Designers contributing to sustainable design

A handful of designers are starting to take sustainability seriously. A small number of new products are becoming available which consider all parts of sustainability. With their total life history, from the cradle of raw materials production to their end of life, has been designed to minimize environmental and social impact. Sustainability can only be achieved though better design, some existing examples of sustainable design can be found worldwide:

The Aeron Chair Designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf



The Aeron chair is environmentally sustainable though it ability to spar natural resources, with its durable body, designed with maximum reparability and recycling when finished with. The Aeron chair leads it way sustainability along the ability to survive the user to a High-performance, long-term seating in three sizes with a full complement of adjustments and innovative suspension; for computer work, general office work, and casual or formal meetings. With contributing deign feature including: ergonomic support, comfortable suspension, natural tilt, distinctive aesthetics and many more.
You can find more information on www.hermanmiller.com.

The Smart car



Car that has been perfectly designed for your everyday life, a car that offers maximum comfort, agility, safety, ecology and driving fun. A pioneering vehicle concept that is one of the best with its exceptionally low CO2 emission figures.

Further information can be found on

Patagonia fleece 1993



Patagonia use 90 per cent post-consumer recycled polyester in many of their fleece garment. Made from collected bottles, flaked and baled and then spun into a fibre that which hurts the environment far less, producing very comfortable, thermal and durable clothing in all different style.
The Patagonia factory runs on wind-power and has diverted over 100 million plastic bottles, avoided 13000 tonnes of toxic waste emissions in its 15 years producing.

Further information can be found on http://www.patagonia.com/

BRE Environmental Building



‘The need to build a new office building at BRE's Garston site was an ideal opportunity to put new ideas to the test.’
The brief for architects Feilden Clegg of Bath called for the use of natural ventilation, maximum use of day lighting, maximum use of the building's mass to moderate temperature, and controls that would let the building meet its environmental targets but keep its occupants happy. In addition, maximum use was to be made of recycled and waste materials and the building was to score the highest possible BREEAM rating of 'Excellent'. And it had to look good!
Further information can be found on www.projects.bre.co.uk/envbuild

ES-X2 Electric Scooter



Designed in Tokyo R&D firm, its stylish design not only looks good but really shows how design and the environment performance can go in hand. With concerns that the design is just moving pollution else where- however the overall efficiency is higher, therefore emissions per mile are less especially when green power is used.

Further information can be found on http://www.r-d.co.jp/

World wide promotion of sustainable design though media, conferences and design exhibitions has given sustainable development a new direction and caused a shift in the publics focus on the importance of a sustainable future.
Sustainable development has come a long way but there is more which needs to be done, with only one in every thousand product deigned with environmental consideration in mind, it clear that all aspects of design and sociality need to open there minds to sustainability by producing not just considering.

Melissa Stewart