Design Holding Makes Bolder Steps With Its Sustainability Report
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MILAN — Leading global high-end design group Design Holding said it is taking “a bolder step” in terms of its commitment to sustainability.
The first edition of its Sustainability Report was published last year, and the second edition released Thursday covers a wide array of topics: inclusion and empowerment, business ethics and responsibility, eco-design and circular economy, energy and climate change, responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chain management, employee well-being, innovation and product quality and heritage and design culture.
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In a copy received by WWD, standout goals in the coming years include increasing the percentage of female senior leaders from 37 percent in 2021 to 42 percent in 2026, as well as a completion of a survey on the entire group’s population.
“Creating a thriving and inclusive working environment is a key priority for us and we want each and every one of our employees to reach their full potential. Two of our brands, Flos and Lumens, are led by women and more than 38 percent of executives and middle-level managers’ positions are currently held by women. They play a significant role and contribute to the growth and development of our businesses,” Daniel Lalonde, Design Holding chief executive officer, told WWD. Nationwide, promoting females in the corporate world has been an uphill climb in Italy, especially in the fashion world, which is predominantly run by males.
A report released by market regulator Consob in 2022 showed that companies with female CEOs accounted for just 2.4 percent of the total market value of Italian listed firms at the end of 2021.
Elsewhere, the focus has turned to promoting individuals born and/or raised in Italy who hail from marginalized minority ethnicities, from early education to the workforce age. Currently, companies in Italy are not obliged to divulge the breakdown of minorities employed by firms.
In the report, Design Holding said it is focused on initiatives to support young talent and encourage greater inclusivity across the design community, engaging the external community through partnerships with vocational technical schools, universities, business schools and other non-governmental institutions.
The home and interiors industry has not avoided criticism as the ongoing environmental crisis unravels. A recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on durable goods found that furnishings waste destined for landfills has risen nearly 400 percent compared to 1960. Across the board, big retailers and niche brands alike have been working to reduce the industry’s negative impact on the environment, reducing textile waste, limiting water pollution and unsafe labor conditions.
The Italy-based group that comprises brands B&B Italia, Flos, Louis Poulsen, Lumens, Arclinea, Maxalto, Azucena, Audo Copenhagen and produces Fendi Casa through a joint venture with the Roman fashion house has been carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 since 2020, and 78 percent of the electricity it uses is derived from clean source as of 2022.
In addition, as a complement to the company’s initiatives to manage and reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions, Design Holding has purchased carbon credits from two carbon offsetting projects. The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project in Canada works to improve forest management, protection, activating land-use legislation and regulation. The Guatemalan Conservation Coast project in Central America works to address the drivers of deforestation through effective law enforcement and land-use planning, education, as well as safeguarding threatened species of trees. This year the group has also been working on an eco-design framework, from the designing of long-lasting products to the end of life, maximizing the use of raw materials that can be recycled and securing the handling of waste.
In terms of products, Lalonde said that over the past years, design icons like the B&B Italia Le Bambole sofa and the Flos Almendra lamp by Patricia Urquiola are a testament to the sustainable design revolution.
Designed by Mario Bellini, Le Bambole is crafted with recycled polyethylene that gives it structure; elements in polyurethane foam and thermoplastic elastomers are added to shape the geometry, and it is outfitted with an under-cover derived from recycled PET. “These design choices mean that every item in the new Le Bambole collection is completely disassembled and therefore easily recyclable,” he added.
The Flos Almendra lamp by Urquiola was conceived to be fully sustainable from its inception. The module is made with a polycarbonate derived from a byproduct of paper production and it is assembled without the use of glues and can be completely broken down into its individual parts at the end of its lifetime for proper recycling of the materials, Lalonde commented.
Another example is the Louis Poulsen take-back scheme for its PH 5 design, a pendant by Poul Henningsen. Louis Poulsen’s own production facilities manage the upcycling process where existing materials will be reused, and the recycled product will be sold with the same guarantee as new ones.
Looking ahead, the executive said the entire sector is taking important strides toward forging a more circular industry. “We find ourselves in a unique and privileged position to lead this transformation and have real impact on people’s everyday life.”
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