Now or by no means exhibition visualises the carbon emissions of widespread supplies

Swedish furnishings designer Emma Olbers has created the Now or by no means – 1kg CO2e exhibition at Stockholm Furnishings Truthful to showcase the local weather affect of supplies generally utilized in structure and furnishings design.

By bodily displaying how a lot of a sure materials must be produced to create one kilogram of carbon emissions, Olbers goals to raised visualise the advantages of selecting sustainable supplies.

The Now or by no means – 1kg CO2e exhibition is on present at Stockholm Furnishings Truthful

“You’ll be able to virtually consider it prefer it’s cash; it is extra worth for the emission,” she informed Dezeen. “In the event you’re doing a seat for a chair, you do not actually get a complete seat [for 1kg of CO2e emissions] in the event you select leather-based. However in the event you select woven rattan, you get six and a half metres, which is perhaps 10 seats.”

“In the event you consider it like ‘that is how a lot you get on your cash,’ then folks actually perceive,” she added.

Materials at Now or never exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair — It showcases carbon emission equivalents for about forty widespread supplies

The exhibition is on present as a part of Stockholm Furnishings Truthful, the world’s largest platform for Scandinavian design.

It locations round forty supplies facet by facet to research which offers probably the most worth when contemplating their carbon emissions.

Overview of Now or never exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair — Designer Emma Olbers created the exhibition

For instance, whereas one kilogram of CO2e emissions will provide you with only a small sq. of concrete weighing in at 4.4 kilograms, you will get 7.7 kilograms of limestone tiles, which can cowl a bigger floor, or a big pine log weighing 9.1 kilograms.

“You’ll be able to actually inform, in the event you’re speaking about buildings, the distinction between concrete and large pine – it is an enormous distinction,” Olbers mentioned.

Carbon emission calculations at Now or never exhibition — It additionally shows the distinction in sustainability between new and recycled furnishings

She calculated the carbon emissions of the supplies utilizing Doconomy’s 2030 calculator, which reveals the carbon footprint of merchandise primarily based on the emissions created from manufacturing and transport up till the purpose of sale.

Olbers, whose work contains the revamp of Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum library utilizing sustainable supplies, has lengthy been within the topic.

“I am a furnishings designer since like 20 years again and I’ve all the time been focused on sustainability,” she mentioned.

“I did the Previous Library on the Nationwide Museum and at the moment, I additionally did strive to decide on supplies that have been as sustainable as attainable.”

Various materials at Now or never exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair — Olbers hopes it would encourage sustainable decisions

Bodily exhibiting the supplies on this exhibition actually made her realise the variations between them.

“The large distinction between the rattan and the leather-based shocked me,” she mentioned.

“And the load, once I lifted the supplies onto the desk. The limestone shocked me too; you bought much more limestone than I assumed [for the emissions.]”

New materials at Now or never exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair — The exhibition reveals each new and outdated supplies

Now or by no means – 1kg CO2e additionally confirmed the distinction in emissions between recycled and virgin aluminium, and shows quite a lot of revolutionary and newer supplies which might be higher for the surroundings.

These embrace Penylon, a fabric created from recycled fishing nets that was developed for use for 3D printing, and mycelium.

Fishnet materials at Stockholm Furniture Fair — A cloth created from recycled fishing nets is on show

Olbers hopes that the exhibition will encourage the numerous architects and designers who go to Stockholm Furnishings Truthful to decide on their undertaking supplies extra properly.

“Fifty per cent of the emissions for furnishings, at the very least, comes from the supplies,” Olbers mentioned. “Transport stands for 4 or so per cent. In order that’s why it is a materials exhibition, not a transport exhibition.”

Display case at Now or never exhibition — The exhibition compares about forty supplies

The exhibition has additionally helped her resolve what supplies to prioritise in her personal tasks.

“Leather-based is admittedly not good,” Olberts mentioned. “I like leather-based, however we’ve to make use of it much less – we would need to solely apply it to sneakers.”

In distinction, different supplies will develop into extra essential in her work. “I’ll attempt to use the fast-growing grasses much more,” she mentioned.

The exhibition was created along with Sally, a future manifestation lab at design and innovation company EY Doberman, and developed with assist from EY, Polestar, Nrep, Ludvig Svensson and Tre Sekel.

Stockholm Furnishings Truthful 2023 takes place from 7 to 11 February 2023 at Stockholmsmässan, Mässvägen 1, 125 30 Älvsjö, Sweden. See Dezeen Occasions Information for an up-to-date checklist of structure and design occasions happening all over the world.