We’re borrowing this earth from our children.

 

Capitalism and sustainability need not be at odds.

 

Modern business practices and consumer behavior are simply unsustainable.

 

A Path to Sustainable Capitalism™

We enable mankind to consume less by inspiring companies to design better.

Jun 29
1

Designed for Life: Let’s Build Something That Lasts.

By | DFL Philosophy, Sustainability | No Comments

Welcome to Designed For Life, an organization created to enable people to buy less by inspiring companies to create better. We are a group of designers, entrepreneurs, and consumers that work together to make this vision a reality. But what makes something Designed for Life? It’s a combination of sustainability, adaptability, and utility that gives a product a lifespan as long as ours. Hopefully longer. Planned obsolescence is an outdated business model and we’re here to offer a better way.” Nothing Lasts Forever. But let’s build things that can. At today’s rate of population and industry growth, it’s apparent that…

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Jun 29
1

The Piano Chair: You Gotta Know When to Fold ‘Em.

By | DFL Philosophy, Sustainability | No Comments

Designing a product that is functional, desirable, and attractive while at the same time having a minimal impact on the environment is no easy task. It’s not as simple as making a beautiful product with recyclable materials and calling it a day. The entire production process can be refined to minimize waste, pollution, and extend the life of the product. It also needs to utilize reusable materials for after the product is no longer needed. One of the winners of this year’s Cradle to Cradle Product Design Competition personifies the ethos of a product that is conscious of the environment and…

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Jan 11
0

Saigon Ridealong

By | Travel, Vlog Posts | No Comments

I’ve built, operated, or partnered with Lovesac factories in Utah, Mexico, California, Texas, North Carolina, and China over the years. But this was my very first trip to Vietnam. We are exploring a new factory relationship in Vietnam to manufacture our Outdoor Sactionals. Labor is less expensive than China in Vietnam and there are many entrepreneurs excited to do the work—not to mention people who are happy to have good paying manufacturing jobs in good conditions. Vietnam as I see it today reminds me very much of China 10 years ago and Taiwan 20 years ago. I was living in…

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Dec 20
0

Small is Beautiful

By | DFL Philosophy, Sustainability | 2 Comments

Reading Shawn’s post about Natural Capitalism, recalled to me where I first met the ideas that he and I have discussed at length, among them the bad accounting that lies at the heart of the current crisis of capitalism. A crisis that we both believe did not have to be, and certainly not to be as bad. We will talk more of accounting and systems of survival, of how growth in debt requires that we pursue infinite growth on a finite planet (and even through the universe [and, yes, the answer of cornucopians]). Oh, tales of energy and entropy will we…

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Nov 16
0

Unsustainability Stems From Bad Accounting

By | Sustainability, Uncategorized, Vlog Posts | No Comments

One of my top 3 most inspiring books of all time is: Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken. This book played a huge role in the development of the Designed For Life philosophy, as well as in shaping my own life and behaviors. It is the subject if my most recent CEO blog post for #TextbookTuesday, where I discuss the content of whatever I’m reading at the time. Natural Capitalism is the kind of book that leaves the reader forever changed. This book is not just a bleeding-heart pleading with society to live better. It is both a rigorous empirical study…

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Nov 16
0

Buy Less, Buy Better

By | DFL Philosophy, Sustainability, Vlog Posts | No Comments

Recycle. Compost. Separate our trash. Buy local. Buy organic. Use public transit. Go solar. Go diesel. Go electric. Go chemical free. Use motion-switched lighting. Don’t use lighting. Shop vintage. Re-use. Re-purpose. Grow your own. Eat no beef. Just don’t eat…. There are myriad ways that we should all live better. Its exhausting. But we are believers, so we fight the fight. This week’s “Sustainable Saturday” Get Off the Couch vlog post shares one key way that we can quite easily live a bit more sustainably: Buy less, and buy better. While there are lots of ways to interpret “buy better,”…

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Nov 09
0

The ROOT of why Designed For Life is My Mission

By | DFL Philosophy, Vlog Posts | No Comments

There are 10,000 NGO’s, not-for-profits, well-intentioned organizations and charities addressing the myriad ills this world has succumbed to. I believe that most are addressing symptoms, and that this issue is the root cause for most of them.  Sadly, this issue is a complex one–an issue that many people just don’t have the patience or even outlet to understand–let alone the means to feel like they can change it. Designed For Life can play a part in changing it. So can you. Please watch this episode of my daily blog to understand: ARE YOU A MAKER OR A TAKER?  — (buy the book) Don’t…

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Nov 05
0

We’re Committed–Its Written on Our Walls

By | DFL Philosophy, On Lovesac, Retail & Marketing, Sustainability, Vlog Posts | No Comments

My latest VLOG post takes us to Detroit, Michigan, where at our newest store opening I get the chance to walk you through the concepts behind the new Lovesac tech-enabled showroom design, as well as an explanation of Designed For Life as it pertains to our furniture. Thank you to Prophet Design, NYC for their help designing our new digs. The showroom walk-through begins at 5’17”. The second most exciting thing about these new Lovesac tech-enabled showrooms is the use of wireless and digital technology throughout. The most exciting technology is of course Sactionals. Our two key proprietary technologies:  Geometric Modularity and Segmented…

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Nov 05
0

Daily Vlog Post #1 – Get Off the Couch

By | Vlog Posts | No Comments

I’m starting a vlog! Seems like the thing to do. Its called “Get Off the Couch” and its all about my personal business philosophy on entrepreneurship and making things happen! The Shawn Nelson, founder of Lovesac, way of doing business. Please subscribe on YouTube and show some love. I’d love to hear from you there. Comment, ask questions, and I’d be happy to address them. Enjoy episode #1 – THROW ME IN THE LOVESAC We build products for life. For real life. For your whole life. — Shawn

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