The Power of Design in Driving the Green Transition: A Danish Perspective
Design plays a pivotal role in Denmark’s journey towards a sustainable and green future. It is the cornerstone that enables Danish businesses to transition their products to meet the demands of sustainability and climate resilience. Danish design, renowned for its timeless classics in furniture, lamps, and architecture, has evolved beyond, but not without aesthetics. It now encompasses an extensive list of Danish success stories where design adds value to users and improves companies’ bottom lines. However, these two aspects are not in opposition. We need a new narrative where aesthetics and impacts are intertwined and each others best friends. This article explores the profound impact of design on the green transition, emphasizing its role in addressing climate challenges, sustainability, and circular economy initiatives.
Design as a Problem-Solving Method
Design is not limited to aesthetics; it’s a problem-solving method that can tackle complex challenges and foster innovation. Beyond design thinking, it’s about making tangible changes. In Denmark, design is a catalyst for the transformation of our proficient production companies and the development of innovative start-ups. If we are to change the world at its core, so we can still consume, travel, enjoy good food, and wear clothing, we must innovate around atoms, not just bits and bytes. Most Danish design ventures should be grounded in the physical world: atoms, wood, steel, and the material popularly referred to as deep tech or hard tech, which will give rise to tangible products.
Physical products, atoms — if you will, however, demand a significantly greater investment, more patience, and a more systematic approach, involving the development of design to dismantle, circular design, production methods, factories, and warehouses.
Design’s Crucial Role in a Sustainable Resource Economy
Design can be a game-changer in transitioning to a sustainable resource economy. The potential market opportunities for companies that embrace sustainable design practices are substantial. Equally, designers who contribute to this transition can boost competitiveness and add value to the business sector while fostering the much-needed innovation. It’s easy to see why more and more manufacturing companies are talking about what’s often called the circular economy — in which businesses create supply chains that recover or recycle the resources used to create their products. Shrinking their environmental footprint, trimming operational waste, and using expensive resources more efficiently are certainly appealing to CEOs. But creating a circular business model is challenging,
A Sustainable Future Through Design
Analysis indicates that 55% of global CO2 emissions can be reduced through energy efficiency and green energy, with the remaining 45% requiring a circular shift in production. Surprisingly, at least 80% of a product’s environmental footprint is determined during the design phase, making designers instrumental in achieving Denmark’s goal of a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 and aiming for full climate neutrality by 2050. Fortunately, 9 out of 10 Danish companies experience a positive impact on their bottom line when they strategically incorporate design.
Businesses Embracing Sustainability
Businesses worldwide face increasing pressure from customers, legislators, and investors to take responsibility for their environmental and social impacts. To meet sustainability requirements, companies can follow these three steps:
1. Embrace sustainability as an opportunity rather than an expense.
2. Understand the current sustainability baseline and what it takes to change it.
3. Develop a strategy for sustainable decision-making and communication.
The Role of Circular Design
Circular design is an antidote to our extractive approach, where resources are extracted, consumed, and disposed of linearly. It envisions a continuous loop where value is retained and waste is minimized. The circular economy requires a shift in business thinking to create and share value, not just profit. It challenges the traditional notion that profit is generated at the point of sale, suggesting that it can be made when buying, repurposing, or extending product life cycles.
Patagonia, for example, has parlayed its famed sustainability principles into a used-clothing line for socially conscious consumers. Launched in 2017, the Patagonia Worn Wear initiative invites customers to send in their used Patagonia gear in return for store credit; the clothing is then repaired and resold on the Worn Wear website. Recently Patagonia Worn Wear added a line of hand-sewn clothing called ReCrafted, made from returned items the company considers beyond repair.
The French tire manufacturer Michelin seems to be heading down that same pathway. Along with committing to use 80% sustainable materials in its manufacturing, the company has acquired Lehigh Technologies, a Georgia-based maker of environmentally friendly rubber powders produced from ground-down end-of-life tires.
When products have relatively low value, companies — even very big ones — may need to find partners to make circularity work. Nike, for example, works with partners: Nike Grind takes used athletic shoes and recycles them into materials for entirely new products, such as AstroTurf’s playing fields and Future Foam’s carpet padding. We see similar design initiatives in other industries, from consumer goods to electronics.
Transforming Consumer Behavior
Altering consumer behavior is pivotal in facilitating the transition toward sustainability, but it presents a formidable challenge. It is a complex dilemma, and businesses cannot tackle it in isolation. Significantly, substantial investments in technological advancement and green research should prioritize understanding consumer needs right from the outset. Designers can bridge the chasm between intricate knowledge and practical implementation, ensuring meaningful engagement with users and fostering a deep comprehension of customer perspectives to make solutions genuinely effective.
Furthermore, it also revolves around the necessity for businesses to attain scale and secure market shares. The manufacturing of products continues to escalate, with more players entering the arena. To illustrate, the annual global production of shoes (excluding inexpensive sandals) currently stands at a staggering 25 billion pairs, and this number is still on the rise. Approximately 7 billion pairs are sold each year. The implications are substantial, with vast quantities of materials and stock continually increasing. It’s not limited to shoes; we witness a similar pattern in cables, electronics, handles, lamps, cups, covers, and an array of other products, the list goes on. When we talk about virgin steel production, everyday steal production equals 480 Eiffel towers daily or one every third minute. This is as much a design problem as it is anything else.
The Future of Danish Design — is not a journey alone
Denmark needs to lead by example in promoting design and developing solutions for the global transition to a sustainable resource economy. Enormous opportunities exist for businesses and designers who recognize the potential in this paradigm shift. Danish design can play a pivotal role in driving climate initiatives, making Denmark a proud design nation once again.
To transition from an imitator to a sustainable leader, organizations must adopt a risk and opportunity approach. A strategic green transformation requires understanding the potential scenarios, identifying opportunities, and leveraging resources effectively. By designing a strategy that aligns with their capabilities, businesses can lead the way in the green transition.
Design’s power in driving the green transition is undeniable. Denmark’s rich design heritage, coupled with its innovative thinking, can propel the nation towards a sustainable future, tackling climate challenges, supporting sustainability, and embracing the circular economy.
It’s time to put design at the forefront of the green agenda and make a tangible impact on our world’s sustainability.
Not alone.
Together.
Together with science, business, and an array of other competences. But we must lead the way forward.
The Way Forward
Humanity unintentionally designed the climate crisis by implementing linear, extractive systems that have contributed to the challenging conditions we face today. But can design be a force for positive change? Absolutely, and that’s where our hope lies.
Design has long enabled us to deeply connect with consumers and transform those insights into opportunities. However, the scale and complexity of the climate crisis extend beyond individual actions. We must now applying the same principles of human-centered design to various industries, from food to mobility, consumer products, and retail. This approach will allow us to understand the needs, desires, and limitations of everyone from farmers to boardrooms, identifying the intervention points with the greatest potential.
Recognizing the complexity and urgency of the challenge, design’s unique ability to offer tangible solutions quickly, while considering both individual needs and the bigger picture, is one of the keys to systemic change.
The best way to shape the future is by actively creating it. A circular or sustainable economy won’t spontaneously emerge; we must actively work towards it. This is the motivation we must strive for.