The considerations and limitations of feedback as a strategy for behaviour change

Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB) is a maturing research area concerned with the application of design strategies to influence consumer behaviour during a products use phase towards more sustainable action. However, current DfSB research has focussed on strategy selection with little research into understanding the real-world impact of the behaviour changing interventions debated. This article presents the results of an extensive literature review of one specific DfSB strategy, feedback – a user agentive performance indicator. These findings exemplify the considerations and limitations of this particular approach to behaviour change, drawing on empirical research conducted by a breadth of authors, including two of the only medium-term case studies in the field of DfSB. Considerations discussed include the frequency, duration and accuracy of feedback; the selection of metrics and the presentation medium and mode; the use of ambience and the location of the installation. Limitations of feedback include the need for additional information and comparisons; the issue with multiple users; technical issues; relegation to background technology and the potential rebound effects. This article provides insights to both improve the effectiveness of future feedback design efforts and also to help facilitate discussion on feedbacks position as a strategy within DfSB.     

Putting consumers first in design for sustainable behaviour: a case study of reducing environmental impacts of cold appliance use

To slow down the increasing environmental degradation, design for sustainable behaviour (DfSB) has emerged in sustainable design aiming to promote behavioural change through design innovations to reduce environmental and social impacts from the demand side or consumer side. This paper presents a practice-based journey to investigate the process and results of the application of social-psychological theories into sustainable design. Focusing on the behaviour-related impacts of products and services during the use stage, a Design Behaviour Intervention Model (DBIM) is developed through the analysis and synthesis of the social-psychological theories and behaviour-changing strategies. The DBIM indicates that an in-depth study of consumer behaviour is the preliminary step in DfSB, which determines the application of design strategies and potentially the effectiveness of design interventions. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of the model. The results show that consumer behaviour insights offer rich resources to assist designers in sustainable design innovation. Product-based design suggestions and a proposed solution highlight that the application of DBIM coupled with consumer involvement throughout the design process could produce desirable and sustainable patterns of household fridge use. Finally, the structured consideration of behavioural change and their possible application in DfSB are discussed.     

CAD and DFM: enablers of sustainable product design

Sustainability has been regarded as an important concept for survival in the contemporary scenario. Modern design engineers are in need of approaches for creating sustainable products. In this context, this paper reports a case study carried out in an Indian modular switches manufacturing organisation. The existing handle of the switch has been modelled using computer-aided design (CAD). Then, the sustainability analysis has been carried out for determining the environmental impact. This is followed by the redesign of the handle using design for manufacturability (DFM) principles. The sustainability has been measured in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air–water impacts. It has been found that the redesigned handle possesses minimal environmental impact. It could be inferred from the results of the case study that CAD and DFM could lead to the development of sustainable product design with minimal impact on the environment.     

中国工业节能:循环经济发展的驱动因素分析

工业是发展循环经济的关键领域,工业节能则是衡量循环经济发展水平的重要指标。不同的工业行业的能耗效率是不一样的,优化工业结构即增加能耗效率高的行业的比重而降低能耗效率低的行业的比重会产生一定的节能效果;提高工业行业的能耗效率能够产生明显的节能效果,而科技进步则是提高能耗效率的主要途径。循环经济的外部性原理说明,具有正外部性的经济活动因为私人收益小于社会收益,经济活动主体缺乏投资热情,这类经济活动会存在发展动力不足的现象。工业节能如果是存在正外部性的经济活动,则也会存在发展动力不足现象。工业节能的正外部性会表现在工业节能和工业的利润总额之间的关系上,即工业节能并不能促进工业利润总额的增长,两者甚至会有负相关关系。在上述论断的基础上,本研究分析中国工业结构变动的节能效果以及工业节能和工业利润总额的关系。方便起见,将工业节能的途径区分为结构调整节能和循环经济节能两类,分别探讨两类途径对中国工业节能的作用。依据循环经济与科技变革之间的关系,将工业行业分为A类循环经济行业和B类循环经济行业,并推断A类行业的节能量同利润总额存在相互促进的关系,B类则呈负相关,进而运用面板数据分析技术验证上述论断。如果工业节能具有正外部性,则B类循环经济行业应该明显多于A类。研究结果表明:从2006年至2013年,中国工业结构调整的节能效果非常微弱,中国工业节能主要是通过发展循环经济而取得的;循环经济具有正外部性,大多数行业的节能量与利润总额呈负相关关系;A类和B类工业行业循环经济发展水平和发展动力存在明显差异;科技进步在循环经济发展过程中发挥着决定性的作用。本研究建议,政府在推进工业节能工作的时候,应实施有差别的产业政策,相比于A类循环经济行业,对B类循环经济行业应给予更多政策优惠;提供循环经济补助资金和发展循环经济公共技术是提高工业节能效果的两大重要政策工具。     

The implications of cultural differences in laundry behaviours for design for sustainable behaviour: A case study between the UK,India and Brazil

Traditional research into sustainable design has typically focused on reducing the environmental impact of products during the manufacture and disposal stages of a products' lifecycle. The last decade, however, has seen an explosion of research into understanding and moderating user behaviour during the use phase of a products' lifecycle; often the most resource-intensive phase. One of the biggest factors that affects behaviour is a users cultural context; however, the effect of cultural context on design for sustainable behaviour has had little exploration in this relatively new research field.