Trend #2: Waste not Want not

Is designing product, process and packaging where nothing is wasted, the new North Star ?

This week I read about fashion designers in Japan (and I am sure in lots of other places) creating “mottainai” fashion, CNN article. Last week I spoke with a colleague, expert in sustainability, who said the one thing product developers need to be designing into everything they do is total consumption of all the energy that is used to create a product. Only last week it was Food waste action week. The food people have identified getting thrifty as one of the top 10 trends.
I think we all get the picture aa well as the importance and the urgency of the situation.

So what does this mean for a developer ? Yes it is more things to think about, yes it is more restrictions on top of the usual (regulatory, safety, cost etc) … or rather, this is one way of seeing it. The other way is that this is your opportunity to make a difference. Besides you already know that us product developers are super humans, so no problem !

On the face of it it may seem like a mammoth task, but take a step at a time. It is true what they say that the journey starts with a step. The sooner in your creative and development journey you consider these aspects, the better the product you’ll design. Before long all these considerations will become second nature.
Before you ask, I appreciate that waste reduction is not the only thing that needs to be considered. There is carbon footprint, nutritional value, ethical sourcing. These are for another post !

Once upon a time it was enough to have a great idea, create a great tasting recipe on bench and then scale it up. So long as it was legal, safe, great tasting and financially viable you were good to go. Thank goodness those days are long gone and I am glad for this.

The sooner in your creative and development journey you consider these aspects, the better the product you’ll design. Before long all these considerations will become second nature.

#innovation #wastereduction #productdevelopment #sustainability #thefoodpeople