Table Of ContentROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
As a cultivated form of invention, product design is a deeply human phenomenon that
enables us to shape, modify and alter the world around us – for better or worse. The recent
emergence of the sustainability imperative in product design compels us to recalibrate the
parameters of good design in an unsustainable age. Written by designers, for designers, the
Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design presents the first systematic overview of
the burgeoning field of sustainable product design. Brimming with intelligent viewpoints,
critical propositions, practical examples and rich theoretical analyses, this book provides
an essential point of reference for scholars and practitioners at the intersection of product
design and sustainability. The book takes readers to the depth of our engagements with
the designed world to advance the social and ecological purpose of product design as a
critical twenty-first-century practice. Comprising 35 chapters across 6 thematic parts, the
book’s contributors include the most significant international thinkers in this dynamic and
evolving field.
Jonathan Chapman is Professor of Sustainable Design and Director of Design Research
at the University of Brighton, UK. His research shapes future design paradigms for longer-
lasting materials, products and user experiences – an approach he defines as ‘emotionally
durable design’. He has developed this research with over 100 global businesses and
governmental bodies – from Sony, Puma, The Body Shop and Philips to the House of Lords
and the United Nations – advancing the social and ecological relevance of their products,
technologies and systems. Professor Chapman’s work in sustainable product design has
generated international media attention from publications such as The New York Times, The
Guardian, The Independent, CNN International and BBC Radio 4. New Scientist described
him as ‘a mover and shaker’ and a ‘new breed of sustainable design thinker’.
‘Brimming with intelligent viewpoints, critical propositions, practical examples and rich
theoretical analyses, this book provides an essential point of reference for scholars and
practitioners at the intersection of product design and sustainability.’
– John Thackara, Founder, Doors of Perception
‘To profoundly understand something, you need to study it from all possible angles. This
impressive volume does exactly this. With contributions by leading scholars from a diverse
range of backgrounds, it brings us the multidisciplinary perspective on sustainable product
design that designers, academics, and – ultimately – the world so desperately need.’
– Paul Hekkert, Professor, Department of Industrial Design, Delft University of Technology
‘The case against mindless design has never been made more effectively. Chapman brings
together an amazing assembly of contemporary design researchers to discuss one of our
greatest challenges: making the world safe for future inhabitants. Whatever you are designing,
you may want to keep this book close to remind you of all the exciting new possibilities for
sustainable design.’
– Conny Bakker, Associate Professor, Design for Sustainability / Circular Product Design, TU Delft
‘Product design is at a crossroads with product designers now a fractured constituency. The
difference can be viewed in three ways: retaining the historically established focus on the
object, be it so often bonded to the unsustainable; redeeming the object by attempting to
make it “sustainable”; or lastly, abandoning, eliminating or dematerialising it. This collection
of essays gives the discerning reader the opportunity to make an informed decision on the
most appropriate path design and designing should take.’
– Tony Fry, Director, Studio at the Edge of the World
‘An utmost intriguing and extensive multi-angled journey through the constructed world
we live in. Design lies at the core of the errors in our system and can only be solved by
rethinking it all from the start. This handbook makes clear how we can realise this necessary
transformation towards intelligent products with healthy upcyclable materials. When we
understand where we come from and are aware of the beneficial alternatives for today’s
tomorrow, we can define our future positively.’
– Michael Braungart, CEO EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung, Co-founder Cradle to Cradle
‘Chapman offers an authoritative view on sustainable product design through the collective
understanding of key protagonists in the field. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don’t,
but the breadth of writing and analysis of key concerns frames the social and ecological
agency of design and its role in our material future. It will become essential reading for
anyone working in product design and its associated practices.’
– Matt Malpass, University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins
‘Drawing from his experience exploring our emotional relationship with objects, Jonathan
Chapman gathers and frames a vital and plural collection of texts on sustainability from
the key thinkers in the field. Chapman and his co-authors ably illustrate that the problem
is a political one, confounded by our conflicting notions of progress, and reliant upon the
psychological frailties of consumer behavior and the appetite for organizational change.’
– Tim Parsons, Chair of Designed Objects Programs, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK
OF SUSTAINABLE
PRODUCT DESIGN
Edited by Jonathan Chapman
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 selection and editorial matter, Jonathan Chapman; individual
chapters, the contributors
The right of Jonathan Chapman to be identified as the author of the
editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Chapman, Jonathan, 1974- editor.
Title: The Routledge handbook of sustainable product design / edited by
Jonathan Chapman.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2017. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044175| ISBN 9781138910171 (hb : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781315693309 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Product design--Environmental aspects. | Sustainable
design.
Classification: LCC TS171.4 .R685 2017 | DDC 658.5/752--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044175
ISBN: 978-1-138-91017-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-69330-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by HWA Text and Data Management, London
To Ming Ming and Jasper
CONTENTS
List of figures xi
List of tables xv
List of contributors xvi
Introduction 1
Jonathan Chapman
PART I
The made world 7
1 A brief history of (un)sustainable design 11
Damon Taylor
2 The half-life of a sustainable emotion: searching for meaning in
product usage 25
Gerald C. Cupchik
3 A renaissance of animism: a meditation on the relationship between
things and their makers 41
Michael Leube
4 The object of nightingales: design values for a meaningful material
culture 53
Stuart Walker
5 Challenges of the cultural differentiation of technology 69
Petran Kockelkoren
vii
Contents
6 Sustainable product design: an oxymoron? 83
Clive Dilnot
PART II
Agents of change 97
7 Sustainable thinking 101
Aaris Sherin
8 Engaging designers in sustainability 112
Vicky Lofthouse
9 Design for sustainable behaviour 127
Debra Lilley and Garrath T. Wilson
10 Mending broken promises in sustainable design 145
Alex Lobos
11 Sharing, materialism, and design for sustainability 160
Russell Belk
12 A journey of two designers 173
Yorick Benjamin
PART III
Materials and processes 193
13 Conflict minerals and the politics of stuff 197
Colin Fitzpatrick
14 Materially yours 206
Elvin Karana, Elisa Giaccardi and Valentina Rognoli
15 Mediating matters 222
Nick Gant
16 Print to repair: 3D printing and product repair 236
Miles Park
17 Unmaking waste 250
Robert Crocker
viii
Contents
PART IV
User experience 267
18 Emotional sustainability 271
Deana McDonagh
19 Pleasant experiences and sustainable design 282
Juan Carlos Ortíz Nicolás
20 Surprising longevity 298
Silvia Grimaldi
21 Design for sustainable use using principles of behaviour change 316
Casper Boks and Johannes Zachrisson Daae
22 Hacking the probe-head: manipulations for social sustainability 335
Otto von Busch
23 Transitions in sociotechnical conditions that afford usership:
sustainable who? 349
Cameron Tonkinwise
PART V
Systems and services 359
24 Product service systems and the future of design 363
Tracy Bhamra and Ricardo J. Hernandez
25 A consumer’s perspective on the circular economy 374
Ruth Mugge
26 Designing circular possessions 391
Weston Baxter and Peter Childs
27 Which way to turn? Product longevity and business dilemmas in
the circular economy 405
Tim Cooper
28 How about dinner? Concepts and methods in designing for
sustainable lifestyles 423
Annelise de Jong and Ramia Mazé
29 The Sustainable Energy for All Design Scenario 443
Carlo Vezzoli and Elisa Bacchetti
ix
