By Il Sole24ORE

It’s now a fact that listed companies that have ESG plans perform better on the stock market than those that are less conscious when it comes to environmental and social issues. Plus, banks largely tend to grant credit to companies with good ESG references. Lastly, national government plans lean toward emphasising environment and social issues. On top of all that, the Next Generation EU project launched by the European Commission to grant funding to EU countries to aid recovery after the shock of the pandemic has identified sustainability as one of three foundational pillars. Embracing an ESG philosophy will soon, in all likelihood, not be a choice, but an obligation. The theme of sustainability will permeate each and every sector. It will change the face of cities and the structure of flats alike through big data and digital technology. Within architecture and design, we're likely to witness an era-defining shift, from the conception of new objects to using sustainable, energy saving materials in construction.  Sustainability will penetrate all of our lives and daily routines, imposing new parameters in shopping choice. A focus on the quality-of-life of spaces and respecting the environment will take precedence over seeking out the beautiful and sometimes frivolous, which characterised the past. Or perhaps it will become inextricably intertwined with previous concepts. 

All-round sustainable objects

Tomorrow's objects must be fully sustainable. That means they’ll have to be made from environmentally friendly materials or recyclable or recycled materials. But that's just the beginning. Production processes will have to be careful to not waste any resources and to reduce or avoid using harmful substances. In practice, sustainability in tomorrow’s world will have to be holistic, capable of infiltrating the entire production chain, upstream and downstream, from material supply to customer contact. Big, established brands in design are introducing ESG dictates to their production processes and corporate structure as well as manufacturing and sales. Examples of this are on the rise. One start-up that was founded on sustainability is Best in Table (https://www.bestintable.com/). It was established in 2016 with a clear vision: leading the world of single use towards a potential circular economy. “To start with, we focus on choosing renewable and sustainable raw materials, and then we zero in on saving resources: water, electricity, neutral emissions. So, the Best in Table project was born from a brand that would be more of a social commitment icon than an entrepreneurial one”, explained the company’s CEO, Marco Sala, citing the example of the company's Bio Bamboo products, compostable napkins made with natural bamboo fibres and printed using water-based, solvent-free colours. The company's ethos is having items that are entirely compostable and sustainable, just like their packaging. The entrepreneur that founded Best in Table firmly believes in a circular economy, in “a production and consumption model that involves sharing, lending, reusing, repairing, restoring and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible”. What’s more, according to Sala, he and the company “have always experienced sustainability not as a barrier to creativity, but as an opportunity, stimulating us to use fresh, valuable solutions”. This could be a value for keeping Made in Italy relevant. “Italian companies should break free of the cultural heritage of being unique and inimitable seeing as nowadays lots of other countries have made enormous progress in the quality of their creations. We need a generational revival geared toward a more sustainable and ethical Made in Italy”, the entrepreneur concluded.

An eco-friendly idea gives rise to the start-up Ripottai

In today's world, and maybe tomorrow’s as well, the mission of producing eco-friendly objects may come first, rather than the product idea itself. This was the case for the start-up Ripottai (https://www.rippotai.it/), founded by marketing expert, Elena Lazzerini Monaco, and designer, Tito Intoppa. These two dreamers set out first and foremost to help create a better world than the one they’d inherited, starting with practical, ethical daily steps. So with some help from the Rome-based start-up support company, Seedble Srl, Ripottai was launched. The company sells a line of modern furnishings made from modular cubes and decorations made from modular, versatile, organic materials according to size, graphics and practicality. Each item in their collections is conceived, designed and produced according to the ethos of eco-design and recycling. And the number of environmentally friendly products in the world of design is ever increasing.

Focusing on air brings new product ranges

Pollution in cities has brought the issue of air quality to the forefront, not just in open spaces, but in flats as well. In the midst of the pandemic, there was a boom in purifiers and air care products. Gian Pietro Beghelli, the chairman of Beghelli, recently commented on the company's 2020 accounts, which were affected by Covid: “The market success of our air purifier equipments, which we believe is a useful tool for people's safety, has made us confident about the future, even beyond the current health crisis”. Beghelli air purifiers have received a good response, as have the ones produced by De Longhi, Dyson and other companies. They’ve also become a sort of design object. The quality-of-life theme within interiors is at the heart of the start-up Oyo (https://oyo.studio), which aims to create beautiful, health-promoting interiors by combining efficiency and design. For instance, the company's flagship product 'This is Coover’ is an actual fabric panel that can eliminate environmental toxins through its active carbon filter which removes PM2.5, PM10, formaldehyde, carbon and nitrogen dioxide. The company also launched 'Teso', a non-polluting, glue-free fabric wallpaper-replacement that allows the wall to breathe, preventing mould from growing. But that's not all. Oyo has also been focusing on noise pollution and launched a sound-absorbing product designed to reduce noise in environments like open-plan offices.

Second hand and eternal furniture

Architects, artists and designers have been launching products and furnishings with environmental issues at their core for several years now. The first ideas went unnoticed, but over time green design eventually became so established that it's now the guiding principle in the industry. The underlying rules remain the same: focus on product durability, which should no longer be thought of as disposable or as 'fashionable', but should extend beyond time.

It’s best if they’re made from materials salvaged from old items, or reused waste materials, or in line with the zero-waste philosophy or as awareness-raising projects that are part of the so-called circular economy. Second-hand could make a comeback in design, just like what’s already happening in fashion. The German platform, Zalando (https://www.corporate.zalando.com/en), recently announced that it’s launching a pre-owned product category. Just like Poshmark, Thredup, TheRealReal and Farfecht already have. “This is an important step on the company’s mission to be the starting point for fashion. We see the urgency for our industry to invest in pre-owned to enable customers to make more sustainable choices”, says Torben Hansen, Vice President Recommerce at Zalando. According to the latest data, Italy’s second-hand market has started growing again: from June 2020 to December 2020 it rose +14.5% compared to the same period the previous year, largely driven by Clothing and Accessories (+18%). On second hand platforms, sellers are motivated by their desire for change and also often by necessity. As well as generally looking for unique, reasonably priced pieces, buyers are also often concerned about the environment and reducing waste.

The fight against unbridled consumerism can also be seen in the production and sale of spare parts, making design and furnishing objects eternal. A forerunner in this new philosophy was Ikea (https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/the-ikea-sustainability-strategy-making-a-real-difference-pubb5534570), which announced it would be selling spare parts for its own furniture at the beginning of 2021. Because from a buying perspective, using and fixing will act as an anti-waste imperative. Ikea's project could also be part of a wider architecture of eco-friendly initiatives, like Ikea themselves selling second-hand Ikea furniture. After all, the Swedish giant has set itself the goal of becoming a circular company by 2030 to reduce its climate impact by 70%.