where climate action meets the future of design

Tag: new materials

Natasa Perkovic

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BLENDING AESTHETICS, INNOVATION AND A DEEP CONNECTION TO NATURE IN HER DESIGN PRACTICE.

Born in Sarajevo into a family in which her father and grandfather worked for the well- known Yugoslav-era wood industry, SIPAD, Natasa grew up surrounded by the scent of wood samples and an appreciation for wood crafts and industry. Though she once found furniture design uninspiring, her perspective shifted after studying Product Design at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Sarajevo and gaining international experience.

Returning to Sarajevo in the early 2000s, she began teaching at her alma mater and built her design practice in a country still recovering from war and industrial decline. As the country’s furniture sector moved from exporting raw materials to developing its own products, Natasa established her studio and began collaborating with local manufacturers.

Today, she is a leading voice in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s design revival, dedicated to education, regional collaboration, and shaping a bold, innovative and sustainable design culture.

Goran Milic

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Expert in wood science and technology, with a focus on sustainable wood processing and hydrothermal treatments.

Dr. Goran Milic is a distinguished academic and researcher in the field of wood science. He earned his doctoral degree from the Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, where he is currently teaching in the Department of Wood Science and Technology.

His expertise lies in primary wood processing, with a special focus on hydrothermal wood treatments such as drying, steaming, and thermal modification. His academic journey has taken him across Europe, enhancing his research through visits and collaborations in Austria, Germany, Finland, and Slovenia.

Beyond academia, Dr. Milic is a consultant for leading companies in the wood industry, providing expertise in wood technologies and serving as a court expert in wood technology cases. His ongoing research focuses on using the wood steaming condensate as a sustainable dye in industrial textile production.

Daniel Podmirseg

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Committed to bringing food production back into daily urban life.

Daniel is an architect by training with a strong interdisciplinary background in urban innovation and sustainable design. Educated in Vienna, he studied at the University of Technology, the University of Applied Arts, and the Academy of Fine Arts, where he presented his diploma project on Vertical Farming for London in 2008. Driven by a passion for integrating architecture with ecological and energy-efficient solutions, he pursued a doctorate in technical sciences at Graz University of Technology. His doctoral research, conducted at the Institute for Buildings and Energy, explored the Contribution of Vertical Farms to Increasing the Overall Energy Efficiency of Cities.

Daniel thrives outside of his comfort zone, constantly learning and pushing boundaries through multidisciplinary collaborations. His work reflects a commitment to bringing food production back into daily urban life while reimagining cities as ecosystems that balance innovation, sustainability, and quality of life.

WASTEWARE

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Every Year 90 million tons of food are thrown away in Europe. And, in the same period, disposable crockery accounts for a further 26 million tons of garbage. So why not connect these two topics and see what could be created in this scenario?

Wasteware, Experimental Tableware,  by Austrian designer Barbara Gollackner consists of various pieces of tableware, all made from food waste, produced in different techniques, ranging from moulding over pressing up to 3D printing.

Learn more about Barbara Gollackner design.


Mujō

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Mujō’s products are made from a renewable resource: kelp, a fast-growing seaweed that doesn’t require additional water or agricultural land.

Kelp produces oxygen 20 times faster than trees and purifies ocean water, making it an environmentally sustainable choice. The cultivation potential for kelp is vast, about the size of the Amazon rainforest, making the product scalable.

Mujō’s focus is not only on the technology but also on the unique, novel material design and creating an exciting packaging experience for both B2B and B2C customers. Building a circular ecosystem of all stakeholders involved is key, from the producers and consumers to the decomposer.

Mujō is a Berlin-based biomaterial innovation company that develops innovative, seaweed-based packaging materials that biodegrade straight after use. It’s mission is to make a significant contribution to reducing plastic pollution by providing a sustainable and circular alternative to traditional packaging materials. Follow Mujō lab!

Birgit Lohmann

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Bridging design, research, and curatorial innovation, Birgit continues to shape contemporary design discourse.

Foreseeing the impact of digital media, in 1999 she co-founded designboom, the world’s first online magazine, illustrating information on art, architecture, and technology.

Beyond her editorial work, Birgit has contributed as a design historian for international auction houses and justice departments, while continuously engaging with the design community through lectures and exhibitions, leveraging her extensive experience in design and product development.

As of now, Lohmann is involved with various initiatives, including her new project called “NOT COMPROMISED,” which debuted at Milan Design Week 2024. The exhibition challenged perspectives on sustainability, featuring works like Boonserm Premthada’s outdoor collection made from elephant dung. Advocating for non-anthropocentric coexistence, for a world where human presence protects rather than harms, while fostering education and public dialogue in contemporary art.

David Jablonski

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David is an activist, designer and co-founder of the climate visualisation collective Klimadashboard.org. He believes that the crises of our time need radical paradigm shifts across politics, economics and the way we look at the world and our role in it.

Aimed at making these transformations tangible, David’s work tells stories about our future on screen and on stage, merging technology with arts and data with emotion. He studied in Graz, Berlin and London, is one of Austria’s youth delegates at COP28 and COP29 and is running his own design practice in Vienna.

“I see design as deeply connected to society, politics, and the environment. It shapes the way we live and must evolve to meet the urgent challenges of our time.“

Laura Clèries

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With 25 years of international experience, Laura combines expertise in materials science, cultural anthropology, and design futures.

She has worked across academia (NYU, UToronto, IED, Elisava), industry, and think tanks (PantoneView, WGSN), holding roles as a professor, researcher, and design leader.


Laura has curated exhibitions, conferences, and publications, contributing successfully to innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries. She holds a PhD in Materials Science, is fluent in English, French, Catalan, and Spanish, and has received numerous awards for her work. Her research focuses on content curation, innovation strategies, and color, material, and finish (CMF) design.