Women and Sustainability, Panel Discussion at the Women’s Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai
Coinciding with Health and Wellness Week at Expo Dubai, Andreu World – a Spanish manufacturer of sustainable furniture – and the Spanish Pavilion are organizing the round table “Women and Sustainability. Perspectives from Architecture, Design, Education and the Corporate World“. The event will take place on 31 January at 10:30 am (Dubai local time) at the Women’s Pavilion of the 2020 Expo Dubai.
The round table will focus on the role of women facing the challenge of sustainability from different approaches in the fields of architecture, design, education and business. On this occasion, Andreu World has brought together some international voices, through which the main issues related to gender, identity, sustainability, design and craftsmanship and artisanal heritage can be analyzed.
The panel will include Patricia Urquiola, one of the most important designers of our time whose reflections translate into work that aims to contribute to a better world. Dina Storey, Sustainability Director of Expo2020, which aspires to be one of the most sustainable World Expositions in history; Lorena del Río, project manager of SEGIPSA and specialist in Urbanism, Planning and Environment; Juan Roldán, professor at the American University of Sharjah College of Architecture, Art, and Design, who works on various educational projects, Samer Yamani design curator. Curator of MENASA – Emirati Design Platform/ Design and Craftsmanship Program at Expo 2020 Dubai and Jesús Llinares, CEO of Andreu World, a company in the furniture sector which has set itself the challenge of being in the circular economy by 2025. The talk will be moderated by Lena Marcuccili (content director of Love that Design).
Andreu World was the first furniture manufacturer in the world to offer FSC® 100% for its wooden products; it makes a great effort in R&D&I to develop its own sustainable materials, from 100% recycled and recyclable plastics to bio-based polymers of natural origin; and it promotes the longevity of its designs. The company also aims to set an example of responsibility by sharing its concerns, actions and commitments in the transition towards the Circular Economy and the goal of Zero Waste, under the slogan: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. In collaboration with Patricia Urquiola, the Spanish company has developed the Nuez Lounge BIO® armchair, which represents a step forward in sustainability and is a world first. Its outer shell is 100% recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. It is 100% Urquiola and 100% sustainable. Its interior is upholstered with sustainable textiles, including a proprietary fabric: Circular ONE®, made from PET bottle plastics and textile waste. The foam used is also 100% recycled and recyclable. The assembly uses no glues, so it can be easily disassembled and repaired or reupholstered to extend its life. The central ash wood base adds a natural touch and is FSC® 100%. The design paves the way to a new and comfortable path to sustainability. This chair has received international awards such as the Red Dot Award, Best of Year Interior Design and Australian Good Design Award.
In addition, the Spanish company has been in charge of the interior and exterior furnishing of the Spanish pavilion at Expo Dubaí with the more than 300 pieces of furniture – including chairs, sofas, armchairs, stools, conference, meeting and work tables and auxiliary furniture – having been chosen with the criteria of sustainability and resistance, created by internationally renowned designers such as Patricia Urquiola, Jasper Morrison, Alfredo Häberli, Benjamin Hubert, Pearson LLoyd, Piergiorgio Cazzaniga and Lievore Altherr Molina, among others.
For 65 years, this award-winning furniture company has developed a solid industrial culture based on the manufacture of high quality and comfortable seating and tables for work, corporate and public spaces, as well as for outdoors, hotels, cafeterias and restaurants. It has 16 single-brand showrooms worldwide and shared brand exhibition spaces in Europe, Oceania, Asia and America. Andreu World has a strong presence in the Middle East, where it has a permanent showroom in Dubai, located in the prestigious Jumeirah Lakes Towers building.