A North East approach to sustainable design.
In the rush towards Christmas, it’s easy to forget that the world doesn’t need more things. It needs better ones. Things that earn their place in our lives because they serve us well, age beautifully, and hold our stories and experiences.
Here in the North East, we have a proud tradition of making. From shipyards and steelworks to the studios and workshops of today, our region has always been defined by ingenuity and care. That same sensibility runs through the growing number of small businesses now shaping a more sustainable future – one that values skill, material honesty and community over mass production and excess.
Sustainable design isn’t about the latest eco-trend or a checkbox exercise in carbon counting. It’s about designing with conscience. It asks: How will this object live in someone’s home? What materials are used, where did they come from, who made it, and can it be repaired or passed on? These questions matter more than ever as we face the twin pressures of climate change and consumer fatigue.
This time of year always tests our values, and can make it hard to pause before we purchase. Yet choosing a well-made local gift – a necklace from an independent jeweller, a chair designed by someone whose name you know – has a ripple effect. It keeps money circulating within the region, supports livelihoods, and strengthens the local economy.
Design and sustainability, at their best, are deeply human. They depend on relationships – between makers and users, materials and landscapes, businesses and their communities. That’s why the work being done across the North East by small creative enterprises is so significant. These are not faceless brands; they’re people you might bump into at the market, parents at the school gate, neighbours who’ve turned passion into practice.
Businesses with this sustainability consciousness are increasingly looking for ways to show customers that they’re not only creating responsibly made products but also embedding sustainability into their operations – improving efficiencies, reducing waste, and lowering their overall environmental impact.
Supporting Sustainable Design Through Investors in the Environment
This conscious, sustainable approach underpins everything our iiE client SPELK Studio do and they are also embedding it beyond the final product, building it into their day-to-day operations and wider business systems.
That’s where Investors in the Environment (iiE) comes in. iiE is a national sustainability accreditation framework that helps organisations turn good intentions into measurable impact – ensuring that environmental values are reflected not just in what a business makes but in how it operates every day.
Through the delivery of iiE, Genee supports organisations across the North East and North West to embed sustainability into everything they do. Whether it’s managing resources more efficiently, cutting waste or tracking carbon emissions, the iiE framework offers a clear, practical roadmap for lasting change.
For makers and designers, iiE provides more than environmental reporting – it’s a way to weave sustainability into their story. The programme helps identify areas for improvement, set meaningful targets and celebrate progress through formal accreditation. It proves that the same craftsmanship and care invested in creating products also drives how a business runs behind the scenes.
By working with Genee and iiE, organisations gain tailored guidance, practical tools and one-to-one consultant support to develop environmental action plans that are achievable and authentic and demonstrate that sustainability and creativity thrive side by side.
A Season for Thoughtful Making
As we move into the festive season, let’s celebrate the local makers, the thoughtful buyers and the designers who refuse to treat sustainability as an afterthought. Let’s make things that last – in every sense of the word.
If you’re a designer or maker ready to take the next step in sustainable practice, Genee and Investors in the Environment can help you get there – turning sustainability from aspiration into everyday action. Contact us at jo@genee.org.uk.
For more information on SPELK Studio, visit www.spelk.studio