The world we live in is rapidly changing, presenting us with new, environmentally complex issues. Many signs around us show that something is wrong. Large scale air and water pollution, together with growing landfills, declining energy sources and extreme climate changes are pointing to the need for change. We all know that we need to take our responsibility, but instead we tend to blame the problems on the multi-national conglomerates and industrial nations such as the USA and China. The USA says no to CO2 emissions and carbon trading and resists Kyoto while China expands its own industrial revolution at alarming rates.

China is facing many serious environmental issues. High levels of air pollution, growing landfills, energy shortages, land degradation and water pollution are some of the problems which affect not just the local communities but also are threatening all of us on a global scale. Natural resources used for energy and the abundant use of water used to support its huge population is an increasing problem since both the rate of efficient use and rate of recycling of these resources are extremely low. Pollution, waste and low rate of recycling together present a major obstacle to sustainable development for China.
At the same time China’s economy is the fastest growing in the world and is being led by the new consumers who all aspire to a western lifestyle which creates a boom in everyday consumption.

GREEN POLLUTION’s aim is to tackle this problem by directly targeting the source, offering a way of eco-consumption for the Chinese consumer.

This project aims to show how we to create a framework to inspire people to embrace a sustainable lifestyle that can be used for sustainable product development.

GREEN POLLUTION is a web based open source forum where you can share experiences and listen to others on how to gain a sustainable lifestyle. In a personal perspective GREEN POLLUTION is about your resources, your time and your energy. In the global perspective it is about our world.

When looking into the everyday life of people we discover and explore the needs and desires of consumers and companies, generating a huge source of knowledge. By integrating this information into the design process we can create green products and offer a way to eco-consumption.

I have chosen to focus on the textile industry and their needs since there is a strong tendency towards the eco- textile which is seen as the new strong frontier..  Companies within in this industry are looking for partnerships and support and above all they require information to implement actions at various levels. How do they carry out energy audits? How does one retrace the environmental path of the fibres used? How are fabrics chosen using ecological and scientific criteria? Which companies are the true green fabric suppliers?

Only 2.5% of the world cultivated land is used for growing cotton but the production and manufacturing of this natural resource uses one quarter of all pesticides used in the world .Together with USA, China is one of the world’s biggest producers of cotton but they keep the bulk of their harvest for the domestic market. This therefore focuses the need to create a clothing line using organic natural grown cotton, which has a very small environmental impact. Replacing “normal cotton” using pesticides and chemicals for more natural solutions and creating an eco brand gives the consumer a broader choice to become green from the inside out.

Sustainable is good, but by adding fair-trade and ethical policies to the mix it strengthens not only it’s environmental impact but also improves the lives of the people and communities  who work along the whole process. From the fibre to the finished product we can create a brand that is truly sustainable in an environmental and human perspective.

Design can be used as an important tool to apply to our challenges. We have the possibility to address well-being instead of well-having. Being a designer must involve being concerned about sustainability. It is no longer acceptable to just create a product without awareness of its impact. Cold rationality, fearless objectivity together with technology is what environmentalists and ecologists have been trying to use to get us out of our current predicament but with minimal success. We must apply more actions now to communicate important issues.