136 Although the prevailing perception is that specifying sustainable interiors costs more than designing with traditional materials, this reflects the current lack of information and education about sustainable methodologies. Over time, as the whole value chain works towards improving sustainability, life-cycle costs are expected to become lower for sustainable solutions. And, as the age of cheap waste disposal looks set to end with countries that typically absorbed much of the waste load beginning to close their doors to this avenue of disposal, sustainable solutions that do not generate waste can give operators confidence that they will not be left with too much unwanted waste material in future. It does require vision to look beyond the current situation, in which deadline pressures can often lead to inferior products being substituted because they are more easily accessible within the required timeframe. Many sustainable technologies have a long-term savings effect, as well as an impact on non-tangible costs or revenues. This is driving interest in new ways of costing for sustainability, with any cost analysis taking into account long-term impacts. The cost premium of sustainable interiors will begin to drop with the development of economies of scale. Once demand has been established, innovation and investment will follow. The more massproduced sustainable items are, the cheaper they will become. This process, however, requires the commitment of all stakeholders to drive the necessary changes. ADDRESS ING INDUSTRY I SSUES
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