Through having been around for 30 years, never before has Eco-design become such a popular philosophy of design. Companies are either being praised or criticised if they present eco-design labelled offers - it is either a good push in the right direction towards a more sustainable future, or it is greenwashing. 


Anh Nguyen

Colette Menard

Through having been around for 30 years, never before has Eco-design become such a popular philosophy of design. Companies are either being praised or criticised if they present eco-design labelled offers - it is either a good push in the right direction towards a more sustainable future, or it is greenwashing. As business leaders, it is important to navigate among these noises: what are the limitations of Eco-design, as used today? Will it bring a differentiation factor or will it drive up the production cost?

Eco-design as used today is counterproductive

Let’s look at the case of a multinational food and beverage company, one of our clients. As plastics and plastic packagings for food and beverages are under scrutiny in Europe, the Strategy and Innovation team started to explore 

. One of the ideas was to use aluminium - which is recyclable and gives a luxurious touch to the product. They spent 12 months conducting studies and surveys to choose the perfect test subject, and then another 12 months to replace the plastic packaging with a super thin, recyclable aluminium one.

However, aluminium packaging is too expensive to produce. This drives up the production cost as well as the end customers' purchase price. The team, therefore, switched towards a 

 they spent another year studying the different product shapes that could minimise the production cost while keeping the new aluminium packaging. A new oval shape was proposed to replace the current cube shape, which drove the production cost of each unit down to 10%. Yet, this new shape caused another problem for stacking and storing. Logistics-wise, this is not optimal.

This is the case of one of our clients, yet it is also the situation of many others. These eco-design practices didn’t work because the team had started solving the problem with a

. They wentfrom replacing an old material with a new one to redesigning with constraints (design-to-cost, on top of a new type of material). 

With constraints upon constraints, the solution space ends up being empty.

Here’s another example. The Innovation team of this multinational cosmetics company want to reduce the amount of raw material used in their creme containers. The newly-designed concept was not accepted by their brands, as the new containers are much lighter and hence, do not give a luxurious feel to the product. Finding the perfect compromise between environmental friendliness (removing raw materials) and a luxurious feel (adding more raw materials) seems to be a puzzle that is almost impossible to solve.

This dilemma has been occurring more often than not. 

Despite the good intentions, eco-design as used today, in most cases, often leads to unsatisfying solutions.

 The problem here is that teams approach a design problem with narrow-defined design parameters: “which material is more “sustainable?”, “how to reduce the amount of raw material used?”... while trying to fit these new concepts into the current systems - the same business models, the same codes of consumption, the same stakeholders with the same needs and demands.

To break free from this limitation of current eco-design practices, it is important to opt for the mindset of

 Let’s take the example of our other client in the cosmetic industry, who also wished to reduce the weight of the containers, hence the amount of raw material. Instead of directly trying to solve this problem using narrowly-defined design parameters, we opted for an extensive exploration of possible concepts. 

Any characteristic of the current design can be challenged

: the shape, the way users interact with the container, the traditional elements, the way these containers are stocked and transported and most important of all, the values perceived by end users. It was necessary to challenge the codes of luxe: less doesn’t mean low-cost, cheap-looking products. Simplicity can be luxurious, purity can also mean lush and desirable.

With this new code of luxe introduced, the company has created a new system, in which a lighter, “purer” cosmetic container can be possible and perceived as 

Here’s another example to illustrate this mindset of designing to reinvent. The Innovation team of this international premium pet food manufacturer called for us with a clear mission: creating radically new products that allow a reduction of 80% of the environmental footprint.

To reach such a high ambition, the team was

 (i.e products, processes, consumer habits and upstream supply chain). The exploration resulted in 3 concepts allowing a 50 to 80% reduction of the environmental footprint, each with descriptions of their 

completely different business models, value propositions and production techniques. 

These 3 concepts are being tested and validated to replace the existing products and processes by 2030

If we had started the project by applying the current mindset of reducing and replacing, we would have gotten stuck with impossible solutions, incompatible with current systems and therefore would never get to the development phase. The change of mindset is critical: from a very narrow set of design parameters such as reducing and replacing, towards a broader ambition of 

, in which possible, sustainable and desirable solutions can be allowed to happen.

Business leaders today are being asked from all fronts - regulations, shareholders and clients - to develop more sustainable offers. Therefore, it is essential to get rid of the mono-parameter approach only related to the environmental dimension when it comes to the design and development of new sustainable systems and 

This mindset can bring out incredible differentiation and game-changing opportunities.

 Companies, in this case, don’t just aim at doing slightly better than their competitors by optimising some elements of the current system but 

create an entirely new set of codes and systems, ones that are more desirable and will become the industry’s new standards.

Future Thought Leaders is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of rising Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem. 

Eco-design: a differentiation factor or a dead-end?

Being a good business leader can mean a lot of different things. If we search for a definition of a “good business leader” on Google, there are more than 740 million search results. Among all the noises of latest studies and surveys, we believe there is only one quality that sets apart a great business leader and executive from the good ones: do they have a vision or not?

Frederic Arnoux

Being a good business leader can mean a lot of different things. If we search for a definition of a “good business leader” on Google, there are more than 740 million search results. Among all the noises of latest studies and surveys, we believe there is only one quality that sets apart a great business leader and executive from the good ones: 

Let us not confuse vision with business strategies and strategic planning. All Chief Executives have a business strategy and roadmaps to help realise them. But strategies and roadmaps are not visions. They are short and mid-term plans (from 5 to 15 years) to reach a specific goal.

 designs new product lines that align with 

 of reducing plastic packaging, celebrating different skin colours and complexions, or sourcing from more inclusive purchasing programs. These strategies look promising to their clients and investors. Yet, one cannot deny that they are born out of necessity to answer to upcoming regulations and laws and the emerging demands from clients and potential clients. One way or another, a company like

 or any other cosmetic company will have to prepare themselves for these roadmaps. As necessary as they are, these strategies are not business visions.

A proper business vision, on the other hand, surpasses current constraints and conditions. It aims at creating a lasting organisation whose presence contributes to the betterment of societies and the environment in which it operates. To examine whether you have a business vision, here’s a set of simple questions:

 in the next 25 years? 50 years? 100 years?

 will your company and you help contribute in the next 100 years?

If you don’t have an answer to any of these questions, you don’t have a vision yet, and it might be time to build one.

As you can guess from the questions above, two essential elements make up a business vision that can create a long-lasting company. First, it is a set of things, causes and legacies that inspire you as a business leader. These are your aspirations,

 things that drive you and make you wake up in the morning

. Second, they are also a part of a cause and 

a collective endeavour for the greater good

. This way, your vision can inspire others to onboard with you - your clients, your employees and talents, your investors etc.

The second element is frequently underestimated, yet it is precisely the aspect that ensures that your vision and your company will last in the next generations of employees, clients and investors, even if it is no longer you who leads the way. 

 have been praised worldwide in September 2022. Debates on the retail nature of the business and its environmental impacts aside, this vision will inspire many clients, talents and investors and help secure the company’s position as one of the industry’s leaders for many years to come.

To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind"

, which has inspired generations of designers, engineers and developers, as it involves a legacy that is larger than the life of the company itself. Since Jobs passed away in 2011, the vision has turned towards “To bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services”. This new vision is no longer attached to a greater good but focuses solely on its customers and offers. Only time can answer the effect of this change, yet one thing is for sure, the new vision is much more short-term, matter-of-factly, and hence, less desirable.

The building process of a vision can happen differently from person to person, yet can be jotted down into two main steps:

Step 1 - Expansion: search for new horizons

To design a long-term and inspiring vision, you must search for inspiration from areas far from your current scope of operation. Staying within the studies and analysis of your industry will limit your imagination and hence only give you short-term, matter-of-factly ideas. Instead, the question at this stage is, 

“what are the topics and subjects that drive me, and are parts of the most existential questions of our society?”

. To get inspired, you are encouraged to search for different materials such as philosophy, science fiction, and essays on virtually no limitation of topics.

Once you judge that the exploration’s results are satisfactory, the next step is to 

distil what you have learnt into two areas

 - your aspirations and the cause for the greater good and find the junction between these two elements to draw up your vision.

This exploration might continuously last for several months or days in a focused and intentional manner, depending on your personal preferences. For those who have zero time to search for inspiration due to their hectic schedule, it is compulsory to decide to “stop” the time and create a time-space of a few hours or days in which you can entirely focus on finding inspiration.

Step 2 - Execution: prepare the foundations for your vision

Once the vision has been defined, the next step is to prepare the foundations to make it a reality. The question to ask now is, 

“what are the capabilities of my company and myself that can help make this vision a reality?”

. As the question suggested, you are expected to define a)

 the strategic and differentiating capabilities

 of you and your company to execute this vision - what “superpowers” do you and your company have, compared to the rest of the industry, that are instrumental in concretising this vision? and b) 

, such as talents, investments, a different skillset etc., that would help accelerate the execution of your vision.

 is “'to inspire and to develop the builders of tomorrow”. Despite a world in which most kids are now playing video games, the 90-year-old Danish continues the simplicity of their products’ components as plastic building bricks while hiring the best designers to create curious and daring themes and imaginaries and launching new collections every year. This way, the “small giant” continues to enjoy extreme loyalty from generations of customers and increasing revenues (27% annual growth in 2021). They have earned a place in shaping the minds of future builders.

 showed that the average lifespan of S&P 500 companies dropped to

, compared to 61 years in 1958. It is forecasted that “75% of the companies currently quoted on the S&P 500 will have disappeared” in 2027, either because of buy-outs, M&A or bankruptcy.

Businesses of our times are undoubtedly designed to be short-lived, answering demands constrained by current conditions and then disappearing. As a business leader, one can continue down this path and be contented with this setup. Or, they can decide to change the course: 

becoming an organisation, an entity, an enterprise that lasts and helps solve the most crucial puzzles of our societies

. This decision to change identity - from a fleeing entity to a long-lasting, responsible and desirable one, would be the first step in creating a legacy worth praising and remembering for generations to come.

Future Thought Leaders is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of rising Energy & Sustainability writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem. 

CEOs, do you have a vision?

Businesses are being asked from all fronts - clients, employees, stakeholders and policymakers - to propose a new industrial model that is more desirable, more daring and more respectful towards the environment and social well-being. This is, by no means, a simple task, because of two main obstacles. 

Businesses are being asked from all fronts - clients, employees, stakeholders and policymakers - to propose a new industrial model that is more 

, more daring and more respectful towards the environment and social well-being. This is, by no means, a simple task, because of two main obstacles.

What is preventing you from creating a desirable future?

The first obstacle in creating a desirable future is

 the fixation on the current business values

, which will no longer be relevant to future clients and stakeholders in a near future. Many industry leaders still spend millions each year to stay ahead of the curve, despite the strong signals showing that the market is, however, shifting to another curve.

What constitutes this new curve, then? In a previous article, we have provided a 

six new values of tomorrow that could make a brand more desirable

: from brand name to intrinsic values, from client-first to people and planet-first, from rapidity to proximity, etc. To help them envision a truly desirable future, we suggest that leaders examine these new values and choose the ones that make the most sense to them personally and to their business.

”, in which the effort of optimising a faulty existing system will become more and more costly with a result that becomes less and less significant.

 in 2013. The red curve is their optimisation effort in order to reduce the environmental impact of their engine, while the red triangles are the objectives fixed by European regulations. It was clear that the company cannot keep on optimising its existing models. The company’s leaders, therefore, decided to 

, by redesigning the engine and also parts of the helicopter itself, in order to reach a 

This “invisible wall of optimisation” applies also to the industrial system as a whole

. It is futile to try to change the current industrial machine whose focal point is solely put on productivity and profitability. This design default leaves no space left for the new desirable values. Therefore, businesses must opt for 

 in order to create a desirable future based on new values. This is an effort to 

reimagine, redesign and build new systems 

by eliminating the obsession with productivity and profitability, while introducing more desirable values, ones that are more respectful, less energy and resource-demanding and more humane.

Some will bring exponentially superior results to others.

A shortcut to your desirable future: aiming at a 10X result

In a previous article, we have explained 

different types of reinvention - product, process and business model.

 We concluded by saying that the reinvention of the business model is by far 

 in order to reach meaningful environmental and social objectives. All thanks to the systemic transformations across the whole value chain.

But that was in terms of expected results. What about 

What if to realise a business model reinvention, business leaders will have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars of investments, along with decades of R&D and marketing tests in comparison to other levers?

Here are two good news: first, businesses have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars, spent decades of R&D and marketing tests for way less; and two,

 the level of desirability that we can achieve is not directly proportional to the level of effort that we have to spend.

To reach the 10X level of desirability does not mean that companies will have to spend a 10X effort. 

 can spend millions of dollars, years of R&D and marketing to reduce the amount of raw material for single-use plastic packaging (optimisation) for their yogurt products. Or they can spend the same in order to find out the perfect biodegradable replacement for single-use plastic packaging (partial product reinvention) to reach a 2X level of desirability.

Or they can focus their efforts on creating a 10X more desirable vision:

 creating yogurt products that are based on seasonal fruits and local milk sourcing, which will be distributed and sold locally. Hence without single-use packaging (business model and supply chain reinvention). The product, the process and the supply chain, in this case, will not stay the same, which indicates a massive shift in 

’s historical models to reach a new level of desirability.

This focus on creating the 10X level of desirability will create transformational results, yet will not demand a much more colossal effort in comparison to other pathways. In addition, 

not diverging efforts will save time and energy

 in order to reach the desired goal faster. This applies to individual endeavours as we know them, and also to collective ones such as a company’s vision of a truly desirable future.

 path is made, the question that needs to be asked is not how to adapt the current business machine to reach a desirable future. It is easy to fall back on the optimisation fallacies, with reasoning based on the constraints of the current system.

how to create a new organisation and mechanism that would allow the development and acceleration of a desirable future.

 Asking this right question will help business leaders to build the right team capable of such a task and find the right resources to foster the introduction of a truly desirable business vision.

Future Thought Leaders is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of rising Energy & Sustainability writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

Here’s a shortcut to achieve a desirable future for your business

There is no denying that we are living in a turbulent time of fast changes and paradigm shifts. Things that mattered yesterday can be of little value today. The productivity-driven industrial model designed in the 19th century - a model upon which we have built our businesses and societies for the last 200 years is being very much questioned today by the younger generations of consumers. 

There is no denying that we are living in a turbulent time of fast changes and paradigm shifts. Things that mattered yesterday can be of little value today.

 The productivity-driven industrial model designed in the 19th century - a model upon which we have built our businesses and societies for the last 200 years is being very much questioned today by the younger generations of consumers.

Industry and business leaders of our times, therefore, are being challenged to come up with a vision that is more 

 more respect for social wellbeing, more consideration towards nature, better quality, more equality. More adventures and daring concepts, but more respectful ones all the while.

As clients are becoming more engaged, they expect the same from businesses. According to a study by Deloitte, 

“do more to make progress on societal issues

, including reducing carbon emissions, tackling air pollution, and making business supply chains more sustainable.” These expectations are indeed backed by policy makers, with more and more stringent climate and environment policies. By 2019, there exists a total of 1925 climate change mitigation policies reported by EU Member States (a 

Indeed, businesses do try to respond to those demands. 

of the 2000 largest publicly traded companies had made a "Net Zero" commitment.

 Surely, promises are one thing and concrete actions must be followed, but this is still one of the weak signals showing that businesses need to shift towards 

The true WHY toward a more desirable future

Beyond regulations and pressures from clients and policymakers, business and industry leaders do have a more personal interest to shift toward a new, more desirable future. By creating a new narrative of how businesses should be done, leaders are holding in their hands an immense power to shape the society of the future. Either that society of the future continues on this trajectory of the last 200 years, 

or it could become something else that is more exciting, more daring and yet humane.

No leaders would wake up in the morning and be excited over a goal of a two-fold annual sales increase

, or the takeover of a new emerging market. As important as they are, numbers figures are certainly not the drive that inspires us to do what we are doing. 

The true why lies in the daring visions and ambitions behind

: What are the biggest challenges of humanity that we would like to tackle? Why should it be done by us and not by someone else? What is the personal agenda that we would like to turn into a reality?. These visions are the hidden driving force, the reasons that we wake up everyday.

This applies to individuals, business leaders, but also to businesses

. A business vision that focuses solely on the sales performance or other productivity-driven KPIs no longer speaks to clients, stakeholders and employees. It does not inspire, and it does not comply with the changes demanded by the market, either.

what are the elements that would make a future “desirable”?

 What is the new narrative, the new story-telling that would inspire your future clients, stakeholders and employees? What would make your brand not only relevant but also desirable?

One important shift might happen when the intrinsic values of a product or a service prevail over the brand name. 

 alone, the largest advertiser worldwide in 2020 spent more than 

 of the entire country of Moldova) to promote their fast-moving consumer goods. In total, the world spends 

622 billion US dollars to advertise and enhance brand names

What if companies don’t advertise at all because the intrinsic value of their products/services is undeniable?

 For example, the electric automobile manufacturer 

, one of the world's most expensive clothing brands 

never spent a dime advertising their products

, but still enjoy a strong engagement with their consumers and sales revenue is always on the rise, from one year to another.

Another shift in values could happen in the approach of “client-first” vs “society or nature-first”. The obsession with “client-first” of the giant retailer 

criticisms and accusations of terrible warehouse working conditions

 etc. have gradually become an associated part of the brand. As 

 stated that they have a relationship with a brand because it shares their values, the narrative “client-first” despite all other human and environmental factors, before long, will be not enough to sustain a desirable brand. Meanwhile, 

 is on the other end of the spectrum. Their consistent narrative of “planet and people first” has become one of the best-in-class examples of demarketing, product circularity and recyclability and therefore, has created a community of extremely 

Another example in the clothing industry with a shift from affordability - today’s value to durability - tomorrow’s value could be already observed in Generation Z or Millenials. Being born into the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and social injustice, they are emerging as the sustainability generations. The dominant narrative of affordability backed by fast-fashion brands is no longer desirable, with examples found in the events of 

. Meanwhile, the value brand resale market is growing now at a rate of 12% per annum, 

, fueled mostly by millennials. As value brands offer products with much better durability than fast-fashion brands, this shifting mindset of the younger generations signals a radical change in the narrative that brands should adopt in order to stay relevant.

Businesses are asked to “reinvent” themselves all the time in order to stay ahead of their games. We, on the other hand, believe they should stop doing that before figuring out 

 first. It is no longer enough to stick to the narrative of productivity and rapidity that has been persisting since the 19th century.

Future clients, stakeholders and employees are demanding a different story-telling, one that is more adventurous and daring, but more respectful all the while. It is the only way for businesses to stay relevant in the upcoming years and step up to 

become the shapers of our future societies and economies.

Is the future that you are imagining for your company desirable?

There exist a lot of other renewable energy sources, but they are much less popular or discussed, such as biomass, biomethane, geothermal and solar thermal. 


But before getting into the examination, we must discuss an important notion – grades of energy. 

There exist two grades of energy: low-grade energy & high-grade energy

. I admit, nothing fancy about their names, but it is crucial to note the difference between the two.

Low-grade energy such as heat is available in nature and can be used to do work (boiling water, heating places) but 

. High-grade energy such as electricity, the burning of coal, on the other hand, is highly organised and compact (concentrated in a small space).

A small amount of electricity can do a great amount of work, such as fueling our searches on the Internet. Yet it takes a lot of energy and resources to produce and yield the power of high grade energy, while low grade energy is either quite available and abundant (i.e. the Sun).

We have probably been told this at school. What we haven’t been told is the absurd but common practice of yielding high grade energy to do work that only requires low grade energy. We use an enormous amount of energy & resources with a sophisticated production process to produce electricity to heat our water and our home, and to cook, while heat is low grade energy that can be yielded directly from the heating of the Sun or other low-level transformations such as biomass.

The missing element in our sustainable energy strategy is a renewable source of heat energy

With this in mind, let’s examine these lesser-known renewable sources of energy.

Biomass – it is made from organic matters, it is, therefore, “green”?

 (plants that are grown solely for energy production), or wastes from forests, yards, or farms. Biofuel is “transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel that are 

Biomass is a renewable source of energy (because even though a single plant or animal can not resurrect, we can, instead, farm lots of them).

Biomass from plants is carbon-neutral, meaning that plants capture almost 

 through photosynthesis while growing as is released when it is burned. But it burning wood releases other greenhouse gas, such as 

Biomass is a very important energy source in Sweden, accounting for 

, thanks to its large forested areas. Finland, on the other hand, uses more biomass for energy purposes per capita.

”, Michael Moore lists out many limitations of biomass. (I know, I know, it’s Michael Moore, he does not always have his facts straight in this documentary, but he was not criticized on 

The equivalent of a horror movie scene: a massive biomass plant, shown in the documentary “Planet of Humans” by Michael Moore. 

Biomass, when being ill-managed and used on a massive scale, will lead to the destruction of forests & their ecosystem

, loss of habitat for animals, damages to water systems, while not being the most efficient energy source in comparison to other alternatives.

Imagine the absurdity of burning organic matter and woods to produce high grade energy such as electricity to heat water and to cook – which can be done right in the first place, the same way the first men did back in prehistoric times.

Biomass can make a lot of sense when it comes to heating and cooking – work that requires only low grade energy (though it is not possible to fuel our computers or internet search)

. The practice also depends largely on the availability of woods & plants in the region or community and should be coupled with techniques that allow the optimization of the burnt biomass materials such as rocket stoves or tile stoves.

We have examined these practices here in this article “

Less waste, less energy: better ways to heat places in a temperate climate

Biogas, syngas, biomethane, methanation, pyro-gasification: different things, but not quite

 is a term used for the process and products after the breakdown (or “

”, roughly speaking) of organic matters in the absence of oxygen (the process is called methanation).

How biogas is produced: waste is stored and fermented in tanks without oxygen, this will produce methane and other gases. 

The same principle is applied to other types of man-made gas, with different materials and configurations. 

 is one type of biogas with a methane concentration of 90% or greater. 

 is a term to describe pretty much the same process of methanation but with organic and non-organic matters (i.g household waste), to produce synthetic gas or 

 renewable natural gases are marketed massively in the past few years in Europe, as a “greener” alternative to natural gas – fossil energy as it valorises waste from industries, household as well as residues from agricultural activities, and it is renewable (presumedly that we will perpetually produce waste).

 What is often overlooked, however, is that they still emit greenhouse gas (GHG) during their production & usage.

In the rest of the world, the practice was encouraged by governments in regions where it is too expensive to build electricity grids and where agricultural waste is abundant. Below is an example of biogas in the rural areas of Vietnam to fuel their cooking.

The dung produced by the animals flows into a brick-built fermenter set in the ground”. Small-scale farmers “with two cows or six pigs have enough manure to run a digester that meets their own energy monthly cooking needs”. 

 that can be monitored to fuel complex work and machines. It can also be compressed and stored in tanks, as described here 

You can’t miss it!

Anh Nguyen

Anh Nguyen

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