Meet 5 Sustainable UK Design Suppliers Breaking into Hong Kong

As a design and creative powerhouse, the UK has always been a pioneer for identifying and responding to society’s evolving circumstances and needs.

The climate crisis is no exception. In the UK, the built environment currently accounts for 25% of the UK's carbon emissions. In Hong Kong, a staggering 60% of carbon emissions are produced by powering skyscrapers. As both the UK and Hong Kong had laid out net zero goals by 2050, there is a broad spectrum of opportunities to assimilate UK resources to support Hong Kong with this goal – from technological innovations, sustainable design, to the optimisation of renewable energy and implementation of green architecture.

UK design for a climate-first future

Every industry has a part to play in the fight against climate change, least of all the design industry. The design industry has a key role to play in alleviating in the climate crisis, with 80% of a product’s environmental impact determined at the design stage.

Examples of sustainable interior design abound in all directions, ranging from smart design to using climate-friendly materials:

1. Environmental Street Furniture (ESF)

Awarded the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: International Trade, ESF are a global designer and supplier of street furniture and site furnishing products. Their smart and innovative design solutions include solar-powered street furniture, hygiene COVID-19 response products, Solar LED Lighting, IOT connected Defibrillator cabinets, digital signage, passively safe lighting columns, and more.

Steora Solar Bench – a smart bench powered by sunlight and provides energy to recharge smartphones and connect to the internet.

2. Camira Fabrics

Camira is renowned for environmental best practice and product innovation and is a double Queen’s Award winner in the Sustainable Development Category. Camira was recently first to market with SEAQUAL recycled fabrics made from marine plastic waste upcycled from the oceans. In 2022, Camira invested in state of the art wool recycling – iinouiio – to develop circular textile products made from high value wool and cashmere from both knitwear and woven textiles.

The fabric Oceanic is created entirely from post-consumer recycled plastic – from debris floating discarded in our seas, used to make SEAQUAL® YARN, to bottles thrown away and destined for landfill.

3. Paragon Carpet Tiles

Another company that puts sustainability at the heart of production is Paragon Carpet Tiles, a market-leading UK manufacturer of high-quality commercial carpet tiles. Almost 80 of their products are manufactured using recycled materials. Some of the company’s ranges are manufacturing using ‘ECONYL’ yarn from their partners, Aquafil. ECONYL is the brand name for Aquafil’s recycled fishing nets or similar products, which the company rescues from oceans and landfill sites across the world.

Each of the six colours in the Total Contrast range is manufactured using ‘solution-dyed’ ‘ECONYL’ yarn. Alongside the yarn, the backing used on Total Contrast is ‘Envirobase’, manufactured from a minimum of 75% recycled contents.

4. Focus SB

Focus SB is a ‘Made in Britain’ certificated luxury UK wiring accessories manufacturer that demonstrates their commitment to clean growth through both investment and manufacturing process. Not only have they pledged significant ‘green energy’ investment plans and became the first business in the local area to install solar power at the main factory in June 2022, they also increased the number of product ranges/finishes which use a fully biodegradable fibreweb bag.

In 2020, Focus SB was appointed the UK’s DIT Export Champion in recognition of its achievement at becoming first and only British (and European) premium electrical wiring accessories manufacturer licensed to export and sell to mainland China’s luxury hospitality and residential construction markets in 2017.

5. Archetypal

Well-made timeless products is the ultimate form of sustainability. Archetypal carefully curated collection showcases the design process and craftsmanship from world-renowned design powerhouses to experimental independent design studios, including UK-made interior materials that are of highest quality.

Archetypal believes in the values of design integrity and celebrates the design process. They import only original designs and the most exciting brands, such as Orion Globe Light by Lee Broom – one of London's top product designers.

Find out more about these solutions at the UK Design Showcase.