What would a zero-waste fit-out sector look like?

That is one of the questions we have been exploring with the Love Zero Waste network.

Last week, we brought together our founding members for the very first time; a group of 35 working across the fit-out, creative and research sectors. Kindly hosted by founding member REDDI Furniture, we spent the morning sharing ideas and exploring the challenges that are standing in the way of achieving a zero waste future in construction.

We started with two simple questions.

1. What should our industry leave behind?

In a Room 101 style exercise, we asked members to think about the things they would most like to see disappear from our industry to help accelerate our journey to zero waste.

We heard frustrations about the “rip out and waste” mindset, greenwashing, risk aversion to new approaches and commercial decisions that prioritise short-term value and cost over the value of materials.

There was also a common theme around design. Too often, products and spaces are designed without considering what happens to them next. Materials are glued together in ways that make them difficult to separate and reuse, or decisions are made without considering how a building or product might be adapted, dismantled or used again.

This led to a bigger question: what if we stopped asking what happens to materials when we are finished with them, and started asking why we designed them to become waste in the first place. We know that many of the solutions already exist. The challenge is creating the commercial and cultural conditions that will enable reuse and long-term material value to become easier choices.

2. What is the biggest change needed to achieve zero waste by 2030?

The second question focused on what big changes our industry needs to make if we are going to make real, measurable progress towards zero waste by 2030. Again, there was a clear message: we need to start treating materials as valuable resources, not waste.

That means designing for longevity, disassembly, reuse and the next life of materials and making it easier to understand where materials can go when they are no longer needed. It also means changing the conditions around those decisions. Regulation, taxation and financial incentives could help make reuse more commercially attractive. Education and storytelling can help create demand and raise awareness for circular products and materials.

“Too often I hear ‘it takes longer to reuse… time is money’. Time is a gift. So are existing materials.”

There are no simple answers to these challenges, or the many others we face. Being able to bring people together to share ideas, challenge conventions and find practical solutions is exactly why we started Love Zero Waste.

The conversations from our first event will help shape our next steps and the actions we take as the collective continues to grow. We don’t have all the solutions yet, but we are looking forward to working together to find them!

We are continuing to build the Love Zero Waste network and welcome organisations working across fit-out and refurbishment who want to help shape a more circular industry. Sign up here.