DIGITAL DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT From apparent contradiction to strong coalition

Design, through its ability to predict future scenarios, has the role of meeting the challenges posed by current digitization in relation to the apparent dichotomy with the sustainable dimension. This aspect is explored in the article through the analysis of the SMAG and COLUX projects. The first develops a product-service system equipped with an advanced technological set-up capable of controlling the vital parameters of green spaces. The second designs an innovative platform for creating virtual environments for co-designing products and living spaces using AR and VR. The main focus of the projects concerns the innovation of the design/management process in real time of the services through direct comparison with the actors involved in a perspective of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Such research emphasizes the importance of the repercussions of digitization and the role of design in a ‘digicircular’ transformation framework aimed at increasingly sustainable practices.