During the meeting, held last Thursday, November 12 at the Valencian Community Handicraft Center, the experts analyzed, reflected and contributed their vision on ecological responsibility from the point of view of advertising and the world of design.
Communication trends when addressing social problems; the creative potential of recycling within design; the role of companies and institutions regarding sustainability; the implementation of sustainable design in daily life and the importance of education in the social awareness of recycling were the main topics discussed in the round table.
Aware of the responsibility, not only when it comes to being sustainable, but also communicating it, the Valencian agency KLIPERDVILA organized, on November 12, the round table "Sustainability: the role of communication and design".
The meeting, which took place at the Valencian Community Craft Center, was attended by different representatives of the public administration, the business sector, as well as experts in communication, design and crafts.
This forum for reflection and debate served to put on the table arguments and conclusions about communication and design in a world increasingly concerned with sustainability.
Specifically, the round table was divided into 5 large blocks:
1.- Raise awareness without imposing. Where is the limit?
2.- Recycle to design: from the calcín to the jewel.
3.- How does the consumer perceive environmental campaigns?
4.- Sustainable design. Implementation in daily life.
5.- Cum Laude in sustainability. The importance of education.
During the session, the speakers were able to contribute their opinion on the different trends in communication and advertising when launching campaigns that address certain social problems with a significant human, environmental and social cost. In this sense, the general director of Quality and Environmental Education, Joan Piquer noted that “to reach the citizens, it is necessary to give visibility to the problems. We must also spread the good news and make positive information news ”.
In order to Sara Sorribes, designer and artisan of Sorribes Glass, "The campaigns must be powerful so that people feel identified, so that the messages can reach their hearts."
In general, the members of the table agreed on the need for the campaigns to have positive reinforcement that manages to impact the public by showing the reality of the problem.
Recycling in the world of design was another of the topics discussed, referring to the specific case of the first fallera dressing made with recycled glass from calcine, a project developed by KLIPERDVILA for Ecovidrio. For the deputy mayor and councilor for Urban Ecology, Sergi Campillo “with the design of this dressing, the recycled material has been valued at the same level as a high quality traditional jewel, taking into account the symbolism that it entails since this piece was made with recycled glass from all the falleros during the Fallas de 2019 ”.
On the role of companies in the face of recycling, Elías Colom, Marketing Director of Global Omnium Aguas de Valencia highlighted that “currently, we are seeing an important and real progress in sustainable development in companies and we must continue working in this line to continue taking giant steps”. Colom assured that the citizen values even more companies that are committed to sustainability, hence the importance of betting on actions that promote the defense of the environment.
Another point that was discussed in the round table was the need to include sustainability in daily life, proposing ecodesign as a strategic factor to attract consumer attention.
The last of the topics discussed focused on the importance of education in raising awareness in society about recycling. The professor at the UPV's Higher Technical School of Design Engineering, Chele Esteve emphasized the importance of environmental education to achieve this, and referred to actions such as the UPV exhibition "Return of feeling RDS 9.0", exhibited at the Valencian Community Handicraft Center and which revolves around reflection and the creation of objects related to the circular economy, responding to the encounter between crafts and digital technology.
Piquer noted that "One of the most important tasks from the administration is to promote competitiveness in environmental education aimed at the consumer and this objective is beginning to take shape in schools."
About, Miquel Clemades, director of the Center for Crafts, argued that "education is very important in the classroom from the point of view of crafts and design." Clemades referred to the center that he directs, about which he highlighted as a space where design is really disseminated and supported as a business activity.
In order to Josep Martí, Creative Director of KLIPERDVILA, “Without a doubt, it is the moment of sustainability. All companies and institutions must focus towards this objective, both to carry out actions that improve our responsibility to the planet, and to communicate these actions to connect with their audiences and advance awareness. "
In short, with the organization of this meeting point we have tried to get companies, administration and communication and design specialists to become agents of change in the face of a social problem that affects us all.
