As an innovation company, 3M creates diverse solutions around the world that impact the sustainability footprint not only of our business, but also that of our partners, customers, and consumers at large. With this ingenuity also comes responsibility; our values and approach to innovation are just as important as the solution itself. At 3M, we are committed to improve people’s lives around the world, and this pursuit propels expanded knowledge, connected networks, and advanced technologies forward to deliver upon a design promise that is conscious and sustainable.

As designers, we recognize the critical role that design can play in every phase of development and commercialization. Design expertise at the early stage of the creation process offers a unique opportunity to impact key choices in material selection, solutions development, use of resources, and so on. Designers must take the full life cycle into account—from idea to solution to disposal—to drive opportunity and responsibility. With multiple stakeholders ranging from business to government to community and customers, we unite quality with purpose to realize objectives that are focused on improvement of people’s lives everywhere.

The sustainability workbook provides 3M designers with practical tools, examples, and guidelines to identify appropriate questions and stimulate opportunities for design for sustainability. It should also foster dialogue among relevant stakeholders throughout the innovation process, leveraging a holistic design approach to make a positive impact on the creative journey toward new solutions from 3M. Together, we must seize this opportunity to also shape sustainability by design not only for 3M as a company, but also for our planet and future generations to come.