Specializing Master in Designing for Transition

Ecodesign, Circularity, and Regenerative Solutions

The environmental crisis is increasingly looming just as clear as the evidence of human responsibility for climate change, loss of biodiversity, irreversible damage to ecosystems, depletion of soil and raw materials, and an exponential increase in waste.

In this context, designers are called upon to design so that an effective transition to more sustainable and regenerative models of production and consumption becomes a reality and does not remain only in the realm of good intentions.

The first step is to become aware of the effects that have already occurred and all the consequences that unsustainable impacts of human activity are having on all living beings and ecosystems. There is an urgent need to increase the critical sensitivity of production and design professionals to the environmental problems caused by the spread of unsustainable production, consumption, and lifestyle patterns. It must be demonstrated that it is possible to adopt a different perspective, moving from approaches that focus exclusively on user needs to those that respect ecosystems and the needs of all living beings. Complexity and environmental needs must be included in design processes.

To create and seize opportunities in the professional field, it is necessary to have awareness, knowledge, strategies, and tools for designing a sustainable transition. The new Master’s course offers theoretical insights into current concepts and approaches for designing sustainable solutions, offering practical experience in applying strategies and tools of ecodesign and design for sustainability.

It has been estimated that 80 percent of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage, So the designer needs proper tools and needs to be aware of the environmental risks or benefits of their choices and appropriate strategies to encourage design decisions that meet the need to produce to more sustainable standards, which are increasingly necessary and socially demanded.

Designers who want to engage in designing the transition must be able to provide coherent solutions that have a positive impact, not only on the environment but also on the economy and society, while also considering different product sectors and degrees of intervention. The contemporary professional context is increasingly aware of the important role of design as a promoter and facilitator of the transition towards a new sustainable and regenerative dimension.

The Master aims to educate practitioners in the fundamentals of sustainable development, the circular economy, and the lifecycle approach to moving towards sustainable production and consumption systems. The Master’s program is designed to provide graduates with a basic knowledge of sustainable development, the circular economy, and the life-cycle approach to the transition toward sustainable production and consumption systems.

These graduates can respond to the new needs of the product design industry related to the deep transformation of production and technological systems and the increasing demand for skills and ideas for sustainable product strategies. Emerging issues such as design inspired by nature (biomimicry, biodesign, biophilic design) and the regenerative approach to sustainability will be addressed.

In addition, the Master aims to complete the training of experts capable of using tools to orientate the design pathway towards the development of products with a low impact on the environment, providing the skills to evaluate the sustainability of a product through eco-assessment methods (Life Cycle Assessment, Product Environmental Footprint).

Title Released

At the end of the program, once the final examination has been passed, the 1st level Specializing Master of Politecnico di Milano Designing for Transition: Ecodesign, Circularity, and Regenerative Solutions diploma will be issued, with the related achievement of 60 CFU/ECTS.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory for at least 75 percent of the program activities.

Didactic Modules

The course includes lessons, testimonials, stories of case studies, company visits, and targeted design exercises.

The Master is divided into the following training modules:

• Environmental Issues
• Theoretical Foundations
• Social Issues
• Circular Economy
• Materials for transition
• Design for sustainability
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Strategies of Design for Sustainability
• European Regulations (in Ecodesign)
• Communicating Sustainability
• Related Issues
• Progetto professionalizzante o tirocinio curriculare

This program has been designed for people with a professional background in product design and related sectors wishing to acquire knowledge of methods and tools for integrating LCA methods into business processes to gain a systematic understanding of legislative requirements for eco-design (in Italy and Europe) to increase knowledge of new materials and to understand the dynamics of a modern model of relations between design, sustainability and production systems.

The Master trains international professionals who can find a place in Italian and foreign companies and studios operating in global markets. The employment opportunities envisaged in the product design sector and related sectors are the following:

• R&D director
• Designer or head of product development team
• Engineer or technical expert in designing low environmental impact products
• Product portfolio manager
• Sustainable materials designer
• Design manager or art/design director
• Head of sustainable communications and branding