Confused by sustainability jargon?
Source: https://businessofhome.com/articles/confused-by-sustainability-jargon-a-new-glossary-aims-to-help
Author: Alizila Staff
The path to sustainable business practices is littered with jargon. Terms like “circularity,” “biophilia,” “zero waste” and “carbon neutral” get tossed around like confetti these days, and it’s not just consumers who are in danger of falling for “greenwashing”. Designers and manufacturers alike are increasingly daunted by the lack of unified definitions for these practices. Mona Chun, the chief operating and sustainability officer at transforming furniture brand Mebl, recalls speaking with a colleague at another company who said she was encouraging her team to limit the use of the term “circularity,” instead focusing on the practices alone. That conversation prompted Chun and Mebl founder and CEO Michael Hirschhorn to collaborate with the Sustainable Furnishings Council and Soma Studio Milano on the Circular Design Glossary: Furniture & Furnishings, a first-of-its-kind digital publication that aims to improve the practical understanding of what it means to apply design concepts of the circular economy to the furniture sector. The glossary, which launches online today, highlights 43 approaches to sustainability, from biomimicry and life cycle considerations to social equity and even vegan design principles. The publication also spotlights furniture companies that are implementing these practices, from startup brands like Sabai and ZZ Driggs to industry heavy hitters like Williams-Sonoma, Room & Board and Ikea.