LCD Examples in Business
Below are organisations that have expanded human-centred design to include the environment, social justice, and responsibility in their product, service, and business design.
Field Better | Africa & Latin America
Focuses: Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Justice
Activating in 6 countries and 16 languages across Africa and Latin America, Field Better unites more than 35,000 farmers to produce up-cycled and ethically sourced products like fully traceable dried fruits (from tree to shelf) and fully sustainable grilling charcoals. By incorporating food that might never make it to market they reduce waste. The heart of their sustainable model is their decentralising, people-focused purpose—“We exist to eradicate extreme rural poverty.” The model consists of three pillars:
- Appropriate and scalable technologies and systems
- Network-inclusive value chains that respect the rights of the poor, witheach part generating revenue
- A focus on identifying and enabling markets
By selling their systems to people who don’t own land to farm (often women, youth, and refugees) and including farmers in such a direct and distributed way, Field Better democratises access to the agricultural value chain which helps to eliminate extreme rural poverty.
Fairphone Modular Phones | Europe
Focuses: Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Justice
To tackle mobile phone e-waste, Amsterdam-based and B-Corp-certified Fairphone encourages phone reuse and repair by selling modular smartphones and spare parts, and by offering repair tutorials.
They also advocate for a fairer electronics industry by practising responsible material sourcing and fighting for workers’ welfare.
Fairphone uses transparency about their journey through sharing reports and by being honest about not being perfect, that transitioning toward a more sustainable and fair business is a journey with challenges and obstacles.
Patagonia | US
Focuses: Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Justice
A great example of a life-centred business is Patagonia, an American outdoor clothing company with hundreds of stores in over 10 countries across 5 continents, and factories in 16 countries. They’ve aligned their organisation with global goals by utilising their product value, lifecycle connections, and areas of influence to transform from a business just profiting from selling clothes to also championing the many following initiatives:
- Created their manifesto about becoming an antiracist company
- Support fair work conditions for apparel workers via a social-responsibility program that analyses and manages the impacts of the business it has on the workers and communities in the supply chain
- Utilise Regenerative Organic CertifiedTM Programs that support people and animals ‘working together to restore the health of our planet’ by improving soil health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Pledged 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment
- Created Worn Wear to encourage the reuse of unwanted clothing and keep the materials in use
- Provide financial and networking support to environmental action groups
- Use transparency to share supply chain information, so customers know where and how their clothes are made
- Set climate-specific goals to reduce carbon emissions from across the entire supply chain
- Share their ethical footprint to remain transparent and accountable
