Today's seminar addressed the issues concerning the use of appropriate processes and material selection in order to minimise the chemical input/Toxicity profile of the the final product. I felt that this seminar was very focused on the textile material aspect of design, because the textiles industry accounts for 25% of all the chemicals used worldwide.
However, after conducting some further research, I understood that the chemical impacts of textiles can have a huge effect on the Interior/Architecture Industry in the way they are used in building design, for example:
"Inside a new, state-of-the-art building, designed to meet the highest standards of energy efficiency - a building many would call environmentally intelligent or "green" - you might expect to be able to breathe clean air.
You'd be mistaken.
Clean, fresh indoor air is not a guaranteed by-product of green design. Indeed, a recent study in Germany found that air quality inside several highly rated energy-efficient buildings in downtown Hamburg was nearly four times worse than on the dirty, car-clogged street. For all the care taken to save energy by keeping out the elements with better insulation and leak-proof windows, no one considered the long-term effects of sealing in the chemically laden carpets, upholsteries, paints and adhesives used to finish the interiors."
'Redefining Green/A New Definition of Quality Empowers the Next Wave of Design' By William McDonough & Michael Braungart © 2002
It is evident that chemicals therefore have a similar negative impact on the environment, no matter what profession uses them.
Sources: Redefining Green
