63 Design for Sustainability & Circular Economies

Dr Adam de Eyto presented the Level 9 Certificate in Design for Sustainability and Circular Economies, a hybrid 12-week continuing professional development programme delivered through LSAD in partnership with Design Skillnet. Now in its fifth year, the certificate supports designers and other professionals to integrate sustainability, circularity, and regenerative practices into their work.

Participants engage with expert practitioners and explore topics such as life-cycle assessment, material flows, systems and service design, environmental and social governance, and regenerative design. Teaching combines online workshops with in-person intensives, ensuring that learners can reflect on their own practice while benefiting from cross-disciplinary dialogue. The programme culminates in an applied project that situates sustainability challenges within participants’ real-world professional contexts.

Dr de Eyto emphasised that the course responds to industry-level demand for designers who can lead sustainability transitions, with graduates applying their learning in sectors spanning fashion, product design, architecture, and communication. He noted that the programme is highlighted within the TUS ESD Compendium as an example of how creative disciplines can meaningfully embed sustainability at postgraduate level.

About the author

name: Dr Adam de Eyto

institution: Technological University of the Shannon

Dr Adam de Eyto is the Head of Design at the Limerick School of Art & Design at the Technological University of the Shannon.