Low-Emission Design – interview with our Head of Design

The design industry impacts CO2 emissions in many areas – from material selection and production processes to transportation, product life cycles, energy efficiency, and waste management. At Wise Habit, we honestly map out these challenges, but we don’t stop at just diagnosing the problems. We seek practical solutions that allow designers to actively contribute to a more sustainable future. Martyna Piaściak, leading our design team at Wise Habit Agency for the Future, shares her knowledge and experience, outlining how to reduce carbon footprints at various stages of design.

Wise Habit: Which stage of a product's life cycle is most crucial when it comes to generating emissions, and why does it have such a significant environmental impact?

Martyna Piaściak, Head of Design at Wise Habit: Definitely – production. This is where many processes related to extracting and processing raw materials like wood, metals, and oil take place. Unfortunately, these activities are often carried out with no regard for the environment and local communities. Production includes both the manufacturing of components and entire products, as well as the transportation of these elements between various stages of the supply chain – each of these processes is very resource-intensive, generating huge amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

The production of new products, especially electronics like household appliances, phones, or computers, has an especially large environmental impact. This is due to the use of oil-based plastics, the consumption of rare earth metals, and the relatively short lifespan of these devices. Often, that lifespan is further shortened by limited repairability or the inability to replace worn-out parts. We must also remember that the impact of production on the planet’s health goes beyond greenhouse gas emissions. It also includes deforestation, water, soil, and air pollution, as well as the emission of toxic waste that are harmful to plant, animal, and human life.

Of course, what gets produced is defined during the planning and design stages of new products. That’s why we estimate – based on data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey reports – that as much as 80% of a product’s carbon footprint is determined during the design phase. It’s during this stage that decisions are made regarding form, structure, and material composition, all of which have a key impact on the resources used later and the potential to extend the product’s life cycle.

WH: What are the key principles of sustainable design and circular economy that designers should implement to help reduce CO2 emissions?

MP: There are several principles and strategies for sustainable design and circular economy, but the key is adapting them to the specific situation. Depending on whether we’re modifying an existing conventional product or designing something entirely new, different strategies can be employed. The choice depends simply on where we start as designers.

The first step is always the Rethink principle – considering whether a product even needs to be created in the first place. Perhaps the user’s needs can be met in a different way, for example, through a service rather than a physical item. If we’re designing a product, however, we should strive for the Reduce principle – minimizing its environmental impact. This involves reducing the number of components, materials, and parts. Another strategy is modularity and repairability – designing products that are easy to repair and replace parts to significantly extend their life cycle. Then, low-emission materials – choosing materials with a low carbon footprint reduces emissions related to the extraction and processing of raw materials.

It’s also worth paying attention to the production location – working with local suppliers reduces emissions related to transportation. It’s important to use renewable energy in production processes as well, because reducing the use of electricity from conventional power plants lowers the product’s carbon footprint. Finally, creating energy-efficient products that generate fewer emissions during use is crucial.

It’s important to note that each of these strategies requires cooperation between designers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to effectively implement them in practice.

WH: What tools or indicators do you and your team use to monitor and assess CO2 emissions throughout the design and production process?

MP: Currently, we use several simple tools that we’ve developed ourselves, based on the knowledge we’ve gained and consultations with an ESG expert. One of the key tools is the product life cycle map, which allows us to trace the entire process – from design to production, distribution, and use, then to upgrades, repairs, and the processing of elements that can no longer be reused. This helps us look beyond just design and plan for what happens with resources and products at each stage of the life cycle.

Later in the process, when we want to verify if we’re on the right track, we use our own analysis tool – the scorecard. We assess the individual elements of the product and assign scores to them. This helps us determine whether the project we’re working on meets our sustainability standards.

WH: Offsetting or insetting? Which CO2 compensation strategy do you think is more beneficial, and how do they apply to the design industry?

MP: To briefly explain both concepts: insetting refers to actions by companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within their own processes and supply chains. Offsetting, on the other hand, involves compensating for emissions by investing in projects, often related to planting trees in different parts of the world, such as South America.

It’s important to note that offsetting can be a useful tool in the short term, but it tends to be overused and overvalued, leading to the phenomenon of greenwashing. An example could be a company investing part of its profits in planting trees on another continent rather than genuinely reducing its local emissions and environmental impact. These practices create an illusion of responsibility with low effort toward actual pro-environmental actions.

That’s why I believe insetting is a better solution, as it focuses on reducing emissions within existing processes and supply chains, which allows for long-term changes supporting circular transformation. Offsetting will be more honest as a supplement to actions within a comprehensive ESG strategy, particularly in neutralizing emissions that are difficult to eliminate in the short term. A combination of both strategies can bring optimal results.

WH: What innovations in sustainable design do you think are the most significant for future projects in terms of emission reduction?

MP: The most important innovations in sustainable design are those that support circular design and the creation of durable, modular, and easy-to-repair products. Material innovations are also key, such as self-healing materials like self-repairing concrete that uses Sporosarcina ureae bacteria, or low-carbon materials that reduce emissions related to the extraction and processing of primary resources. Equally promising are raw materials derived from agricultural waste, such as rice husks or straw, which can be used as durable and lightweight construction materials, as well as biodegradable alternatives made from starch, mycelium, or algae, replacing petroleum-based plastics, for example, in packaging production.

A new area of innovation may also be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to optimize forms and structures of products to minimize material and energy use, for instance through lighter constructions. However, it’s important to note that the growing use of AI comes with a significant carbon footprint due to the massive energy (and water!) consumption during the training and operation of algorithms. Therefore, it is worth following regulations that make AI more resource-efficient and ethical. Key steps include introducing energy efficiency standards inspired by solutions used in electronics, increasing the use of renewable energy in data centers, and enhancing transparency in assessing the environmental impact of AI systems.

WH: Is the designer an agent of change? How can designers educate and raise awareness about carbon footprints among clients?

MP: As I mentioned earlier, it’s estimated that up to 80% of emissions are defined during the design process, which means design teams have a huge opportunity to drive the circular economy. On the other hand, designers' situations are highly variable – we don’t work in a vacuum but in a business environment where the primary goal is still often maximizing profit. While more and more often we hear that profit should not come at all costs, in business reality it is still a priority that is of great importance. Designers work with managers, salespeople, marketing experts, and board members, so their ability to implement changes is tied to the strategy of the entire organization. Even if the design team proposes a circular product, such as one that is easy to repair, without properly planned service offerings from the company, this solution may remain theoretical or difficult to implement, limiting its real impact.

However, despite these limitations designers still have a real opportunity to act. We can focus on developing our own expertise in the areas of circular economy and ESG, staying up to date with technological innovations and deepening our knowledge of sustainable materials. This allows us to educate both our professional and business environments, spreading knowledge about responsible design. We can also create storytelling around our projects that highlights design decisions minimizing the carbon footprint and, more broadly, the environmental impact. In this way, we build awareness among audiences. Furthermore, by continually developing our knowledge, we can put pressure on decision-makers in organizations, demanding the implementation of circular economy practices and transparency about carbon footprint data, such as on product labels.

WH: Definitely. Thank you for the inspiration and for tackling these important topics.