Australian Paper

A small cardboard schoolhouse launched at the Royal Adelaide Show in 2009 has become a model for both sustainability and the work of sustainable communications consultancy Ecocreative.

The South Australian consultancy designed a package to link learning about sustainability with action in schools. The client was the state’s Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS).

What set the package apart was an inventive way of using a potential off-cut from the presentation folders. Instead of discarding it, they used the excess to create a fun-to-assemble fold-up schoolhouse. Reinforcing sustainability concepts on a number of levels, the cardboard schoolhouse helped educate children on elements of sustainably designed buildings, including orientation and the placement of eaves.

“Since the die, stock and press-time were already being used for the presentation folders, this extremely successful piece didn’t involve additional costs or use of resources” says Project Manager Jamie Ackerman-Harvie.

Questioning the consequences of potential waste resulted in an inventive solution that supported the sustainable message of the entire package.

Since it began in 1998, Ecocreative has focused on reducing waste and specifying sustainable materials (including giving preference to Australian made products). “Part of the reason clients come to us is because we specialise in sustainable communications,” says Ackerman-Harvie. “So they are usually happy when we specify materials based on their environmental and social credentials. This also supports their procurement policies where they want every aspect of their supply chain to support their values.”

“An important aspect of [our commitment to sustainability] is favouring Australian products, services and materials,” says director Matthew Wright-Simon. “In particular, using resources from local recycling streams ensures that our recycling policy lives again as new products.”

The folder package is typical of that process. It was printed locally with soy-based inks on Australian made paper (made up of a mixture of post-consumer recycled content and FSC-certified virgin fibre from sustainably-managed forests).

“There are a lot of good reasons to buy Australian made,” says Ackerman-Harvie. “One is to limit kilometres that materials have to travel, which reduces the carbon footprint. Another is to support the local economy. It works well for us to work with local suppliers because we have personal relationships with them. We see them face-to-face and are able to check what’s coming off the press—the end result is a better quality and more sustainable product.”

What do the Onyx range of specialty papers and Western Australian developer The Match Group have in common? Both have a strong commitment to delivering premium results while achieving highly sustainable outcomes. For some time now Onyx has been the stock of choice on Match Group’s print materials, thanks to the creative matchmaking of Candice Murison at Block Branding.

“We have selected Onyx on multiple occasions because it reflects our client’s desire to achieve premium printing standards and positive environmental outcomes,” says Murison. As a stock that is both one 100% recycled and 100% Australian, Murison feels the benefits to Australian communities and the environment speak clearly of the client’s values. Furthermore, being endorsed as carbon neutral by the Department of Climate Change shows the measurable positive effect of the client’s sustainability reporting.

While Onyx stands out as a range with incredibly high environmental standards, Murison makes no sacrifice on quality. “We have now printed over 10 of The Match Group’s development brochures with Onyx and couldn’t be more satisfied with the outcome; it consistently retains its premium quality and print performance with each job and never lets us down.”

Identifying a need can inspire invention. For Bluebag, a family-run catering company with city retail outlets, finding a sustainable alternative to the endless disposable coffee cups drove the development of the KeepCup.

With 100 million disposable cups sold each year in Australia alone, the KeepCup’s market potential was clear. But environmental benefits were also obvious: 17,000 trees could be saved and landfill could be spared 5,500 tonnes of disposable cups.

Bluebag commissioned industrial designers Cobalt Niche to develop the barista-standard cup and engaged Southwest Design to assist with the KeepCup’s naming, brand identity and website, which explains its easy operation.

Made from polypropylene #5, the KeepCup’s estimated lifespan is four years. Each KeepCup comes with an insulated silicon band available in various colours, which not only helps the user avoid hand burns, but also identifies their order – preventing mix-ups at the coffee machine.

With over 100,000 sold in its first six months and burgeoning international markets, the KeepCup has also been recognised in this year’s Victorian Premier’s Design Awards.

As an industry largely reliant upon fossil fuels, car manufacturers are keenly aware of the issues of climate change and sustainability. In 1997 Toyota was the first to reach the market with a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle, the Prius. The company has indicated that by 2020 every Toyota model will have a hybrid option. But its environmental credentials extend beyond hybrid cars. As its Environmental Policy Manager, Jon Ward, explains, Toyota has in place sustainability programs that are part of its kaizen philosophy of continual improvement.

How has sustainability influenced design at Toyota?

Environmental sustainability is a significant driver for design innovation in the car industry. To meet this requirement, Toyota developed ECOVAS – the Eco Vehicle Assessment Scheme. It’s essentially a part-by-part assessment of vehicles each time new generation models are released. Over that model’s cycle the vehicle is continually reviewed to consider its overall sustainability, including recyclability.

How much of the vehicle is recycled at the end point?

Toyota’s aim is to achieve a 95% recycling rate for its vehicles, but this depends both on vehicle design and local industry recovery capability. For the Prius, batteries are a significant part of the footprint and those batteries achieve a 96% recycling rate.

What other sustainable initiatives have you explored?

In vehicles manufactured in Melbourne, the engine blocks are made from recycled aluminium. We receive metal in a molten state, which means we don’t have to expend energy melting it again. Toyota is also experimenting with new design materials, such as bio-fibres, instead of carbon-based fibres. For example, the floormats in Prius are made from cornstarch polymers.

Does Toyota have a program of corporate social responsibility?

We have a five-year environment plan that falls under Toyota’s ‘Earth Charter’ and a range of programs under our Toyota ‘Community Spirit’ program. We report our performance and the outcomes from these two program areas in our annual sustainability report, available from our website.

Have you set guidelines and targets for your suppliers and dealers?

All parts suppliers have to certify to the ISO14001 environmental management standard. We’ve just launched the TED (Toyota Environmental Dealership) program to encourage our dealers to measure their current performance and improve against those benchmarks over time.

Has Toyota been independently audited?

Yes we use the Global Reporting Initiative Indicators to guide our reports and we independently verify our sustainability reports and the performance of our environmental management systems.

What are the key sustainability metrics used by Toyota?

The GRI drives our reporting which covers social, environmental and financial indicators. We also measure the carbon intensity of our operations, including buildings, manufacturing, supply chain, dealers and logistics. In Australia we’ve reduced CO2 emissions by 27% per vehicle since 2005. We’ve reduced water use 40% since 1999–2000.

How can suppliers align their sustainability credentials with Toyota?

We have a green purchasing policy that sets out requirements for our suppliers. Our tenders ask for evidence of environmental initiatives, and we’re always looking to lever those relationships into greener ones.

Is there awareness among businesses to take on a sustainable approach?

Yes the business sector sees the green economy as an emerging reality, largely driven by the community’s environmental consciousness. There’s a shift from companies providing green products in their range to mainstreaming greener options across the range.

Who is the average Prius buyer?

Prius hybrids have always done well in fleets. Most companies and government departments have seen their fleet as a place to express sustainability. And, increasingly, private buyers wishing to save on fuel costs and make a difference to the environment.

What benefits have you gained from your focus on sustainability?

Environmental sustainability is a low-cost and customer-focused approach to doing business.

What can the design community do?

Designers play a key role in determining the product outcome. The design community is very aware of sustainability. Their challenge, like ours, is to mainstream this so that in 20 years, sustainable is simply how things are made.

Soon after the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, Greenpeace UK encouraged designers to submit posters rebranding BP’s flower logo. From around the world, over one thousand submitted designs ranged in tone from darkly humorous to bitter, venomous, frustrated and outraged.

While drawing attention to the Gulf catastrophe, Greenpeace also aimed to discredit BP’s green credentials and its claim that it is ‘beyond petroleum’. Its green logo, Greenpeace contends, is another example of corporate greenwashing.

Adding its own fuel to already inflamed popular opinion, Greenpeace’s campaign nevertheless confirmed one thing: bad reputations escalate fast in the information age.

But alongside all the spin and bad news, there’s a wealth of useful information available to those genuinely wanting to practice sustainability. In areas such as the sharing of ideas, the sourcing of information on sustainable design and improved accountability, there are many independent organisations set up to help businesses.

The intention of sustainable design is, of course, to avoid any detrimental impact on the environment. But there are also social and economic considerations. Together, these concerns comprise the triple-bottom-line approach: a holistic philosophy also known as ‘The Three Ps’ – plant, people and profit.

Achieving sustainable design relies upon sourcing sustainable materials. Like any system, a business supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Many corporate websites declare the sustainable credentials of their companies; often it’s in their annual reports. For those wary of exaggerated claims, the easiest way to verify accuracy is to see if that company has been independently audited. Companies who have been audited will proudly wear that appellation. After all, reputations are at stake and misleading claims can come back to hurt.

But as respected website Ecospecifier warns, “all labels are not recreated equal”. So, as a consumer, it helps to research the standards by which companies judge their own products. Always look for products, companies and certifications/labels that have been independently audited. The Australian Government’s ‘Greenhouse Friendly’

logo administered by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (and scrutinised by the ACCC) is a goldstar example of an independently audited certification/label, as is the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) logo that certifies that fibre inputs only come from well managed forests.

For those who commission work or buy products from Third World countries, the ‘Fair Trade’ logo ensures workers are fairly paid and maintain a decent standard of living. Fair Trade has a social consequence and an economic benefit to workers and their communities: by paying a fair price for goods and services you ensure money is available for infrastructure, like schools and healthcare, in the product’s country of origin.

‘Good Environmental Choice’ is another respected label. This Australian program indicates the environmental performance of a consumer product from a whole-of-product-life perspective. The internationally recognised program awards its label to “products that meet voluntary environmental performance standards, which have been created and assessed in conformance to international environmental labelling standards”.

ISO (International Standards Organisation) certification is designed to “make the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner. They make trade between countries easier and fairer. ISO standards also serve to safeguard consumers and users of products and services in general – as well as making their lives simpler”.

Smaller companies, however, don’t always have the money required for auditing. But it costs nothing to ask questions. For designers, it’s often a matter of asking printers or merchants for advice. If your printer can’t help, find another. There’s a lot of information out there already and organisations like AGDA, Designers Accord and AIGA provide basic information for anyone wanting to keep an independent eye on the claims made by others.

The benefits of sustainable design and sourcing are not just about future proofing the planet, they’re also about the survival of businesses.

 It’s an ugly management term for a generously spirited idea: ‘thought leadership’.

Multidisciplinary design studio HASSELL has, for the past three years, been sharing its research – its ‘thought’ – beyond its 12 Australasian studios. Its research initiatives cover a spectrum of project scales and design inputs – from wayfinding to space planning, creating healthy indoor environments and environmentally sustainable design.

Whether ‘re-lifting’ buildings, researching double-skinned facades, or developing in-house tools for sustainable design and effective space planning, HASSELL shares its research and the processes behind its project outcomes with its peers and clients.

By appointing dedicated research roles and understanding the importance research plays in achieving good design, HASSELL has established a leadership position in the Australasian market. With a dozen studios around Australia, China, Singapore and Thailand and over 700 staff, HASSELL is one of the largest and most awarded architectural practices in the region. Its SA Water building in Adelaide and the ANZ Centre in Melbourne’s Docklands are – as AIA gold medal winner and HASSELL Chair Ken Maher describes – “demonstration projects for environmentally sustainable design.” The practice has a Sustainable Futures Unit (SFU) which advises each of its studios, working closely with local professional teams and ‘sustainability communities’. HASSELL also undertakes pro bono work for non-profit organisations as part of its commitment to social responsibility.

“All studios operate under the HASSELL environmental management system, and the responsibility for that rests with all staff,” says Suzette Jackson, senior associate and sustainability leader in the SFU at HASSELL. “The work we do at the unit is research, project-specific advice and management advice on sustainability objectives and initiatives. It’s about future thinking and thought leadership.”

But it’s not all one way. HASSELL, a founding member of the Green Building Council, also relies on international resources and research.

“Sourcing low-impact, eco-friendly material is much easier compared to 10 years ago,” says Jackson. “We use Ecospecifier (see View), GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia), and other third-party organisations that certify products – for example sustainably managed and recycled timbers such as FSC certified products.”

“It is really important for us, and for clients to be able to demonstrate sustainability in the market place through independent and credible pathways,” says Jackson.”

www.hassell.com.au