In recent times the word sustainability has begun to be more and more used to the point that it has lost part of its meaning. What do we talk about when we talk about sustainable design?
Foto: SCOTT WARMAN
ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IS ECO- FRIENDLY.
No matter what Donald Trump says, climate change and global warming are already a reality to which we must adapt. So this is something that many have already understood. Every day there are more initiatives and undertakings in pursuit of ecology and the environment. Although some are more relevant than others, at this point everything works.
However, the word sustainable is being used indiscriminately and therefore has lost its true meaning. It is important to remember that an environmentally friendly product or service (eco- friendly) is not necessarily sustainable, since to be sustainable it must be:
I. Socially sustainable; it supports the communities and people involved, does not generate disparities or exploitation of human resources.
II. Environmentally friendly; safe and balanced extraction of raw materials, closed cycle of resources and useful life of products, ecological, non-polluting.
III. Economically viable; pays what it should pay.
THEN, WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DESIGN?
Sustainable design is precisely that which manages to balance these three axes in its production, distribution and end-of-life processes. Sustainable design is that which manages to satisfy today’s needs without harming future generations. This is what CRADLE TO CRADLE® certification is all about.
Cradle to Cradle® is a design concept inspired by nature, in which everything is a potential resource for something else. Products are created based on the ideal principles of a circular economy. In it, once their use is over, they are returned to the reprocessing system and thus remain in circulation (see image above).
Under this premise, TriCiclos is absolutely right when it says that
Garbage is a design mistake.
If something is well designed it should not generate “garbage”, waste that is discarded and never used again. And with this we are talking not only about products, but also about packaging, transportation, services, etc.
Finally, I leave you with the recommendation of the book “Redoing the Unmade: revalorization of materials in architecture, art and design” by the Fundación Basura.