By Wiz Morgan & Lucy Bonney
Last month, Sustainable Design Summit (SDS) flipped the script once again on traditional conference sessions by putting the audience in the spotlight for its latest Working Group in Hamburg. The session, From Ideas to Impact: It starts with you, united brand owners, interior designers, suppliers, and sustainability specialists from across the hospitality travel interiors industry to share insights, spark collaboration, and tackle the sector’s most pressing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) challenges.
Industry experts Zoë Li, Senior Sustainability Manager at Archer Hotel Capital, and Mike Lambourn, Design Lead at PriestmanGoode invited real-time audience participation through live polls and open Q&As. Discussions spanned the financial challenges of sustainable investment to practical examples of circular design already being implemented in cruise, hotel and rail interiors.
Opening the session, Zoë shared how Archer Hotel Capital is weaving sustainability into luxury hospitality interiors, from renovating Palace Hotel Madrid according to BREEAM standards to developing a cross-laminated timber building at Renaissance Amsterdam aimed at reducing embodied carbon. Looking back on the session, Zoë reflected:
“It was exciting to meet so many people eager to share experiences in embedding and communicating sustainability in design. I hope the practical examples I shared from Archer’s renovations of Palace Madrid and Renaissance Amsterdam can help others on their journey. Having people approach me afterwards to ask how they can contribute more was really encouraging – a clear sign that momentum is building in the community.”
Here’s what the polls told us
Zoë’s examples set the stage for the first live poll, inviting attendees to reflect on ESG progress within their own organisations. The polling revealed a notable “confidence gap” across the industry. While 87% of attendees work in organisations with defined ESG goals, many expressed mixed confidence in whether these goals actually influence design decisions, with responses clustering around a mid-range score of 5 out of 10.
Beyond confidence gaps, feedback indicated that key challenges in implementing sustainable design included convincing owners to invest, navigating supply chain limitations, and clarifying ownership and accountability. Responding to this gap between ambition and execution, Mike Lambourn stressed the importance of embedding sustainability earlier in the design process. Reflecting on this, he noted:
“It was inspiring to see the growing momentum behind sustainable design, with innovative materials, systems, and initiatives emerging all the time. While caution around greenwashing remains, we are learning how to communicate the real impact of our design decisions with greater transparency.”
Mike reiterated that a key takeaway was integrating sustainable thinking into everyday procedures, rather than treating it as an afterthought – reinforcing how collaboration drives meaningful, system-wide change.
The conversation then turned to tangible solutions, with PriestmanGoode showcasing its framework for systemic change, highlighting the need to embed sustainability directly into 3D design parameters and support supply chain transparency.
Successful examples of circular design integration shared by audience members include:
The overall message
Attendees left the session with clear takeaways: meaningful progress must be rooted in real action, transparent communication and buy-in from stakeholders.
By bringing diverse stakeholders together to share hopes, challenges, and practical lessons creates “a stronger foundation for meaningful change,” Mike Lambourn noted. Rather than waiting for perfect solutions, the conversation highlighted the importance of starting now. Design professionals hoping to effect change within their companies must share what works, learn openly, and push to embed sustainability into everyday decision-making.
“As environmentalist Robert Swan once warned “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”. In our industry the greatest threat is believing we must have all the answers before we begin.” — Zoë Li
How will SDS continue to support these initiatives?
Looking ahead, Sustainable Design Summit will continue to build on the progress achieved since its launch in 2022, acting as a catalyst for change across travel and hospitality interiors. Helen Blantz, Conference Director at Elite Exhibitions, shares:
“SDS excels at connecting the supply chain with key decision-makers. Future sessions will continue to spotlight what works – scaling successful pilots, sharing practical insights from effective collaborations, and refining the language that helps owners choose sustainable solutions. One thing is certain: designers play a pivotal role in advancing the circular economy within travel and hospitality interiors. Upcoming SDS discussions will focus on how designers can amplify the impact of circular thinking – transforming circular thinking into circular action”
Keep learning
If you’re curious about the realities of sustainable processes or are looking to take more detailed actions, you can download the PriestmanGoode Route to Zero (RTZ) toolkit, part of the Design Councils ‘GreenSkills by 2030’ mission, to start embedding sustainable parameters into your design process.
You can also download a PDF version of our session analytics, which includes additional responses to questions addressed during the Hamburg session.
Sustainable Design Summit will return for its next Working Group in Miami, co-located with Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Americas, 9 – 10 June at the Miami Beach Convention Center. To register your interest in attending, or receiving updates on the session, sign up here.
