So interesting documentary really, it highlights the deeper problems in the sustainability an going green debate. Rather than the dreamy ideals of designers who say they will make sustainable products when the reality is that even if you manage to find a way to make a product that is actually viable aswell as being green (by that i mean; 1 is it cheaper or the same price as competition, 2 is it better than the competition in all or most aspects, 3 can you actually make it)this documentary shows that it is also not in a succesful market's intrest to let better technology succeed. While the case of General motors and the EV1 is an extreme example of a company 'cannabalising its own product' we see endless examples of companies in all industries actively restraining or witholding new technologies, if only so they can seem to supercede their own products once they have reached a market maturity, take televisions for example there were first flat screen, then plasma, LCD, now 3D. Each of these technologies came out after the previous had had say 3 years to build sales, then a new product is rolled out to take its place making your new plasma seem old and redundant.
So as a designer all you can do is try to keep driving good ideas forward and ensure diligantly that you provide clients/companies with not only more sustainable products but, cheaper, more marketable, better products. You can't beat them so join them (but keep your ideals). We have to be realistic/perhaps even pesimistic in our perception of why things will be made no matter how good the idea. You need to get companies more money than the had or at least convince them of that. Because yes they should have a moral compass and take responsibility for their actions but take a look around its the sneaky who succeed and the ones who staunchly proclaim morality are left to themselves or deemed crazy, I say be sneaky,play the game and design exceptional products so that money hungry companies can't afford not to go green.
No comments:
Post a Comment