host and definition on EcoDesign

"If you combine two different areas, the sum is often weaker than its individual parts," says Tham. "This was exactly the case with ecodesign in the past century. But times have changed. Today we see examples which are exactly the other way round. Garments look better, perform better and are environmentally sound. Why? Because leading scientists, designers and engineers have teamed up for a better future. Having said that, these examples are not yet the rule but the exception. There are still far too many mass products which are just ‘nice from far’ but ‘far from nice’ as Volvo SportsDesign jury member Christian Hochfeld pointed out."

"The sporting goods and fashion industry is just at the beginning. But since leading brands have discovered the huge potential of ecodesign, the entire movement is now gaining the kind of momentum nobody thought possible three years ago."

The speakers, audience, and workshop hosts at the VOLVO SportsDesign FORUM 2008 will expend extra energy to speed up this movement. So one day, the sum of ‘eco’ plus ‘design’ will equal more than the sum of its parts.