In this week, we had a debate on the theme “Designers have not yet come to terms with their complicity in the creation of the conditions of environmental crisis or with their environmental responsibility, nor have they yet reformed their practices accordingly.” As a member of the group FOR, I want to articulate my thoughts in this week’s blog post.

Firstly, I believe incorporating environmental themes or ideas into design is bound to increase production costs. Take the work of artist ZENA HOLLOWAY as an example. She places wheat seeds in beeswax molds, allowing them to sprout, and uses their growing roots as material to design renewable fabrics, which are then used to make clothing. However, it is evident that such eco-friendly designs are difficult to mass-produce and require significant time and financial investment. This limitation confines these designs to the realm of art exhibitions rather than integrating them into people’s daily lives. Therefore, I think the increase in production costs might lead many designers to abandon environmentally conscious design methods and continue using traditional unsustainable materials and techniques.

Secondly, most designers lack real decision-making power. For many designers, their identity as “designers” is primarily a job title, and often they have to follow instructions from higher-ups, which could be their employers or clients. Designers are often assistants helping their employers complete projects. While their suggestions might be considered, the ultimate decision-making power does not rest with them. This situation means that even if some designers want to incorporate eco-friendly design concepts, they are often hindered. Similarly, clients and consumers greatly limit eco-friendly designs. Such designs might imply higher prices and less fashion appeal. When these designs are not accepted by the public, they are likely to be phased out.

The third factor, closely related to the previous two, and, in my opinion, the most crucial one, is that most people prefer fast consumption of inexpensive goods over eco-friendly designs. This means that most people do not have a deep environmental consciousness, making it challenging for designers to fulfill their responsibility to protect the environment through their designs.

Therefore, I believe the most important thing is to change consumers’ mindset, shifting from a fashion-oriented fast consumption model to an environmentally conscious consumption model. Making eco-friendliness fashionable and promoting eco-friendly consumption habits will lead to a change in producers’ production philosophies. When the public values eco-friendly products, producers will also start to value these products. Designers will then have more opportunities to incorporate eco-friendly concepts into their designs. Finally, I believe the technology for eco-friendly designs should continue to evolve. When the costs of such designs are no longer excessively high, designers will have more opportunities to fulfill their environmental responsibility.

However, given the current situation and the constraints mentioned above, most designers still design according to the preferences of their employers or consumers. They have not yet realized or started to fulfill their responsibility towards the environment.