Musings, encouragement, and a whole lot of love for the architects, designers, building Sustainability professionals and product supplier sustainability champions doing the work.
I've worked in this space—as an Environmental Manager and Sustainability Consultant—for over 20 years. And wow, how things have changed.
When I first started consulting, sustainability wasn’t even a word people used. ESG definitely wasn’t a thing. It was all about the E—the environment.
Back then, for product manufacturers, if you had GECA certification, FSC or PEFC Chain of Custody, and ISO 14001—you were considered ahead of the game.
For architects and designers, it was mostly about Green Star and NABERS. That was it.
There was no sustainability strategy:
No talk of embodied carbon or circular economy.
No Biophilia.
No Health Product Declarations.
No expectation to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan.
No ethical procurement or modern slavery expectations.
There was no real strategising. You got your certifications, ticked the boxes, and got on with business.
Then Everything about Sustainability Shifted
Product certification schemes evolved. Standards tightened. And the volume of requests exploded.
More ecolabels and initiatives entered the market—Global GreenTag, AFRDI Green Tick, Declare, Climate Active, Science Based Targets, Responsible Steel, and Responsible Wood.
The list keeps growing (just take a look at the Responsible Score Checker for a sense of scale).
Manufacturers now have to keep up with a growing list of requirements across multiple programs, platforms, and systems.
We now have tools like the Product Aware Database, which is helping to centralise and support product transparency. It’s a promising start, but its strength will depend on greater collaboration and input from product manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers, and the broader sustainability community. With more data shared, it has the potential to become a powerful ally in streamlining and advancing this critical work.
Meanwhile, for architects and designers, sustainability has exploded.
Embodied carbon
Operational carbon
Biophilic design
Updated Green Star tools
WELL
Living Building Challenge
Circular economy
Social impact expectations
The incredible rise of Architects Declare (honestly, one of the best, most hopeful industry collaborations around)
It’s A Lot.
And it needs to be. Because we do need to evolve.
We need to reduce carbon.
We need to design for biodiversity, not against it.
We need to end labour exploitation and modern slavery in our supply chains.
Sustainability work matters deeply.
But let’s be real—for most businesses, this work sits on the shoulders of one person.
One person trying to keep up with the shifting sands of ESG, certifications, frameworks, audits, design briefs, client expectations, risk registers, and reporting. Oh, and also—creating impact.
And that person?
Is usually you.
So, This Is Just to Say…
To the sustainability professionals in design firms, architecture practices, building and construction companies, and manufacturing businesses:
I see you.
I feel you.
I know how hard it is.
And I know how often you don’t get the thanks, the backing, or the resourcing you deserve.
You’re holding complexity, contradiction, and constant change—and doing it with heart, integrity, and determination.
So thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Keep going. Keep asking questions. Keep pushing for better. Keep connecting the dots between planet, people, and product. Keep showing up—even when it’s hard, especially when it’s hard.
We need you.
And we’re better because you’re here.