Emerging materials fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in Materials Design

Materials Design is a recognized emerging and growing area in design practice and research that converges different fields and approaches to addressing a holistic perspective of materials in and for design. Therefore, it incorporates knowledge from various disciplines, like engineering and science. Direct interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, scientists, artists and designers can benefit projects whose purpose is to bring innovation regarding materials and design. We assume this interdisciplinarity is a crucial practice for developing the emerging field of Materials Design with a sustainable and circular perspective. This article conveys the findings of an empirical collection of case studies on emerging materials and product design. The results demonstrate the sustainability and circularity orientations they present and different disciplinary cooperation to generate innovative outcomes. The authors examined ten European enterprises that present products driven by emerging materials from alternative sources to support the statement. The paper identifies and reflects on the importance and value of collaboration. It aims to disseminate knowledge about the field of Materials Design and intends to highlight that interdisciplinary collaboration in this area can be favourable for achieving a sustainable paradigm and more responsible production and consumption patterns.