Three Sustainability Terms to Know

Sustainability is a driving force in architecture and interior design. Not only is it the responsible thing to do, but more and more it is a request from clients and a requirement for cities and towns. When it comes to discussing the built environment, decisions related to architecture have been leading ahead of interiors. But interiors are moving forward, especially as it relates to material selection.

When I’m talking with designers or doing trend research, I see three topics coming up over and over again.

Net Zero Design

Metropolis Magazine describes net zero design as “Embarking on the path to net zero design heralds a transformative journey towards sustainability, where innovative architectural strategies, renewable energy solutions, and holistic approaches converge to create buildings that mitigate carbon emissions. This pursuit of net zero architecture encompasses not only the reduction of energy consumption, but also the integration of regenerative principles, community engagement, and forward-thinking design philosophies.”

All that sounds good, but as buildings aim to be net zero, what exactly is it? And who is measuring it? As businesses aim to be net zero, the US government recently established a formal definition for what exactly net zero is. Their definition, as reported in Metropolis, says that a zero operating emissions building is one that is:

HIGHLY ENERGY EFFICIENT: For existing buildings, this means their energy efficiency is in the top 25 percent of buildings with similar uses. New buildings would need to use energy at levels 10 percent lower than the latest IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 model code and have an ENERGY STAR score of 90 or higher.

FREE OF ON-SITE EMISSIONS FROM ENERGY USE: The building’s direct greenhouse gas emissions from energy use equal zero.

POWERED SOLELY FROM CLEAN ENERGY: All the building’s energy is from carbon-free sources (which can include on-site generation and off-site sources).

Circular Economy

More and more designers are choosing products and materials that consider its entire life cycle. The term fast fashion may be well known, but there is also a lot of fast furniture and interior products ending up in landfills after short life spans. The circular economy looks at what happens to surplus and waste, and asks how they can be reused into other products. For example, Tarkett carpet tiles are designed to be returned to them at the end of their usefulness. They break them down and reuse the materials. Another example is Econyl, a regenerated nylon made from materials such as discarded fishing nets and disused carpets.

Embodied Carbon

Another popular topic I hear a lot about these days is embodied carbon. This means that people are deciding what gets built in terms of how much it contributes to decarbonization. As it’s described in Metropolis, “lessening the embodied emissions stemming from materials and construction lessens the long-term impacts measured over the entire life cycle of the building as well.”

While architects have been thinking about this for a while, that idea has been slower to take hold in interiors, but that is changing. If building owners and customers demand this, then those supplying furniture, flooring, ceiling materials, wallcovering also will need to supply this information up front or lose out on sales.

Why are these three topics important to print service providers?

If you’re looking to sell to interior designers, it’s always helpful to be prepared for the questions they’re going to ask. Designers are used to sourcing materials from trusted providers such as jobbers. Getting them to take the plunge and source directly from a printer is already a challenge, so being prepared with answers to their questions is crucial. Additionally, having solutions for them that are better than what they already have gives you a leg up. The more transparent you can be with your operations, the more buying directly from a manufacturer is appealing.

If you’ll be at NeoCon this year and want to learn more about which sustainability topics are circulating in the industry, I highly recommend checking out the Metropolis Magazine’s Sustainability Lab on the 11^th Floor at NeoCon. There, they showcase innovative products, present programming specific to sustainability, and give you a mellow place to rest and recharge. And while in The Mart, be sure to stop by and say hi to me in booth 7-3050. I love to meet you!