How to Stop Supporting the Cruelty Pipeline
with your Design Choices
How do the design choices in your home affect the environment and the creatures who live in it? Although there are many specific answers to this question which deal with the materials involved, there is also a more general perspective. Cruel practices uphold a system that does not value human and animal life except as a commodity. Green interior design is not only about refusing to work with certain materials, it is also a vote for a future where we no longer accept that animals, plants, humans and natural resources are turned into “things” to be exploited.
What is the Cruelty Pipeline?
The cruelty pipeline affects more than just its immediate victims. It has a political impact on the world. Russia and Saudi Arabia have signaled to the world that they are willing to use oil and gas as leverage to disrupt politics and make profits through political instability. Relying on fossil fuels has meant turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in oil producing countries, and allowing profit to dictate where the power resides in world affairs. Consumers will occasionally become aware of one specific example where their choices allow cruel practices to take place. One example is “blood diamonds.”
In reality, the majority of the materials in our home can be seen as “blood diamonds.” Even if the company who sells the product has not engaged in visible harm, chances are their suppliers may have, or the material used is extracted in ways that exploit and harm people, animals and the environment.
If you want to stop supporting the cruelty pipeline, it’s important to understand how everything is connected. We have seen supply chain effects because of COVID, which affected labor and transport. These changes have disrupted the normal flow of products in our world. The world we live in can be compared to the electricity and power infrastructure we depend on, where flows are determined by usage, demand and the capacity of the existing infrastructure. When we disrupt this infrastructure with our choices we can have an impact on the cruelty pipeline, which is not limited to cruel industries, but also exploitative, cruel and repressive governments and political systems.
Can My Design Choices Make An Impact?
Yes they can.
To have an impact, you can work with local craftsmen and suppliers, or those who run small operations you can trust. The advantage of working with a green interior design company like Earth Science Design is that we are connected to trusted suppliers and craftsmen who work with ethical and reclaimed materials.
For some examples of how your choices disrupt the cruelty pipeline, consider the impact of leather production. The leather couch was once a symbol of wealth and taste (hard to believe, but it’s true). Leather production hits the environment and communities on so many levels. Leather production produces methane emissions, (the most harmful greenhouse gas), it is the worst contributor to eutrophication, when runoff leads to an overgrowth of flora that suffocates river and pond life. Additionally the chemicals involved in leather production cause health impacts in communities who live nearby, who are often low income communities.
Pleather that is made from petrochemical products is not much better. Petrochemical products are made from oil which is produced by some of the most repressive regimes in the world. The degradation of the products releases microplastics which are endocrine disruptors and pollutants that cause harm to animals. These materials are not durable and when they are thrown away, they become part of the waste that the US and other Western countries export to poorer countries.
When you choose green interior design, your choices genuinely make a difference. Using environmentally friendly, cruelty-free products which may be produced by indigenous communities or local suppliers supports empowerment within these communities as well as reducing damage to the environment. There are so many ways around participating in the cruelty pipeline, and at Earth Science Design, we are happy to be your guide. We have over ten years experience researching the science of cruelty-free, environmentally friendly design. We are always excited to be involved in every design project, learning how to solve problems that serve different needs and lifestyles. Please contact us to learn more about our La Jolla and San Diego green interior design services. We also welcome remote design consultation projects Nationwide.
