From Sustainable Design to Empathic Design

Today the global issues of ecology and consumerism impose a call to the consciousness of design to assume its responsibility with respect to the environmental sustainability of a contemporary lifestyle. The challenge for sustainability is to limit and manage Western consumption while raising the living standards of the developing world without increasing the use of its resources as well as its environmental impact. This must be done by adopting strategies and technology that break the bond between economic growth and environmental damage. A major obstacle to achieving sustainability is the alleviation of poverty. It has been widely acknowledged that poverty is one of the main sources of environmental degradation: «poverty is a major cause and effect of global environmental problems. It is therefore futile to attempt to deal with environmental problems without a broader perspective that encompasses the factors underlying world poverty and international inequality» (Brundtland Commission, report Our Common Future). In Italy, Riccardo Dalisi (author of the Manifesto of the Compasso di Latta) promoted the first edition of the “Premio Compasso di latta”, aimed at carrying out new research in the field of sustainable design in the light of human support, environmental compatibility and de-growth. While, the Associazione Designer Senza Frontiere has been working on the themes of empathic and craft design as a generator of economic and social value since its founding.