The Teaching of Design from an Environmental Perspective: An Evaluation of Current Practices in Undergraduate Courses

Environmental issues are at the center of the global agenda. The development dynamics of contemporary society is not compatible with the capacity to generate resources on the planet. This requires a reorientation of production models and current patterns of consumption. With regard to this theme, the World Commission on Environment and Development, indicate the need to include environmental issues in decision-making processes within the political and developmental framework of society. On this point, when taking into account studies by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), which indicate that about 80% of the environmental cost of a product, service or system is generated in the design phase. This demonstrates the importance of design education with a sustainable approach. However, it is not possible to say that this approach is being done properly. It is from this premise that this work tries to investigate how the Brazilian higher education institutions, deal with the environmental problems in their undergraduate courses in design.