The Design Council has announced its new strategic direction and a bold campaign to galvanise and support the UK’s design industry to commit to a sustainable, climate first future. The Design for Planet launch took place in Kings Cross and was part of the London Design Festival.
When Winston Churchill’s government created Design Council in 1944, it was to put design to work on the biggest issue of the day; building back after the war.
The biggest challenge of the day and indeed our era, is the climate crisis. And design has a critical role to play, given we need to re-design nearly every aspect of how we live our lives. And to do that with some urgency. As the national strategic body for design, Design Council intends to focus the efforts on Design for Planet – harnessing design to help address the climate crisis and support government to meet Net Zero targets.
Through Design for Planet, Design Council will rally designers to bring about the societal shifts needed to accelerate the government’s transition to net zero and ensure the planet will thrive for future generations. Design Council’s work chimes with the Government’s One Step Greener campaign to create a mass movement of green steps to culminate in large collective action.
Design for Planet will give a platform to visionaries from the sector who are leading the way in sustainability and climate-action, and support others in the industry to prioritise the welfare of their planet in their work.
Minnie Moll, Chief Executive at Design Council said: “Design is very powerful as it shapes the world we live in. We need to build up on our knowledge and share it across the design community. 80% of the environmental impact of any new product is determined at the design stage.
The term Design for Planet is very intentional, it makes Planet a client. It makes you think what the planet would say if the planet was sat in the chair around the table.”
DESIGN FOR PLANET FESTIVAL
As part of the campaign, Design Council is hosting its Design for Planet Festival on 9-10 November to champion design as a powerful agent of change. This landmark event will feature talks, practical sessions and design tools that will help designers address the biggest challenge of our time.
Design Council will then be presenting at the COP26 Blue Zone UK Pavilion, showcasing the best of British Design for Planet to a global audience.
Design Council collaborates with key national institutions such as Homes England and Network Rail helping them design and develop sustainability frameworks. They also provide support and guidance to the 1.69 million designers in the UK.
Design Council network of Experts is a community of practice aiming to galvanise the community to share knowledge- research, case studies, best practice etc and to amplify the thought leadership of its members.
CPTED-UK directors support the Design for Planet strategy as Design Council Experts by contributing their security and social value expertise. We support sustainable development by designing security solutions that at the same time contribute to the dignity, safety and security of the wider community.
The recently published ISO 22341: 2021 standard for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design recognises the value of our approach, where the physical and social strategies of CPTED are interdependent, complement each other and contribute to the development of sustainable communities where crime and the fear of crime do not undermine the quality of life.
The Design Council Experts community holds monthly events to facilitate the engagement. Keep an eye on our blog for updates