What is the climate impact of our furniture? By 2030 we must reduce our global emissions by more than half to meet the Paris Agreement. That is just a few short years to achieve the significant shifts required. To succeed in this, changes are needed in everything we do, including how we furnish and in the furniture sold. The furniture industry need to take this seriously. Together we can make a difference.
The exhibition Now or Never – 1kg CO2e present a selection of furniture materials and their climate impact. By measuring carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) – the method used to see the climate impact of a product – we can clearly see that our choices make a difference. A single chair can correspond to anything from a few kilos of CO2e, to several hundred.
For a long time I've been thinking about the climate impact of various furniture and materials and how I, as a designer, in a simple way might understand how my material choices can make a difference. By demonstrating the quantity of different materials we can get for exactly one kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions, I hope this is made tangible and clear, says Emma Olbers.
The exhibition is made by furniture designer Emma Olbers in a creative partnership with SALLY – a future manifestation lab at the design and innovation agency EY Doberman, with help from Doconomy, whose 2030 Calculator is used to determine the climate impact of the materials.
