Sustainable Design’s Blind Spot; Why a Design isn't Sustainable if it's not Vegan
The environmental and ethical impacts of animal agriculture cannot be ignored if the goal is to design and build a sustainable interior.
Like many other designers and architects I rode the green wave that emerged in the early 2010’s, when the USGBC began widely offering LEED certifications. “You have to get LEED accredited, it's the future," they said. So, as an already overloaded young designer I navigated the inexplicably unorganized websites, manuals and study guides, paid the fees, took the exams, and got my LEED accreditation. At the time, I had already long been a vegan for moral reasons, but certainly didn’t consider the connection between my recent sustainability accreditation, my career, and my veganism. To be honest, I attempted to avoid bringing up that I was vegan in professional settings, particularly with clients. This was primarily to deter to from having a “big conversation” over catered sandwiches that could end awkwardly and abruptly. I first and foremost wanted my clients to consider me a trustworthy designer, not some kind of granola eating activist that has strong opposing views to theirs.
Even when I was working on sustainable projects seeking LEED certification I never considered pushing vegan products onto clients. I’d go as far as presenting faux leather but would easily fold if a client asked for real leather upholstery. I didn’t want to “impose” on them. I was well aware wool was not vegan, but wasn’t then privy to the environmental impacts and didn’t go out of my way to avoid it professionally. All this to say, had I known what I do now, I would have spoken up.
The oldest photo I could find of myself in a “professional” setting
Design Republic Office Party Photo circa 2011, ft. Maggie Desmond
It wasn’t until 2024, (years after I allowed my LEED accreditation expire due to dwindling project demand and lack of time for CE credits) when I conceptualized Faint of Heart, a company that melded my long standing ethics with my profession. It was then that I began to really look into commonly used materials and their environmental and social impacts. For 20 years I was a designer, and a vegan. Now, as a Vegan Designer, my responsibilities have evolved.
As a result of independent research and engaging with other vegan designers in IVIDA, (International Vegan Interior Design Association) the abundant use of animal products and their negative impact began to unveil itself. The common offenders are highlighted below, but this is the tip of the iceberg. If true sustainability is the goal of a project, or, should a client want their interiors to be “cruelty fee” there is much more to consider than what’s bulleted. An environmentally friendly project warrants the thoughtfulness of a design professional that is not just educated, but rather, compassionate and driven by ethics.
Common Offenders
“Describing animal derived-materials as 'natural' creates a false sense of eco-consciousness.” - Chloe Bullock FRSA, BIID Reg ID
Leather
COMMONLY USED AS/IN: Upholstery & Furniture
ALSO FOUND IN: Rugs, Carpets, Light Fixtures, Hardware, Wall Panels & Furniture Surfaces
WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD: Leather is a byproduct of the meat industry.
THE REALITY IS: Leather is not only a byproduct of the meat industry, it is it’s own profit seeking industry. This is a fallacy that has long been perpetuated to make leather more "palatable" for consumers. In fact, it would be better for the environment if hides were thrown away in lieu of processed as leather.
CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS OF LEATHER: According to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, leather is one of the most environmentally damaging industries. In the list of commonly used materials, leather has worst impact on the planet, 4 times that of synthetic leather, and 8 times the amount of negative impact in comparison to polyester.
HUMAN & SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF LEATHER: Human rights issues were found in every stage of leather production in an analysis from the Fair Labor Association, spanning farms, slaughterhouses and tanneries across the globe.
LEARN MORE: Leather: Less than Luxurious- Previous Blog by Faint of Heart
https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/under-their-skin
https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/articles/leather-is-not-a-natural-or-sustainable-byproduct
Wool
COMMONLY USED AS/IN: Rugs, Carpets, Upholstery Fabric & Drapery Fabric
ALSO FOUND IN: Acoustical Panels, Plaster, Bricks, Insulation
WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD: Wool comes from fluffy white sheep on rolling green hills that need to be sheared. They live a happy, normal life.
THE REALITY IS: All sheep who are bred for wool are also slaughtered and sold as ‘meat’. Many lambs are shorn just before their slaughter at about nine months old. Using wool is effectively the same as using the sheep’s skin, they come from the same slaughtering system.
CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS OF WOOL: Producing a wool knit garment emits 27 times more greenhouse gas-equivalent emissions than a cotton knit garment. In addition, sheep rearing is a leading cause of land destruction and in turn, biodiversity destruction in the fashion industry (the impact of the the fashion industry’s use of material is far more researched than interior design)
HUMAN & SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF WOOL: The shearing and slaughtering industry is full of marginalized people, refugees, and undocumented migrants, studies have found that killing animals for a living has a detrimental impact on a person’s mental health. Unions have reported shearers being paid with drugs rather than money, having no access to bathrooms, and working in unsafe, hot conditions that likely exacerbate mental health issues.
https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/wool
https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/articles/woolmark-ad-green-washing-and-ethics-washing
Silk
COMMONLY USED IN: Upholstery Fabric & Drapery Fabric
ALSO FOUND IN: Wallcoverings and Wallpaper
WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD: Silk worms make silk like a spider makes a web
THE REALITY IS: Silk comes from the cocoons of boiled-alive caterpillars. It’s made in a system that is often inefficient and rooted in human exploitation.
CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS OF SILK: Silk is not an efficient material to produce. At least 187kg of mulberry leaves must be grown to produce 1kg of silk from cocoons.
HUMAN & SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF SILK: Serious human rights concerns have been documented in the silk industry. Bonded child labor, when a child’s work is guaranteed to an employer in return for a payment or loan, has been reported in India, the second largest silk-producing country. Forced labor has been documented in India as well as in Uzbekistan, the third-largest silk producing country
LEARN MORE: https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/silk
https://theethicalist.com/silk-the-not-so-shiny-truth-about-the-prized-fabric/
Down & Feathers
COMMONLY USED IN: Cushions of Upholstered Furniture & Pillows
WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD: Farms ‘collect’ feathers from naturally molting birds, thus making the process painless and natural.
THE REALITY IS: Down is never ethical. It is either ripped from live birds or their carcasses.
CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS OF DOWN: As with all animal agriculture, farming ducks and geese has serious negative environmental implications.
HUMAN & SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF DOWN: Without slaughterhouses, there would be no down feather industry. The wastewater that comes out of slaughterhouses killing geese and ducks poses health risks to the communities surrounding them.
LEARN MORE: https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/down https://theethicalist.com/silk-the-not-so-shiny-truth-about-the-prized-fabric/
Building Materials
No one like’s a surprise coming from within their walls.
Much like milk sneaks it’s way into a myriad food products, several building materials that designers don’t often have control over also contain animal products. Members of the IVIDA are advocating for clear labeling and material certification in order to, at the very least, allow transparency within the industry, There sadly are no alternates (or way of confirming an alternate is used) for some of the materials utilized in core and shell construction currently.
Less is known about the indoor environmental impacts of the animal products within the materials listed below as they’re sheer presence is known by few. However, what is well documented is the animal based additives are “byproducts” of industrial animal agriculture, which has a tremendous carbon footprint.
This is why it’s imperative for design professionals to be privy to these realities and engage with vegan designers if sustainability is a goal. Change can only come if enough of us insist on labeling, alternate options, and specify accordingly.
Most paint contains:
Casein – a protein derived from milk, in addition to a handful of other non vegan ingredients that depend on the color or texture.
Some bricks contain:
Ox Blood and Animal Fat- added to improve their durability
Concrete and cement may contain:
Blood, Gelatin, and Bone Meal- used as binding agents
Steel may use:
Beef Tallow - used as a lubricant when rolling the steel
Call to Action
I don’t claim to be a sustainability expert, but it is glaringly obvious that the use of animal derived materials in built environments carries a huge carbon footprint. One that has been turned a blind eye to for many years. This is my call to action to those that are in the field of sustainable design, or designers who want to be informed and ensure they are providing their clients with sound material selections. Vegan design is for everybody and every space, and vegan designers such as myself are simply taking the term “attention to detail” to the next level.
& Most Importantly
Vegan designers are first and foremost Designers. Aesthetic and function are our top priority. The additional layer of consideration does not hinder design opportunities nor the final product. Luckily, most classic materials; think wood, clay, stone, and linen are inherently cruelty free, so chances are, you won't notice the "vegan" in our designs, and that’s exactly the intention.
