Resolving Functioning of Environmentally Conscious Design and Material Innovation as an Interdisciplinary Practice

This article explores how interdisciplinary teams work when developing environmentally conscious materials. Based on nine interviews with founders, researchers, and practitioners, it identifies what makes collaboration across design, science, engineering and art effective. Respondents emphasized the importance of shared and well-equipped spaces, open communication, and personal qualities such as empathy, openness, and adaptability. They also pointed to challenges of different time perceptions, the need to overcome hierarchical habits, and the decisive role of great leadership in providing vision and cohesion. While the study reflects a limited and design-oriented sample, it provides fresh insights into how collaborative teams navigate challenges of time, language, and organization. The article contributes to growing debates on material innovation as an interdisciplinary practice and seeks to inspire designers, students, and researchers to engage more openly in collaborative processes.