Panel Discussion ‘When Nature is on the Team’ at World Design Congress

For the first time in over 50 years, the World Design Congress returned to London. Hosted at the Barbican Centre and organised by the Design Council and the World Design Organisation (WDO), the 34th edition of this biannual gathering took place on 9–10 September 2025. This year’s theme, ‘Design for Planet’, focused on stories of hope and possibility—highlighting how interconnected efforts across borders, sectors, and disciplines can help tackle our shared global challenges.

Under the Design for Planet theme, the Congress explored three critical challenges:

1. Driving zero emissions through innovation, technology, and behavior change.
2. Reimagining materials, re-using waste, and creating a fair, circular economy.
3. Regenerating places by reviving biodiversity and building skills for people to care for their community and environment.

Designers and design commissioners have a vital role to play in shaping a regenerative future: reducing carbon emissions, restoring biodiversity, and reimagining systems for long-term resilience. Design shapes the world—and holds immense power.

Professor Delfina Fantini van Ditmar (Regenerative Art and Design Research Group) participated alongside an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers including Jane Goodall, Brian Eno, Mariana Mazzucato, Kate Raworth, and Norman Foster, among many others.

Panel Discussion ‘When Nature is on the Team’

Delfina chaired the panel discussion “When Nature is on the Team” featuring Edward Hill (Materra), Milica Apostolovic (AECOM), Rhea Thomas, Professor Robert Fish (Imperial College London), and Simeon Rose (Faith in Nature).

The session, presented in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), explored how designing with natural systems can lead to regenerative solutions and lasting impact. The conversation addressed questions such as:

• What does it mean to design with nature, rather than from it?
• What are the biggest barriers to making nature-centred design the norm?

For the session, Delfina wore a moss-inspired dress created by Yunyi Zhang.

More information about the event