In the era of modern design, where integrating various skills becomes crucial to addressing global challenges, an innovative vision emerges, as described in Don Norman's recent book, "Design for a Better World".
This work not only emphasizes the importance of design as a problem-solving discipline but also focuses on how design can and must evolve to respond to the complexities of our planet.
The design leader emerges with a role similar to a "conductor", enabling harmonious collaboration among experts in different fields.
As the title suggests, much attention is given to the challenge of achieving a sustainable and responsible future, where design plays a key role in steering behavior, including green practices of individuals and companies.
Therefore, I wanted to involve Pietro Boniciolli, an expert in environmental sciences, activist, and president of WWF Trieste, to discuss eco-sustainability, circular economy, and how these topics are addressed within environmental associations.
A new industrial revolution
Davide Severini:
If I asked fifty designers to give me a definition of the circular economy, I would probably receive just as many different explanations.
Considering the different perspectives in the world of activism, what is your personal definition of the circular economy?
Pietro Boniciolli:
The circular economy is not a new concept, but its latest interpretation, influenced by increased attention to environmental issues, seems to me the most appropriate.
I consider it the fourth industrial revolution. The first revolution was driven by coal, the second by the internal combustion engine, and the third by nuclear energy.
The characteristic of the economy up to now has been linearity: raw materials are extracted, a good is produced, it is used, and finally, it is discarded.
The butterfly diagram, by the Ellen MacArthur Fundation, one of the most influential associations in the field of circular economy
The circular economy aims to break this pattern, to close this loop through the reduction of waste and the consumption of raw materials.
This is not only an act of respect for the environment but an urgent necessity.
After the war, it was easy to find vast deposits in desolate areas like the Arabian Peninsula or the Caucasus.
Today, with a population exceeding eight billion, resources are running out, and we can no longer produce as in the past.
Therefore, and I want to emphasize this, adopting new principles for the management of raw materials and energy is an economic and "practical" necessity, not just an environmental issue.
Ecodesign to plan the future
Davide Severini:
You've touched on a fundamental point, raw materials.
Circular design should include the conscious choice of materials right from the start, even before production.
However, we live in an era characterized by products that quickly become obsolete, like cell phones designed to be discarded after a few years.
Are there best practices for starting to follow more virtuous behaviors?
Pietro Boniciolli:
The focus in the circular economy is often only on avoiding waste.
In my opinion, the fundamental aspect is ecodesign, a rapidly expanding field.
For example, at my University of Bolzano, the ecodesign course is among the most popular and has a growing number of enrollments. It's attracting the interest of many significant companies.
A pioneer in this sector is Patagonia, the clothing company.
The fashion industry is particularly problematic due to the enormous amount of waste produced.
Annually, about 15 billion tons of textile waste are generated, the equivalent of 4500 Eiffel Towers.
Ideally, at the end of a garment's life cycle, it should be reused or transformed.
However, this process is very complex and expensive, especially when fabrics are composed of a mix of materials, like 70% cotton, 20% polyester, and 10% other materials. Separating these components is a huge challenge.
Davide Severini:
So, a best practice, for now, is to use a single material.
Pietro Boniciolli:
Exactly, but Patagonia not only focuses on this aspect but also tries to extend the lifespan of its products.
What do you think is the first thing that breaks clothing product? It may seem silly, but it's the zipper.
Repairing a zipper is not as simple as a stitch, and often consumers are induced to buy a new garment instead of repairing the old one.
Patagonia has limited the use of zippers and encourages customers to return damaged items for repairs, promoting reuse.
Moving to another sector, Ikea is another positive example.
In the furniture industry, the use of raw materials like wood, iron, and steel is significant.
Ikea selects materials that can be reconverted. This approach also includes a rental model for furniture: instead of buying, you rent them for the period of use.
At the end, or when they break, or when you buy new ones, you return them.
Ikea then disassembles these products to reuse the materials, reducing them to their original state for the production of new items.
Davide Severini:
The selection of materials is also done with the subsequent phases of the product's life cycle in mind. It's an intentional and well-considered process.
Pietro Boniciolli:
Exactly! In the context of ecodesign, planning for the future is crucial.
Take, for example, batteries, which are essential, especially now with the rise of electric cars. If a battery has a short lifetime, it cannot be effectively reused.
The main lithium mines are in China and Africa, which are not two places where human rights are the order of the day.
Its extraction leads to many deaths every year and it is becoming more and more expensive to buy it from these countries.
Davide Severini:
This also leads to a matter of social responsibility, there is also the moral burden of not weighing certain communities or individuals.
Pietro Boniciolli:
That is why it is important to follow technological developments, in the hope of finding alternative materials that allow batteries to be reused in a more sustainable and ethical way.
Recycling is no longer a solution?
Davide Severini:
If material recovery is so fundamental, why is it that, for years, environmental associations have focused on recycling rather than reuse?
We can only recycle a limited number of times, instead, if well designed, a product can be reused much longer.
Pietro Boniciolli:
Recycling is easier to understand and communicate.
Showing in advertising happy families recycling and bottles being turned into new objects has a strong visual and emotional impact.
It is true, however, that I believe that recovery is more important than recycling.
For example, a washing machine can be returned to the manufacturer to be repaired or turned into something new, especially if technology has advanced.
Environmental associations have focused on recycling because it is an immediate concept and easy to communicate.
It is much easier to explain how a plastic bottle can be turned into another bottle than to outline the ecodesign process.
In any case, both remain pivotal elements towards a better future, despite the difficulties in getting the message across.
How do you think Italy is, compared to Europe, in terms of recycling and reuse?
We are first for recycling, first for reuse, virtuous examples better than Norway and Sweden, but we are also first for waste production, there is a sort of balance.
We produce immense amounts of clothing, furniture, household appliances, even though we are very good at reusing and recycling them.
The new goals of activism
Davide Severini:
Talking about environmental associations, you have a responsibility to communicate a global problem.
I think each association has its own way and its own policies to pursue.
Don't you think, however, that the narrative has always been 'negative', focused on environmental disasters and the end of the world?
Pietro Boniciolli:
A new WWF campaign is entitled 'Extinguishing ourselves: we are doing it right'.
WWF Italy's campaign against the destruction of forests: 'Extinguishing ourselves: we are doing it right'
Davide Severini:
Don't you think there is a lack of a positive narrative that aims to reward companies that choose the path of innovation and the adoption of sustainable practices?
Why is there a narrative aimed at punishing (correctly) polluters and not supporting those who apply the principles of circular economy well and integrate ecodesign into their processes?
Pietro Boniciolli:
There is definitely a tendency to focus more on the negative than the positive.
This can partly be attributed to the communication culture in Italy, where positive news often takes a back seat.
We realise, also through social media data, that when we show successes and positive initiatives, these do not seem to have the same emotional impact or attention that negative news receives.
The negative trigger seems to have a greater appeal.
It depends a lot on people's perceptions: when something goes wrong, the first thought is of 'bad governance' and what could have been done better.
When faced with positive news, on the other hand, everything seems to be taken for granted.
Davide Severini:
I would like to see a communication focused on requesting tax incentives for virtuous companies.
Do you think that would not be effective?
Pietro Boniciolli:
The adoption of the circular economy presents two significant obstacles.
The first is the initial investment required to move from a linear to a circular economic model.
This transition requires a substantial investment of time and resources.
It is necessary to have an appropriate structure and to adequately train employees in the new practices, as well as to promote a longer life span of equipment and appliances.
The second, as you pointed out, is the absence of incentives. Currently, there are no tangible benefits, such as tax reductions, for companies that produce less waste or implement the circular economy.
This creates a disparity: companies that adopted these practices years ago receive nothing back.
So why should they behave differently from 99% of other companies?
Davide Severini:
To answer the problem of initial investment, one solution could be a well thought-out design. Its main function is to save money and energy.
If products and internal processes are efficiently designed from the start, resources and costs could be saved in production and reuse.
Pietro Boniciolli:
As I mentioned earlier, ecodesign is fundamental. We cannot talk about effective recycling or reuse without good ecodesign.
If a product, such as a T-shirt, is poorly designed, even attempting to reuse it will incur additional costs.
The experts should press much harder, not so much on the concept of reuse and repurposing, but on the savings that good product design and production can bring you.
Although it might cost slightly more initially, in the long run, this investment avoids the need to buy the same product again and again.
This applies to companies as much as to consumers, making them realise that a larger initial investment can translate into substantial savings in the long run.
A political dialogue
Davide Severini:
In conclusion, if you had the opportunity to talk to a head of state or a political representative, the last actor missing from our discussion, what would be your advice?
Pietro Boniciolli:
Actively listen to the scientific community.
At present, experts are only consulted in the event of disasters, they are not constantly involved, especially in times of calm, when it comes to making preventive and strategic decisions, as well as having the opportunity to invest.
It would be essential to set up or make more effective use of a scientific committee, such as the CNR (National Research Council), to have regular updates and advice on what is happening in Italy from an environmental point of view.
Another critical point I would emphasise is overcoming political polarisation regarding environmental issues.
Climate change and global warming are not left or right wing issues, but concern the whole of humanity.
The extreme temperature spikes of recent years are not isolated problems of individual leaders or parties, but require solutions found in collaboration with all stakeholders.
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