Why designers need to lead by saying no to product that is not sustainably certified

Last year, I often asked clients how they prioritised sustainability in their projects. The most common response, paraphrased for your convenience, was: "It would be great to tick the sustainability box, but the budget comes first." As a result, we end up specifying as much as we can within the budget, only to see it cut, leading to necessary compromises. This situation typically arises when specifying furniture.

Furniture represents one of the biggest gaps in sustainable product accessibility. It's relatively easy to swap a tap for a more cost-effective one that still ticks the sustainability box, but furniture is a different story. Unless it's locally made in New Zealand or you can track forestry stewardship certifications (which is only a small part of the equation), the process becomes incredibly frustrating. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) data is nearly impossible to find for imported goods.

So, are we creating an illusion of sustainability by designing high-level sustainable builds while filling them with unknown styling choices and furniture selections? To all suppliers who manufacture or import products: make it easier for us to specify you.