The Role of Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable DIY

Abstract

Amateurs committed to self-production (i.e. DIY) are reshaping the relationship between production and consumption, leading to a 'new DIY age' (Hoftijzer 2009). The spreading of this trend suggests scenarios in which non-professional people are, or will be, able to create artefacts supported by innovative technologies, networks and, perhaps, companies with new business models. Easy access for consumers to the production system could lead to inefficient resource use and increased waste, however, and so the sustainability of this trend has been debated. Nonetheless, recent research by Salvia (2013) envisages this contemporary self-production phenomena as a 'window of opportunity' to foster positive environmental and social impact, through activities intended to prolong product lifetimes, e.g. re-using, re-pairing, re-purposing and re-appropriating-collectively named RE-DIY. This chapter addresses the role of design as catalyst for sustainable RE-DIY. Four scenarios portray the possible role of professional designers as educators or facilitators in the relationship with RE-DIY practitioners, at both a global and local scale. On the basis of a review of the current 'state of the art', cases of design-led sustainable initiatives promoting RE-DIY are explored to highlight the potential and feasibility of novel relationships between producers and consumers. Finally, barriers to the evolution of RE-DIY towards sustainable patterns are identified and discussed, and triggers for scaling up this practice on a broader societal level are proposed.

Prosumption for sustainable consumption and its implications for sustainable consumption governance

“…With this chapter I hope to encourage three things: first, a willingness by policymakers and others to engage with the idea of prosumption as a tool to achieve more sustainable consumption patterns in order to critically evaluate real world examples of the trend (for example, makerspaces, bike kitchens, community gardens or experience-centred businesses) and to distinguish between initiatives that have the potential to change consumption patterns and those that have no measurable impact on overall consumption levels. For example, despite a noticeable increase in popularity of prosumption (Salvia, 2015;Salvia and Cooper, 2016), the absolute volume of saved resources and prevented waste for initiatives such as the bike kitchen in Malmö are questionable. According to Bradley (2016) the bike kitchen in Malmö prevented 1000 bikes from going to landfill during its first three years.…”

“…According to Kotler, this is distinct from what he terms 'the archprosumer'. This second type of prosumer practises a lifestyle of 'voluntary simplicity'; 2 they are also highly productive (see also Salvia and Cooper, 2016). Their underlying theme is 'small is beautiful' and 'less is more' (Kotler, 1986).…”

“…This is evident, not least, in the surge of popularity in second-hand (vintage) clothes and the consequent loss of stigma associated with wearing used clothes (Cassidy and Bennett, 2012;Fischer, 2015;Parsons, 2002;Veenstra and Kuipers, 2013). It has become more socially acceptable to preserve, repair and reuse (Salvia and Cooper, 2016). This is also reflected in cautious political action.…”

Prosumer Concept: Current Status and Possible Future Developments

“…Lo mismo sucede con las actividades de reutilización y reciclaje. Estas tendencias de RE-DIY con la participación del diseño pueden ser elementos de innovación en prácticas potencialmente sostenibles [8].…”