Interior Design Declares - one year in!

The end of March '22 marked the end of our first year as a community working together to improve our industry's shocking impact on the climate breakdown and biodiversity loss.

"The UK construction industry contributes 25 million tonnes of waste to landfill every year. Worldwide, the construction industry contributes to 50% of all climate change, 40% of drinking water pollution, 23% of air pollution and 50% of landfill waste." *  

Interior Design Declares is a community of interior design practices - small and large - as well as suppliers of goods and services to our industry.  We recognise we need to share learnings and learn together encourage our supply chains to improve.

The great news is we have just had our 150th signatory.  

It's been a wonderful experience to be a Founder member and see the whole thing set up - and working with fellow interior designers who are also passionate to improve our industry.   We're a voluntary group and meet monthly.  Our group has evolved into a Steering Group now as people have shifted around.  Our objective is to get the maximam impact - by attending panel discussions,  talks,  podcasts - whatever we can to extend our reach and influence others.  

We’ve taken part in successful, well attended events – which generated new members and lots of debate – at WasteBuild, Planted, Surface Design Show,  FutureBuild, BIID Annual Conference ‘22 – Sustainability Showcase,  Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP)

We’ve given interviews with The Interior Design Business, Quietmark and The Edge podcasts

We’ve continued to contribute to the Built Environment Declares steering group – and have done another funding round to raise money to expand the information on our website - which is live now and where you can read more on the UK Declaration.

We are also running the Global declaration and encouraging other countries to join us.  So far we have been joined by Finland.  Declarations from Egypt, USA and Australia are in the pipeline. 

If you are reading this and want to join or help to set up a declation for the design industry in your country - we'd really welcome you!  Please apply here.

* Source: Hawken, P., Lovins, E and Lovins, H, Natural, Capitalism – Creating the next Industrial Revolution, Little Brown and Co., 1999 369pp. 

What an enlightening time at FOOTPRINT+ the inaurgural Built Environment event held in Brighton, UK.

Here's my FIVE TAKEAWAYS:

1.  Take a look at what's happening in Leeds During the Lockdowns the city council collaborated with business and existing planning applications to 'green up' the city and make it a pleasant place to visit, work and live with less emphasis on car use. It's proved to be very successful and will provide template for other cities, towns, communities and neighbourhoods to follow. It was brilliant to witness this knowledge sharing in progress... with so much care and passion for better by all involved outside and inside the council! Thank you for coming to Brighton to tell us about it.

2.  MMC = Modern Methods of Construction Off site pre-fabricated modular systems are reported to emit 45% less carbon. In different talks at the event we were shown a number of successful schemes. Timber is very much the solution to the efficient production of Passivhaus standard MMC homes; with the addition of triple glazed windows, air source heat exchangers, ventilation louvres and PVs (photovoltaics).

3.  VAT continues to be applied to refit, yet new build is VAT exempt. I listened to Lord Callanan's speech on the Government's plans to achieve Zero Carbon. I have to say the huge concern of many in the zero carbon/circular economy community is the positioning of VAT exemption. It rewards demolition to build new (0% VAT) - but doesn't reward REUSE and the circular economy where construction reuses existing buildings. I had the opportunity to ask what the progress on this was and was not given a clear answer.

4.  Hydrogen Something I knew little about - so I wanted to listen to this talk. Used more and more for buses - which is working well. There was great enthusiasm for its future uses for homes, communities and even rail transport - but it's going to be some time before we see it more widely used.

5.  Where to start working with better materials? Use databases that already collated to help us. The Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design has this one low embodied carbon materials - both for building + fit-out.

The next Footprint+ event will be held 6-8 June ‘23.

It's been VEGANUARY  Have you given it a try? 

It's what finally nudged me to be fully vegan 4 years ago - but it's not an 'all or nothing' thing!   Maybe it's encouraged you to swap out the occasional meal or ingredient for a vegan alternative?  My tip:  One Meal A Day is great inspiration for making those swaps. 

There is so much on offer to help in terms of Facebook group support and the range of options when shopping.   It's a great opportunity to try out some different food - or even ones without animal content that taste just the same!  We don't have to always do things the same way - and all the time, the food on offer is changing and evolving and becoming more easily available.  

So.... what has this got to do with interior design?! 

How about making some swaps in the specifications you use in your interiors in the same way?  It's not only vegans who want to have less impact on the planet.   We are more aware of the impact we are having and know there are better choices to make .....and ....OH and BONUS!....many of the swaps come with a health benefit for the users of the spaces too.   Products are evolving all the time.  There's directories like Cradle to Cradle to help you.  Follow me on Instagram for more tips over the coming months.

Many of my clients are looking inwards at their buying habits and in doing this, they have lots of talking points about those swaps too - which some use in their own marketing when it's a business interior!   Doing things in a new ways creates lots of stories to tell.

Would you like some help?
Here's my   FIVE TIPS FOR A SUSTAINABLE INTERIOR