Sustainable Product Design student takes inspiration from Blue Earth Summit

Driven by a desire to make a difference, Sustainable Product Design student Florence Pike-Quantick came to university aiming to use her creative skills to positively impact people and the planet. 

Florence recently had the chance to attend the Blue Earth Summit, an event bringing together leaders and innovators focused on sustainability. Here she shares her key learnings from the summit and discusses how these experiences are shaping her journey in sustainable design. 

What inspired you to pursue Sustainable Product Design at Falmouth? 

I’ve always been a creative at heart, studying fine art and graphics before coming to uni. After taking a year out of education, I wanted to return to a creative learning environment with a more critical outlook and purpose, and that’s when I discovered Sustainable Product Design at Falmouth! I was inspired by the challenge of designing concepts that can have a positive impact on people and the planet. 

How did the opportunity arise to attend the Blue Earth Summit? 

It was such a quick and last-minute process, and I didn't have any time to overthink or thoroughly prepare in honesty! The Employability Service got in touch via my course leader to advertise that a local video agency, Bull & Wolf, were looking for a Falmouth student to attend the summit with them for free, and I jumped at the opportunity!  

A few days later I got off a train at 10pm in central London and met the whole crew for some food and a pint! I can’t express how lovely and welcoming they were. They are an incredible bunch of people, and I hope to stay in touch with them. 

My role was to document the journey from a young person’s perspective navigating the summit (who otherwise wouldn't be able to go) and create media content. So, my time there was documented by myself and Bull & Wolf, and I was interviewed each day. 

Did you get chance to network with industry leaders or other attendees? What was that like?  

The whole event was a huge networking pool, with so many people introducing themselves and telling each other what they do! I was constantly talking or listening to someone! 

Reskinned is a new clothing system established by Ross Barry and Matthew Hanrahan . It prevents textiles ending up in landfill by rehoming unwanted clothes through resale, repair and innovative recycling. It was super insightful to talk to members of the Reskinned team, which has inspired new perspectives for my ongoing project. 

I also got to sit down and chat with fashion designer Stuart Trevour. He had so many interesting and ‘out there’ takes on the fashion industry, and frankly how bad most of it is! His way of speaking clearly without undermining the current issues was super inspiring to hearfirst-hand. 

Were there any speakers or sessions that particularly inspired or challenged you? 

Sian Sutherland and Sally Beken were two influential people speaking on the ‘Our thriving post-plastic future’ panel. There was a very current debate on plastic waste; do we need to stop it at the source, do we need to fight for higher legislation, or do we need to re-use what's already circulating in the system? The passion in the way they carefully spoke to this topic was very insightful. 

As a student, what were some key takeaways from the summit that you’d like to share with other students interested in sustainability? 

As a young person with ambitions to help make our world more sustainable,, it's hard not to feel totally overwhelmed by humans’ impact on the planet. However, it’s important to remember there are like-minded people that are striving towards purpose-driven ideas. Don’t feel like you're too small and can't make an impact; start somewhere and push for positive change. 

How does Falmouth’s approach to sustainable design education prepare you for engaging with real-world sustainability issues? 

The summit was heavily focused on business and calling for legislation as well as inspiring change. We do that here at Falmouth but being at the summit was the first time I have been in an environment with business at the forefront of conversations, which was really helpful 

What’s next for you as you continue your journey in sustainable product design? 

My current focus is on my final major project, where I'm exploring critical issues within fast fashion. My project addresses the unsustainable production cycles that lead to an overabundance of textiles ending up in landfills, while clothing poverty remains a growing issue in the UK. My goal is to design a solution-oriented product that not only supports those affected by poverty but also creatively repurposes existing textiles and highlights newly developed recycled soft materials. 

Beyond my project, I’m eager to engage with more sustainability and design events to deepen my understanding and networks within this field. The recent summit has shifted my perspective, inspiring me to approach challenges less cynically and more as a proactive solution-seeker.   

How would you sum up your Blue Earth Summit experience in one sentence? 

It’s about dialogue not monologue, get out there and listen to what people have to say.

Find out more about our Sustainable Product Design BA(Hons) course.