So many people think of sustainable design as extremely complicated or very vague. It's not vague at all. By my definition, sustainable design is something that signals - signals an intention to love all children of all species for all time.
Though the concept is clear, the question may still arise, "How exactly do we design this to be sustainable?" The answer is quite simple. We just have to ask ourselves, "Is this a Cradle to CradleSM product or not?"
Take the example of a digital camera. Imagine that the camera was equipped with a small bag inside. You push a green button and the bag pops out. When the camera reaches the end of its life, you simply put it in the bag, write "Return to Sony" on the outside, and pop it in the mailbox. This is a story - a story that the camera should be sent back to the manufacturer to be reused in manufacturing the next product. All products that manufacturers create are end products, but at the same time, they are also the technical nutrients that help cultivate the next products. Cameras, and of course the packaging too, are designed to be these technical nutrients and should always be sent back to industry and the soil at the end of their lives. This is the very concept of Cradle to CradleSM. It's not really a difficult concept, is it?
I was born in Japan and lived there until I was six years old. Back then, the ox cart would come by during the night to collect our sewage and take it out to the farmers. Even the sewage didn't go to waste. It was used as fertilizer. Then in the morning the food - the vegetables, the tofu, the meat, even the proteins - would be brought by our house. The night sewage became the morning food. That process was where my interest in sustainability began, and it's had a major impact on the way I think about things.
Looking at the manufacturers of consumer products around the world, we see that design leads the agenda of sustainability. I think that Sony is the manufacturer with the potential to be the first to realize the cradle to cradle concept in hardware design.
I look to Sony to take up Cradle to CradleSM as a company-wide strategy. This would signal the company's intention as a global citizen to leave the planet a valuable legacy. This is a strategy that could be integrated into all products and services and would, I believe, symbolize intelligence at the beginning of the 21st century.
As in the example I gave of the digital camera, I like the idea of a green button on all Sony products. This is something Sony could do. Actually, I should say this is something only Sony could do. I say that because Sony is not only focused on outselling all of its competitors or gaining the largest market share in the world, Sony has always had a culture of continually challenging itself to do what only Sony can do, as well. We are looking globally for sustainability in consumer products. This is a great thing. This is a very meaningful challenge and a great opportunity, I believe.
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