Highlighting Designer Marlene Sauter

We have to give up our self-assumed supremacy as humans and learn that collaboration rather than competition will bring the ultimate progress.

Marlene Sauter is a recent graduate of the Academy of Fashion and Design in Munich, Germany. Her bachelor’s thesis, “The Challenge of Designing a Planet-Centric Future” investigated how possible it would be for industries to shift away from human-centered design in order to implement sustainable design processes by 2030.

What has motivated you to study the climate?

My main motivation came from a study module I took: Innovation, Knowledge and Change Management. In this subject, global challenges were discussed and we conducted various Design Thinking and Agile Management workshops.

This made me feel the urge to investigate the issues around the consequences of climate change and advancing environmental pollution. As a result, I dedicated my final thesis to this topic and got more involved in the research of sustainable design processes.

What are the key findings of your research?

Probably the most significant finding is that in the future, sustainable business needs to be the only way of doing business. At first glance, this finding may seem quite obvious, however, the majority of businesses and societies worldwide appear not aware of the seriousness of this and therefore are still far from taking the necessary actions and implementing efficient sustainability strategies. Many companies find it difficult to see the long-term benefits of a sustainable shift, primarily due to the cost and time factor involved in contributing to a change. Nevertheless, I believe that it can only pay off for companies and organizations if they face this challenge now and can thus ensure they remain on the market in the long run.

The effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic should underline the importance of long-term thinking and foresighted action. We can expect that the consequences of climate change, environmental pollution, overpopulation and many other global challenges will affect all countries, and that at a certain point it might be too late to take the necessary steps to provide a future for later generations. Why not take action now and initiate an essential shift on a large scale?

On one hand it could be done through company incentives such as subsidies, but on the other hand it might need the political pressure of regulations and laws to achieve effective change.

Another key finding of my studies is that, to date, there is no concrete method of measurement to determine how much more of a positive impact has been achieved through applied sustainability processes such as Planet-Centric Design. This makes it very difficult to carry out a holistic implementation in companies and implies that more efforts must be made to encourage companies to trust and invest in future-oriented processes without having immediately visible results. Besides providing guidelines for how and where to start implementing the first steps of change, companies need metrics by which they can measure their progress and success. I still see this as a general hurdle to accelerate change, which may be overcome by advanced technologies and innovative practices in the future.

One last essential finding I gained from my research is that for some countries it will be more difficult–and perhaps less successful–to implement long-term sustainability strategies than others. Significant differences can be seen in the example of the USA, where the lack of a social safety net and income inequality lead to a different operating structure and therefore a different mentality in the workplace. For humans who are living in a more stressful environment where making money is a high priority in order to afford living standards, holistic restructuring and rethinking of processes may be difficult to accomplish. I therefore believe that a compromising approach needs to be taken to counteract the conflict between the need for making money while simultaneously making planet-centric choices.

Illustration by Zhi Wang

What is your opinion on what it will take for humans to finally adopt large scale work on climate change? How might everyday people help?

I think what is needed first and foremost is the awareness that humans cannot exist all on their own. The interdependence of the environment, different species, living and non-living creatures and us humans is essential for a functioning system. However, for this to happen there has to be a change in mindset in society. We have to give up our self-assumed supremacy as humans and learn that collaboration rather than competition will bring the ultimate progress. Designing in a planet-centric way means working at the intersection of natural, social and technological systems. Our mission is to now understand how these systems are connected, what unbalances them, and to design an integration that benefits them all.

This also means that every individual can contribute to and be part of the shift, by questioning one’ s daily purchasing decisions, becoming better informed about the supply chains of goods and services, or actively working on reducing one’s plastic waste and consumption in the everyday life. There are many other ways in which each individual can adopt climate change as an essential part of their daily life and work. I also think it is very important to embed climate change issues in schools and educational institutions at an early stage, so that the younger generations can also help shape and determine their future.

How do you feel about the future?

On the one hand, I am very optimistic because I see the possibilities and the potential of sustainable design concepts and strategies that can initiate and master the necessary change. On the other hand, I also look to the future with some concern, as there are more and more global challenges ahead, especially when the consequences of the current crises become more noticeable in one’s own country and life. We as humans should see the responsibility in ourselves and work together on solutions instead of trying to outdo each other economically, politically and socially — as not doing so will eventually backfire on us and our habitat.

Therefore, as a young entrant pursuing a career in the design industry, I see it as my responsibility to actively work towards accelerating sustainable mindsets and processes, and to contribute to the bigger picture.

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Marlene Sauter can be found on Linkedin.

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This article was first published on the Hive Initiative Medium account.