Skip to main content
Short course

Regenerative Design Short Course

Book course
Regenerative Design Short Course REGENEv7Ci_Course Banner
Learn practical tools and frameworks for embedding environmental thinking into design. Explore systems-based approaches that create value for organisations and the planet.

Course description

Course overview

Environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity are reshaping the way organisations design products, services and experiences. While designers are increasingly expected to respond, many have not yet developed the skills and confidence needed to embed environmental thinking into their work.

This intensive three-day course helps bridge that gap. Through a practical, systems-based approach, participants will learn how to integrate environmental considerations into the design process and create solutions that deliver value for both organisations and the planet.

Working in teams on a shared design challenge, participants will explore six interconnected themes from the Skills for Planet Blueprint: working with nature, circular economy, cutting carbon, engaging communities, influencing change, and evaluating impact.

By approaching these themes as part of a connected system, participants gain a deeper understanding of how environmental decisions influence outcomes across people, places and organisations.

Participants will take part in practical exercises such as product tear-downs and carbon mapping, alongside group discussions and reflection activities that help translate learning into real-world practice.


Who this course is for

This course is relevant for professionals and graduates who:

  • Want to build their capability to respond to growing demand for environmentally responsible design
  • Are looking to integrate environmental considerations into projects, even where these are not part of the original brief
  • Are developing or expanding a “design for the planet” or sustainability-focused offer
  • Want to better understand how their work connects to wider systems, beyond individual products or services

It is also suitable for recent graduates with a foundation in design who want to develop their skills in this area as part of their early career.

This course may be less suitable for those without prior design experience, or for specialists seeking deep technical training in areas such as materials selection or lifecycle assessment.

Key information

Topics covered

  • The need for system thinking and regenerative design
  • Material lifecycles in a circular economy
  • Identifying ecological impact from emissions and nature
  • Designing with communities as resource stewards
  • Strategies for influencing behaviour and measuring impact

Learning outcomes

  • Apply a small set of practical tools to explore and frame environmental challenges within a design context
  • Analyse a design problem from a systems perspective, identifying relationships between factors such as materials, emissions, behaviours, and communities
  • Develop a high-level project strategy that responds to environmental challenges within a given brief
  • Use methods such as product tear-downs, non-human personas, and carbon mapping to inform design thinking
  • Explain the difference between extractive, sustainable, and regenerative approaches to design
  • Identify potential trade-offs and unintended consequences when addressing environmental challenges across a system
  • Outline simple ways to assess and measure the environmental impact of a design project
  • Reflect on how environmental considerations could be integrated into their own design practice
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance


Materials

  • Pen and paper for keeping personal notes
  • Camera phone (but please keep it on silent and turn notifications off)
  • Laptop (optional)

Book a course

Loading

Short Courses