we as designers do to contribute to sustainable development

There are simple ways, we as designers, can contribute to sustainable development. Focuses on the theoretical, methodological and practical dimensions of sustainable and eco-product and service design and development needs to be included in the design process when developing new designs along with emphases on areas of:
- Eco-design tools and methodologies
- Eco-design strategies
- Eco-service development
- Environmental marketing
- Organisation approaches
- Case studies
- Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
- Environmental Product Policy (EPP)
- Product Service Systems

Key design issues when referring to sustainable practices

The development of sustainable design in the design industry as well as the public points of view is not always seen as positive, many issues need to be resolved and points of views changed.
These issues include:

• Sustainable design can be seen as more expansive then other types- which is not the case in many designs

• There is not enough materials to work with- there are plenty, and new ones are launched every week

• Nobody is interested in green- infact more people are concerned about the environment, families with sick children, business worried about lawsuits, more and more potential customers are inquiring about, and requesting, sustainable design

How to make a building green

To make a building classed as a green building it involves the building and the interior to include:

• A happier and healthier environment for people and to enhance productivity

• can be built at market rate and cost much less to operate

• Use less fossil fuels thus conserving energy, generating less global pollution and saving on operational costs by requiring less maintenance

• Use less water

• Manage waste at the highest productive level; reduce impacts on both developed and undeveloped land

• Minimize the use of materials and use materials with the lowest environmental impacts.

Why become a green designer?

The number of sustainable design projects continue to increase, due to the growth in reconnection from architectural, engineering, and design firms, contractures and developers, federal, state and local governments agencies and professional associations. Designers are finding themselves with significant professional opportunity: to specify and build healthy buildings and interiors using environmentally friendly products and materials that have a healthy buildings and interiors using environmentally friendly products and materials that have a healthy impact on clients and the planet.
How can my company become a green design firm?
Achieving a green design firm involves integrating sustainable design into your business and practice principles. Sustainability needs to not just a part of your design but a guiding philosophy under laying their approach to every design.

Key areas to consider when designing.

• Reduced operating expenditures for energy: By employing more energy efficient designs, there are operating savings from reduced energy consumption

• Reduced operation and maintenance costs: By using more durable low-maintenance materials and systems, facility operating costs will be reduced through savings in labor, waste handling, and streamlining of housekeeping and maintenance procedures.

• Personnel expenditure reductions: Healthy, comfortable work environments have been known to lead to reduced absenteeism and increased employee retention. There are potential improvements in performance/productivity.

• Reduced costs for managing change: By designing structures and systems that are flexible and adaptable to other uses, costs of periodic reorganization and renovation are reduced.

• Reduced municipal operating expenditures: More sustainably designed buildings will mean that during construction and operation, waste is reduced going to landfills. There are also savings resulting from water treatment reduction.

• Reduced infrastructure costs: More sustainably designed buildings mean that capital costs for expanding water supply, sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants can be avoided

• Economic development: More efficient buildings mean less money leaves the state for energy. Buildings requiring clean technologies may spur development of these industries within the state.

• Emissions reduction/clean air: Cleaner air through reduced consumption of fossil fuels (reduction of carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide, particulates, mercury).

• Environmental benefits: Environmental benefits include climate change stabilization; soil, air and water pollution prevention; preservation of forests and biodiversity.

• Including ecologically sustainable design (ESD) principles,

- Using local materials and labour where possible
- Choosing materials that have low embodied energy and are reusable orrecyclable (embodied energy is the energy used to create or manufacture materials)
- Collecting water from roofs and processing waste water on site
- Installing closed system composting toilets which use little water, with the end product disposed of off site or used as fertiliser
- Using power supplied by the grid connected to a solar system
- Using natural daylight, and passive heating and cooling
- Making sure there is minimal impact during construction and revegetating with local native plants.

The benefits to the environment and society when incorporating sustainable design into your practice are clear, ‘use green save the future’ To learn more about sustainable design there are many books, website, conferences and articles world wide, it’s just a matter of opening your mind to the concept.

By Melissa Stewart