Material Designers (MaDe) is a project co-funded by Creative Europe, dedicated to harnessing the positive influence that designers can wield within the framework of the circular economy. This initiative is a collaborative effort involving institutions spanning Europe: Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Elisava (Spain), and Ma-tt-er (UK). 

Through MaDe, a series of competitions, workshops, exhibitions, and awards have been curated to showcase and exemplify the transformative potential of material designers within various industries. This endeavor serves to catalyze the trajectories of individuals aspiring to shape the European material landscape.

Within this program, we define material designers as pioneers of a profession that is undoubtedly "a job of the future." They stand as catalysts of change, capable of not only designing, redesigning, reforming, and reusing materials, but also of redefining their purpose altogether. By amplifying the latent capabilities of materials, they embark on journeys of research, advisory, education, and communication, shedding light on what materials are and could be in the immediate, near, and distant future. This dynamic role involves effecting positive transformations in social, economic, political, and environmental realms across sectors, all in pursuit of a future that is ethically and responsibly designed. 

MaDe Associated Partners: 

Burg Giebichenstein Halle, Germany

ESAD Matosinhos, Portugal

Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia

Form Design Center, Sweden

Iceland University of the Arts, Iceland

Kolding Design School, Denmark

MaDe Book

MaDe project contains event series, platform and a competition devoted to realising the positive impact material designers can have across all creative sectors. Its results are demonstrated in MaDe Book. 

MaDe Book provides a better understanding on how materials design can contribute to attain a more circular economy. It contains a compilation of expert articles and short interviews, a glossary of concepts, original resources, detailed finalists and winners’ projects and the full directory of material designers. 

With my PhD supervisor, we have worked on the chapter "Circular Material Designers" in the Material Designers book. 

For more information, please visit: http://materialdesigners.org/

Book download link: http://materialdesigners.org/book