Deborah Sumter

Deborah Sumter is an Education/Research Assistant and Circular Design & Business Research Associate at HAS Green Academy's Centre of Applied Research Technology. Her work focuses on sustainable design solutions for food packaging systems and advancing design education frameworks for circular economies. She collaborates with industry partners to address challenges in product visibility, food waste reduction, and consumer behavior modification.

Her research integrates interdisciplinary approaches, blending material science with behavioral economics to create practical sustainability strategies. Recent activities include organizing workshops on repurpose-driven design and presenting at Dutch Design Week 2024. Sumter has contributed to media discussions on packaging sustainability, emphasizing actionable guidelines for industry practitioners.