
March 24, 2022
Salone del Mobile Doubles Down on its Commitment to Sustainability
“If the Salone del Mobile can make good use of newly developed or rediscovered low impact materials, entrepreneurs, designers, and brands should also be able to make the shift.”
Maria Porro, President, Salone del Mobile

“It’s not just about the material but also the use of lighting, catering, and logistics,” says Salone del Mobile president Maria Porro. “Everything needs to be considered when dealing with such a large event. However, we can’t just automatically enact a revolution. Even if the ramifications of the ecological crises are immediate, changes need to be taken step by step. We aim to set an example and demonstrate how certain materials can be efficiently sourced and implemented without further impacting the environment.”
The president explains that it’s still difficult for many manufacturers to find sustainable alternatives. Some even end up exhausting their resources to develop in-house processes. Making the transition is challenging but necessary. Porro and her team hope to gradually increase the scope of these directives every year and, within just a few, make them requirements. “If the Salone del Mobile can make good use of newly developed or rediscovered low impact materials—some of which are already available—entrepreneurs, designers, and brands should also be able to make the shift,” she adds. Companies like Italian recycled wood furniture brand Fantoni are already heeding this advice.

Setting the stage for this re-invigorated mandate will be a central installation developed by renowned Italian architect Mario Cucinella. Comprised of a larger organically-formed wooden platform that undulates in different directions to serve various purposes, The Design with Nature build-out will operate as an amphitheater, bar, classroom, and display plinth. Resembling an expansive topographic landscape, the centrally-positioned installation will be constructed using readily-available, FSC-certified wood from a natural supply chain. Cucinella developed the spatial design based on three main themes: ecological transition, the home as the prime urban element, and the city as a mine. He believes that we should no longer extract raw matter from the earth but rather from the detritus of urban surroundings. The 60th Salone del Mobile promises to be as thought-provoking and timely as it’ll be comprehensive.
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