This year’s Design for Planet Festival from the Design Council was pretty impressive.

It was all about “repurpose, repair and retrofit”:

Design for Planet Positive Business. Showing that design can help businesses prosper whilst also regenerating the planet.

This does not mean selling the same things made of recycled materials or creating shiny new green products – it means a fundamental redesign of what businesses are for, putting the planet at the heart of their purpose and giving Mother Nature a seat at the table. Businesses can prosper, but prosperity, and consumption, might look a little different in the future.

And in the catch-up newsletter, the messages were just as loud and clear:

“We need to be more punk. We need to totally reframe value. And we need to question the brief.” Said by Sophie Thomas at this year’s Design for Planet Festival hosted by Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University – if it’s the first time you’re hearing about it we’re afraid you’ve missed the live date.  But, good news! You can still catch up with all the content via our on demand platform.   CATCH UP NOW!

In the meantime, we wanted to share our highlights with you.

🌍 Designing for Less: Thoughtful consumption is key. Let’s focus on creating things that matter, last, and reduce waste.  “We should only make stuff from materials we understand the provenance and performance of.” Patrick Grant, founder, Community Clothing ⌛ Quality, Value & Longevity: We need a shift from disposable to durable – prioritising design that truly serves people and the planet. “There is power in our supply chains.” Tanya Popeau, director, Synthesis

📢 Bringing the Public Along: Sustainable change is a shared journey. Let’s engage the public, making sustainability approachable and inclusive.  “Putting planet at the heart of business is the way to future prosperity, to higher productivity.” Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester 🤝 Radical Collaboration: Real change requires breaking silos. We need cross-sector partnerships and brave solutions that challenge outdated norms. “There is power in our supply chains.” Tanya Popeau, director, Synthesis

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