Taking a fresh look at sustainability from a designe’s perspective

Before starting to design in these areas, two constraints were added. One is that it must be technically feasible and inexpensive to manufacture. The other is that it must actually work and be usable. At first glance, this may seem normal, but the reality is that designers are not often involved in the details of manufacturing. In corporate operations, each department has its own division of roles, and processing, manufacturing methods, and procurement are the responsibility of specialized departments. Therefore, it was a good opportunity for broadening my perspective by designing with an awareness of the unusual constraints of designing while expanding my own sphere of activity.

It was a challenge, especially for young designers. The challenges include the birth pangs of inspiring ideas from redefined sustainability, overcoming the skills gap between designers specializing in UI design and working with 3D CAD, researching materials and processing methods that do not require expensive and large-scale molds, trial and error, finding a partner that can produce small quantities of objects that can withstand use rather than models, and a series of negotiations through internal approval processes to contract, order, deliver, and pay for the product. This may be something we will experience someday, and we hope that experiencing this in a short period of time will broaden the scope of our activities in the future.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, intra-team discussions, various surveys, and meetings with partners were conducted online, which made it difficult to proceed as planned. However, thanks to the efforts of the participating designers and the efforts of our partners, we were finally able to connect the perspectives of coexistence with pets in times of disaster, raising environmental awareness, and adapting to changing lifestyles due to the coronavirus pandemic, and express the sustainability of each.