Responsible Product Design

What does responsible design mean to you?

To me, responsible design to me means a considered, ethical and circular approach to the design, development, manufacture of products.  Moving forward, this is a key part of our design ethos at Chelsom.

Can a product ever be deemed “sustainable”? If so, how?

There are many interpretations between what the term ‘sustainable’ actually defines.  In all honesty, anything we manufacture and consume will have an effect on the world – whether or not these effects are sustainable is a very complex calculation based on many factors that are out of any one person’s control.  If all stakeholders involved in a product, (designers, specifiers, procurement, manufacturers, shippers, installers, consumers etc) are in sync, then yes, I believe we can produce sustainable products.

Do you class yourself as a responsible designer/brand? If so, why?

I would like to think that Chelsom are a responsible brand, our impact on the environment is one of the key company values and we are reviewing and actioning all aspects of this.

What are your thoughts on creating products out of sustainable materials vs. creating products with finite materials that are built with longevity in mind with the aim of lasting for generations?
– Does this play into the world of luxury vs. mass/fast consumption?

I feel that the two polarising options you mention, as well as countless others surrounding product design & the use of products are all key components of our current capitalist system.  We have to be flexible as designers to work within many boundaries.  However, this ties in with my earlier comment regarding the stakeholders in the system; the end users – they so often define the lifetime of the product which would deem many of one’s previous decisions redundant.

What steps do you take when designing products to ensure your design fits into your personal and/or professional sustainable criteria?

We have a wide range of criteria to meet when designing, covering many aspects.  Embodied Carbon and Circularity are becoming a priority in our research and development.

I feel some of the biggest challenges at present are in delivery lead-times and then product recovery.  Many tons of carbon could be saved simply by better planning across the board and the latter requires complex conversations between stakeholders.

Can you explain your approach to lifecycle analysis in your lighting products?

Our design team are collecting information, building baseline standard etc for future designs’ It’s a fantastic insight into carbon levels at a component level and really helps us make the best decisions we can in future designs.

How do you balance aesthetics and functionality with sustainability in your designs?

This is always a difficult one and so much of it is client driven, and in decorative lighting we have a variety of clients on a single job!  Getting everyone around the table to find the right balance between it all is a challenge that we are grabbing with both hands.

What role does modularity and repairability play in your designs?

I think this point is interesting, I feel most design studios in our industry have always considered these points during design and development as they have a direct financial impact.  Modularity of components makes sense in manufacturing and saves significant costs on tooling.  Repairability helps you quickly assess and fix failures in the field, rework stock for bespoke projects etc.  It unwittingly helps most of the stakeholders involved.  The fact that it ties in so well with Circularity is all the more reason to do it better.

I hope as a collective of entities we can find more areas of common ground where we can adjust our offerings that benefit all of us – including the environment!

Do you stay updated with the latest sustainable practices and technologies, and if so, how?

Yes, through research; seminars, exhibitions, conversations with peers etc.

How do you educate your clients about the importance of responsible and sustainable design and how is it received by them?

We are lucky in the fact that so many of our wonderful clients are well on board with the glaring issues we are facing. But as mentioned earlier the amount of stakeholders involved within the process with different priorities makes this challenging.  People want to do the right thing but so often there is someone down the line demanding something different.

What steps do you take to reduce your carbon footprint as a company as well as with your design and manufacturing processes?

Chelsom has a team dedicated to sustainability and our environmental impact.  We are certified by Planet Mark who are with us on our journey to Net Zero.   We measure our carbon output regularly.  Measures small and large are in place to manage and reduce carbon, an example being our electric/hybrid fleet powered by renewable sources.

For myself, from a design perspective the interesting parts come from the LCAs and Circularity investigations at a product level.  There are many challenges in the design decisions along the way, between manufacturing one-off and large-scale batch production all the time bearing in mind the client’s requirements.

What can the lighting industry do to improve the footprint it has – from exhibitions, to manufacturing, to supply and demand, etc?

There are many areas of improvement that can be made and it’s likely the majority of changes that are made will have a knock-on effect.  Its key we get everyone around the table so we can start a dialogue and understand each other’s requirements, so we have the best chance of making the right changes.

Outside of our industry, where else do consumers and country leaders need to improve, and how?

Obviously since Brexit we have had a lack of direction from the current government.  This is a global issue that we all got into, so we need to all act together to make a difference.  We need global laws and legislation that is enforced.

Where does the responsibility fundamentally lie? The consumer, the designer, the scientist, the politician, all of us?

All of us obviously.  I think its right to point fingers and raise awareness about the big polluters in the world, but we should also change our own behaviour as that in turn will reduce the power that the big polluters have.  If we relied less on fossil fuels those offending companies wouldn’t wield the power they currently have.

Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn’t been covered by the above?

Stop making it all about financial profit.  I think the profit gained from reducing global warming outweighs anything.

**Comment courtesy of James Bartlett, Chief Design Officer at Chelsom**