In a world where every drop of resource matters, many everyday products still carry hidden inefficiencies. Take your typical liquid hand wash: it’s mostly water. That means most of the weight and volume transported from factories to stores to your home is just… water — with all the associated energy, packaging, and emissions. What if […]
How Design Decisions Turned a Durable Object into River Waste A reflection by Aditi Deodhar on how the everyday ruler shifted from durable steel to fragile plastic, removing consumer choice, increasing waste, and quietly contributing to river pollution. Introduction: A Tool Meant to Measure—Now Measuring Waste A ruler is one of the most basic tools
The Ruler: A Simple Tool That Forgot How to Last Read More »
A reflection by Aditi Deodhar on how design and material choices determine sustainability, using the everyday geometry box rounder to show how mixed materials, unnecessary packaging, and design decisions quietly create waste that ends up in rivers. Introduction: Sustainability Is Hidden in Ordinary Objects When we think about unsustainable products, we often imagine large, industrial
What a Geometry Box Rounder Teaches Us About Sustainable Design Read More »
Why a Product’s Afterlife Is Decided at the Design Table A reflective, collaborative blog for product designers on how end-of-life outcomes are decided during the design phase—and why refusing unnecessary elements, avoiding mixed materials, and adopting supportive sustainability frameworks is the need of the hour. Introduction: Designers Shape Futures—Often Invisibly Every product tells two stories.
Designing the End at the Beginning Read More »
A simple decision-making guide that helps households choose safer, sustainable products using a Product Audit Matrix based on utility, health impact, material choice, and recyclability. Introduction: Why “Recyclable” Is the Wrong First Question Most people try to be responsible consumers.They ask questions like: Is this recyclable? Is this eco-friendly? Where do I throw this? But
The Core Shift: From Waste Management to Waste Reduction Read More »
From Consumer Responsibility to Design Responsibility The R Framework is often framed as a consumer responsibility. In this blog, Aditi Deodhar explains why real waste prevention must begin at the design stage—before products reach consumers—and why redesign is the most powerful intervention Introduction: Why Are Consumers Asked to Fix a Design Problem? Every sustainability conversation
Why the “R Framework” Must Move Upstream Read More »
The Daily Tea-Coffee Habit We Never Question In most offices, tea and coffee arrive in paper cups—quietly, efficiently, and without debate. One cup.Then another.Every day. It feels harmless. But let’s pause and do the maths. The Maths of a “Small” Habit Let’s take one office employee — Mr. X. Daily: 2 paper cups Weekly: 10
Discover the Skip the Slip movement in the US, why thermal paper receipts are harmful, and how opting out can reduce waste and protect health. Every day across the world, millions of shoppers receive paper receipts they quickly discard, tuck into pockets, or forget at the bottom of their bags. What feels like a small
Skip the Slip: How Rethinking Receipts Can Reduce Waste and Protect Health Read More »
Discover how visionary school principals in Pune are acting as intermediate policymakers—driving plastic-free schools and making Mission City Chakra a city-wide success. The Environmental Challenge Cities Cannot Solve Alone Urban environmental challenges—plastic pollution, waste mismanagement, and declining public health—are often addressed through top-down policies or citizen-level appeals. What is frequently overlooked is the middle layer
Meet the School Principals Redefining Pune’s Environmental Future Read More »
Plastic tiffins are not a personal lifestyle issue. They are a public health, waste prevention, and governance challenge. Here’s why eliminating them requires policy-level action. Reframing the Conversation: This Is Not About Personal Preference Plastic tiffins are often discussed as a choice: “People should choose better.”“Families can switch if they want to.”“It’s a lifestyle decision.”
Why Eliminating Plastic Tiffins Is a Policy-Level Change — Not a Lifestyle Choice Read More »
