Overshoot Day or Earth overload day corresponds to the day when the limit of the natural cycle of the natural resources renewal is reached. According to Earth Overshoot Day every year the date has been brought forward.  Last year it was the 29th of July, 3 days earlier than in 2018 (2020).

Portugal exhausted its natural capital in May 2019, 21 days earlier than in 2018 and lived on credit until the end of that year (idem, 2020). At this rate, a planet is not enough to suppress production and supply needs. Portugal needs 2.5 planets (Zero, 2020). At this rate, we are questioning our future, because in this logic of unlimited growth the natural cycle of renewal is not being respected, causing in some situations; soil erosion, aquifer landfill (Dias, 2019) to make the most of monocultures, the use of water in the crops which at the end of the process will be part of food waste, the production of residues that are not decomposed by the environment and which treatment causes a significant emission of CO2 and the loss of biodiversity. According to IUCN between 2016 and 2019 endangered species in Portugal almost doubled having become the fourth country in Europe with more species at extinction risk (Mendonça, 2019). Among all species plants stand out at high risk of extinction (idem, 2019) but also the rabbit, due to the precariousness of its natural habitat and an outbreak of viral haemorrhagic disease that caused the disappearance of about 70% of the population in the south of France, Spain and Portugal (Mendes, 2019). The reduction of rabbits has direct consequences for other endangered species which feed on these animals or depend on them to reproduce (idem, 2019). Annually and globally, the agri-food sector spends around 30% of the energy produced, emits 22% of CO2 emissions and around 1/3 of the produced food is wasted from agricultural production to the final consumer (Issue Brief SDG 12, 2018).

We need to understand that we are all part of a single system, where our individual well-being is not independent of our collective well-being and that the deterioration of biodiversity entails high costs for the Earth and consequently for our quality of life. The well-being and the health we enjoy depends on what we consume and waste and what we consume, and waste has a direct impact on the quality of the soil and the air we breathe. So promoting healthy and sustainable food consumption patterns is fundamental not only to preserve biodiversity and the renewal of natural resources but also to improve the nutritional status of populations to prevent and control diseases (cardiovascular, oncological, diabetes, obesity, among others), because inadequate eating habits in Portugal represent about 86% of the chronic illness burden in the health system (Nogueira, 2016, p.30), being the main cause of absenteeism and incapacity at work, with consequences for the competitiveness of the economy (Diário da República, 2017).

What if the collaboration of design in the process of developing a project for the agri-food sector helped to delay Overshoot Day? If there was a set of procedures that would guide a solution and integrate the principles of a circular economy and would contribute to the improvement of food consumption patterns from production to the final consumer?

Design is a facilitator, which regardless of complexity and technology (Viladas, 2010, p.25) translates benefits into something that can be enjoyed by society. In general, it is present through the product, which is often the first contact that the consumer has with a company, the company's communication and the physical and digital spaces where its activities are developed, which includes the production site, offices, points of sale, promotion actions, digital platforms and social networks. In an article published in Design Observer, Michael Bierut (2006) tells us that it took some time, about half of his career, to understand that the designer also needs to have enthusiasm and curiosity for what surrounds him, to know how to collect and relate information, in order to build a solution that is based on the needs of the populations. Because not everything is design, but design is about everything, Bierut highlights the responsibility of the designer in the developed solution, which can be perceived in the product's life cycle, in the choices of supports and modes of production, in budget management and in narratives, valuing what it is done, sometimes intuitively, through tradition or knowledge, either in what is produced or in the way it relates and involves the community.

A set of procedures is proposed for design collaboration which in no way limits or conditions the creativity of the designer and the company's strategy, but acts as a guide, so that from production to acquisition, confection and storage, improving eating habits and causing the least possible impact on the environment. Composed of a set of 24 questions, distributed over 6 phases, this set of procedures invites a reflection on what is hoped to achieve, how to make it a reality and the values ​​that support the company's activity. The succession of questions and answers creates a cause-and-effect dynamic that helps to systematize what is intended to be achieved with the design project, identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities to develop solutions that contribute to create sustainable value, to adopt circular economy and to publicize the social and environmental commitment that underpins the company's activity.

Once an idea or project is intended to be implemented, the application of the procedures begins with the characterization of the agri-food product, nutritional qualities and position in the Mediterranean Diet pyramid, which represents a complete and balanced food model with numerous health benefits, such as longevity and quality of life, namely due to the frugality and simplicity of the meals that provide the necessary energy and simultaneously reduce the risk of obesity and diseases like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure ”(Lopes, 2016).

For instance, if the project is to develop a box for table wine, having applied the procedure described above, we can reach this stage and realize that on the one hand the company takes special care in preserving the local fauna, namely the species characterized by their vigilant and pollinating activity of soils and on the other hand that it is important to sensitize young people to the consumption of alcohol.

After the characterization of the product, the first drawings and models start to be seen. At this point of the process, the definition of objectives is requested. What is intended to be achieved with the project and the impact it will have on the populations, on the environment and on the economy. To be exact, to what extent can the table wine box contribute to improving eating habits and reducing food waste? Will it be able to reduce the company's carbon footprint by optimizing the format, the materials used, the production and the transportation process? And how can you increase the sales, the distribution and enhance the brand?

Simultaneously with the definition of the objectives we propose the establishment of goals that transform into value what we intend to achieve for a certain period of time.

As a result of the “Objectives and Goals”, the “Initiatives” procedure comes up, its purpose is to elaborate a program of activities that fits in the company's strategy, with a view to achieving what was previously defined. Similarly, in this phase design is a preponderant partner insofar as it can develop narratives that show what is produced and how it is produced, the practices of a circular economy, the causes of the brand, partnerships and complementarity of supply and policies of proximity to the consumer. A table wine that is produced taking into account the preservation of the region's biodiversity, which uses native species as watchers, because they play a fundamental role in the protection of cultures due to the fact that they are natural sensors of environmental quality and biodiversity. A wine that protects and cares can develop a social responsibility project, by promoting a program to raise the awareness of children and young people and young adults about the harms of excessive alcohol intake. In this way, the wine is differentiated not only by contributing to improve the quality of life of young people, but also by valuing an attitude of social responsibility.

Finally, we suggest the definition of qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate the Initiatives. Metrics should be selected based on the capabilities and resources to assess the performance of the Initiatives. As qualitative metrics we propose the conduction of, for instance, consumers, retailers and producers’ surveys; the counting of adherence to promotion actions and the number of visits and shares on social networks; new business opportunities; evaluation of energy, water and waste consumptions. And as quantitative metrics the distribution parameters, points of sale, average stock duration and the profitability ratios of assets, sales, equity and investment, among others.

The aim of this study is to sensitize the design community and the agri-food sector to the consequences of inadequate food consumption patterns, which when inadequate translate into losses for health, quality of life and, consequently, for the economy. And to contribute, as much as possible, so that the participation of design in the process of developing a project reflects the need to integrate solutions that promote healthy and sustainable consumption patterns and the practice of a circular economy.