What does sustainability mean to Designtorget?

Designtorget’s sustainability program, Klarhet, is based on a commitment to clarity and transparency in our communication about how we work toward a more sustainable and equitable world. Sustainability should be an integral part of the business opportunities we create and in our communication with our customers. We want to be clear about our impact and how far we have come on the journey toward a sustainable business. Our ambition is to contribute to solutions for some of the global challenges we face together, thereby ensuring our relevance in the future. For us, sustainability encompasses the environment, people, and opportunities.

Designtorget’s Three Focus Areas for Klarhet: 

People, Environment, Opportunities

Our 6 promises

Environment

1. Designtorget should serve as a counterbalance to unsustainable consumption.

2. Designtorget makes it easier for everyone to make sustainable choices.

People

3. A long-term perspective is the foundation of our relationships and decisions.

4. The diversity of our society should be reflected in our product range and among our employees.

Opportunities

5. Create business opportunities and/or business models that are sustainable

6. Support innovation and entrepreneurship that leads to sustainable solutions.

Environment – A counterpoint to unsustainable consumption

Promise

1. Designtorget should serve as a counterbalance to unsustainable consumption.

2. Designtorget makes it easier for everyone to make sustainable choices.

Why is this important?

Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1, 2018—earlier than ever before. Globally, we are living as if we had 1.7 planets at our disposal, and in Sweden, as if we had about 4 planets (WWF, 2018). Every year, 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans, and only 14 percent of plastic packaging worldwide is recycled (World Economic Forum, 2016).

Human use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas has caused climate change to accelerate at an unprecedented rate compared to the natural temperature fluctuations that our planet experiences in cycles. The global warming we are currently experiencing is having massive consequences, such as rising sea levels, wildfires, storms, and extreme temperatures. Researchers at the Stockholm Resilience Centre (2019) are now warning that the Earth risks entering a state of self-heating even with just 2 degrees of global warming. They call this state “hothouse Earth,” and it will lead to catastrophic effects such as sea level rises of up to 60 meters (Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2019).

Long-term goals

• The majority of the products we sell are built to last a lifetime and can be passed down or resold.
• 100 percent of Designtorget’s own product line must be sustainable according to the assessment criteria for a sustainable product range.
• 50 percent of DT’s products must contain A-rated materials, and 100 percent must be at least B-rated.
• 100 percent of the edible product range must be organic.

People – Diversity equity & long-term relationships

Promise

1. A long-term perspective is the foundation of our relationships and decisions.
2. The diversity of our society should be reflected in our product range and among our employees.

Why is this important?

Conflicts, natural disasters, and oppression have forced more than 20 million people around the world to flee their homes. (UNHCR/FIGURES AT A GLANCE). In Sweden, we have gone from being a relatively homogeneous society to a multicultural one in just one generation. At the same time, inequality is on the rise, and 70% of the world’s population lives in countries where the wealth gap has widened over the past thirty years. (OXFAM EVEN IT UP, 2016). These inequalities affect everything from the ability to support oneself, educational attainment, and the opportunity to actively participate in society.

Long-term goals

• Positive impact and good conditions for those who live and work in the supply chain.
• 100 percent of DT’s product range must be certified according to criteria for good production conditions
• Create a product range and a workplace where diversity and equal rights are a given.
• Long-term relationships with designers, suppliers, and employees.
• Create a healthy workplace where employees feel pride, security, and inspiration

Opportunities - A marketplace for innovation and sustainable business opportunities

Promise

1. Create business opportunities and/or business models that are sustainable
2. Support innovation and entrepreneurship that lead to sustainable solutions

Why is this important?

The urgent global challenges we face require new ways of doing business. For Designtorget, this means we must create business opportunities that are sustainable for as many people as possible. Part of this involves prioritizing new, innovative solutions to sustainability issues—such as food waste—through products like Regrowth. Another part involves supporting entrepreneurship and business by working with locally produced and small-scale initiatives.

Long-term goals

• Support innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Locally produced and innovative design
• Develop a product line that addresses sustainability issues (regrowth)