sustainability and industrial design in finland: barriers and future prospects

SUSTAINABILITY AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN IN FINLAND: BARRIERS AND FUTURE PROSPECTSPekka Murto (MA)Aalto UniversitySchool of Art and DesignDesign Researchpekka.murto@aalto.fi

Agenda

1 Introduction

2 Barriers

3 Future prospects

1 INTRODUCTION

”There are professions more harmful than industrial design but only a few of them”

Introduction * Sustainability considerations present within industrial design ever since the formalization of the profession– Early phases of product development are

decisive

* However, sustainability (especially environmental) has remained as a competence area of the future (Lehtinen 1995; Charter & Tischner 2001; Lewis et al. 2001; Shedroff 2009)

* Aspiration towards:– Greater influence– Alignment with

market and industry

– Rationalization

* Why hasn’t sustainable design institutionalized?

(Valtonen 2007)

2 BARRIERS

Barriers * Interviews with 8 designers– Mainly designers working in agencies

* Analyzed with the help of Barley & Tolbert sequential model of institutionalization (1997)

Lack of push * Sustainability not very visible in design briefs– Skepticism towards sustainability in briefs

* Tied to specific actors and conditions

Problem of image

* Topics related to costs, product quality, look and feel of products

* Sustainability and political activism of the 1960’s

Methodological issues

* Tools have not been able to reduce uncertainty of sustainability

* Quantifying and rationalizing is necessary– Cf. ergonmics

3 FUTURE PROSPECTS

Future prospects

* Future challenges based on three scenarios

Sustainable Failure

-Sustainability does not become a priority in society

-Loose legislation

-Uncertainty of sustainability

Clean Technology

-Rapid development and diffusion of clean technologies (energy)

-Climate-focused

-Rising complacency

Aware Consumers

-Ecological problems and hazards change consumer priorities

-Activism & NGO’s

-Sustainability must show

Future prospects

* How to value and communicate sustainability?– Avoiding liabilities– Fighting complacency– Transparency

* Polishing the image of sustainable design– Political independency– Product aesthetics?

* Methodological development– Easy-to-use, dependable & robust tools

methods– Foresight– Human factors of sustainability