Designers go green

There is just no better eco symbol than the tree. But it’s as a collective ‘frontier forest’ relatively undisturbed by human activity that trees are really powerful. Together they are carbon reservoirs, globally sequestering 830 billion tonnes of carbon and vast incubators of biodiversity; tropical forests house 60-90 per cent of all flora and fauna species. They purify water, protect communities from flooding and stabilise hillsides. Take away forests and the ecosystem unravels into dust. So, why can we still hear the roar of chainsaws to make furniture and other products, you may ask Well, on a happier note, a section of talented and eco-sensitive designers who participated at the recently concluded India Design ID collectively assert that the product design landscape has been witnessing a change, a change that echoes: recycling, reusing and sustainability.

With a message of going green, they are re-inventing woodwork, producing a range of modern furniture using eco-friendly techniques and sound structural design, and more.

“I take a sustainable approach towards sourcing my wood as well as producing it,” says Aakriti Kumar of Delhi-based design studio Differniture. “I get reclaimed materials from, for example, shipping containers that have been abandoned after the material they were carrying has been removed, or trees that have been cut down for interfering with power lines or even already fallen trees. In terms of my production, I try to create zero-mineral waste designs and also use natural oils and waxes that are not toxic,” she adds.

“Our commitment to sustainability is not some philanthropic agent or incompatible with our strategy of growing profits. On the contrary, it’s intrinsic to it. The problem is that wood is rather commonplace, so it’s easy to forget,” says Aarti Agarwal of Knock on Wood. She adds, “No matter how advanced our society and technology is, we can never forget our origins, and we will always need something green around us. We all talk and discuss climate change and what - if anything - can be done to combat global warming. We all know about ‘carbon trading’ and ‘flexible mechanisms’. But for many of us here, the issue has suddenly become far from abstract. Extreme weather conditions have brought home the fact that our climate is changing - and changing fast. It may be easy to be fatalistic about it, but the truth is that although we humans have caused the problem, we also have the solution. ‘Think global and act local’,” she says and adds, “In many small but important ways we can make a difference - why not start with recycling ”

Echoing similar sentiments another pavilion also showcased furniture that reflected a deep respect, understanding and reverence for wood. Using a variety of natural solid woods and veneers, selected by virtue of their colour, strength, hardness, grain patterns and workability, Inliving’s collection ranged from Oak and Ash woods in addition to Mango, Sheesham, Acacia and others.

“We are passionate innovators who like to engineer and craft durable, high-quality furniture with a conscious effort for sustaining the environment. Our cutting-edge infrastructure, backed with advanced machinery and leading technology, facilitates us to create highly accurate and skillfully engineered products,” read their product description. Their infrastructure including 5 axis CNC machinery and a veneering plant, ensure consistency, repeatability and reproducibility. And their motto is to work diligently towards reduction of waste and recyclability of products weaved together with intelligent planning that ensure minimum wastage and maximum preservation.

Sarita Handa, whose exhibition space was animated by three sets of craftspeople working on three different techniques, says that a large part of her brand’s environment friendly orientation lies in its manual labour-intensive approach to manufacturing. She tells us, “We take a lot of pride in using sustainable methods of work – most of our products are made by hand from start to finish, using techniques such as quilting, zardozi, crewel and more.” Aside from those who create the final product, she is also now looking towards moving closer to nature with the material they work with. “Moving forward, we are now also looking at the usage of organic threads and fabrics,” she says.

Talking about the trend of going green in general, Aakriti feels that at the moment, several designers are embracing sustainability-oriented design processes, but there is nevertheless a long road ahead. “I see a lot of people appreciating sustainability in the design process, which is really great. We are still a very long way off, but I have noticed that the young crowd in particular pays a lot of attention to going green and being environment friendly when it comes to creating and manufacturing their products. I hope they can be examples for future generations of designers to live by and make a real change happen in good time,” she concludes.