The essentials of sustainability and sustainable design
Like any good design, sustainable design involves delivering the best performance or result for the least cost over the long term. Sustainable design involves the strategic use of design to meet current and future human needs without compromising the environment. It includes (re)design of products, processes, services or systems to tackle imbalances or trade-offs between the demands of society, the environment and the economy and, ultimately, restoration of damage already done.
A shorter term for 'sustainable development', sustainability aims for social and economic well-being for everyone, locally and globally, now and in the future, without compromising the long-term well-being of the environment. The crux is balancing the dynamic between the social, environmental and economic impact of a business or organisation. The simplest definition is that of improving quality of life across the board, including ensuring quality of life for future generations without losing sight of the need for a rich and diverse natural world.
Business is often criticised for having caused much of the problem. However, there's growing evidence that business creativity can do a great deal to provide solutions and that this can contribute to enhanced competitiveness.
Government can provide a framework that will encourage sustainability, or hinder it. This can be through the intelligent use of legislative or fiscal incentives, either giving tax breaks for more sustainable behaviour, or levying tax for less sustainable behaviour.
Government can also hinder sustainability by making legislation that's confusing, inconsistently enforced or constantly changing, or by allowing 'perverse subsidies' which encourage less sustainable activities. In addition, government help - through advice or funding - can kick-start sustainability. The public sector also has a leading role in creating markets for sustainable goods and services through its procurement policies.
The term sustainable design is often used interchangeably with related terms such as eco-design or design for environment, or green design (used less these days). This is because sustainable design evolved from the attempt to incorporate environmental considerations into design.
Design is utterly crucial to moving towards a more sustainable future - by rethinking how we deliver products and their benefits without decimating the world around us, or compromising the well-being of others (now or in the future); sustainability is a key to enhanced performance and greater competitiveness.
As well as minimising environmental impact, sustainable design also involves optimising performance and well-being. It can also aid business competitiveness which has led some to the notion of a ‘triple bottom line'. The triple bottom line seeks to expand the conventional economic or financial focus of the ‘bottom line’ to include social and environmental calculations. This reflect the three key pillars of sustainability which are:
- Social - people
- Environmental - planet
- Economic - profit
The word 'pillar' suggests separate, static entities when in fact there is a dynamic between all three elements. It might be easier to think of them as three balls in a juggling act - the trick is to keep them working together in a simple, smooth process. At the moment, it has to be said, we often don't juggle too well. But we're making progress.