Among other projects, Ana will present SUSDESIGN’s recent initiative Designing Sustainable Futures, co-produced with the University of Lisbon and currently on display at the Portuguese Pavilion. The project focuses on artistic content creation in product design, addressing themes relevant to contemporary design discourse, including environmental questions, climate change, inclusion, social equity, and digital technologies.

The talk will open a broader reflection on current global design challenges, including systemic issues, emerging entrepreneurial initiatives, new products and services, and evolving design methods, processes, and strategies. Through these examples, the session will explore how design can contribute to shaping future scenarios and responding to complex social and environmental contexts.

Ana Mestre is the founder of Lisbon-based SUSDESIGN studio and assistant professor in Product Design at the University of Lisbon, where she leads the Future Worlds Lab. She is also a visiting professor at Loughborough University London. Her work focuses on ecodesign, circular design, biodesign, materials, and systemic design transitions.