Where are the lobby groups if designers have gone Green?

Clare Dowdy’s report on the development of ethical consciousness among design consultancies (DW 21 September) chimed with my experience of the state of the British design industry.

It was notable that few design practices in the more dynamic sectors – on-line media, product and service design – appear to have embraced this way of thinking.

To an extent, the rise in ethical consciousness in the traditional design sectors has mirrored their loss of innovation and empathy with ordinary people. Ethical consciousness has been embraced to make up for this lost sense of purpose.

What is remarkable about these newly politicised designers is how uninterested they are in taking part in public debate.

Moreover, if the design world were really concerned about making a difference around ethical issues you would expect it would have created lobby groups along the lines of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.

Nico Macdonald, Design Agenda, London EC2