ROOTS Exhibition, Plantbased

Design begins with the soil. This year, ROOTS returns to where it all starts—our food, materials and mindset. Under the theme 'Plantbased', we respond to urgent global challenges like CO₂ emissions, biodiversity loss and ecological collapse with one question: What if design could regenerate, not deplete? Industrial agriculture, global meat and dairy production and material overconsumption are destroying ecosystems. The Netherlands is Europe’s largest importer of soy and palm oil—mainly for animal feed—and slaughters over 600 million animals yearly. The result: contaminated water, exhausted soil and vanishing biodiversity. ROOTS proposes a different path: Grow what we build. Return what we use. Imagine a world where design ends not in landfill, but in the soil. At Dutch Design Week 2025, we showcase this vision inviting visitors to rest on a bed made of anodised aluminium coloured with plant-based pigments, surrounded by tropical plants. A special device makes the plants’ waves audible, a multi-sensory experience of connection with the Amazone. Listen to what nature is telling us... In-between the plants, we highlight how food can become a powerful tool for climate action. Through visual storytelling (LEGO boards) complex issues—like deforestation and emissions—transform into accessible, everyday choices. In our connecting outdoor area, we present a living landscape of regenerative possibilities. From furniture to art and new biodegradable materials that return to the soil. Here we have meaningful table-talks and workshopsduring DDW. ROOTS is not a protest—it’s a proposition: Design differently. Design with care.
Root materials in ecosystems, not in industry. Let’s move beyond extraction—toward regeneration. This is where soil meets soul. This is ROOTS.