149 brand contempt. “This includes fair labour practices, ethical sourcing of materials and adherence to human rights standards,” says John Drake, sales director at Skopos Fabrics. “Prioritise fair wages, safe working conditions and support for local communities.” While less relevant for land-based interiors, weight is a factor for ships. “It affects emissions throughout the ship’s lifetime,” says Tapani Wendelin, vice president of Almaco. “By reducing weight, the ship will consume less energy for propulsion.” According to René Dupont, senior director of Ege Carpets, there may be opportunities for manufacturers to offer weight saving options – by sacrificing unnecessary functionality, features or otherwise. Design for value tends to favour reducing material volumes and manufacturing complexity, which should lead to reduced costs. But, as Dansk Wilton marketing manager Lone Ditmer highlights: “The requirements for increased documentation and sustainability leads to greater costs. There is great price pressure and the cost ends up furthest down the value chain with the weakest links.” If sustainable design isn’t rewarded it will stagnate. The measure for the design for value criteria might be a product price range that’s deemed fair by buyers and suppliers. Sustainable manufacturing Demand for sustainable products is growing fast. “Manufacturers of physical products find themselves on the front lines of sustainability. In part, that’s because their customers demand cleaner, lower-carbon products right now,” says McKinsey & Company, in the 2022 article titled ‘Building sustainability into operations’. “All suppliers should be transparent and document the carbon footprint of its products,” says Philip Korsholm Bjerg, head of cruise and transport at Kvadrat, a point echoed by numerous respondents. Adding a carbon footprint criteria into purchasing decision-making, through the Carbon Trust or a similar body, demonstrates that the manufacturer is working to reduce a product’s carbon footprint – perhaps the purest measure of sustainability intent.
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