Short answer
Design systems and products that empower consumers to actively participate in the circular economy by making reuse, repair, donation, and resale intuitive, rewarding, and emotionally resonant.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Business Strategy and the Environment (2023)
- Method
- Platform-focused ethnography
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Consumers imbue discarded textiles with social, emotional, aesthetic, and moral value during reuse, repair, donation, and resale, contributing to a broader environmental value within the circular economy. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Business Strategy and the Environment. Using Platform-focused ethnography, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design systems and products that empower consumers to actively participate in the circular economy by making reuse, repair, donation, and resale intuitive, rewarding, and emotionally resonant.
Consumer textile disposal practices create 'value-in-disposition' beyond utility.
Consumers imbue discarded textiles with social, emotional, aesthetic, and moral value during reuse, repair, donation, and resale, contributing to a broader environmental value within the circular economy.
Business Strategy and the Environment · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Consumers create 'value-in-disposition' through textile reuse, repair, donation, and resale.
- 02This value encompasses social, aesthetic, emotional, and moral dimensions, in addition to utilitarian aspects.
- 03Consumer engagement in these practices contributes to waste reduction and consumer empowerment.
Application
Design takeaway
Design systems and products that empower consumers to actively participate in the circular economy by making reuse, repair, donation, and resale intuitive, rewarding, and emotionally resonant.
How to apply
When designing new textile products or services, consider how they can support or enhance consumer activities like mending, upcycling, or facilitating easy donation and resale, and highlight the non-utilitarian benefits of these actions.
Project actions
- 01Consider how your design can encourage users to repair, reuse, or repurpose products.
- 02Think about the emotional and social benefits users might gain from interacting with your product's lifecycle.
- 03Explore how your design can facilitate donation or resale of products.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides rich, contextual insights into consumer behavior.
- +Highlights the non-utilitarian motivations driving circular economy participation.
Limitations
The ethnography approach might be time-consuming, and generalizing findings across different user groups or product types could be challenging.
Reliability & validity
The qualitative nature of ethnography provides rich validity through deep understanding, but generalizability and direct reliability testing can be challenging. Triangulation of data (textual, visual, audio) enhances validity.
Think critically
How can designers create products and systems that actively encourage and reward the creation of 'value-in-disposition' without making it feel like a chore for the consumer?
Design Principles
"Design for value-in-disposition: Recognize and facilitate the creation of social, emotional, aesthetic, and moral value in product end-of-life processes."
Understanding these multifaceted values is crucial for designing products and services that effectively encourage consumer participation in circular economy initiatives. It shifts the focus from purely functional or economic benefits to a more holistic approach that resonates with consumer motivations.
What This Means for Your Design
When people fix, give away, or sell old clothes, they get more than just money or less trash. They feel good, connect with others, and feel like they're helping the planet.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use the concept of 'value-in-disposition' to analyze user engagement with your product's end-of-life options.
- 2.Incorporate findings on social, emotional, and moral value into your user research and design decisions.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This design project explores the concept of 'value-in-disposition,' recognizing that consumers derive social, emotional, aesthetic, and moral value from engaging in textile disposal practices such as reuse, repair, donation, and resale. By understanding these multifaceted values, the design aims to foster greater consumer participation in circular economy initiatives, moving beyond purely utilitarian benefits to create more meaningful and sustainable product lifecycles.
Source
Business Strategy and the Environment
Consumers' textile disposal practices and their perceived value in the circular economy: A platform focused ethnography approach
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about consumer textile disposal practices create 'value-in-disposition' beyond utility?
- Design systems and products that empower consumers to actively participate in the circular economy by making reuse, repair, donation, and resale intuitive, rewarding, and emotionally resonant. Evidence: Business Strategy and the Environment (2023).
- Why does "Consumer textile disposal practices create 'value-in-disposition' beyond utility." matter for design?
- Understanding these multifaceted values is crucial for designing products and services that effectively encourage consumer participation in circular economy initiatives. It shifts the focus from purely functional or economic benefits to a more holistic approach that resonates with consumer motivations.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design systems and products that empower consumers to actively participate in the circular economy by making reuse, repair, donation, and resale intuitive, rewarding, and emotionally resonant.
- What were the main findings?
- Consumers create 'value-in-disposition' through textile reuse, repair, donation, and resale.. This value encompasses social, aesthetic, emotional, and moral dimensions, in addition to utilitarian aspects.. Consumer engagement in these practices contributes to waste reduction and consumer empowerment.
- What research method was used?
- Platform-focused ethnography.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from Business Strategy and the Environment.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing new textile products or services, consider how they can support or enhance consumer activities like mending, upcycling, or facilitating easy donation and resale, and highlight the non-utilitarian benefits of these actions.
- What are the limitations?
- The study's findings may be specific to the cultural and socio-economic context of the participants and the types of textiles examined.