Recycling comes full circle
The amount of waste created in the UK amounts to about two tonnes for each person every year, most of it ending up on landfill sites. Much of this waste is simply consumer goods, dumped because they are either broken, gone out of fashion or just not wanted anymore.
The problem is not simply that we contribute to rubbish heaps when we throw things away – the new products that we buy generate a lot of carbon dioxide, water and metals when they are created, contributing significantly to climate change.
Like many people, Dr Jonathan Chapman is concerned about this squandering of the earth's resources. What makes him different is that he is a sustainable designer, one of a group of people who think we can use design to address these problems.
A well-designed product that is attractive, functional, energy-efficient and built to last is less likely to get thrown away. It is a commonsense point, but Dr Chapman believes that this common-sense is lacking in many of the items we buy from our shops today.
"If I want to make sure my purchases are environmentally friendly I can do this without too much trouble for things like washing powder, bread or nappies," said Dr Chapman, who is a senior lecturer in the School of Architecture and Design.
"But if I want to do it for things like hairdryers, mobile phones, digital cameras or TVs, it's difficult – it's very hard to find in shops these consumer items that have been made in a sustainable way. Yet it is precisely these types of goods that we use most wastefully, not just in the sense that they use a lot of energy, but also in that we tend to throw them away when they get a fault instead of having them mended, or because there is a very slightly newer model on the shelf."
"What I'd like to see when I go into Currys or Comet, or similar stores, is not just a wall of 50 microwaves which are all pretty much the same, but the introduction of a few that were designed and produced using sustainable processes and which give us a choice."
"We can't keep blaming consumers by saying there isn't a market for this type of product – I believe there is. We are at a turning point – we've had decades of people discussing the issue and raising awareness, with campaigns and slogans from the green groups. Now everyone is aware."
"We don't need to raise awareness any more – people now know that speed and power are not the only things they want from products, and they want something that lasts. We are now talking about practical steps to encourage people to want to buy more sustainable consumer products."
He believes that the key is to design products that are upgradeable, with the right materials, that last in both a physical and emotional sense, and that are the sort of item that we would love and cherish for their design and appearance too. As one example, he cites the Tripp Trapp, a wooden chair he bought for his young son that can fit both babies, young children and even teens, because it is adjustable to take into account their growth over period of years.
Products need to have what he calls emotional durability, which make us hold on to them for longer, as they have enduring meanings and values that make them more important to us.
This might make them more expensive, but he believes we are prepared to pay a premium for this type of quality, and they are better value for money.
Dr Chapman, who has also worked in industry as a product designer, is taking his message out to the wider world. He appeared before the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee and is teaching several courses to undergraduates and postgraduates on sustainable design.
Find out more
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