ThinkLab Shares Insights on the Dynamics of Sustainability in Decision-Making

At ThinkLab we spend our days researching the ecosystem of the built environment. We geek out over the product specification process and the changes happening at the intersection of product and design. Here’s the tension we’ve uncovered when it comes to prioritizing sustainability in projects:

ThinkLab’s latest U.S. Design Industry Benchmark Report found that 84 percent of commercial architects and designers say client demand for healthy spaces and sustainable products has increased or greatly increased. At the same time, sustainability is rising in product-attribute importance, jumping from seventh to fifth place. 

Additionally, among the specifier archetypes identified in ThinkLab’s industry-persona study, which it first introduced in 2022, the “Sustainability First” persona now constitutes 10 percent of the design population (double its share in the previous year). 

Seeing these stats, you may think, “Wow, a move in the right direction for sustainability!” And while that may be true, it may not be in the way you’d expect. Here’s why:

We asked those making decisions—for their own spaces or on behalf of clients—what their top priority was when selecting products. “Ease of doing business” was the core concern for end users, dealer designers, and traditional architecture and design firms. 

The reality is, and research tells us, that “ease of doing business” has to be foundational for end users, followed by “financial goals.” You could think of it like Maslow’s hierarchy of sustainable specification needs. Unless that foundation is there, sustainability considerations become challenging for most clients. While the first few stats I shared feel warmer and fuzzier, we think understanding the reality of product selection can empower you for these reasons:

RECOGNIZE YOUR IMPACT AND INFLUENCE 

The average designer now has 40 times more specification power than the average American consumer has buying power. And it can be as high as 140 times for INTERIOR DESIGN Giants of Design (specifiers from the top 200 firms). Additionally, METROPOLIS has found that by 2050, the interior design industry will have influence over almost one-tenth of the world’s carbon emissions, owing to how often interior spaces are renovated throughout the life cycle of a building.

HARNESS YOUR POWER AND INFLUENCE EFFECTIVELY 

If it were as easy as toggling a few filters to find the most sustainable choices, we wouldn’t see as much tension as we currently do. While there are great resources for designers to search and compare across different impact categories for new products, the bigger picture of the selection process is more nuanced: Is reused better than new when considering embodied carbon? Reused products can be harder to find, and my billable hours are finite. I want to use biobased products, but will they be durable enough for this application? Here are a few resources that can help with decision support:

• Comparing products: The mindful MATERIALS platform includes details such as material composition, environmental certifications, and health-related information, allowing users to compare and evaluate products based on their sustainability criteria. Visit mindfulmaterials.com. 

• Sourcing reused: All for Reuse has created a Reuse Ecosystem Map to help connect architects and designers with suppliers and organizations that offer reused building products or related services. Explore at allforreuse.org/ecosystem-map.

• Measuring impact: One Click LCA is life cycle assessment software that measures embodied carbon in your projects. Learn more here. 

ADVOCATE FOR SUSTAINABLE SELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF YOUR CLIENT’S PRIORITIES 

ThinkLab’s latest industry research has centered on changes in customer decision-making. We’ve found that getting to consensus is harder than ever, and clients will go to great lengths to reduce their risk in an increasingly complex process. 

Even if your firm has a strong stance on sustainability, remember that your client’s career may depend on the success of this project. And success may not mean the same thing to them as it does to you. Should we all care about health, wellness, and sustainability more than anything else? A resounding yes. But given that the most sustainable option is not building anything, we’re all living in a gray area. 

How can you make a client care about sustainability? We believe the more powerful question is, How can I reframe the sustainability conversation around what matters most to my client? That’s where the magic happens. 

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• Research

• Circularity in products
• Embodied Carbon
• Healthy Materials
• Meredith Campbell
• Research
• sustainability
• ThinkLab