Market sustainability has now become vital in terms of production. It is essential for every company at whatever level they may be to integrate concepts of Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability into their design. It allows the business to remain viable, competitive and stable over a long period without causing any harm to the society or the Environment. It was this goal that caused Yamaha’s Research and development division to come up with the idea of manufacturing instruments with wood scraps. The team started using unused wood for the company’s factories to reduce their overall waste generation. This process was, however, easier said than done. The materials that they were able to collect were intended for a plethora of musical instruments which meant they were of various sizes, shapes and hardness. After more experimentation, they were able to introduce the first concept of the guitar which had a patchwork design.
Although their initial prototype was highly regarded, the team also made note that while purchasing an instrument a consumer isn’t looking into the sustainability index of their instrument. Therefore, to increase the market value of their instruments they started experimenting with the materiality of the instruments and how that would in turn affect the quality of their Music. By substituting materials that are predominantly used in pianos for those used in guitars they were able to introduce a rather new concept of instruments into the market. It was this level of innovation that won them the Red Dot Design Concept Award for 2024, an initiative that started to give recognition to good designs in 2005.
References:
Yamaha (2024). Technologies That Transform: Reimagining the Future of Music #1. [Online]. (Last Updated February 7, 2024). Available at: https://www.yamaha.com/en/stories/the-key/008-01/ [ Accessed 14 September 2024].
Red Dot (2024). Red Dot Award: Design Concept [Online]. Available at: https://www.red-dot.org/design-concept [Accessed 14 September 2024].
Kazuya Washio (2024). Yamaha Corporation imagines guitars made of scrap materials. [Online]. (Last Updated September 7, 2024). Available at: https://www.designboom.com/design/yamaha-electric-guitar-craft-upcycled-instrument-manufacturing-wood-09-07-2024/ [ Accessed 14 September 2024].
