Designing for regeneration: A framework to support socio-ecological value creation through industrial innovation processes

Facing the insufficiency of sustainable development in addressing ecological crises, this paper explores how regenerative design (RD) can support manufacturing industries in creating socio-ecological value. Through a literature review and six expert interviews, we identify and validate a conceptual framework of 14 regenerative design principles structured around four relational dimensions: complexity, the living world, time, and the human role. Although RD is well developed in architecture and urban planning, its application to industry remains nascent. The findings confirm the framework's theoretical primarily robustness while highlighting practical barriers, including limited tools, ecosystem knowledge, and structural constraints. This first phase of an action-research initiative opens the path for testing the framework with industrial teams to assess its relevance and operationality. The study opens on the overlooked role of contractual models in enabling regenerative design adoption, arguing that value creation must be embedded in reimagined incentive structures to achieve net-positive impacts.