Conscious Creation: Who is responsible?

The concept of conscious creation. It’s a simple question within the fundamental idea of supply and demand. Isn’t it?

In today's product creation landscape, one might wonder about the extent of brands' involvement. How much are they investing in research and development? It's hard to say. 

Performance is king in today's product creation process. The environment? Not so much. "Big" Brands are still hooked on non-sustainable materials. And the linear model? It's still the industry's go to, even though it's far from sustainable.

A recent example is Adidas' development and promotion of the Pro Evo 1, a $500 shoe designed for a single marathon. This seems to prioritise performance over sustainability.  A strategy that mirrors Nike's approach with the Alpha Fly. Some may argue that these are unique cases, catering to the top 1%. 

While that may be true, there's a significant number of individuals striving for excellence and seeking any possible advantage, and these aren't necessarily elite athletes. Consider the growing trend of runners wearing carbon-plated shoes. Many of these runners may not be reaping the benefits of these shoes due to their inefficient running styles. Thus, purchasing a carbon-plated shoe may offer little to no advantage for them and have a greater impact on the planet. 

Brands need to wake up and smell the eco-friendly coffee. A shift to conscious creation can spark a chain reaction - conscious consumerism, conscious selling, and conscious supply. But there's a catch. Many brands are dragging their feet, probably because of the dollar signs involved.

ESG and greenwashing regulation are starting to put a leash on brands. No more false claims about sustainability. But laws alone won't cut it. The real game-changer? Consumer demand.

To crack this nut, we need everyone on board - investors, designers, brand managers, suppliers, retailers, and consumers. If brands make sustainable products, retailers and consumers will buy them. It's that simple.

Data on product circularity and design process? It could be a goldmine. 

But right now, much of the design process is about speed and performance. It's not sustainable. The solution? Demand. If people want a product, businesses will make it. So, we need to balance performance marketing with sustainability marketing.

Here's a myth buster - consumers buy what's marketed to them. Brands are making what they want to make, not what consumers want to buy. And that's not doing our planet any favors. Big brands can lead the way in sustainable products, but they're choosing not to.

Right now, conscious creation is driven by small brands, new to the market such as the ones we work with. Big brands are knowingly making unsustainable products for performance athletes, for market share and shareholders. It's bad for the environment and society. We need a shift to conscious creation that includes everyone and focuses on the majority. 

This shift needs to be driven by brands, guided by laws and regulation, and promoted through sustainability marketing. Then the consumer will buy and demand will grow which will help the small sustainable brand get traction-in a noisy and crowded market place.  Less is more. 

Thank you for being curious

Ben