Greater Green

Smart manufacturing gives new products and updated classics better environmental profiles.

Every product comes with a planetary price tag. Since it is unlikely that the manufacturing of goods will ever cease—couple the needs of the developing world with the wants of industrialized nations, and the reality is that the quantity is only going to increase—consumers need to have better options to choose from. It’s good news, then, when design-driven companies make greener versions of their existing offerings or develop new items with smaller carbon footprints. Artemide, for example, has reissued its classic 1987 Tolomeo task light in a more energy-efficient LED version, and Alessi has collaborated with Fernando and Humberto Campana to add bamboo options to their successful Blow Up collection, originally issued in stainless steel. Meanwhile, Dornbracht and Hansgrohe now offer high-tech faucets that are significantly more water-efficient than their predecessors. And as the following products demonstrate, going green hardly has to mean sacrificing style.

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