EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/
Laurence Carr explores how sustainable and circular design influence retail, tackles integration in home brands, and investigates how retail-packaging can adapt to demand for less waste.
About Chez Laurence:
Designer Laurence Carr meets manufacturers and brands who are employing circular, regenerative, and sustainable practices. See how they're seeking to change the end-of-life concept with eco-friendly techniques.
EarthX
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EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.
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Laurence Carr explores how sustainable and circular design influence retail, tackles integration in home brands, and investigates how retail-packaging can adapt to demand for less waste.
About Chez Laurence:
Designer Laurence Carr meets manufacturers and brands who are employing circular, regenerative, and sustainable practices. See how they're seeking to change the end-of-life concept with eco-friendly techniques.
EarthX
Love Our Planet.
The Official Network of Earth Day.
About Us:
At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.
EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.
EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/
Follow Us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxmedia/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxmedia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthXMedia/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthxmedia
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EarthXMedia
How to watch:
United States:
- Spectrum
- AT&T U-verse (1267)
- DIRECTV (267)
- Philo
- FuboTV
- Plex
- Fire TV
#EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #Ecofriendly #Conservation #EarthX
Category
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TVTranscript
00:00🎵
00:29🎵
00:36Retailers who sell furniture, lighting, pictures, decor and accessories
00:43are on the front line interacting with consumers.
00:46They see first-hand how consumer demand is shifting towards sustainable products.
00:53Large retailers with a broad reach have a unique perspective on global trends.
00:59Smaller retailers have a more homegrown perspective to share.
01:04And we mustn't overlook the topic of packaging and the amount of waste it generates,
01:10particularly in the online world.
01:13Today, we'll do a deep dive into the world of retail.
01:18I'm curious what they are seeing regarding changing consumer behaviour
01:22and how they might accelerate the shift.
01:25Let's examine how they are adapting to meet the moment.
01:30🎵
01:38The rise of online shopping has led to a big problem.
01:42Cardboard, plastic and other packaging waste is increasing almost exponentially,
01:48filling landfills, clogging waterways and polluting our natural environment.
01:54Michael Newman, the CEO of an innovative company called Returnity, is disrupting that flow.
02:02His work at the intersection of the supply chain and sustainability
02:06is helping huge corporations reduce their impact by adopting new packaging models
02:12and shifting to a circular economy.
02:17Mike, what motivated you to create such a sustainable and circular concept?
02:21Just in the United States alone, we do over 20 billion parcel deliveries every year.
02:26Globally, it's 230 billion and it's growing double-digit percentages every year.
02:32That's enough cardboard in the United States to pave a road a mile wide
02:36from New York to LA and back three times a year.
02:39So we are just flooding the world with packaging.
02:43But at the end of the day, packaging has to work.
02:45It has to get the product to where you want it, it has to keep it protected.
02:49That is something that we've become very accustomed to with cardboard.
02:53So if you want to compete with cardboard and replace cardboard and do something better,
02:57it has to be, I call it, dumb and cheap.
03:00Because cardboard is dumb and cheap and that's part of what makes cardboard great.
03:03So I think that is one of the areas where reasonable packaging has maybe missed the mark to start.
03:09It is a product designer's dream to create reasonable packaging
03:13and to tell the world how durable it is and how functional it is and how amazing it is
03:19and then say it's going to be used for 50 or 100 or 1,000 uses.
03:23The practical reality is that reasonable packaging almost never will last that long in the marketplace.
03:28Not because it isn't built to be durable or easy to use,
03:32but because consumers will end up forgetting to return it
03:36or throwing it in the garbage by accident or it gets lost or something more practical happens.
03:41And so if you think about changing that system, you have to realize it's not simple.
03:47You've launched several pilot programs now that a lot of brands are embracing recyclable packaging,
03:55such as, you know, you worked with Walmart grocery shopping,
03:59delivery, Estée Lauder and Electrolux packaging.
04:04What have these programs taught you about the nature of the industry and how to adapt?
04:10The Aveda project that we have in the field today,
04:13they take their branding very seriously, how they engage with their customers.
04:16They take the material composition and the type of packaging very seriously.
04:21You know, exactly how much recycled content, where is its source?
04:24You know, it's really refined and detailed.
04:27And then the customer engagement part of that and how do we know when is the right time to use it?
04:31You're not going to just be able to make this big switch overnight.
04:34You really have to work through a process, but that's going to make it that much better at the end.
04:40Where and how do you source Returnity's materials and produce packaging solutions?
04:46And what are your plans for the future?
04:49We figured out how to make one thing and adapt it to different circumstances,
04:53but doing it that way with a partner in China was a really important first step for us.
04:58But there's limitations in that, being reliant on one market, of course,
05:02and also in one production style and one type of material.
05:05And now with supply chain being so disrupted from the pandemic,
05:09it's really accelerated our work to try and localize and give additional options.
05:15With Stora Enso out of Finland,
05:17we've been co-developing reusable packaging that's made from cardboard
05:20and can be produced in factories that are already localized,
05:24making cardboard boxes that traditionally are used one time.
05:29We're developing boxes that will last four or five shipments.
05:32What is the biggest challenge in getting companies and consumers
05:37to make the shift in circular packaging?
05:40Packaging is something that you don't actually really see in life.
05:44You get deliveries every day and you see through the packaging to the product.
05:49If you get something in a cardboard box,
05:51you're tearing that box open and you're right to the product.
05:54That is a challenge when you're trying to change consumer behavior.
05:58There is this hope that consumers will just make some quick overnight change
06:03in how they behave with packaging.
06:05I think, unfortunately, that isn't quite so simple.
06:08People have to learn new behaviors, the systems have to mature.
06:11So I think the most important thing that we have found is companies, governments, consumers,
06:17everybody needs to appreciate that they are both part of how we got here
06:21and need to all be a part of how we move forward from here
06:25and that it's going to take some time.
06:28But the sooner you start, the sooner we'll get there.
06:31You're seeing consumers who are now voting with their dollars,
06:34which is really important and exciting.
06:36It's new ways of getting products like shampoo and soaps
06:40that don't require shipping a lot of water, but where you add water locally.
06:44What advice would you give our viewers who want to reduce packaging waste in their homes?
06:52When I tell people working on replacing cardboard boxes for delivery,
06:56they get very excited because most people look at them and they say,
06:59I recognize this is very wasteful.
07:01But then if you ask them, are you buying more online or less online than you did a year or two ago,
07:07they will inevitably say, well, I'm buying more.
07:10So for consumers, I think acknowledging that what you are doing by just hitting click
07:15and purchase every day on one item and one item and one item is a part of the problem.
07:22But I think also for companies, they have to be ready to do the work now too.
07:26You have to recognize that you're also a part of this circle,
07:30that you are creating the avenue for the waste.
07:33We have to do it all together, but we really have to start now.
07:37And we have to be honest as a society and as businesses for sure
07:42about how we're contributing to this problem.
07:45You know, I say our packaging is dumb and cheap on purpose,
07:48but it's dumb, cheap, and also smart in the sense that it can be the facilitator
07:53towards a more sustainable way of moving products and experiencing e-commerce in this world.
08:00We have to confront these issues head on.
08:03You know, packaging is often the last thing to be thought of when it comes to manufacturing products
08:10and how we consume goods as humans.
08:13But packaging is found in every ocean and in every wetland and on every street today.
08:20Returnity needs to be a part of how we make change and change for the better.
08:25And that's what gets us going every day.
08:27The New Democracy
08:40When buildings inevitably age and renovations are necessary,
08:45the waste usually ends up in landfill.
08:48Well, when Stacey Barosz found herself in Hungary in the mid-90s,
08:53the newly democratic country was getting a facelift.
08:56When others saw decrepit buildings, Stacey saw an opportunity.
09:02Now her line of upcycled wood accents for the home is carried in stores such as William's Sonoma.
09:12Hungary was just coming out of communism and it was just opening up to the West.
09:16So for me, it was a treasure hunt.
09:19There was so much opportunity and so many amazing utilitarian pieces,
09:25like antique dough bowls or found bread boards, pizza boards, baguette boards.
09:30All of these objects were amazing because they had a very specific utilitarian purpose back in the day.
09:36And my thoughts were, how do we repurpose these?
09:40How do we make these important for the American home?
09:43We really started with found objects.
09:46My husband moved to Europe for his work and I found myself as an expat in Hungary.
09:52I started exploring the country, exploring the countryside.
09:56Its heyday was basically 1890 to 1910.
10:00It was this glorious, wonderful time in preparation of their millennium.
10:04And all of these buildings came up and they all had these giant, massive wood beams in them.
10:11And so as the buildings, a hundred years later, began to get renovated,
10:15companies would come in and take out the beams and then, of course,
10:18put in steel beams to renovate them for the future.
10:21Everything that we do comes from these beams, so it's basically 100-year-old wood.
10:28My husband is Hungarian and so he has family living in the countryside.
10:33Breakfast turned to lunch and lunch turned to dinner and we sat at this tiny farmhouse table.
10:37There was so much warmth and it was all about conversation versus time.
10:42I felt like this is not what we do in the U.S.
10:45You know, we're rushing and we're not really enjoying each other and we're not talking
10:50and we're not coming together as a family.
10:52So when I first started the company, we would get some complaints and the customer would say,
10:57oh my gosh, I got this beautiful wood board and I see it looks like a V and a one.
11:04Like somebody wrote in the board and we're like, no, you need to embrace this and this is why.
11:09Let me tell you what that V and one is.
11:11It's the number Roman numeral six and it's where that beam got fit into the ceiling of that old building.
11:16It was the sixth slot.
11:18So you are so lucky.
11:20You've got a board with, you know, hand marked numbers on it that had a specific purpose long ago
11:25and now it's being repurposed for you and your family to enjoy on your table.
11:30You have something really special.
11:32What happened was the business just grew and grew and grew.
11:35The soul behind Etu Home and behind everything we do is the authenticity.
11:41When you start with something real and you add craftsmanship to it, it becomes a generational piece.
11:47So obviously we ship via container and what we do that I think is very different from a lot of other manufacturers
11:54is we really maximize the footprint of our container to reduce our carbon footprint.
12:00There's incredible amount of packaging materials and incredible amount of boxing and waste.
12:07So we do not want to bring that waste into our business.
12:12So we do not box anything in Europe.
12:15Every single piece comes stacked.
12:17So we totally maximize what's coming across the water and then when it comes into our warehouse
12:24we're able to make sure that all the packaging is sustainable.
12:27One of the things that we are able to do managing our large retailers is to ask questions and to share
12:36how is the product going to be shipped, how is it going to be delivered,
12:39so that we can think ahead and plan our packaging requirements.
12:44It's going to make the entire industry more responsible, but if we're responsible in what we're selling
12:51then the end user can start to understand and appreciate that.
12:55We start with the old beams. We also do recycled glass.
13:00So everything is mouth blown and everything that we do is about the hand of the artist.
13:05We are sustainable through the entire life cycle and I think our business, our B2B partners are appreciative of that.
13:11And they're actually embracing it in a bigger way.
13:14They're asking us more questions.
13:16They're wanting to know about our wood certificates, our sourcing certificates.
13:22When we say we're sustainable, they're actually making us prove it.
13:25I'm glad that they're asking.
13:28I'm proud of the fact that I feel we've taken some part in educating the American consumer
13:35about artisanal crafting, about reclaimed wood, and to appreciate the imperfections.
13:51In 2013, Vicky Meyer Ekström realized that the textile industry had a problem.
13:5995% of textiles could be recycled, but only 25% of them actually were.
14:07The rest was burned or disposed in landfills.
14:11She founded a company called Realy to upcycle used cotton and wool
14:16into premium materials that can be recycled again and again.
14:21Fashion brands, designers, and architects use her acoustic textiles and wall panels
14:26to create furniture and interiors.
14:29With the backing of CADAT, the global leading manufacturer of design textiles,
14:35Vicky has her sights set on a goal, a completely waste-free industry.
14:41Who are the Realy's customers, and why do they buy upcycled products?
14:46We have two products, which is a composite board for tabletops or shelving systems.
14:53We call it cotton white because it is basically based on industrial laundry's white linen.
15:02And then we have another product called cotton blue, and it's based on denim.
15:08Our fashion clients, they will use our solid textile board, our hardboard products,
15:15as shelving systems in their shops, as podiums, as front desks, as display areas, and so on.
15:26Our acoustic panels, it's both an art piece,
15:30but it's also something that regulates the sound in the area.
15:35Do you see an increased desire for eco-friendly and sustainable products
15:40from fashion brands and retailers?
15:43The market, actually, especially after COVID,
15:47there is kind of this massive request for sustainable solution and circular solution.
15:53There's also quite massive regulation coming in.
15:56Industries are more preoccupied with finding these new materials
16:01that actually fits into, you could say, the next paradigm.
16:05A lot of fashion business now are entering the take-back scheme system.
16:12We take stuff back here, and we actually use the material for decorating our stores.
16:21Retail spaces need to tell much stronger stories.
16:25You don't go there only to get a very cheap T-shirt.
16:29You go there because you want to be part of a community.
16:32We are part of the solution, but we are also part of the problem.
16:37Therefore, we need to be more enlightened.
16:42It will go all the way from the way we shop out there in our society,
16:47and all the way back to where we work and how we live.
17:00Shalini Unnikrishnan, Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group,
17:06is the global lead for societal impact in BCG's consumer and social impact practices,
17:13as well as a co-leader of a circularity practice.
17:17She is a renowned scholar who focuses on the intersection of the private, public,
17:23and social sectors.
17:25She explores how private sector companies can transform their business models,
17:31supply chain, manufacturing, and technology in their core operations
17:36to achieve societal impact as well as grow.
17:39Shalini is here to share insights about how retailers can partner with consumers
17:45as we tackle the climate change crisis.
17:52Can you talk about why BCG is prioritizing sustainability?
17:57For BCG, we've been working in the circularity space for a long time,
18:01supporting our clients in designing circular products,
18:05and thinking about the implications to their supply chain.
18:09We've supported our clients in thinking about their agendas
18:12and helping them set their net zero strategies,
18:15in figuring out what their roadmap would be,
18:18how they think about trade-offs,
18:19and helping countries develop national adaptation plans
18:23and set the journey for net zero.
18:26What are you seeing in terms of consumer demand
18:29for sustainable and circular products?
18:31It will continue to grow because the group that cares about this the most
18:35is the younger generation,
18:37and as that generation starts to get more and more buying power,
18:40it is going to become a very integral part
18:43of how consumers make decisions on products.
18:47If there wasn't the consumer pressure,
18:50I would speculate that many companies would continue to
18:53put out single-use products
18:55and not really think about redesigning their products as much.
18:58We're also seeing supply chain challenges all over the world at the moment,
19:02and creating circularity is a fantastic way to build resilience
19:07and reduce the risk and the volatility in your supply chains.
19:12Retail is one of the most exciting spaces for circularity
19:16to really come to life and get to scale.
19:19IKEA is an iconic lighthouse in the circularity world.
19:23They have, first of all,
19:24set an ambition of being a fully circular business by 2030.
19:28They are doing that in every part of their organization.
19:31They're thinking about it in product design.
19:33They're thinking about it in store design.
19:36Every time they're refurbishing a store,
19:37there's no part of it that they don't think about how to reuse.
19:41Even the flooring, they figure out a way to reuse that.
19:44But they're also playing with new business models
19:46like furniture as a service.
19:48By going after furniture as a service,
19:50they're expanding their value proposition
19:52to a completely new set of consumers and a new way of going to market.
19:57Consumers want to engage on this agenda,
20:01and the companies that figure out a way to engage consumers
20:05on what consumers care about
20:07will really have an opportunity to drive value.
20:11Retailers have a really important and interesting role to play.
20:15So they can convene and bring together a whole range of partners.
20:21They can engage with all the companies upstream
20:24and help curate choices,
20:26help consumers understand their options.
20:29Wouldn't it be amazing if you could walk into a store and say,
20:32I care about these issues?
20:34And a retailer could help you navigate how to select products,
20:38how to make choices,
20:40what to do less of or more of,
20:42what to swap out of your basket
20:44and get something else instead.
20:46There's just so much power that the retailer has
20:48because they are that interface with the consumer.
20:52I think there's a lot of reason for optimism in this space.
20:56Pretty much every top global company
20:59has set a bold agenda for what they plan to do
21:04to help tackle this crisis in waste.
21:06We're seeing novel collaborations of companies coming together
21:10that would have been traditional competitors,
21:12but coming together and investing in new technology together,
21:16investing in delivering solutions together.
21:19We're seeing heightened consumer awareness, new business models.
21:23It's easy to be pessimistic because the problem is big,
21:27but there's definitely cause for optimism
21:30because of the momentum that we're building.
21:32When people found out that I'm an expert
21:35in sustainable and circular design,
21:38they always want to know,
21:40what can I, as an average consumer, do to make a difference?
21:45And my answer is always the same.
21:48Shop with retailers that you can trust,
21:51who offer transparency about their methods and materials,
21:55and make the most of the opportunity.
21:58As we learned today,
21:59sustainability can happen at any scale.
22:03Smaller, independent brands like A2 Home
22:06excel at giving found items a new life by repurposing them,
22:11while large global retailers
22:13revisit their choice of eco-friendly brands.
22:16And that's why I'm so excited to be here today
22:19to talk to you about the new A2 Home.
22:21It's an eco-friendly, eco-friendly, eco-friendly,
22:25eco-friendly, eco-friendly, eco-friendly,
22:27but the opportunities for sustainability don't end there.
22:31Retailers who upgrade to revolutionary packaging
22:34from companies like Returnity
22:37can make a difference beyond what's sold in stores.
22:40For the consumer,
22:42supporting these businesses and their efforts
22:44is the best path toward a more circular retail future
22:48and a safer Earth for all.
22:52Until next time,
22:53I am Laurence Gare,
22:54designing a more circular future.