By Selina Seesunkur
On 1 May 2019, the UK Parliament declared a Climate Change Emergency. This has caused a visible push in the production of more electric vehicles to help reduce CO2 emissions, an increase in the reduction and recycling of plastics, and a call to replace old boilers with more economical and environmentally friendly ones. But what does this mean for interior design? Is it as easy as replacing a halogen light bulb for an LED, installing solar panels, or sending our old furniture to a recycling centre? Can designers and home owners do more?
A recent paper by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation entitled ‘Completing the Picture’, suggests that changes to the five key areas of cement, aluminium, steel, plastics, and food could eliminate almost half of the remaining emissions from the production of goods, or 9.3 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050. This would be the equivalent of cutting current emissions from all transport to zero. Furthermore, they argue that switching to the use of sustainable wood instead of polyethylene, and bamboo instead of steel, are also essential moves to further reduce our carbon footprint.
The Reuse Flat in East London, designed by Arboreal, is a good example of creative recycling as all the materials used were sourced from deconstruction sites. The project was to redesign the kitchen, dining, and living room space. The wall panelling and kitchen cabinets are made from reclaimed wood, with broken bricks, concrete and reclaimed wood used to construct the garden walls. Arboreal state that “22% of their materials from the existing site and a further 57% of materials were from reused sources such as the cotton insulation from jeans deposited in French clothes banks and the reclaimed wood floor produced using beams removed from an agricultural building in Orsova, Romania”.
Hard materials such as bricks, concrete, and wood are not the only items that can be used sustainably. Soft materials often used in fixtures and fittings are also going down this route. The Yorkshire based production company Camira have increased their use of recycled fabric, with their new fabric collection Rivet produced from recycled polyester and coming in 3 colourways. Organoid produces carbon neutral wallpaper, with a signature of press flowers, and all materials being sourced as locally as possible. The Italian company Dani claim that their leather lines now have zero impact, claiming that they have reduced their carbon emissions by 5% and, in order to compensate for any other CO2 produced, are taking part in a reforestation programme. They also claim their processes are innovative and cleaner.
Consumers can also do their part by shopping responsibly and looking at the products and processes that go into making their furniture. We have seen a big movement towards knowing what is on your plate and how it got there. Equally we have seen clothing production questioned and subsequently sweat shops and child labour exposed. Both these areas have made great changes in the way food and clothing is produced, so why not question “what’s in your home”. How many of you have looked at a paint can and reviewed its content for toxins, and bought a different paint? When is the last time you donated a half used can of paint to Dulux’s Community Repaint, which provides unwanted paint pots to schools, charities and housing associations? According to Community Repaint, 387,000 litres of paint were saved in 2012 with 218,000 litres being redistributed to these institutions. Have you ever questioned how your cabinet was made or switched to shopping at a charity shop or re-use centre? The possibilities are endless, so it’s up to us all to make a conscious decision to make those small changes and not solely rely on the bigger companies like car manufactures, housing developers or supermarkets making the changes for us.
