Sustainability at R S W

Climate change, resource consumption and pollution are challenges that cannot be met with neutrality. At RSW, we want our work to help make products more durable, more repairable and more circular. In our own studio, we are taking concrete steps as well.

We are not perfect (not even close). Here we show openly what we already do:

Product and Interior Design

As signatories of the "Charta für nachhaltiges Design" (Charter for Sustainable Design), we have committed to continuous learning in sustainable design. When advising clients, we advocate for environmentally sound and socially responsible design, as well as resource-efficient production methods and materials. In our designs, we focus on durability and ease of use.

Along the way, we have built up expertise in the circular economy (Cradle to Cradle). For Sparkasse Hannover, we developed a branch concept in which we specifically used Cradle to Cradle certified products, for example for the floor coverings.

In product design, we have long worked with durable natural materials such as cork, wood, leather and natural fibres. We are fascinated by simple concepts that can be assembled without tools and separated back into single-material components, such as the Jam shelf and the Ding Table for Normann Copenhagen. We would particularly like to mention our projects for discipline (an Italian design label that works mainly with natural materials and manufactures in Italy), hem and Side-by-Side (design products made in workshops for people with disabilities). Our goal is products that stay in use for as long as possible. One example is the grow-along children's chair for Pupupula, which won a Golden Pin Award. Once the children have grown up, it becomes a full-size dining chair.

For mass-produced products, we are always looking for alternatives to conventional plastics, both bio-based and biodegradable. We have worked with the BASF Creation Center for many years, where research on such plastics has been going on for more than thirty years. This gives us a direct line to industry and a good overview of new developments in this field.

That said, we believe plastics from fossil sources can also have their place. The transition to e-mobility requires particularly lightweight high-performance plastics that are heat- and chemical-resistant and have good electrical and mechanical properties. With concept studies such as Concept 1865, we show how these materials can reduce the energy demand of electric vehicles through lower weight.

Innovation and start-up consulting

Environmental and circularity topics are becoming increasingly central to our consulting work.

For example, we supported Rhenoflex, a world-leading solutions provider of reinforcement materials for the footwear and lifestyle market, in a multi-day design thinking workshop. Together, we identified new applications and business areas for their Green Line products, which include bio-based, biodegradable and recycled materials.

In a long-standing collaboration, we helped the start-up Out For Space successfully position its nature tech material karuun® on the market.
 

Teaching

As lecturers in the Sustainable Entrepreneurship course at Hochschule Hannover (University of Applied Sciences and Arts), we introduce business administration students to sustainability topics and help them develop ideas for sustainable business models. 

In the Product Design program, our courses focus on the circular economy.

Studio

Mobility:
For commuting, we almost exclusively use bicycles or public transport.
For business trips within Germany and to neighbouring countries, we take the train.
For flights to international business meetings, we pay a climate contribution to atmosfair, which funds climate protection projects. This does not undo the emissions of the flights themselves. That is why we only fly when there is no reasonable alternative.

Digital collaboration:
Internally and with our clients, we work on online collaboration platforms. This allows us to …
… enable our employees to work creatively from home and reduce commuting.
… involve clients interactively and in real time in our creative process, avoiding travel for coordination and presentation meetings.
… use less paper and other work materials.

Energy:
Our studio is supplied with 100 % green electricity from LichtBlick. We no longer heat with gas but with district heating from enercity.
Our website is hosted by Uberspace, whose servers, according to the provider, run on green electricity.

Anything else?
Our business account is with GLS Bank, which publishes its investment and financing criteria. We search the web with Ecosia. Our daily shared lunch at the Schwanenburg is not only probably the best in town, it is also cooked with regional and seasonal ingredients, including vegetables from the Bioland-certified nursery Rothenfeld in Isernhagen. The restaurant is listed in the Slow Food Germany "Genussführer" guide. Our coffee break features beans roasted locally. We buy snacks in bulk to reduce packaging waste.