IDE RESEARCH THEME

Sustainability

The world needs radical change. How does IDE drive sustainability transitions through design?

We face an environmental emergency: extreme weather, oceans polluted by plastic, a loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. At the same time, the world’s resources are unequally consumed: some communities apparently have it all, while others have far too little. We need radical change.

At the TU Delft Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, we want to approach sustainable living not as a lifestyle choice but as the smart and logical choice, hard-wired into the design of products, services and systems. This means clever designs with scarcity, pollution, and reuse in mind to eliminate waste and minimise pressure on the environment.

We think about planet-friendly approaches throughout the design process - from defining and researching problems to delivering solutions. Researchers at IDE develop tools, strategies, and methos to help design teams, communities and decision makers to develop sustainable products, services, and systems.

Rendering by Adriaan Przespolewski

Design like there's a climate crisis.

Conny Bakker, Professor of Design Methodology for Sustainability and Circular Economy

Sustainability Projects

IDE researchers in sustainability