The UK’s Industrial Strategy focuses on eight key sectors that drive economic growth. But there’s one common denominator underpinning them all: design. The Design Council’s research on the Design Economy has consistently shown that design is not just a thriving industry in its own right; it is a fundamental capability that fuels innovation, productivity, and transformation across sectors. Yet, despite its pervasive influence, design remains underappreciated in key policy discussions—particularly in the context of green skills and sustainability.

A central objective of the UK’s Industrial Strategy is achieving Net Zero. This requires a skilled workforce capable of driving sustainable innovation. Design is at the heart of this transformation. Whether in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, or financial technology, designers shape the solutions that will define the future. But despite design’s crucial role in these sectors, it is often overlooked as a strategic enabler of green growth.

Design is everywhere and thus, as so often is the case, it is nowhere. It influences the products we buy, the spaces we inhabit, and even the digital interfaces we interact with daily; but precisely because it is so ingrained in our lives, it often goes unnoticed.

The same pattern is evident in the government’s green skills agenda where design’s essential contribution remains under-recognised in policy frameworks and industry training programs. Skills England identifies green skills as a priority area for economic growth and, of course, the transition to a Net Zero economy. But the role of design in equipping the UK workforce with the skills needed for a green transition is largely absent from the national conversation. This omission is a critical blind spot that threatens to slow progress towards sustainability goals.

The reality is clear: design is a key green skill. Designers are already embedding sustainability into their work, integrating circular economy principles, implementing systems thinking, and fostering behavioural change through people-centred approaches. The latest Design Economy research, conducted by PDR on behalf of the Design Council, reinforces this:

- 66% of the more than 1,000 surveyed designers have worked on projects addressing environmental issues in the past year.

- The most common areas of focus include carbon reduction (44%), sustainability awareness (42%), and climate adaptation (39%).

- 71% of designers anticipate growing demand for environmentally focused design in the coming years.

Yet, despite this demand, fewer than half (43%) feel adequately equipped to meet the challenge. Designers are, in effect, in the midst of a green skills transition themselves. They recognise the need to upskill, and they want to—but structured support, funding, and policy recognition remain elusive.

The Design Economy research further demonstrates that businesses play a pivotal role in leveraging design for sustainable innovation. Design enables companies to reduce Scope 1-3 emissions by shaping product lifecycles, enhancing process efficiencies, and integrating sustainable materials. It also helps businesses unlock new value from waste through circular economy models and regenerative design principles. By embedding design into their sustainability strategies, businesses can drive innovation, mitigate risks, and capitalise on new market opportunities.

Despite this potential, businesses—like policymakers—often fail to fully recognise design’s strategic importance in the green transition. While many companies invest in sustainability initiatives, they may overlook the role of design in making these initiatives more effective, scalable, and impactful. Addressing this gap requires stronger collaboration between the design sector, industry leaders, and policymakers to create a shared framework for integrating design into sustainability efforts.

To address this gap and capitalise on designers’ motivation to design for environmental and social value, the Design Council has set an ambitious target: to upskill 1 million designers in green skills by 2030. This initiative will help future-proof the design workforce, ensuring that businesses, public services, and policymakers can harness the full potential of design in delivering sustainable solutions.

However, achieving this goal requires more than just commitment from the design sector. It demands recognition and backing from policymakers and industry leaders. Design is the bridge between green industries and green skills—it must be acknowledged as such in national strategies.

To accelerate the integration of design into the green economy, the Design Council proposes the following recommendations:

- For Businesses: Invest in sustainability-focused design practices by incorporating circular economy principles, adopting green design tools, and embedding ESG considerations into product and service innovation.

- For Policymakers: Provide subsidies for sustainability literacy programs, introduce accredited CPD courses, and overhaul university curricula to ensure designers are equipped for the green transition.

- For Both: Develop benchmarking tools, standards for sustainable design, and case studies that demonstrate the value of design in achieving Net Zero goals.

The Design Council’s Design for Planet mission provides a roadmap for integrating design into the UK’s sustainability agenda. To accelerate progress, we need to:

- Embed design as a core component of green skills training and professional development.

- Provide designers with the resources, funding, and policy support needed to scale sustainable innovation.

- Recognise design as the connective capability linking the Industrial Strategy’s growth sectors to the Net Zero transition.

But it is not enough to highlight challenges. Stakeholders must be equipped with the right tools to deliver solutions—first of all, a common language around ‘green design skills’. The Design Council’s forthcoming Green Design Skills Framework is a concrete initiative aiming to do precisely that: It provides sector-endorsed guidance on which design skills are needed for a green transition and which resources exist so to help educators, businesses, and policymakers create fit-for-purpose training and curricula. Alongside a first applied upskilling intervention, the Skills Framework will be announced at the World Design Congress—a global gathering of over 1,000 design leaders, businesses, design researchers, academics, and an anticipated 10,000 attendees online, which the Design Council will be hosting in September 2025.

The UK is on the cusp of a green skills revolution. But without design, we risk missing the bigger picture. If we are serious about achieving Net Zero and building a thriving, sustainable economy, we must fully embrace design as a driver of change. The time for recognition and support is now.