In declaring a climate emergency, 93 design studio investigates how to use the concept of circular economy to guide decisions within our business to have a lasting positive impact on the environment.
With predictions of 40° summers in the UK to become the norm, it’s time we all do our bit, so at 93ft, we’ve declared a climate emergency.
Spearheaded by our Interiors and Architecture team, we’re investigating the changes we can make as a business to make a real, lasting, positive impact on the environment, journey towards net zero, and lead by example for our clients and other businesses.
One aspect we’re particularly interested in is the concept of the circular economy.
The Ellen Macarthur Foundation describes the circular economy like this:
“In our current economy, we take materials from the Earth, make products from them, and eventually throw them away as waste – the process is linear. In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place.”
As a studio that uses salvaged materials in our fit outs as a matter of course, we’ve already started down this path of reusing and redesigning materials, however we know there’s much more we can do.
We began by looking at our office for some quick wins that we can achieve almost immediately.
We’ve switched our energy suppliers to XXXX who generate 100% of their energy from renewable sources, namely wind and solar.
When we looked at our consumables, the milk in the office fridge was the first to go - plastic milk bottles, while widely recycled, use energy and some virgin resources in their making. Using and returning glass bottles to be refilled can be a more sustainable option, so 93ft now receives deliveries of milk in glass bottles which we return after use. Many milk rounds also offer plant based milk in glass bottles for non-dairy drinkers.
Next we looked to the products in the 93ft bog.
Toilet roll isn’t a particularly exciting or glamorous topic but we all use it - 127 rolls each per year, in Britain, which equates to around 7 million trees annually - so it seemed like a place we could make a real impact. We chose to switch to B-Corp Certified Who Gives a Crap, a subscription toilet paper company that donates 50% of its profits towards providing safe and sanitary toilets and access to clean water around the world.
B-Corp certified companies meet high standards across the board, from the way they treat their employees, to charitable giving and environmental practices, so choosing to buy from B-Corp certified businesses gives peace of mind that your pound is being used for good.
As well as reducing our environmental impact, we’re also extending our commitment to support local, independent business.
We’ve always been passionate about supporting and amplifying independent artists, makers and craftspeople, valuing the authenticity, skill and individuality they bring to our projects. Supporting local makers also keeps money in our local economy – money spent locally, stays locally, with 48% of the money spent with a local business going back into the community, compared to only 14% spent at a chain or franchise.
We decided to choose coffee supplied by our friends at Darkwoods to fuel the 93ft staff. As well as making really great coffee and holding B-Corp certification, Darkwoods are based in Huddersfield, just down the road from our Sheffield offices. Darkwoods are an accredited living wage employer and work within a circular economy in a number of innovative ways, including using the chaff leftover from the roasting process as fertiliser and using a hot composter which turns all food and drink waste, as well as their single use cups, into soil improving compost.
These changes are the just beginning of our office audit – we’re also looking at our single use plastic consumption and how we can reduce this. We’re considering how we can reduce our reliance on next day delivery from large corporations and switching to smaller companies with better reputations for ethical working practices, and we’re expecting to find a host of other areas we can improve on as we take our fine toothed comb through 93ft HQ.
When we talk about environmental issues we often think of single use plastic and meat free Mondays. But what about the environmental impact of wellbeing? Can an office full of happier, healthier staff make a difference to the planet? Studies have shown that the happier a person is, the easier it is for them to make positive choices. So happier staff could equal a healthier planet.
We’re exploring how to tackle the issues affecting our staff, from burnout and workplace related stress to the very air that they breathe.
We’ve installed monitors in the office to measure levels of CO2 and VOC (volatile organic compounds) which can affect mood, headaches and focus; if levels become too high we can take immediate action to ensure that people are comfortable and safe. We’re ensuring that workstations are oriented towards windows or indoor plants, as studies have shown that looking at greenery is good for body and mind.
Crucially, we’re making time for regular check-ins with our staff, creating space for discussions on workload and capacity, and allowing room for honest and open talks about mental health.
The Montreal Design Declaration, which represents over 700 professional associations, design schools and stakeholders, defines design as:
“the application of intent: the process through which we create the material, spatial, visual and experiential environments”.
As a design studio, we’re in the business of creating with intent, addressing the needs of our clients, and of their clients/customers. We’re known for our authenticity, for the trust that our clients put into our expertise, and for creating spaces, both digital and physical, which are pleasingly catalogue free. We don’t do templates or “off the shelf” and a big part of this is down to our use of salvaged and reclaimed materials. By reusing materials which may otherwise go to waste, instead of creating a demand for new materials, we’re extending their lifespan and preventing valuable resources ending up in landfill.
Designing for a circular economy begins with the building itself. Prioritising the potential for multiple uses over the lifespan of the building, allowing for retention and refurbishment above demolition and rebuilding, and using materials which can be salvaged and recycled means that the initial embodied energy is put to the best possible use.
The concept of “products as services” is a new and exciting one in the UK, but is already being used in other parts of the world. This means that instead of a building occupier owning a carpet, appliance or piece of furniture, they would rent it from the manufacturer. This would mean that it was in everybody’s interests for the manufacturer to ensure the product is designed to last well, and to recycle them at the end of their life, addressing the issue of planned obsolescence.
Designing bespoke spaces and items to fit in with the circular economy model is not only possible but, when done well, can lead to higher quality results that bring more value than their linear economy counterparts - when you choose a 93ft fit out or product, you know that nobody else will have the same one.
The businesses we choose to partner with share our ideals.
Neon Workshops, who create energy efficient, robust and long lasting neon glass tube signage are passionate about the difference between their products and the plastic LED imposters available on the market. LEDs contain a huge range of heavy metals which are difficult to recycle and often end up in landfill, whereas real neon signs, which can last for 100 years with a little care, are significantly easier to separate into their component parts and reuse - something which Neon Workshops routinely do.
Similarly, Mia Warner, a hand painted sign creator who we’ve worked with on several projects sings the sustainable praises of hand lettering over a vinyl sign which will fade and need replacing after a few years in the sun.
Retrofitting existing buildings is a key part of our business in the 93ft Interiors and Architecture department. With the building industry playing a major role in the climate crisis - 40% of CO2 emissions stem from construction - this is an area that has a huge potential for positive impact.
Working on projects like The Pilgrm, designing and retrofitting old buildings, restoring them to their former glory in a considered and conscious way, is our bread and butter and we love working with clients who appreciate our stance on this.
Where new buildings are constructed, however, there are certainly ways to mitigate any ill effects of this - the first step being to design buildings which prioritise retention and refurbishment over demolition and rebuilding. Having the forethought to design a built environment which can be adapted, and uses materials which can be recycled, repurposed and reused over and over again. Where demolition is required, some developers are looking at how to save demolition and excavation waste on site, saving both money and waste.
Kangaroo Works, a new apartment complex in Sheffield, is in the top 15% of energy efficient housing stock in the UK. As well as providing some great green credentials, this has the practical advantage of reducing energy bills for its residents – a topic which is on the agenda for many in the UK at the moment.
Another 93ft client who has built their entire business on the premise of the circular economy is Glass Onion. Glass Onion are a vintage clothing retailer based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, who take second-hand clothes and give them a new life, saving tonnes of hard to recycle items from ending up in landfill.
Designing sustainability policies to coincide with your USP and the needs and wants of your target audience is a great way of creating a successful business model with a positive impact.
Not all businesses will have a clear pathway to the circular economy, however dig a little deeper into the behind-the-scenes and there’s usually a way to make a difference.
Peak Village, a shopping centre in the Peak District, is ripe with opportunity when it comes to waste management. When it comes to waste, there is no “away” - everything has to go somewhere. While recycling can be a viable option, it should be seen as a last resort, with reducing waste and reusing being considered first.
For Peak Village, or other shopping centres like it, food waste and cardboard from cafes, restaurants and stores could be composted on site. This would reduce the need for refuse and recycling collectors to attend the site, which cuts down on emissions from transportation, while also taking these “waste” products and turning them into valuable resources.
The Urban Worm is a Nottingham based social enterprise helping businesses and individuals turn their food scraps and cardboard into nutrient rich compost which can be used in gardens. Shopping centres, cafes, restaurants and shops teaming up with initiatives like this one would not only contribute to the circular economy, but also create another income stream by selling the onsite-produced compost to gardeners.
Thinking of sustainability in terms of physical spaces and consumables is relatively simple as we can usually see the impact of these on our environment. It is much more difficult to consider the impact of digital activity on our physical environment, though no less important.
Data centres, where the data from our online activity and cloud data is stored, consume vast amounts of energy to run and are currently responsible for two percent of total greenhouse gas emissions – the same carbon footprint as the airline industry. Every web-page viewed, email sent, video streamed and document downloaded uses energy and hence has a carbon footprint. Yet more energy is required to power the computers and screens we use, the broadband in our homes and offices, and transferring digital content between data centres and devices. Our online activity has a very real physical impact and is predicted to contribute significantly to the climate crisis as demand and usage continues to expand.
Website hosting is a significant aspect so choosing who your website is hosted by is a great first step towards a greener website. We’re exploring our own website hosts and looking into whether we can make changes in this area.
The design of the site itself also has an effect. Clunky sites containing large images, outdated file formats and slow page load speeds have a higher carbon footprint than responsive, efficient websites. This is something which fits in with 93ft’s current way of working - we create responsive and fast loading sites which are also better for the site viewer and for Google.
Regular content audits, deleting old images or text which are no longer relevant or which isn’t contributing to your current strategy, and compressing and optimising images and files can all help to make your website a more sustainable option.
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Although we’re only just starting out on the journey to a more sustainable business that maximises its positive environmental impact, we’re fired up and motivated to make this happen.
We’ll be keeping you up to date as we progress on our journey and we’d love to hear from you. What are you doing, or not doing, in your business to change your impact? Do you have ideas for how 93ft could become a more sustainable business? Let us know!