Design is about problem solving. It is innovation. Design’s influence reaches back to the choice and extraction of materials. It shapes consumer demand and behavior.

The conclusion is simple. Sustainability concepts have an enormous potential for (re)shaping 21st Century design practice.

The Natural Step recognizes that the design community plays a significant role in sustainability efforts. We are interested in developing the concepts and tools to enable sustainability leadership within the design community.

Our current work in this field includes:

• Teaching Materials and University Events: We are developing a set of teaching materials to support the integration of sustainability concepts into design efforts. Through partnerships with professors and universities, we are seeking to introduce new factors into design education through these materials as well as through co-sponsored conferences and events.
  
  
• Product Development Processes: Both in the U.S. and Swedish offices, The Natural Step has proposed adaptations to existing product development processes that will include sustainability factors. We are continuing to test and develop our Method for Sustainable Product Design (MPSD) providing a complete system of strategic and tactical steps targeting measurable improvements in product development.
  
  
• Tools: Working in collaboration with diverse stakeholders, organizations and product designers, we are developing new tools to enable application of sustainability concepts to design practice. In addition, we are maintaining a summary of available tools and methods with descriptions and recommendations for application. Ongoing development of web-based sharing is intended to support tool selection and application and increase the dialogue among designers.
  
  
• Case Studies: Only through example do we gain experience. Therefore, we are tracking the development of new products and identifying existing products that apply sustainable concepts, either as individual attributes or as an integrated set. Successes, challenges, directions for improvement are documented along with contacts and links for further information. Our library of products and examples is an ongoing project.
  
  
• Resource Lists: Through our work on maintaining a full view of the sustainable product development field, we enable easy links to key sources for information. We have compiled a bibliography as well as contacts for academic institutions, governmental agencies, and NGOs working on the latest thinking in the field.

Our global reach, corporate services, educational initiatives and seminar participation yields a rich web of influential, informed, articulate collaborators.