Design Better Podcast: Jeremy Faludi on Why Most Sustainable Design Fails Before It Starts

Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Eli Woolery & Aarron Walter (The Curiosity Department)
Guest: Jeremy Faludi, Sustainability Professor and Author of "Sustainable From Vision to Action"

Episode Overview

In this episode, Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter of the Design Better Podcast delve into the real-world challenges and misconceptions around sustainable design with Jeremy Faludi, a leading sustainability researcher and author. The conversation explores why most sustainable design efforts miss the mark before they even begin, emphasizes the importance of systems thinking, illustrates pitfalls like greenwashing, and discusses the role of digital design and artificial intelligence in sustainability.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Essence of Sustainable Design

• Sustainable design aims to "make a more abundant, just future for everyone… fixing the problems in the world and also making a positive impact" ([00:01], Faludi).
• It's about beauty and positive impact at every stage of a product's lifecycle—not just for the end user, but also for the planet and society.

2. The Problem with Most Sustainable Design Efforts

• Most sustainable design fails "before it starts" due to lack of actionable methods and reliance on hunches and hearsay.
• There's a gap between high-concept sustainability talk and practical, evidence-based decision-making in the design workflow.
• Many designers use "weak design methods while thinking green thoughts," hoping for sustainable outcomes without leveraging rigorous tools ([03:57], Faludi).

3. Understanding and Identifying Greenwashing

• Greenwashing: "Making it look like your product is green without actually being green" ([05:21], Faludi).

  • It may involve untrue statements or truths that are "not meaningful" (e.g., claims that have negligible environmental impact).
  • Faludi notes, "I don’t think most of it is malicious like a lot of people do. I think 90% of greenwashing is just well intentioned ignorance." ([03:57], Faludi)

• Memorable Case Study:

  • A hair dryer company reduced its case plastic by 20% and spent 6-9 months on this change, planning a big marketing push.
  • Faludi analyzed lifecycle impacts and showed that most environmental effect came from electricity use, not plastic.
  • "This plastic savings was like a rounding error ... the energy used by a hairdryer over the life of the hairdryer causes 10 times the environmental impact of all of the manufacturing put together." ([05:21], Faludi)
  • The company was not receptive to the critique: "It was a little rough. It's true. They did not hire me again, so I don't..." ([08:33], Faludi)

4. Systems Thinking and Product Lifecycle

• Sustainable design requires a comprehensive, systems perspective, not just product manufacturing and end use.
  • Faludi: "Look at the impacts of your product through that whole life cycle so that you can see where the priorities are, where the big impacts are." ([09:03])
• Lifecycle priorities are product dependent:
  • For furniture, raw materials drive impact.
  • For aircraft parts, it's the fuel used during service—not the material or production method.
  • Faludi shares how systems thinking can reveal hidden priorities, such as an airline coffee maker's largest impact being related to the weight affecting jet fuel use.

5. Sustainability in Digital Design and Software

• Digital design is not exempt from sustainability concerns:
  • Software powers hardware, driving energy consumption and equipment upgrades.
  • "All software runs on hardware ... your code will cause a machine to use energy and it will also cause the machine to use resources." ([11:56], Faludi)
  • Encourages designers to think how software enables or impedes sustainable choices (e.g., e-commerce platforms can promote green products or reuse).
• Software can have large, indirect impacts (e.g., Google Maps making public transit accessible, thus reducing car travel).
  • "I actually think the biggest innovation in public transit in the last 50 years is Google Maps doing public transit directions on your phone." ([11:56], Faludi)
• Software impacts social sustainability (e.g., VTaiwan's discussion platform for public policymaking).

6. Making Sustainability Decisions: Resources and Prioritization

• It's not intuitive where the largest impacts and opportunities lie (e.g., dark mode vs. light mode's effect on energy consumption).
• Faludi's book provides lookup tables, exercises, and resources for determining where to focus sustainability efforts.
  • "Here's how you analyze what parts of your system or product are using the most energy, not just the most power, so that you can again make evidence based decisions on where to focus…" ([17:45], Faludi)

7. Energy and AI

• AI's power usage is a hot topic, especially around energy-intensive queries and the infrastructure behind them.
• Faludi begins to clarify a common misconception, suggesting most energy consumption in AI is not from individual queries but possibly elsewhere (conversation cuts off at this point).

Notable Quotes & Moments

"Sustainable design is about making a more abundant, just future for everyone. It's about fixing the problems in the world and also making a positive impact."
— Jeremy Faludi ([00:01])

"90% percent of greenwashing is just well intentioned ignorance."
— Jeremy Faludi ([03:57])

"This plastic savings was like a rounding error... the energy used by a hairdryer over the life of the hairdryer causes 10 times the environmental impact of all of the manufacturing put together."
— Jeremy Faludi ([05:21])

"All software runs on hardware ... your code will cause a machine to use energy and it will also cause the machine to use resources."
— Jeremy Faludi ([11:56])

"I think the biggest innovation in public transit in the last 50 years is Google Maps doing public transit directions on your phone."
— Jeremy Faludi ([11:56])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Importance of Sustainable Design | [00:01]–[00:30]
• Guest Introduction and Book Motivation | [03:10]–[05:10]
• Greenwashing Defined, Hair Dryer Case Study | [05:10]–[08:30]
• Systems Thinking and Lifecycle Analysis | [08:40]–[11:34]
• Digital Design and Software’s Roles in Sustainability | [11:34]–[17:15]
• Resources for Sustainable Product Design | [17:15]–[19:02]
• AI & Energy Use Intro | [19:02]–[19:36]

Takeaways

• Evidence-based approaches and systems thinking are critical to truly sustainable design.
• Most impactful changes are not always obvious and may lie far from the initial design focus.
• Every designer (physical or digital) has potential to effect meaningful sustainability changes—often by seeing beyond immediate user experience to larger system effects.
• Accessible tools and resources, like those in Faludi’s book, can help bridge the gap between good intentions and real-world impact.

For more, consult Jeremy Faludi’s book: “Sustainable From Vision to Action,” and listen to the full conversation on the Design Better podcast if you subscribe.