Design for Planet Festival 24 with the Design Council

Join the Design for Planet Festival 24 with the Design Council

There’s still time to register for the Design For Planet festival free online.

This year the event is being held at Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, but people from all over the world can join the sessions online on the 6th of November.

Mark (one of the directors of Design Nature), will be joining in person the day before as part of the Design Council Expert Network, supporting upskilling a million designers in green skills and then be there throughout the festival (say hello if you’re there).

Planet Positive Business

The theme this year is Planet Positive Business, showing that design can help businesses prosper at the same time as regenerating the planet. This is a mission close to our hearts at Design Nature, alongside recognising that design can help people, particularly children and young people and more than human world navigate and support thriving (at the same time as planet positive business).

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 design:

• Can save you money by reducing carbon and reducing waste
• Increases commercialisation of sustainable products
• Help you meet your ESG goals
• Turns waste into value
• Keep you ahead of the market and create new markets

There’s a great online programme that includes a range of Manchester based businesses, government leaders and design experts discussing and sharing how design can achieve both economic and environmental good.

We’re interested (as ever), in the role education plays in this and the need to transition curriculum and foundational and lifelong learning to support planet positive business and lifestyles.

You can sign up and also access the online Design For Planet forum and networking space here.

Note on, Who are the Design council?

You may be wondering who the Design Council are. 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.