The Benefits Of Sustainable Design

Introduction

The term ‘sustainable development’ and ‘sustainable design’ were first introduced during the turn of 21st century. It was during this period of time where scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and designers have come together to acknowledge that the world’s resources are not imperishable. The word ‘sustainable’ was derived from the Latin word sustinere, which means to hold up or endure. Thus, sustainability can be defined as the ability to improve the quality of human life while maintaining the well being of the environment.

The need of sustainable development was addressed to justify the inflated act of consumerism in the past couple of decades. With the growing desire of luxury and quality lifestyle, the hedonistic lifestyle

The notion of incorporating sustainability into design processes and aesthetic is more significantly regarded by designers. After all, the many of 20th century revolutions – industrial and digital, just to name two – have shifted the focus of product from a lifestyle panacea and statement to a more commercial value. This sustainability practice has allowed designers to backtrack and return to the root of product design, which is to design for the people (Klein and Phillips, 2002). Consequently, design as an ideology is a powerful, integral component of solutions to major changes (Sinclair, 2009). Every design has an impact on the consequences for the world, and design processes are the stepping-stones, visionary paths and the important elements of a needed pool of new and better solutions. Designer, as the one standing in between revolutions and everyday life, is the one holding the responsibility to propose, aid and promote innovations so they can be embraced and assimilated into life.

Current Research

The current research will analyze the level of public awareness of sustainable development in Hong Kong and discuss the effectiveness of government’s and local designers’ efforts in promoting sustainable community. From the facts known above and below, it is safe to assume that at the present times, the public should be well versed, if not, aware of the growth of sustainable development

Designers like Kevin Cheung and KaCaMa collectives have been designing and marketing upcycled products to substitute normal daily products (see Table 1 in Appendix). The upcycled products have been designed in a way so that they will not lose out to normal products in terms of aesthetic, functionality and life cycle. Non-profit organization like Green & Associates has also been working to educate people about the benefit of upcycling through publications, partnerships and exhibitions. In 2014, Green & Associates joined hands with brand names such as H&M and BoDW (Business of Design Week) to raise public awareness of sustainable product design (Education Post,