Powerful reporting drives innovation 

The Central Group use Sustain®’s reporting to explore new design ideas while minimising their environmental footprint. They pay close attention to all factors such as water usage, weight, volume, and end-of-life considerations but their primary focus is the carbon footprint due to the widespread recognition and understanding of it within the industry.

After educating the internal team about Sustain®’s capabilities and how it could add value to their projects, The Central Group now includes Sustain® results within reports to clients. Clients are given real-world examples tailored to specific projects which gives them valuable information to support their own sustainability initiatives.  

Surprising discoveries

Over the 3 years The Central Group has been working with POPAI, and using Sustain® they have been delighted with the customer service they have received, and the number of improvements made to the tool, often off the back of recommendations made.

Despite being advocates for sustainable design and displays, The Central Group have been surprised by the profound impact that minor adjustments can have on the outcomes in Sustain® results showing the potential for substantial improvements through incremental adjustments.

New Sustain® design delivers triple win: reduced cost, lower environmental impact, and enhanced recyclability

Initially two designs were created for a 5-tier counter unit: a fully assembled display made predominantly of steel; and a mixed-material display comprising injection-moulded components supported by a steel structure.

Sustain® was used to produce a comparative analysis of the environmental impact of the displays. The steel option came out as more sustainable, however there were significant cost savings on the mixed-material display. After further work and analysis in Sustain®, The Central Group were able to create a third option – a more cost-effective, more sustainable design.

The final solution with a reduced weight, decreased shipping volume, and use of a 100% recycled HIPS material outperformed the two original designs in Sustain®. The chosen design saw a reduction in cost per unit for the client while simultaneously providing a more sustainable solution. These improvements encompassed reductions in carbon footprint, life cycle carbon, water footprint, weight, and volume, alongside increased recycled content and recyclability at end of life.