Twenty-first International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

This paper outlines a framework for integrating practices, principles and methods for sustainability into current design practice and education. Designers can play a role in contributing to sustainable change as they are positioned in the early stages of a product or innovation development process. Therefore the potential impact on the transformation of products into more (sustainably) desirable ones can be substantial. Through a case study comparing the current state of design education in relation to sustainable development with approaches to sustainability in design agencies, the argument is made that the theory-practice gap in the implementation of actionable sustainability strategies has not been bridged yet. The author provides insights into a process to integrate the aforementioned sustainability practices, principles and methods, that has been tested both at a large design agency and at a design university. The case study holds implications for the actionable integration of sustainability at the core of design and innovation processes both in design education and design practice.