Department of Design

Design for Sustainability

Our sustainability research includes the development of new sustainable materials – especially fibres - research on product-service systems for sustainability, sustainable consumption and research on sustainability transitions.

Julia Lohmannin Hidaka Ohmu. Kuva: Mikko Raskinen
Professor Julia Lohmann research with seaweed

The sustainable design research is closely connected with the NODUS, Fashion/Textiles Futures and INUSE research groups as well as the Creative Sustainability Master’s programme.

Examples of current funded projects

Creatures project logo

CreaTures: Creative Practices for Transformational Futures

CreaTures: Creative Practices for Transformational Futures aims at demonstrating effective paths to achieving sustainability, social cohesion and peaceful co-existence at a time of rapid change.

Department of Design
We need systemic and fundamental changes in the textile and fashion industry’s business model.

Sustainable textile systems: Co-creating resource-wise business for Finland in global textile networks (FINIX)

Sustainable textile systems: Co-creating resource-wise business for Finland in global textile networks (FINIX) is a joint research project with the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto Design Research among others.

Department of Design
Creative Teamwork in action

Towards Eco-Welfare State: Orchestrating for Systemic (ORSI)

Towards Eco-Welfare State: Orchestrating for Systemic (ORSI) is a joint research project between Tampere University, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto Design Research.

Department of Design

Sustainability News at the Department of Design

A close-up of various electronic waste pieces, including circuit boards, wires, and metal fragments in different colours.
Research & Art Published:

VTT, Aalto University and GTK: How to ensure Finland captures the multi‑billion growth potential of mineral economy

Finland is rising to the forefront of the mineral economy through new research initiatives and closer collaboration
HiFive research group: Joni Lappalainen, Juho Silmukari, Martina Čaić, Anna Viljakainen, Virpi Roto. Photo: Mikko Raskinen
Cooperation, Research & Art Published:

Design strengthens industrial competitiveness – human-centered factory work at the core

Factory work is undergoing a transformation: new technologies and artificial intelligence are changing the content and roles of work. Aalto University’s Department of Design is studying this change from a human-centered perspective in the HiFive project.
Eeva Furman in a black dress and gloves standing in a field with yellow flowers and trees in the background.
Appointments Published:

‘My entire career as a marine biologist and sustainability scientist has been extremely interesting’

Professor of Practice Eeva Furman has spent most of her career conducting interdisciplinary research in sustainability sciences
Aalto letter
Campus Published:

The modernization of fluorescent tubes into LED has begun

The lighting change project has started.

See the other foci of Aalto Design Research

Aalto Sustainability Hub community

Codesign and Human-Centred Design

Codesign and Human-Centred Design research includes co-design, service design, interaction design, user experience, end-user innovation and open design.

Department of Design
Shimmering Wood photos by Eeva Suorlahti

Materials, Textile & Fashion Design

Research on fashion and textile design and design strategies, and textile and fashion knowledge building, particularly sustainable fashion and textiles.

Department of Design
Prof. Maarit Mäkelä and her work

Practice-Based Design Research

Practice-based design research includes artistic research, design-driven exploration on emerging technologies and materials, and the action research–oriented development of new design methods and approaches.

Department of Design
Aalto Design Research
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