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Product Sustainability Framework launched by Finnish Design Shop
CategoriesSustainable News

Product Sustainability Framework launched by Finnish Design Shop

By Zarkon Group,

Retailer Finnish Design Shop has launched a tool to individually assess and rate the sustainability of more than 20,000 design products featured on its online store.

The retailer’s Product Sustainability Framework intends to support customers in making sustainable design purchases by scoring every item it sells according to a fixed set of criteria tailored specifically for design products.

Scores are determined through a survey directed towards the product manufacturers. The tool assesses five main categories: social responsibility, eco-friendly production, climate impact, sustainable materials, and circular design.

“Each category contains sustainability claims, for which the manufacturer can respond with either yes or no. In total, there are 69 claims,” Finnish Design Shop CEO Teemu Kiiski told Dezeen.

“Manufacturers answer each claim per product, and these claims are based on laws, international agreements, and initiatives.”

This often complex information is assessed and then rated. To make it understandable and comparable for customers, products are badged on the website with one, two or three green leaf symbols, representing good, very good or excellent.

A more detailed breakdown of the product’s score is included in the accompanying sustainability description.

Centenniale coffee table
Nikari’s Centenniale coffee table scored full marks in the climate impact category. Photo is courtesy of Nikari

Explaining why the retailer launched this product-specific framework, Kiiski told Dezeen: “The first reason is the growing demand from customers and professionals for sustainability information regarding the design brands and products. This demand isn’t limited to Finnish Design Shop but extends to the entire design industry.”

“The second reason is that, as a retailer, we have limited means to influence the sustainability of the entire value chain of the products we sell,” he added.

“Through the framework, we can communicate our expectations for product sustainability to manufacturers and guide them towards enhanced sustainability. Simultaneously, we can establish a sustainability standard for the entire industry and lead the way in sustainability matters.”

Puffy lounge chair
A puffy lounge chair by HEM scored highly in the eco-friendly production category. Photo is courtesy of HEM

The specific criteria for each product were developed over two years with Ethica, a Finnish circular design expert partner. They rely on the accuracy of the data supplied by each of their suppliers. “We validate it based on our own data, expertise, and experience,” says Kiiski.

While Finnish Design Shop places a high trust in its suppliers to provide it with accurate information regarding their sustainability practices, it also conducts random spot checks.

“We require product manufacturers to be capable of substantiating the authenticity of each sustainability claim,” Kiiski said.

“We do not conduct audits, and this framework is not a standard, certification, or similar entity; rather, it represents our own criteria for sustainable design.”

Vaarnii's 001 pine stool
Vaarnii’s 001 pine stool achieved 10/10 in the sustainable materials category. Photo is courtesy of Vaarnii

Some of the 24,000 products on the Finnish Retail Shop website don’t have a rating, which means they haven’t yet been assessed or they do not meet sufficient sustainability standards.

Products that score poorly on the Product Sustainability Framework could eventually be removed from the portfolio.

“If some products or manufacturers do not meet our minimum sustainability criteria over time, we have the option to remove them from our selection,” Kiiski said.

However, the retailer believes this could also serve as an incentive.

“The PSF also serves as an incentive for further sustainability improvement, and we hope it signals to the whole industry that sustainability must be taken seriously, leaving no room for irresponsible actions anymore,” Kiiski added.

He is hopeful of the change that the Product Sustainability Framework will bring.

“The framework and its sustainability claims inform our suppliers about what can be expected from their sustainability practices today,” Kiiski said.

“Sustainability is a hot topic in our industry, but finding concrete data on it can still be a challenge,” he added. “The Product Sustainability Framework is our answer to this.”

“Essentially, it’s a 69-step list on how manufacturers can enhance their sustainability. The fact that over 110 manufacturers have participated so far indicates a need for concrete actions.”

Artek lamp
The A805 floor lamp by Artek reached full marks in the circular design category. Photo is courtesy of Artek

The Product Sustainability Framework is part of Finnish Design Shop’s sustainability strategy. Launched during Helsinki Design Week in September 2023, visitors had the opportunity to explore an installation explaining the framework (pictured, top) and its criteria through five sample products.

Last year, the retailer unveiled a logistics centre in a forest that was designed to enable “a more sustainable future”. It has previously provided the furniture for a pop-up restaurant in New York made from recycled packaging.

The photography is courtesy of the products’ manufacturers. Main image courtesy of Finnish Design Shop.

Reference

Smart threads for product traceability
CategoriesSustainable News

Smart threads for product traceability

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Most people are familiar with RFID tags – a type of tracking system that uses smart barcodes in order to identify items. RFID stands for “radio frequency identification,” and the tags use radio waves to transmit data from the tag to a reader. RFID tags have uses as disparate as tracking items in retail stores and warehouses, supply chain management, and tracking the movement of vehicles, pets, and even patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, Circlolink has developed RFID Threads, which it claims are the world’s first washable radio frequency digital ID that stays with the product. The radio transmitter is housed in a single smart thread that can be integrated into products, connecting them to a dedicated cloud platform. The RFID yarn can be inserted into products during manufacture and then all of the details of an item’s manufacture, sourcing, fibre types, and more can be easily tracked across its lifetime. The threads can be used in everything from clothing and mattresses to shoes and homeware, with Circlolink also testing thicker threads for incorporation into tyres.

Circlolink has partnered with e-textile company Adetex.CS, to provide the CIRCAA Cloud platform used to manage the data collected by the threads. The system also allows for the creation of digital product passports, unique QR Codes for customer engagement, and bulk scanning, and acts as a bridge to supply chain management systems.

The company recently launched its Digital Product Passport (DPP) Pilot Package wherein brands can trial the technology with 100 RFID threads, an RFID reader, and access to the CIRCAA app. In the longer term, Circlolink plans to begin distribution of the first 100 million threads over a two-year rollout period. The company points out that producing the threads in bulk will allow it to reduce the cost from $1.50 (around €1.42) per thread as part of the pilot scheme to just $0.11 (around €0.10) each, helping to make the technology as affordable and accessible as possible.

The new RFID threads join recent innovations seeking to improve circularity and traceability. These include a marketplace that connects fashion brands to deadstock materials and a circular marketplace for personal electronics.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Highlighting Useful Technologies for Getting to Zero: The New Zero Energy Project Product Directory
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Highlighting Useful Technologies for Getting to Zero: The New Zero Energy Project Product Directory

By Zarkon Group,

New technologies are making zero energy homes and buildings more affordable, healthier, and more comfortable than ever. The Zero Energy Project now helps you keep up with advanced building equipment and materials through our new Zero Energy Product Directory. Our focus is on energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly products that support and hasten the transition to zero energy homes and buildings.

 

Improved Efficiency

At ZEP, we are fond of saying that you can buy all the products you need to build a zero energy building “off the shelf”. While that’s certainly true, even mature technologies are improving their energy efficiency every year. For example, the success of heat pumps in heating and cooling homes is well established, and using heat pumps for water heating is gaining acceptance. Now heat pumps are being used for energy-efficient clothes drying as well. And mini-split heat pumps are now capable of heating a home even when outside temperatures drop below -13°F . As product offerings change and new products are introduced, one of the goals of the directory is to help you find the latest equipment and materials for your building project.

 

More Choices

While the key to affordability in zero energy buildings is, and always will be, good design, new technology offers designers many more choices. Technological advances are increasing efficiency and changing the balance between efficiency due to structural measures and efficiency as a result of high-performance equipment. For example, the rapidly falling price of solar electric panels is changing the relative cost-effectiveness of on-site generation versus that of structural improvements. Furthermore, solar roofing combines two functions that can be installed at the same time at lower cost than roofing and solar panels separately.

 

Lower Cost

It’s also true that it is sometimes cheaper to purchase an advanced product than to spend time and money on a labor-intensive, conventional approach. For instance, Aerobarrier is an aerosol sealant for buildings that can reliably reduce air leakage to a specified level in only a few hours. Air leakage is a complex problem with at least a dozen unique solutions. But this one technology promises to revolutionize the task of air sealing, especially for production builders.

 

New Capabilities

Finally, some new products offer capabilities that simply haven’t existed in the past. On-site battery storage is already a key component of major grid-integrated zero energy housing developments. This could become standard equipment in future zero energy homes and buildings. It’s a nascent technology that can benefit builders and buyers, while helping utilities even out the loads on the grid.

 

Greenhouse Gases

Reducing the energy needed to operate buildings has been the focus for years. Now that we are closer to realizing the goal of buildings that operate entirely on clean energy, it’s time to integrate the greenhouse gas impact of creating the products themselves. Sometimes called embodied energy, this is the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from extraction of raw materials, transportation, processing, manufacturing, installation, and disposal or recycling.

Products selected for the Zero Energy Project Product Directory exhibit low global warming potential compared to conventional materials or products. When available, the manufacturer has completed and made public a full life cycle assessment to show the range of benefits and impacts of its production, use, and disposal.

 

Indoor Air Quality and Environmental Safety

Since zero energy homes are so air-tight, it is important that the products used in them do not off-gas toxins, such as volatile organic compounds or formaldehyde, or contain chemicals contained in the Living Building Challenge Red List. These chemicals are a risk for homeowners, builders, fire safety personnel and for the environment.

 

New or Existing Buildings

New zero energy construction offers the easiest opportunity for installing these products.  On the other hand energy efficient equipment has an especially important role to play in renovating existing homes toward zero. In these homes where the structure is already established and access is limited, upgrading the energy efficiency of the shell is more difficult and expensive. So it becomes necessary to take advantage of the opportunity to replace failing equipment with new, high-efficiency products, either over time or as part of a major energy upgrade on the path to zero. The energy savings that result may be sufficient to avoid having to make major structural changes.

 

Suggest Products for the Directory

While the Zero Energy Project Product Directory is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everything needed for high energy performance, our hope is that the Directory will stimulate the supply chain of cost saving, energy efficient products in a way that will help drive the zero energy movement forward. Our goal is to help you identify useful products, both new and tried-and-true, that will make it easier to build a zero energy home. We invite your suggestions for products to add to the directory as well as your feedback on listed products, which you can provide in the comment section at the bottom of each page.

Please Note: While the Zero Energy Project is funded in part by sponsorships, sponsors will have no effect on our editorial content or mission, which is to help us all advance towards a zero net energy, zero net carbon, society. Contact us for more information about sponsorship.

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