Materials scarcity: A new agenda for industrial design

Societal stakeholders are expressing concerns over the increasing scarcity of critical elements on which high-tech industries rely. Geochemical rare elements are indispensable in producing high-tech products such as electronic gadgets and renewable energy technologies. The surge in demand for critical elements presents a risk of exhaustion of...

Reducing domestic energy consumption: A user-centred design approach

Energy use within the UK domestic sector is on the increase, causing significant environmental and social stresses. This increase in energy consumption is not only due to the rising proliferation of technological devices within the home, but also to their context of use, and the behaviours and habits attributed to and enacted through their...

Social innovation: An opportunity for sustainable design projects: Case of desis09 application at santo antônio de Lisboa community, Florianópolis, Brazil

Santo Antônio de Lisboa is a community of Azorean remaining in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil which, like many others in the world permeates culture through generations. The organization of cassava flour production identified in this community involves social, environmental and economic aspects of a sustainable local development, which...

The integration of social criteria in sustainable design for furniture

Sustainable design is a complex area that integrates a wide range of environmental, social and economic criteria. This paper is part of a research (www.designsustentavel.org) that intends to develop a toolkit and information for wood furniture designers to use in their work process and that should push this product range closer to the...

Living climate change: Design thinking and learning in complexity

As the world moves into an era of significant changes predicated by the challenge of sustainability, the future holds many questions, with serious consequences depending on the answers. Given the implications of these changes, the world’s design community needs to be constantly challenged to respond. To support conversations on what life will be...