THE SUSTAINABLE SHOWCASE: Planted
Now in its third year, the design show dedicated to ‘reconnecting people and spaces to nature’ is truly hitting its stride. We talked to co-founder Deborah Spencer about what’s in store this year
Why did you feel there was a place for Planted in the design show landscape? From years of experience running design shows, it’s long been clear that while the shows would often look incredible, we would keep coming back to the issue of waste and their lack of sustainability. We concluded there had to be a better, more environmentally conscious way of running events. Through a combined love of design, nature, and having been introduced to Oliver Heath and his knowledge of biophilic design, we created Planted and have spent the past 18 months refining our offering and trying to lead the conversation through our Planted Unearthed series online. We believe we have an amazing opportunity to speak to people on a level no other event has attempted to speak to them on before. Tell us about the criteria you look for in participating brands… To be accepted as an exhibitor, each brand must be able to demonstrate they are committed to sustainability, nature and the environment and prioritise minimising impact upon it during the production and manufacturing process; are working proactively towards carbon net zero; are actively considering sustainable means of packaging products to eradicate waste plastic and be committed to reuse, repurpose and recycle every facet of the stand build.
How has the event evolved in the past few years? Last year was an incredibly challenging time to run any kind of event and we felt it was appropriate to run a small pop-up at King’s
Cross that recognised the need to adapt to the circumstances presented by the pandemic. This year we will have a larger offering with three sections; ‘Natural Living,’ ‘Botanical Market’ and ‘Sustainable Design’, including ‘Green Grads’, a showcase of over 30 design graduates focusing on issues of sustainability. We are also excited to be presenting a high calibre of brands including Out of the Valley, Benchmark, Another Country and Naturalmat.
How difficult was it to make Planted the first zero-waste design event? In short, it’s been extremely difficult. At the moment, we can confidently state we will be the first design event where zero-waste will be sent to landfill, but it’s important to recognise the number of challenges this aspiration presents. We hope there will be a self-policing effect where our market-leading brands set the standard for continual improvement in this area. 23-26 September (planted-cities.co.uk).