Sustainable Designs

Click on the images below to see more details and find out why they are sustainable designs.

Duralex Tumbler

This design classic is made of tempered glass and is virtually unbreakable. The original publicity for the glasses in the Fifties claimed that they could be “used as hammers”.

The Hypercar

The Hypercar takes a sustainable approach to car design. It is super-light, super-low drag and therefore needs a much smaller hybrid or plug-in electric motor.

The Guitar

The acoustic guitar could be the perfect example of a sustainable design because it highlights so many of the features and benefits of sustainability.

Cast iron cookware

Cast iron cookware is a sustainable design for a number of reasons. It is very effective, efficient and it is extremely durable.

Thonet Chair

There are fewer examples of a sustainable design than the Thonet Chair. It is beautiful, classic, minimal and made from renewable wood.

Chinese Chef’s Knife

Designs are more sustainable if they are multifunctional because one item can take the place of several items. A Chinese Chef’s knife (or cai dao) is a good example of a multifunctional design.

Passivehaus

The PassivHaus Standard is a very rigorous system that creates ultra-low energy-use houses which are able to dispense with conventional heating systems.

Picnic Table

The picnic table is a simple and yet very effective design that exhibits many of the qualities that makes something sustainable: strength, durability, functionality and environmental benignity.

Tweed Jacket

Designs are more sustainable if they are durable, functional, easy to care for and attractive. Tweed jackets, and other tweed garments, tick all these boxes plus the fabric and garments can be made by individual craftspeople using traditional skills along with small-scale, low-energy technology.

The Bicycle

Designs are more sustainable if they are more effective and efficient. The bicycle is the most energy efficient form of transport. It is considered to be one of the most effective designs ever created and a near perfect machine.

The Wok

As a sustainable design the wok is a very versatile, energy-efficient, durable, cheap and effective design, and arguably a healthier way to fry food because less oild is needed compared to other options.