To design within the Planetary Boundaries

My design method is based on the Planetary Boundaries, A Safe Operating Space for Humanity (Rockström, J., Steffen, W. et. Al 2009). Put simply, the planetary boundaries are environmental thresholds within which humanity can survive, develop and thrive for generations to come. Crossing these thresholds come at the risk of abrupt and irreversible environmental change. Although all nine planetary boundaries are important, I believe that impact on climate change (which is largely quantifiable) and biosphere integrity, hold a special position and are actionable for us in the furniture industry to start with.

My design principles:

1. Design for circularity

• Keep the product in the circular loop as long as possible, so design functional, high-quality products that age gracefully, are easy to maintain, upgrade and repair.
• Draw in second-hand parts.
• Think backwards, design for recycling with good separability and design out waste.

2. Materials x 6

• Use materials with low carbon emissions (fast growing or recycled are usually the ones)
• Use a small amount of material
• Use monomaterials (mixed materials are difficult to recycle),
• Use high quality material (wear with dignity),
• Keep track of origin
• Keep track of chemicals and dangerous substances

3. Use renewable electricity in both production and transport and reduce the amount
4. Calculate the product’s emissions in CO2e.

When I lecture, I often refer to the following reports and websites:

1. Steffen, W., Rockström, J., et.al. 2009. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature September 2009.
2. Kaufman et al. 2020. Scientific data, lear et al. 2020. Journal of the Geological Society, Willeit et al. 2019. Science Advances
3. Klimatboken, Greta Thunberg
4. Steffen, W., Rockström, J., Richardson, K., Lenton, T.M. et.al. 2018. Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, PNAS August 14, 2018 115
5. Dagens Nyheter – Klimatet just nu.
6. Klimatboken, Greta Thunberg
7. Drawdown – https://drawdown.org En utav de mest seriösa/vetenskapliga sidorna när det kommer till lösningar.
8. Kimberly Nicholas and Seth Wynes, Lund University
9. Klimatboken, Greta Thunberg
10. Hallå konsument – https://www.hallakonsument.se/miljo-och-hallbarhet/minska-din-klimatpaverkan/
11. Drawdown – https://drawdown.org En utav de mest seriösa/vetenskapliga sidorna när det kommer till lösningar.
12. Falk, J et al. 2019 Exponential Roadmap – https://exponentialroadmap.org
13. Falk, J et al. 2019 Exponential Roadmap – https://exponentialroadmap.org
14. https://parley.tv
15. http://www.aedesign.se
16. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
17. Data från föreläsning med Kate Flecher – https://katefletcher.com
18. Data from IKEA SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY PEOPLE & PLANET POSITIVE – © Inter IKEA  Systems B.V. 2018. Baseline calculation FY16, percentages have been rounded.
19. Från Doconomy´s hemsida – https://www.2030calculator.com och https://variable.co
20. https://environdec.com/all-about-epds/klimatdeklaration