The Most Underrated Sustainability Lever Sits in the Design Studio
I went to Climate Week NYC to listen to people who know sustainability far better than I do. I came back convinced that one of the most underrated levers in any company sits in the design studio. Here’s why.
For most large companies, the bulk of emissions hide in the supply chain—the hardest part to measure, influence, and decarbonize. Those emissions are shaped by materials, vendors and packaging, and many of those decisions start with a designer’s brief.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, now rolling out across U.S. states, make companies financially responsible for the end of life of the packaging they put on the market. Their aim is simple: shift recycling costs from taxpayers to producers and incentivize better packaging design through fees tied to weight, material, and recyclability. In other words: heavier, harder to recycle packaging now costs more.
The EU is moving even faster. Its Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) that began applying in August 2026, tightening recyclability rules and setting mandatory reuse and recycled content targets across the bloc.
One panel example stuck with me. A Starbucks representative used the Unicorn Frappuccino to make a point: swap its clear plastic for an opaque material, and you’ve defeated a product designed to be seen. The lesson wasn’t about cups — it was about starting with the product itself and designing ways to showcase its appeal within sustainability constraints. That’s a design conversation, not just a compliance one.
-
Where a designer can start
Here’s how I’d start that conversation.
Form. Design shapes that use less material and pack tightly. Lighter, more compact packs can cut shipping weight and fit more per pallet.
Materials. Choose one recyclable material over layered, mixed ones wherever the product allows.
Vendors. Ask suppliers for real data, not brochures. One Climate Week panel was framed around moving beyond vendor audits toward genuine partnership.
And then there’s the story we tell.
Clorox’s legal director for business and product marketing said her team knows not to bring her copy containing the word “sustainable.” Vague claims like “green” or “eco-friendly” ask people to trust you blindly, and most consumers won’t. Specificity feels like a friend telling you something true.
A food industry analysis published during Climate Week echoed this. Innova Market Insights found that sustainability now acts more like a tiebreaker than a headline reason to buy: it works when it’s tangible and truthful, and it backfires when it isn’t. Experts quoted in the piece said the era of broad claims is ending. Brands earning trust combine credible data with clear, human storytelling.
Our job isn’t to make sustainability look good. It’s to make the sustainable choice the smart, beautiful and efficient one.
-
The rules are catching up
Starting September 2026, the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive will ban generic environmental claims like ‘eco‑friendly’ or ‘green’ unless they’re backed by recognized certification or verifiable evidence. It also prohibits “climate neutral” claims based solely on carbon offsets.
The directive applies to any company selling to EU consumers, wherever it’s based, and it covers products already on shelves.
In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can now fine companies up to 10% of global turnover for misleading environmental claims under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. The CMA expects brands to verify what suppliers tell them.
In the U.S., the FTC’s Green Guides haven’t been updated since 2012, so states are filling the gap with their own rules and enforcement actions.
-
Silence isn’t the answer
Climate Group CEO Helen Clarkson noted that media mentions of “climate change” and “global warming” fell 38% between 2021 and 2025 — a retreat she calls greenhushing. Her advice: put the proof in the layout, not the footnote.
And make the responsible choice the default. Oatly’s strategy in the non dairy milk category is a good example: dairy becomes the opt in, not the baseline.
So here’s my challenge. Before your next brief is signed, ask three questions. What is it made of? Who made it, and can they show me the data? Can I prove every word I’m about to put on it? Our job isn’t to make sustainability look good. It’s to make the sustainable choice the smart, beautiful and efficient one, and that work starts with the next brief on your desk.