What can the design industry do to reduce its carbon footprint?
It's 'International Day of Climate Action' today so we’ve put together some top tips for those working in the design industry on how they can look after mother nature, whilst flexing their creativity.
As consumers we’re taught reduce, re-use and recycle, but what specifically can design agencies and designers do to reduce their carbon footprint? Carbon dioxide is the main culprit when it comes to harmful greenhouse gases, but what can be done to manage its effects?
Dawid Hanak, Professor in Decarbonisation at Teesside University and the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre, says “I think it's critical to understand where the emissions are coming from in the first place. This can be tricky for creative industries though!” So, let’s take that advice and look into where emissions could be coming from…
What about your MacBook?
Us designers spend a lot of time working at our Macs devising brand identities, creating logos and crafting beautiful illustrations. But, they’re fired up from 9 in the morning til 5, if not beyond, and that’s a lot of electricity. On average, around 43% of our electricity nationally does now come from renewable sources, but there are specialist green suppliers out there offering higher levels of sustainability for those wanting to lessen their impact on the planet. ‘Which?’ wrote an article this month on this very issue.
Also, if you’re one of those designers that never switches your Mac off at night, why not do your bit and shut your Mac down instead and save energy? According to Oxford University, “although power saving settings cut power consumption by around 50%, user action to shut down a desktop after use could cut the remaining use by more than 50%.”
How about the digital assets we create for clients?
Does the imagery we upload to social media, LinkedIn and clients’ websites really contribute towards global warming? Shockingly, the web accounts for almost 4% of global carbon emissions; that’s more than those emitted by the airline industry. So, what can we do?
Kate Hutchinson, founder of Yorkshire Sustainability Festival / The Sustainability Community points out that “Digital assets have a carbon footprint. Don’t think just because it’s digital it doesn’t have a footprint. Think about how you can be creative in reducing what you produce. Simple things - never put a date on a logo/asset, so that it can be used again and again.”
The creative team behind the Paris 2024 Olympics brand went as far as designing one logo for print and one logo for use online. The print version used less ink whilst the ‘online’ version was made darker to limit how much energy was needed to display it. But is it realistic for designers to only devise brand palettes that limit ink consumption? How can we balance the effectiveness of a brand versus our responsibility to design in a way that protects the planet? It’s a ‘profit versus planet’ conundrum and we honestly don’t know what the answer is.
Tedx speaker and Digital Carbon Literacy Trainer, Sharon Sinclair-Williams says “It blows my mind that people still don't think sustainability is an important enough topic to want to start learning as much as they can about it. I could write so much here. As you know I'm on a mission to Turn Teesside Green and reach as many business owners as I can about their carbon footprint. Accounting for their digital, carbon footprint is such a great place to start because there can be a lot of quick wins. Supply chain accountability is going to get ever more important and we should be asking what some perceive as the uncomfortable questions of one another. You might have heard that 'data is the new oil' but more importantly it's also the new plastic. Scary thought?”
How can we print in a more planet-friendly way?
If the designs we’re producing can’t exist online only, then we need to be able to print physical versions in a sustainable way. One way we have approached this at Studio Resolve is to adopt a ‘planet first approach', meaning we will always source the greener option as standard, whether we’re printing posters, bags, stickers or other types of marketing material. We communicate this back to our clients too, to make them aware; it takes us a lot longer to find the right suppliers, but once we have we can use them again and again. In turn, we hope this encourages more people to re-think their own behaviours and take this approach back into their own organisations.
Daniel Newberry, PhD Candidate and Researcher based at Newcastle University Business School, says “I've always argued that education is at the core of sustainability. I think designers in particular, through working closely with clients and building relationships over time, are very well placed to be able to spark conversations around sustainability and climate issues. I think the passion that most designers have, like all other creatives, is also well placed to be able to (genuinely) influence those they meet.”
Another way to be more sustainable is to think about how much resource you’re using in the first place. Could that 12-page brochure actually be condensed into an 8-pager? Could information be linked to via a QR code instead of printed? Could that tote bag be a plantable box instead? There are alternatives if you’re willing to get creative! Using local suppliers also massively helps as it reduces the distance a product/team of people needs to travel, which in turn reduces the amount of emissions associated with the travel.
What about emissions we have no control over?
In the world of sustainability, these indirect emissions are called your ‘Scope 3’ emissions, and include the carbon footprint created by your suppliers. They are also the hardest to monitor. In the design world this could include the printers who you choose to partner with, the airline you choose to travel to that design conference with, the bank who manages your money or the hosting provider that makes your website stay live.
For context, ‘Scope 1’ emissions are those created directly by your business, so if you have a company car that’s run on petrol or diesel, then these are classed as Scope 1 emissions. Scope 2 are indirect emissions created by any energy purchased by you.
Jo Long, a consultant specialising in marketing for purpose-driven organisations, says “it’s looking internally at business premises / ways of working (processes / outputs / efficiencies); do those practices filter through to out-of-work situations (culture of the organisation), full value chain questioning & collaboration, idea tanks with action groups involving all levels of employee.”
We would recommend choosing your suppliers carefully in order to combat this. There are companies out there, for example, who specialise in green website hosting. There are also specialist printers that only print onto recycled stocks or papers made from agricultural waste. Studio Resolve has also started seeking out registered B-Corp organisations when sourcing suppliers, as these organisations are held to the highest standards in environmental impact. Collaborating locally also makes a big difference as you reduce the amount of miles a product has to travel.
What can designers do to learn more about protecting the planet?
We did Carbon Literacy training to get clued up about emissions as well as a course at Middlesbrough Environment City. We continue to refresh our knowledge and practice what we preach by shopping locally, recycling, only printing when necessary and sourcing responsible suppliers. We’re not perfect, but we are improving all the time as we learn more. We are on a mission to become Teesside’s go-to agency for those wanting to collaborate with a partner of high integrity, strong ethics and moral compass. Our mantra is ‘creativity with a conscience’ so not just making sure we do am amazing job for clients, but caring HOW that amazing job is done and the path we took to get to the final outcome.