The next event on the Sustainable Design Summit calendar is Circular Resilience: closing the loop of critical raw materials. Taking place Thursday 5 December, this working group will provide an important update on the introduction of the new critical materials regulations – which have now come into force. The expert panel – and the engaged attendees – will explore the key imperatives for achieving full circularity of aluminum and step away with some exciting, actionable ideas.
Read on to explore why aluminium has such a crucial role to play in the future of interior design material circularity, what steps aluminium companies have already taken to introduce closed loop systems and how the hospitality industry are already adapting to their new normal.
The Critical Raw Materials Act
Aluminium has been designated as one of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials. This leaves any construction project needing to use it subject to a series of benchmarks. A significant portion of the aluminium used in any country belonging to the EU must be either extracted or processed in the EU. At least 25 percent of the EU’s annual consumption of aluminium must stem from domestic recycling.
Meanwhile, global demand for aluminium is expected to rise by 40% to 119.5 million metric tons by 2030. Already the second-most in-demand metal in the world, demand is expected to be driven by the material’s lightweight capabilities as companies around the world race to meet net-zero targets by 2050.
When you dig into the facts, it’s clear why recycling, or using recycled aluminium is such a powerful proposition for design professionals. The International Aluminium Statistics page identifies that 96% of the greenhouse gas emissions related to the aluminium sector stem from the processes involved in extracting and refining aluminium from the ore. These processes produce 14.8 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of primary aluminium, from cradle to gate. In comparison only 0.5 tonnes C02e is produced per tonne of recycled aluminium using new scrap. An emissions saving of such scale can be clearly and easily communicated to stakeholders and potential guests.
With these pressures on design professionals working in the hospitality and travel sphere, it’s crucial for designers and architects to feel equipped with knowledge and strategies to help usher their company through this challenging but hopeful new era of design.
Case Studies
The National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme (NICER) is a four year programme ‘working to provide the evidence base needed to deliver a resilient and restorative Circular Economy for the UK’. Their recent Hospitality Spotlight Report, part of their work to identify different industrial sectors within the UK where ‘significant opportunity to accelerate the circular economy exists’. They cited a study of the non-UK hospitality sector which identified that construction waste in hospitality is higher than other sectors.
One of the challenges identified by the report was the fragmented nature of the UK hospitality industry. As around 99% of the UK hospitality industry consists of Micro and small businesses, it can be challenging to form collective views or share technical expertise.
Meanwhile, over in the cruise ship interiors industry, Holland America Line have launched a revolutionary pilot programme in order to reprocess aluminium furniture. Spearheaded by Director of Interior Design, and speaker at the upcoming SDS Working Group Lunch, My Nguyen commented, ‘We know we have thousands of pieces of aluminium furniture that will need to be replaced. We have already ordered the replacements, but what are we going to do with the old furniture if it cannot be donated? The goal is to create an ecosystem of partners. This involves companies taking the aluminum in its end-of-life state, and vendors that buy this aluminum to create furniture that goes back on our ships.’
Join the follow on session
Moderator Sui Lie will arrange a follow-up call in January for attendees of the December event. Taking place on the CSI+ platform, this will be an online session that will inspire and support designers working across hospitality travel interiors. Taking place in January, this event will facilitate collaboration on industry circularity infrastructure. Attendees will also be invited to discuss working with volume to ensure impact, and leave confident that they don’t have to start from scratch.
The session invites the cross-industry collaborators who have grown close through three years of Sustainable Design Summit, and this year of regular learning events, to create a collaborating group committed to supporting each other to action change. This group will identify highly specific action points and work together throughout the year to set each other in motion.
The starting point for this call will be the conversations that take place at the upcoming SDS Working Group Lunch. Designers and architects working across the travel hospitality industries who want to ally themselves with peers focused on change should attend the Lunch.
Want more of this?
Eager to learn more about sustainable design and spark climate change? Sustainable Design Summit provides a year-round global platform dedicated to making sustainable choices easier for interior designers working in the hospitality travel interiors sectors. Find out about the next event here.