On-pack date and storage labeling is one of the direct information carriers used by the food industry to communicate product shelf-life attributes to consumers. However, it is also one of the major factors that contribute to consumer food waste issues. This study aims to systematically understand the existing tensions within the current date and storage labeling system and explore the potential opportunities for design to intervene. First, we conducted a literature review to identify tensions that the consumer encounters in their food edibility assessment system and summarize the corresponding proposal for actions. 12 tensions and 16 proposals for action were identified and further framed according to a conceptual model developed in this study. Following this, the literature findings were refined and grounded in co-creation sessions in consumer workshops and industry practitioner interviews to develop specific labeling-related design implications. The findings indicate the importance of investigating the role that date and storage labeling play from a system level. Furthermore, we suggest that the conceptual model developed in this study can be used not only as a framework that guides researchers to identify and analyze labeling-related food waste problems that each individual consumer encounters, but also as a guideline that assists packaging design practitioners in exploring potential design opportunities to solve the problem from a system perspective.

Installing new energy systems in housing is claimed to be a way to meet national and international goals for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A socio-technical approach, based on social learning theory, is used to examine the energy systems of a large Swedish housing project 10 years after its renovation. A significant retrofitting measure was the introduction of metering. Important lessons are identified regarding relationships between tenants, professionals, and technical systems. The inappropriate assumptions underpinning the renovation about inhabitants' capabilities and demographics meant that the dwellings were not optimally refurbished to meet user requirements, particularly in regard to the choice of technologies and inhabitants' interface with them. Many of the installations are hidden from tenants and difficult for inhabitants to discover, explore and use. Occupants did not use the technologies (smart meters, thermostats, etc) as intended which lowered performance and also increased occupants' dissatisfaction . This was also evident in the high levels of support needed by the inhabitants. Social learning processes are vital for the success of demand reduction strategies. Any demand reduction approach must consider people, by investing in the social processes and the required learning for interfacing with technology, not merely the 'smart' technology itself.

Recycling of household waste has been proposed on different geographical levels as the key to sustainable resource management. This paper explores the sociospatial relationships of a waste management system at local level in Sweden. In this system, all waste was considered recyclable and tenants were expected to adopt certain recycling practices, although some prerequisites, such as language skills, were lacking. Theoretical approaches from geographies of power and surveillance studies are combined to analyse how spaces for waste at recycling stations were transformed and imbued with political claims of sustainability. The analyses are based on a detailed case study conducted in a neighbourhood of blocks of flats, with a focus on the design and use of recycling stations. In both their design and use, authority strategies were adopted to legitimise actions and influence recycling practices. Control measures were eventually taken and technologies were installed to restrict improper practices. Practices of discrimination were identified together with how recycling excluded some people from participating in the scheme. By using another power strategy, i.e. seduction, it was possible to reach and include more tenants.

One factor influencing quality in the building industry is the ability of users, such as residents, to identify and express their requirements for the product, i.e. the residential building. However, the handling of communication with users in building projects has been insufficiently specified and studied. Drawing on a study of user involvement in building project design, production, and management, this paper examines user involvement in Swedish residential projects. To map current perceptions and approaches, building industry actors met in four focus groups. Group participants were asked to reflect on the definition of users, communication handling, how information from users is used, and challenges and opportunities in user involvement. Our initial emphasis was front-end activities, but focus group results revealed that user involvement was a continuous process extending from project initiation to evaluating the finished project as a basis for future projects. Discussions indicated confusion about who constituted users in various situations but, regardless of level of experience, focus group participants agreed on the importance and potential of user involvement and on the need for specific methods to acquire useful input. Keywords Buildings Á Building industry actors Á Communication Á Construction Á Residential projects Á Residents Á User involvement

No abstract