Join us for the fourth edition of Design for Planet Festival to discover how to design for Planet Positive Business. Hear from an incredible line up of design, business and government leaders on how the power of design can be used to achieve both economic and environmental success.
This year’s theme is 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.
Tune in to the festival sessions to discover how:
November 6, 2024 10:00
The Design Council, in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University's School of Art, proudly opens the 4th Design for Planet Festival, showcasing how design can drive businesses to reach their net zero goals, and do so profitably.
Martyn Evans
Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Arts & Humanities and Director of Manchester School of Art - Manchester Metropolitan University
Minnie Moll
Chief Executive - Design Council
November 6, 2024 10:15
Celebrated clothing designer, broadcaster and presenter of the BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee, will share his journey to creating his brand, Community Clothing.
Based in Blackburn, Community Clothing is disrupting the fashion industry by changing how garments are designed and marketed. Through rethinking the systemic narrative, considering the full lifecycle of a product.
Community Clothing is making buying better, competitive amongst the fast-fashion juggernauts. Hear Patrick talk about how Community Clothing produces clothes that are good for the planet and for the people who make them.
Patrick Grant
Director - Community Clothing
November 6, 2024 10:55
Discover how Usha Raghavachari, Lab Director at D-Ford, Ford's Global Innovation 'start-up lab', is revolutionising Ford Motors through design, propelling it to the forefront of the electric and renewable transport revolution.
Get ready to explore the practicalities of implementing design thinking in a major corporation and gain the tools to fuel your own innovation journey. Equip yourself with the strategies to make impactful change to your organisation.
Usha Raghavachari
Executive Director, Human Centred Design - Ford Motor Company
November 6, 2024 11:30
Exclusive premiere of our newest film in the Life in Design series. This film will feature Karlijn Sibbel, Design Director at Notpla - a sustainable packaging start-up. Ooho and their other packaging solutions are made from Notpla, a revolutionary material made from seaweed and plants that biodegrades in weeks, naturally.
November 6, 2024 11:45
Get ready for a high-stakes debate on one of the most pressing issues in sustainable design: can businesses truly prosper while achieving environmental sustainability?
Join Martyn Evans, Creative Director at U+I, Katie Hill, Co-chair of B Lab Global, and James Vaccaro, advisor at Triodos Bank and founder of Re-pattern as they tackle this complex question.
James Vaccaro
CEO - RePattern.org
Katie Hill
Co-Chair, Board of Directors - B Lab Global
Martyn Evans
Creative Director - Landsec U+I
November 6, 2024 12:30
Immerse yourself in our moderated networking, where sustainability and design innovation converge. This high-energy session connects professionals, experts, and enthusiasts to exchange ideas and spark collaborations.
Join themed breakout groups to tackle topics like circular design and sustainable materials. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the field, this is your chance to network, gain fresh insights, and drive action toward a sustainable future.
November 6, 2024 13:00
Trace Manchester’s evolution from textile titan to fast-fashion hub and the power it has to lead the industry towards a planet positive system.
Hear from industry leaders as they unravel innovative strategies for incorporating circularity through materials, supply chains, and business models to redefine fashion’s future and drive positive change.
Alison Carlin
Co-founder - Manchester Fashion Movement
Susan Postlethwaite
Professor of Fashion Technologies - Manchester Metropolitan University
Talia Hussain
Researcher - Loughborough University London, and University of Greenwich
Sophie Benson
November 6, 2024 14:20
This session is delivered in partnership with Purcell Architects.
Manchester may be increasingly well known for its rising skyline, but closer to ground level, there is a diversity of heritage and civic buildings, brownfield sites and old factories being repurposed to create housing, work and leisure spaces, not only re-using materials, but also regenerating biodiversity.
Repurposing and retrofitting need to become the norm, creating additional homes and places within our carbon limits. We need to embrace it as a radical practice that can be commercially profitable for developers and cost effective for homeowners and renters.
Hosted by Phin Harper, Design Council Expert and Guardian columnist, with experts in architectural retrofit, Gemma Birchall of Purcell Architects; Muyiwa Oki, RIBA President; Nick Johnson, Altrincham Market and Tayo Adebowale, Cirkadia.
Gemma Birchall
Associate Architect - Purcell
Nick Johnson
"Head Honcho" - Marketserv Ltd, Altrincham Market
Phineas Harper
Writer and curator
November 6, 2024 15:15
Equip yourself with the fundamental elements of climate science to address environmental issues in your designs.
Gain knowledge and implement effective strategies that design businesses, both individually and collectively, can adopt to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.
Graeme Hayes
Director of Sustainable Innovation - Litmus Sustainability
November 6, 2024 15:15
Design is a powerful tool for shaping behaviours, so could it help us shape good green behaviour?
Hear from experts, the design strategies that have been effective and the challenges they've encountered in driving sustainable internal practices for businesses to implement design solutions that drive positive change in your organisation.
Liz Newell
Head of Design - Creative Concern
November 6, 2024 15:15
Inspired by the innovative Doughnut Economics framework, explore how you can transform your business model to place the planet at the heart of your work.
Join Erinch Sahan, Doughnut Economics Action Lab, for a step by step journey on adapting your approach to business for greater sustainability, leveraging their model to drive meaningful change within your organisation.
Erinch Sahan
Business & Enterprise Lead - Doughnut Economics Action Lab
November 6, 2024 15:15
Digital designers, as the largest and fastest-growing group of designers in the UK, have a unique opportunity to influence change. Creating compelling graphics and striking visuals can capture attention and drive awareness for key climate issues and solutions.
Explore digital storytelling techniques and clever design strategies to make your messages resonate and inspire action, whilst implementing eco-friendly principles into your process.
Abb-d Taiyo
Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer - Driftime
November 6, 2024 15:30
Prepare yourselves for an intellectual showdown.
In one corner, we have the 'Product' Team, ready to throw down their expertise in leveraging design to tackle immediate business needs while championing sustainability. They’ll be pushing strategies, such as lightweighting products, making sustainable options irresistible, and crafting designs for disassembly and circularity.
And in the opposite corner, the 'Business Model' Team stands poised to challenge the status quo with their bold vision. They’re set to demonstrate how design can revolutionise business practices by embedding nature into corporate strategies, open-sourcing tools for enhanced collaboration, investing in equity, and instigating cultural shifts within organisations.
Which approach will lead the way forward in proving that design can drive profits and achieve net-zero objectives?
Bernice Pan
Founder & Chief Creative Officer - DEPLOY
Efia Mainoo
Founder & CEO - BlackOwned Studios + Marketplace
Lisa Henderson
Director - ilka
Nilesha Chauvet
Managing Director - GOOD
Pete Swift
Co-founder - Planit
Richard Hall
CEO - Pd-m International Limited
Simeon Rose
Creative Director - Faith in Nature
November 6, 2024 16:30
What new skills do we need for circular design? Not only to create the products themselves but also the surrounding services and business models. How can we transform traditional linear approaches into groundbreaking, regenerative practices that drive a sustainable future?
Sophie Thomas, Founder of Thomas.Matthews and etsaW Venture Studio, will be joined by Dr. Adam Read of SUEZ, to delve into why embracing circular design skills is not just environmentally crucial but also economically advantageous.
Dr Adam Read
Chief Sustainability & External Affairs Officer - SUEZ
Sophie Thomas
Founder - Thomas.Matthews, etsaW Venture Studio
November 6, 2024 17:00
Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council, will summarise the key learnings from the day with a heartfelt thank you to all our speakers and attendees for a remarkable day.
We’ve explored how design can drive sustainability, from debating product versus business model approaches to understanding the shift from linear to regenerative practices. Today’s discussions reinforced the role of design in both business success and environmental stewardship.
Let’s carry these lessons forward as we work towards a more sustainable future.
Minnie Moll
Chief Executive - Design Council
The Design Council is the UK’s national strategic advisor for design, championing design and its ability to make life better for all. It is an independent and not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal Charter. The Design Council uniquely works across all design sectors and delivers programmes with business, government, public bodies and the third sector. Their work encompasses thought leadership, tools and resources, showcasing excellence, and research to evidence the value of design and influence policy. Their Design for Planet mission was introduced in 2021 to galvanise and support the 1.97 million people who work in the UK’s design economy to help achieve net zero and beyond. In September 2025 the Design Council will host the prestigious World Design Congress as a catalytic moment in driving the sector towards designing for planet.
The Design Council's mission is to Design for Planet, to design our way to a net zero world and beyond.
The Design for Planet Festival is our flagship annual event helping to drive this mission. It aims to bring together designers, businesses, and policy makers to connect, inspire and help make this year's theme of Planet Positive Business a reality.
By attending the festival, we aim to increase your understanding and capabilities in how to practically design for planet.
Design for Planet Festival is completely FREE!
Anyone can attend Design for Planet Festival. We welcome virtual attendees from all sectors (not just design-specific) and from all around the world.
The list of delegates who attend in person have been invited by the Design Council as a selection of cross-industry experts and, of course, our speakers.
We are looking for inspiring case studies of Design for Planet in action, particularly examples of where design has helped businesses to proser and look after the planet.
If you have a great story to tell, or want to get in touch about being involved in future festivals, you can email the team: festival@designcouncil.org.uk
All sessions will be available on the registration platform for one month after exclusively for those who registered. Please allow for a few days after the festival as we upload the content.
Please help us to drive our Design for Planet mission. Tell your friends and colleagues about our mission and resources and use your platforms to amplify the message. You can tag us at @Designcouncil.
In September 2025 we will be hosting the prestigious World Design Congress at the Barbican Centre. You can read more here about how to support us in making this a catalytic moment for design.
The prestigious World Design Congress is coming to London for the first time in over 50 years. The 34th edition will be hosted by the Design Council at the Barbican Centre, recognised worldwide for its iconic brutalist architecture and commitment to sustainable design.
The World Design Organization's two-day event takes place every two years, gathering together the international design community and thought leaders from business, research and education to discuss and debate design issues of global importance.
Our theme for 2025 will be Design for Planet. The effects of climate change are more evident than ever and design has a crucial role to play to help reduce carbon emissions and increase biodiversity. This is a moment to convene and accelerate design's power in building a regenerative future for all.
We'll be releasing exciting information in the run up, including how you can get your hands on tickets, so sign up for our World Design Congress newsletter to be first to know.
Tickets will be available to purchase online in early 2025. We will also be giving Design for Planet Festival attendees an early access opportunity.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to showcase the best of UK design and innovation, and critically, our leadership in harnessing design to address the climate and nature crisis.
This is a momentous opportunity to add your voice to a prestigious, high-profile event and demonstrate your commitment to designing a sustainable future.