The
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14/01/19
There’s no denying that veganism is on the rise. Vegan cafes are popping up around every corner, social media is full of people talking ‘plant-based’, and Greggs has even brought out a vegan sausage roll! More than 3.5 million UK residents are now vegan. It’s a growing market – and not just in terms of food. This post explores vegan products. It’s a trend that calls for cruelty-free, ethical and sustainable manufacturing processes; could this be a driver of great design?
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FashionAfter food, clothing and fashion is the main area that affects the decisions of a vegan consumer.
Stella McCartney and Adidas recently launched a vegan version of the classic Stan Smith trainer design. The Stan Smith is an iconic design that has stood the test of time; big brands and designers offering these vegan alternatives illustrates the demand for cruelty free fashion. Another example of this is London Fashion Week, which is now fur free. September was the first time in the biannual event's 35-year history that all participating designers showed fur-free collections. Whilst fur is widely disregarded, leather remains popular among consumers. Many people are happy to wear leather on the grounds that it's a byproduct of animal slaughter for meat and therefore a form of recycling. However, this isn’t always the case - high quality leather comes from the skin of newborn or even unborn calves, cut prematurely out of their mother's wombs. Leather production also has environmental issues. The process of tanning leather is incredibly toxic. Most is chrome tanned, which results in carcinogenic chromium (VI) being pumped into the water table. Raising increasing numbers of cattle also has a huge impact on the environment in terms of deforestation and the release of greenhouse gases. Whilst the problems with leather can be recognised, this doesn’t guarantee that alternatives are actually any better. Vegan leathers tend to be made from PVC or polyurethane, which are made from toxic materials, never degrade and aren’t environmentally sustainable. In this case, perhaps a quality leather item that will last a lifetime is the more justifiable option. I think consumers becoming conscious of the problems with leather (both fake and real) has led to great design in the development of groundbreaking materials. Instead of the plasticised synthetics, leather alternatives are being made from biodegradable and renewable resources like cork, paper, kelp, mushrooms, tree bark, waxed leather, recycled rubber, slate stone, and even apples and kombucha tea! This January Hugo Boss has launched a range of shoes made from a natural material consisting of pineapple leaf fibres. |
3D Printed Steak
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Coffee CupsVegan designs covers not just cruelty free, but also sustainable alternatives. There’s a definite trend in the design world of projects ditching synthetic and environmentally damaging materials, instead utilising natural resources and waste to create new materials.
Brooklyn-based design studio Crème uses home-grown vegetables to produce a sustainable alternative to disposable coffee cups. The cups can be manufactured on a mass scale – offering an environmentally friendly alternative to paper coffee cups, which are typically lined with unsustainable plastic polyethylene. Gourds are fast-growing plants that bear robust fruit each season. Once dried, the gourds' strong outer skin and fibrous inner flesh becomes watertight – so these crops have been used for centuries across the globe as decorative or functional vessels. The gourds grow into customisable functional shapes. Crème adapted this method to create its own compostable vessels, using custom-designed 3D-printed moulds. |
Overall, I think that the veganism movement is having a positive impact on design. It’s resulted in a consumer who cares about where their product comes from. Companies are responding with not only cruelty free, but ethically sourced and sustainable products – which in my opinion, is a basis for great design.
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Sources:
https://www.dezeen.com/tag/vegan-design/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-05-24/vegan-leather-is-it-a-sustainable-alternative/9774768
https://www.dezeen.com/tag/vegan-design/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-05-24/vegan-leather-is-it-a-sustainable-alternative/9774768