The Future of Sustainable Products Starts with Design

A calendar accompanies us through an entire year.

A birthday card brings a smile to one's face for a brief moment. Sometimes it stays pinned to the board for a while.

A notebook fills page by page with thoughts, ideas, and memories.

But eventually, most of these products have one thing in common:

They are discarded.

But does it have to be this way?

This question is becoming increasingly important. Many products today are used only for a short time and then disposed of. This linear principle – produce, consume, dispose – still characterizes a large part of our economic system. Although awareness of sustainability is growing, valuable resources are often used only for a short period.

This is precisely where the circular economy concept comes in. The goal is to keep resources in circulation for as long as possible and to reduce the use of new raw materials. The crucial difference lies not only in recycling but already in the design of a product. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) of the European Union also shows how crucial the design of a product is for its sustainability. It starts already at the product development stage and focuses more on aspects such as material selection, resource use, and the further use of products and materials.

Despite growing attention to sustainability and sustainable consumption trends, resource consumption and waste volumes remain high. According to the NABU, Germany was one of the largest paper consumers worldwide in 2024, with an annual consumption of approximately 16 million tons of paper. At the same time, about 90 percent of paper products have a short lifespan. This means that large amounts of energy, water, and raw materials are used for products that often only fulfill their actual purpose for a short time.

 

The Reality of the Circular Economy

Especially in the lifestyle and stationery sector, the short lifespan of many products is evident. Trends change quickly, products are bought on impulse and replaced or discarded after a short time.

Data from the European Environment Agency also illustrates the magnitude of this challenge. The European Circularity Rate was only 11.8 percent in 2023. This means that so far only a small portion of material demand is met by reused or recycled raw materials, while the predominant share continues to rely on new primary raw materials.

The importance of the Circular Economy is also growing at the political level. With the planned Circular Economy Act, the European Commission aims to double the European Circularity Rate by 2030. The circular economy concept is thus increasingly evolving from a voluntary sustainability strategy into an important component of European economic and industrial policy.

Against this background, the question of how products can be designed so that their materials also serve a meaningful purpose after their original function gains importance.

 

The Circular Concept Behind Nowa Bloom

This very idea also shapes the development of our products. We want to consider what happens to a product after its original use already during its design. That's why, among other things, we work with seed paper and seeds that allow our products to have a further use beyond their initial function.

Thus, calendar pages, cards, or other paper products can grow into plants after their use. The material is not simply disposed of but can become part of a natural cycle.

For us, therefore, sustainability begins not with disposal but with design.

 

🌱 Discover our growing products 🌱

 

Sources

NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e. V. (2025). Papier, Pappe & Karton. https://www.nabu.de/umwelt-und-ressourcen/ressourcenschonung/papier/30377.html

European Environment Agency. (2025). Circularity metrics. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/circularity-metrics

European Commission. (2025). Circular economy. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy

European Commission. (2024). Ecodesign for sustainable products regulation.https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en