What will you get out of reading this article?
- Why the design phase is important in terms of CO2 reduction.
- How to get started
- Example of a startup on the journey
- How a startup communicates sustainability with scarce resources
The design of your product means everything to CO2
The amount of CO2 from your product is already determined in the design phase. Therefore, this article is somewhat an extension of the article on sustainable innovation. Conversely, the design phase does not necessarily mean innovation, as it is often possible to use techniques and methods that have already been developed.
The answer is quite simple on paper: in the design phase, you decide how much CO2 a product emits and how circular the product will be in relation to the whole life cycle as well as sustainability holistically. Yes, simple on paper as I said, but very difficult in practice.
More importantly, it is a lot easier to design CO2 out of a new product than an existing one. That’s why it’s important to think carefully when designing a new product. Moreover, both legislation and stakeholder pressure mean that you can’t avoid sustainability.
The call from us is therefore that you reap one of the very lowest hanging fruits in terms of CO2 reduction: the design phase. Read on to see how Lukalli has done it.
Lukalli’s work with the design phase
One thing is the importance, but how to do it concretely and in reality?
Start-up company Lukallis has experienced first-hand what it’s been like to try your hand at incorporating sustainability into the design phase. Many of the ideas from sustainable innovation were used to design Lukalli’s products. One of the biggest challenges Lukalli has actually faced with their newly designed sustainable products is green certification. It can be a difficult journey, especially as there are 3rd parties involved in the process. In addition, the process can be both lengthy and expensive for a start-up.
3. parties could be, for example, suppliers and raw materials, which therefore play a major role in the design phase. Therefore, they are essential when considering sustainability. The point is that your suppliers should also work with sustainability as well as use certifications.
Now you’re done thinking the design phase 360 degrees around. Thus, you need to start the production of the product as well as the marketing.
BUT how do you market your new sustainable product?
Now you’ve designed, and maybe even developed, a brand new sustainable product. And you’re ready to tell the world about all the great thinking, design processes and models behind the product.
“The product must be selling itself by now?” you may think.
Relatively quickly, however, you find out it’s not enough. Why your thoughts instead turn to certifications. Certifications may be required to be considered by public as well as private organisations. People also know various labels such as organic, vegan, swan and many more certifications that also vary from industry to industry.
Therefore, certifications are undoubtedly the way to go as far as selling the product is concerned.
Or what?
Credibility among certifications
The challenge is that many well-known and common brands do not guarantee a 360 degree certification. In addition, 100% sustainability does not exist in our world yet.
Furthermore, a 360 degree certification is not necessarily what makes the difference in terms of marketing and selling the product. Therefore, it may not be the best strategy to spend all the money and time on expensive 3rd party certifications. Especially if you’re a startup or small business.
Speaking of start-ups and small businesses, they are very good at developing innovative solutions with a strong sustainability focus. Conversely, resources are scarce, making it difficult to obtain expensive certifications while spending time and resources on marketing.
So selling a new green product is difficult. Especially because you spent more time and resources thinking about sustainability compared to your competitors. Our recommendation is therefore that you try to be very strategic with your resources. In fact, this is the essence of Green Marketing: How do you communicate your green services, products and messages in a transparent, honest and effective way?
Lukalli got some concrete advice from our Green Marketing video series, which we hope you can use too. In addition, the principles of green exhaustion and green washing still stand. Tell the specific stories and always focus on stories that involve people.
Learn more about the design phase
Right now, you have the opportunity to join our online video course, where you will get personalised assignments and dive deeper into the design phase and communication of new greener products as a startup.
The first 200 participate for free (value 9.500,-).
Register now at grønmarketing.dk
