Furniture manufacturers and suppliers are invited to enter this year’s Sustainable Design Awards. Organised by the Sustainable Design Collective (SDC), the annual awards are free to enter and designed to champion ‘best practice’ and highlight innovations leading to greater sustainability within the office workplace sector.

The announcement follows confirmation of the dates for the second SD Forum to be held on 25 April at the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London.

There are three categories: New build and retrofit projects; New products and materials; Innovation including new services or IT solutions as well as collaborations with not-for-profit organisations.

Each entry will be judged by a panel of 10 independent industry experts against specified criteria. Assessments include: whole life carbon performance including contribution to the circular economy; contribution to the health and wellbeing of the occupants; and social value.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday 21 March 2024 and full details, together with entry forms, can be found at https://thesustainabledesigncollective.co.uk/awards/

The winners will be announced at an evening social event held as part of the Sustainable Design Forum. Launched in 2023, this year’s Forum will include presentations, panel discussions, workshops as well as the popular material lab. The one-day event is designed as a knowledge sharing opportunity for interior design professionals. Manufacturers and suppliers also participate through hosting table discussions and workshops.

“We were delighted with the feedback from our first event,” says Harsha Kotak, workplace designer and co-founder of SDC – the Sustainable Design Collective. “We are busy planning many new ideas and events for this year’s Forum with further news being announced on our social media channels.”

Launched in 2022, SDC – the Sustainable Design Collective is a ‘think tank’ group of 30 leading designers and specifiers committed to acting as a collective within the workplace design community to identify developments and ‘best practice’ relating to sustainability. The purpose of the Group is to promote and applaud achievements and, more importantly, to create a forum for knowledge sharing and exchange.

As well as the Forum and Awards, SDC also offers an online training academy and publishes a quarterly magazine focussed on greater sustainability.