What does it mean to be ‘wasted by design’, and are we, as an industry (and a society), designing waste into the system on purpose?
In Episode 002 of But Why? A Design Podcast, Eugene and Stirling step back and set context for the work behind the mic. This is Part One of a two-part origin story, focused on Stirling’s journey and the philosophy behind Wasted by Design, a business name that is deliberately ironic, intentionally provocative, and rooted in years of observing waste in commercial interiors.
Stirling shares why the problem is not just environmental, but also human. Wasted materials, wasted time, wasted quality, wasted potential. The episode explores why reuse is still treated as less glamorous than new, why commercial settings struggle with circularity even when households embrace second-hand platforms, and how fear, liability, and fragmented decision-making keep the system stuck.
They also introduce a new recurring segment, Waste Watch, designed to call out everyday examples of waste, with a constructive lens. The first target: a very public piece of seasonal marketing that raises bigger questions about design intent and brand responsibility.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why the name Wasted by Design is meant to provoke an honest conversation
The human and spatial cost of a profit-first system
Why commercial reuse is harder than household reuse
How designer ego and the pursuit of new can crowd out better options
When sustainability tools become badge-chasing instead of genuine impact
The Never-Used Economy, including speculative fitouts that are built then removed before use
Waste Watch: the KFC bucket hat as a case study in designed waste and marketing choices
Keep questioning, keep exploring, and most importantly… keep asking, But Why?
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