Are products and finishes in your new project posing an environmental threat and harming the people using the spaces? Poor procurement choices quietly fuel a sustainability crisis in the interior fit-out industry, from replica lounge chairs to short-lifespan furniture. This session exposes the false economy of low-quality design and explores how copy culture erodes trust, undermines innovation, and contributes to an escalating waste problem. Join the Authentic Design Alliance and Cultivated as we explore the environmental and ethical costs of specifying fake products, and learn how authentic sourcing creates lasting value that protects the planet, supports original creators, and safeguards the future of our industry.

What the Audience will learn:

How can you future-proof your project from contributing to environmental harm?

Learn how, when buying or specifying authentic furniture or buying vintage and restored furnishings, you save time, money, and make the most sustainable choice.

• Furniture – environmental threats / a list of the dangers of short lifespan and poor manufacturing practices

• Best practice & knowing what to buy – Checklist on how to buy / what to look for

• Cradle-to-Grave – how authentic designs are sustainable – 3 product case studies

• A deep dive into 2nd life – 2 case studies

• What about 3rd life – see product here at the Design Show at ….. (name installation by Hassell)

Refurbishment unpacked – learn what can be restored, and understand the process that gives furniture a second and third life (and even beyond) – 1 or 2 examples.