Can a communication designer change the global conversation on rubbish? Sophie Thomas OBE—a rare blend of campaigner, chartered waste manager, and practicing designer—joins Grant Gibson to discuss her extraordinary, three-decade journey at the vanguard of sustainable design.In this episode, we explore how ‘material intelligence’ and circular design thinking can inform activism. We discuss:Graphic Activism: How design can move beyond ‘guilt’ to create real environmental change.Rubbish Tours: a life-changing trip to a Dutch recycling center and what happens when you take a thousand designers to a landfill site.Obsession with the Toothbrush: Why a simple, ubiquitous object exposes a global design flaw.The Future of Ink: Why Sophie’s future career is shifting back to the most fundamental graphic material.Sophie also reflects on starting her career at The Body Shop, working on the Earth Centre, and whether a designer can ever create without guilt.Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.Support the show