Sustainable design
Designs products, services and systems with their environmental and social impact in mind across their whole life cycle, from materials to end of life.
What it deals with
Design decides the materials, how long something lasts and whether it can be repaired, and with that much of its impact. In the European Union, some of those decisions are now regulated by law.
Principles
Life cycle
Think about materials, manufacturing, use and end of life, and measure the impact before choosing.
Real needs
Design what is needed, not more things.
People too
Sustainability cares for those who make, use and live nearby, not just for the planet.
From object to system
Sometimes the change isn’t in the product but in the service, or in how a community organizes itself.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Decide at the start how the product will be repaired, reused or recycled.
Avoid
Swapping one material for an “eco” one without looking at the whole cycle, or calling it “green” without proof.
Don’t fall for it
Sometimes the most sustainable thing is not to manufacture: consider a service instead of a product.
Especialidades
Circular design
Designs so that products and materials stay in use instead of ending up in the trash.
Regenerative design
Goes beyond reducing harm: it aims for designs that help restore living systems.
Ecodesign
Reduces a product’s environmental impact at every stage of its life, starting when it’s designed.
Product-service systems
Designs the mix of products and services that meets a need, instead of selling more things.
Sustainable web design
Designs websites and digital services that use less energy, without losing usefulness or accessibility.
Methods and tools
- MethodLife cycle assessment (LCA)Measures a product's environmental impact over its whole life, to know where to act when designing.
Connections
Authors and works
- 1971
Victor Papanek
Called on design to take on its social and environmental responsibility.
- 1987
Brundtland Commission
Defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising those of the future.
- 2015
Ezio Manzini
Showed how communities and designers invent together more sustainable ways of living and organizing, through social innovation.
- 2016
Fabrizio Ceschin and İdil Gaziulusoy
Mapped the field’s evolution in four levels, from the most concrete to the broadest: the product, the product-service system, the spatio-social level and the socio-technical system.
- 2024
European Union, Ecodesign Regulation
Sets requirements for durability, repair and recycled content, creates the digital product passport and, since 19 July 2026, bans large companies from destroying unsold clothing and footwear.
European Union, Directive 2024/825
Since 27 September 2026, it bans advertising a product as “green” or “eco-friendly” without proving it or saying in what way it is.
Sources
Original sources
- Papanek, V. (1971). Design for the real world: Human ecology and social change. Pantheon Books.
- World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our common future. Oxford University Press. View source: World Commission on Environment and Development (1987)
- Manzini, E. (2015). Design, when everybody designs: An introduction to design for social innovation. MIT Press.
- Reglamento (UE) 2024/1781 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de June 13, 2024, por el que se instaura un marco para el establecimiento de requisitos de diseño ecológico aplicables a los productos sostenibles. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea, serie L, June 28, 2024. View source: Reglamento (UE) 2024/1781 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de June 13, 2024, por el que se instaura un marco para el establecimiento de requisitos de diseño ecológico aplicables a los productos sostenibles. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea, serie L, June 28, 2024.)
- Directiva (UE) 2024/825 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de February 28, 2024, por la que se modifican las Directivas 2005/29/CE y 2011/83/UE en lo que respecta al empoderamiento de los consumidores para la transición ecológica mediante una mejor protección contra las prácticas desleales y mediante una mejor información. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea, March 6, 2024. View source: Directiva (UE) 2024/825 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de February 28, 2024, por la que se modifican las Directivas 2005/29/CE y 2011/83/UE en lo que respecta al empoderamiento de los consumidores para la transición ecológica mediante una mejor protección contra las prácticas desleales y mediante una mejor información. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea, March 6, 2024.)
Academic reviews
- Ceschin, F., & Gaziulusoy, İ. (2016). Evolution of design for sustainability: From product design to design for system innovations and transitions. Design Studies, 47, 118–163. View source: Ceschin, F., & Gaziulusoy, İ. (2016)
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