While claims about design thinking have been shown to benefit the process of new product development, little research has studied how leveraging design thinking in the new product development process can lead to sustainable behavior change. When product developers are considering three pilar models of sustainability, economic concerns are often dealt with first. Increasingly, environmental concerns are being addressed. But social concerns are often afterthoughts (if even considered at all). Here, the authors propose that incorporating human centered design thinking methodologies will not only encourage social sustainability, but cause long-lasting shifts in culture that benefit both communities and the planet.