https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 2, no. 1 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. erika marlene cortes, universidad nacional autónoma de méxico, mexico dhriti dhaundiyal, indian institute of technology bombay, india katja fleischmann, griffith university, australia dóra horváth, corvinus university of budapest, hungary lucinda morrissey, universidad europea madrid, spain selin mutdogan, hacettepe university, turkey claire pillar, cyprus university of technology, cyprus lara salinas, university of the arts london, united kingdom marios samdanis, brunel university london, united kingdom stefania savva, synthesis center for research and education, cyprus scott schmidt, georgetown & clemson university, united states reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 2, no. 1 46 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-non-commercial-no derivatives 4.0 international license. craftdesign for entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability ana margarida ferreira, dalia sendra published online: april 2021. to cite this article: ferreira, a. m., & sendra, d. (2021). craftdesign for entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 46-53. https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j 47 craftdesign for entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability ana margarida ferreiraa, dalia sendrab aunidcom/iade unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200 649, lisboa. ana.margarida.ferreira@universidadeeuropeia.pt bunidcom/iade unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200 649, lisboa. 20191040@iade.pt abstract crafts, under the umbrella of the cultural and creative sector, represent an important contribution to social development and cultural freedom. entrepreneurship through crafts and design brings a strategy to promote the empowerment of vulnerable communities. given the challenges our society is and will be confronting in the 21st century, such as the climate emergency, the process of digital automation in the human workforce, emergencies such as natural disasters or protracted crises, as well as the socioeconomic crisis that will follow the covid-19 pandemic, scientific knowledge on policies and strategies aimed at promoting sustainable development and ensuring the equality and social inclusion of vulnerable communities should be strengthened. this paper reflects upon the role crafts design and entrepreneurship can play in promoting sustainable development. keywords: craftdesign, entrepreneurship, social innovation, sustainability, women ́s empowerment introduction cultural and creative industries (ccis) have their source in individual competencies, creativity and skills and are a potential vector for creating employment and wealth (united kingdom crafts council, 2014). at the european level, ccis represent around 4% of european gdp and provide jobs to eight million people (addarii, & lipparini, 2017). in terms of european policy, important strategies, and programmes such as creative europe have been launched to reinforce the belief that culture and creativity are basic factors for personal development, social cohesion, economic growth, employment creation, innovation and competitiveness. the new creative economy opens the door to the recognition of the intangible values of creative processes and new business models. in parallel, entrepreneurship might represent an opportunity to achieve social, cultural, economic and environmental goals, and design might play a strategic role in promoting sustainability by introducing innovative solutions to social problems (sambade & ferreira, 2017). beyond the contribution to the economy of the ccis, these sectors trigger spillovers in other areas like education and social inclusion through their contribution to soft innovation (stoneman, 2011) and bring relevant tools for enhancing intangible cultural heritage and cultural freedom (sen, 1999). amongst the activities included in cultural industries, crafts play a key role. the craft economy generated £3.4bn for the uk economy, accounting for 0.3% of its gross value added (united kingdom crafts council, 2014). also, crafts bring relevant tools for promoting cultural diversity and supporting the social inclusion of vulnerable groups such as women, internally displaced people (idp), senior populations or communities in development at the local level (oecd, 2018). although crafts represent an important contribution to the economy and society, less attention has been paid to them by statistics and research in the field of creative industries, except for countries strongly supporting the creative economy like the united kingdom and australia where the research on crafts is particularly evident. one of the objectives of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is to reduce the gender gaps and increase women’s participation in the economy globally, as women have less access to the labour market 48 (united nations general assembly, 2015). women’s participation in the global labour force rate is 48.5%, which is 26.5 percentage points below the rate for men (international labour office, 2018). giving them the opportunity of developing their own businesses and empower them at the social and cultural level, other key dimensions of human development, is essential to support human sustainable development. across the world and for centuries, women have nurtured cultural heritage (united nations industrial development organization [unido], 2013) by preserving traditional techniques, generation after generation, and enhancing traditional designs. nowadays, on the one hand, women are playing an active role in the awakening process of crafts as creative entrepreneurs (dupon, 2011). for example, craftswomen represent 61% of artisans recognised in portugal. however, there is a challenging lack of gender-based statistics related to crafts, and it is difficult to find gender-based indicators in terms of equal access and participation in the sector. some research has focused on crafts as a vehicle for feminism and activism and recognises the voluntary return of women to traditional crafts as the third feminist wave (offensend, 2012). at the same time, for some years now, the number of artisan women entrepreneurs making handmade products is increasing, surprisingly. most of the practitioners of the new craft who are working laboriously and passionately, experimenting with history, vision and feeling to produce high-quality modern and desirable objects of creation, are women. in the context of an economic crisis, the path of crafts may have offered professional opportunities to women who became unemployed or suffered professional discrimination in the labour market (d’ippoliti et al., 2013). moreover, initiatives being implemented worldwide are using entrepreneurship and design as strategies and methods to bring sustainable change and promote the empowerment of communities (bernarda et al., 2017) and the inclusion of social groups in vulnerable conditions, especially women from rural communities, senior populations, and people who have been forcibly displaced or who are at high risk. initiatives aimed at strengthening women ́s cooperatives, promoting women’s networks and building women ́s capacities in community leadership and business management are some examples. in this respect, international organisations such as the unido, the united nations high commissioner for refugees (unhcr), the united nations development programme (undp) or the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco) are also an interesting source of data and knowledge on how a creative economy can bring development. the report gender equality. heritage and creativity, published by unesco in 2014, brings important reflections to how cultural heritage and creativity can carry gender equality. research questions and hypothesis entrepreneurship through crafts design empowers collectives at risk of social exclusion, such as refugees, migrant women, rural communities, indigenous groups and senior populations. the combination of creativity and social innovation might respond to complex challenges, such as a future of labour automatisation, increased inequality and global interdependence. the interest of research on the role of crafts and design in supporting social innovation and change aims at identifying strategies to invent meaningful value and solutions to solve the wicked problem (buchanan, 1992) of the social exclusion of vulnerable groups. the proposed research will apply a design-oriented research approach to allow the investigation to integrate design as part of the research process and develop research through design. 49 “… craft has a huge potential to contribute to sustainable development in developing countries. it is labour intensive, it comprises a substantial part of the economic fabric of developing countries, and it has the potential to dovetail with the information revolution’s knowledge and creative economy to access new and lucrative sustainability-aligned markets. for these reasons, it provides developing countries with the opportunity to side-step the generic development paradigm, provided it can dovetail with the innovation-led, value-added, and manufacturing-oriented paradigm...” (reubens, 2019, p. 99) table 1: problems | solutions tree process analysis. taking these challenges into consideration, the research aims at finding responses to the following questions and project interests. • are crafts a powerful vector of social empowerment and economic autonomy? • are women at risk of social exclusion one of the groups that might benefit the most from this sector? if yes, why and how? • which role should design play in the development of artisanship as a strategic sector? what about information and communication technologies? • what are the best practices or social innovation methods to follow in this process? • which stakeholders should be involved? • what are the cultural impacts of promoting crafts as a strategic sector? other specific questions considering the interdisciplinary nature of this research that might allow the development of the study are: a) the concepts of crafts, design and craft design: • what are the more relevant disciplines of crafts being used by women? is there a mutual understanding about the perception of crafts? • how is the role of design perceived by craftswomen? • have craftswomen the same status, legal or informal, and social recognition everywhere? social inclusion and sustainable development human development and freedoms cultural dimension social and public life economic dimension crafts + design + social innovation enhancing and preserving cultural heritage personal empowerment networking entrepreneurship and economic autonomy gender inequality vulnerable women women idps women in rural areas women inmates senior women 50 • how do craftswomen perceive themselves: as makers, crafters, designers, artisans, entrepreneurs or artists? is there any distinction related to their social status, cultural identity or geographical location? b) social leadership and participation in the community: • what tools are used by craftswomen to promote their work? • do crafts strengthen women ́s social leadership? if yes, on what terms? • is there an informal network of craftswomen being developed on social media platforms? • what mechanisms are used by craftswomen to participate in the community of crafters? c) conciliation of professional and family life, economic independence, business sustainability and skills: • how do women get the necessary training to work as artisans? • what is the spatial–organisational format used by craftswomen? • under which labour conditions do craftswomen develop their work? • are we talking about a full-time job or a part-time job? or becoming a crafter in second life? • are crafts providing a professional career and long-term economic autonomy to craftswomen? • what are the challenges craftswomen face in terms of sustainability, marketing, market and internationalisation? d) cultural rights and participation in artistic and cultural life • do craftswomen perceive their work as the transmission of knowledge and heritage dissemination? • do women feel that they are promoters of dialogue between cultural heritage and design? and what about cultural diversity and cultural identity? • are women playing a key role in craft heritage transmission and enhancement nowadays? research plan and methodology the interest of the research on the role of crafts and design in supporting social innovation and change aims at identifying strategies to invent meaningful value and solutions to solve the wicked problem (buchanan, 1992) of social exclusion of vulnerable groups. the proposed research will apply a designoriented research approach to allow the investigation to integrate design as part of the research process and develop research through design. to find responses to these general and specific questions, the proposed research project is structured in three investigation phases that will combine interdisciplinary approaches in the areas of crafts, design, entrepreneurship and women ́s empowerment and the methodologies of ethnographic research, good practices analysis and applied research. regarding vulnerable women, the research will consider different challenges confronted by women at risk of social exclusion (unemployed, forcibly displaced and based in rural communities). it will follow collaborative principles and use ethnographic and empirical research (literature analysis, surveys and interviews), fieldwork observation, good practices analysis in cooperation with social innovation initiatives and applied research through collaborative workshops and self-experimentation. the use of crafts and design as a driver of social change is an approach being used by international organisations such as unhcr to promote idp’s social integration in several refugee camps, as well as by unesco, united nations conference on trade and development (unctad) and unido in developing 51 countries. associations such as la fabrique nomade (france), the refugee company (netherlands), cucula design (germany), ragamuf (finland-turkey), oloop design (slovenia), sep (jordan) and even the project made51 by unhcr, amongst many others, are using this approach to promote refugees’ integration. initiatives such as pet lamp (spain), carpet of life (belgium), ishkar (uk-france), a avô their trabalhar (portugal), ferramenta (portugal), tejiendo la calle (spain) and reklusa (portugal) also strategically use this approach to support other vulnerable groups such as indigenous communities, people living under protracted crisis, migrant women, senior women, rural women and women inmates. on the other hand, through the analysis of women entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts experiences, we would be able to better understand the challenges and impact at the social, economic and cultural level of developing a career in the crafts sector. their testimonials will be used together with interviews, focus group reports and questionnaires to complement insights identified with other methods. finally, collaborations with social innovation initiatives supporting vulnerable communities at risk of social exclusion and women artisans will be implemented to understand the business models implemented, the creative processes followed and the impact achieved. the findings and outcomes identified from the three phases of hand methods of data analysis used will be analysed and used to elaborate on the role of entrepreneurship through crafts design and how it can contribute to social inclusion and empowerment. the findings will serve as a reference for designers, institutions, organisations and companies who wish to promote the empowerment of collectives at risk of social exclusion through crafts design and contribute to the knowledge in the fields of entrepreneurship, design, crafts and sustainable development. research plan stages and objectives 1st stage first, a confirmatory approach will be applied to conceptualise the research and review and confirm the theoretical foundations, the purpose and the research questions (state-of-the-art). expected timeline: q1–q4 | semester 1 | year 1. 2nd stage in the second stage, the research will follow exploratory methods to analyse craftswomen’s perceptions and collect pertinent data from their experiences as entrepreneurs. in this regard, identification and study of case studies (preliminary case studies identified in the research plan and methodology plan) in portugal and other countries through residences, travel or participation in international seminars as well as applied research through collaborations and self-experimentation with initiatives and entrepreneurs in portugal will take place. expected timeline: q3–q8 | semesters 2–4 | year 2. 3rd stage third, the data will be interpreted, and conclusions will be drawn based on quantitative and qualitative indicators reviewed to gain an overview of common findings, challenges and differences. conclusions will be disseminated as concrete output in the form of a toolkit and/or guidelines depending on the consultations maintained with stakeholders and end-users. expected timeline: q5–q12 | semesters 4–6 | year 3. further research to bring entrepreneurship and design to crafts as strategies and methods to promote social innovation and the empowerment of vulnerable communities, the work plan proposed will allow us to achieve relevant 52 steps for the investigation in terms of boosting social-based and interdisciplinary research in the field of craft design for social change, providing evidence on the association between crafts and women´s empowerment, as well as strengthening the scientific knowledge and practice of researchers in the field. in this regard, next to the conclusion of the literature review and the development of the state-of-the-art, exploratory methods and ethnographic research will allow us to identify and analyse case studies. in this phase, the analysis of craftswomen’s perceptions as entrepreneurs as well as the development of collaborations with initiatives from a self-experimentation perspective will also be a relevant source of data and information. finally, the data and findings will be analysed to share the best craft design-based models of entrepreneurship with institutions or individuals who are involved in the promotion of women´s empowerment and crafts development as well as committed to the promotion of social innovation. references addarii, f., & lipparini, f. (2017). vision and trends of social innovation for europe. working paper, publications office of the european union. directorate-general for research and innovation. european commission. retrieved from https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a97a2fbd-b7da11e7-837e-01aa75ed71a1 bernarda, j., et al. (2017). “transforming social dynamics by design: collaborative methodologies and the empowerment and resilience of the dommunities.” conference: design doctoral conference’18: transgression, iade, lisbon, portugal. buchanan, r. (1992). wicked problems in design thinking. design issues, 8(2), 5–21. d’ippoliti, c., et al. (2013). the impact of the economic crisis on the situation of women and men and on gender equality policies. directorate-general for justice, european commission. retrieved from https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4a10e8f6-d6d6-417e-aef5-4b873d1a4d66 dupon, o. (2011). the new artisans. handmade designs for contemporary living. thames & hudson. international labour office (2018). world employment and social outlook: trends for women 2018 – global snapshot. geneva. retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/weso/trendsfor-women2018/wcms_619577/lang--en/index.htm oecd conference on culture and local development (2018, december 6–7). ccis and innovation: supporting cross feeds for local development. parallel session b2, discussion note. unleashing the transformative power of culture and creativity for local development, venice. retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/venice-2018-conference-culture/documents/b2-discussion%20note.pdf offensend, e. g. (2012). crafting a space: a feminist analysis of the relationship between women, craft, business and technology on etsy.com. dissertations and theses. paper 892. [thesis, portland state university. department of communication]. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.892. reubens, r. (2019). holistic sustainability through craft-design collaboration. london: routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351065665 sambade, a., & ferreira, a. m. (2017). co-designing the future: how designers and research labs play an important role to social engagement and sustainability. proceedings book of 9th international conference, senses & sensibility design beyond borders and rhizomes, lisbon, portugal. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a97a2fbd-b7da-11e7-837e-01aa75ed71a1 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a97a2fbd-b7da-11e7-837e-01aa75ed71a1 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4a10e8f6-d6d6-417e-aef5-4b873d1a4d66 http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/venice-2018-conference-culture/documents/b2-discussion%20note.pdf https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.892 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351065665 53 sen, a. (1999). development as freedom. oxford university press. stoneman, p. (2011). soft innovation. economics, product aesthetics, and the creative industries. oxford university press. united nations industrial development organization. (2013). women in creative industries, gender newsletter no. 4. retrieved from https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/201403/unido_gender_newsletter_no.4_a4_0.pdf united kingdom crafts council (2014). measuring the craft economy: defining and measuring craft: report three. tbr’s creative & cultural team. retrieved from https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/documents/881/measuring_the_craft_economy_2014.pdf united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (2014). gender equality, heritage and creativity. paris, france. retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000229418.locale=en united nations general assembly. (2015). transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld/publication https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/documents/881/measuring_the_craft_economy_2014.pdf https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000229418.locale=en 97 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. fighting the opioid crisis by design. technology solutions as innovative systems for advancing communities of care against overdose deaths claudia b. rebola, sebastian ramirez-loaiza published online: november 2022 to cite this article: rebola, c. b., & ramirez-loaiza, s. (2022). fighting the opioid crisis by design. technology solutions as innovative systems for advancing communities of care against overdose deaths. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 97-107. 98 fighting the opioid crisis by design. technology solutions as innovative systems for advancing communities of care against overdose deaths claudia b. rebolaa, sebastian ramirez-loaizb a university of cincinnati, cincinnati oh, 45221, united states. rebolacb@ucmail.uc.edu b university of cincinnati, cincinnati oh, 45221, united states. ramirej3@mail.uc.edu abstract the epidemic of opiate overdose deaths has continued to advance in the united states, even more so during the covid-19 pandemic. the state of ohio is at the centre of the nation’s opioid crisis, with one of the highest rates of overdose deaths. ohio’s approach to fighting the opioid crisis involves several items as part of the recoveryohio plan, including increasing accessibility of naloxone in communities and promoting harm reduction through education. various state programmes exist for distributing naloxone, but these are not sufficient for the magnitude of the crisis. moreover, emergency medical services (ems) are oversaturated with calls concerning overdoses. the opioid epidemic has scaled to proportions where the country is in dire need of innovative solutions. this paper describes innovative community-based solutions for fighting the epidemic. two pilots are described in detail: naloxbox and antiod. these pilots involved collaborations between experts in emergency medicine and industrial design, trainers in overdose recognition and rescue, and community agencies and municipalities to design and launch systems for providing community access to naloxone so that lay people can rescue overdose victims in advance of the arrival of ems. these pilots are design-led projects, implemented in communities, which aim not only to educate individuals about naloxone administration but also to empower communities to act and save lives. this model leverages technologies to bridge the access gaps and comply with the requirements of different stakeholders and state regulations while sharing the responsibility of saving lives from opiate overdose. keywords: opioid crisis, overdoses, harm reduction, community-led introduction in the united states (us), drug overdose is the leading cause of injury-related deaths, with more than 932,000 cases since 1999 (centers for disease control and prevention [cdc], 2022a). the number of deaths from overdose involving either prescription opioids or illegal opioids, such as heroin, was six times higher in 2017 than in 1999 (hedegaard et al., 2020). in 2020, the states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose were west virginia (81.4 per 100,000), kentucky (49.2 per 100,000), delaware (47.3 per 100,000), ohio (47.2 per 100,000) and tennessee (45.6 per 100,000), while ohio registered 5,204 opioid-related deaths (cdc, 2022b). in cincinnati, a city located in southwest ohio, the emergency medical services (ems) reported 2582 responses to overdoses in 2017 (city of cincinnati, 2022). narcan® (naloxone) is a powerful medication that reverses the effect of opioids and can save a person in an overdose situation (emergent devices inc., 2022). naloxone is currently used by quick response teams (qrts) to answer opioid-related emergencies. it must be delivered as promptly as possible to avert death or permanent injury from hypoxia, and the need for prompt administration of naloxone has become a central point. naloxone is available in different delivery methods, and while all methods are effective for use and administration, the intranasal formulation is more suitable for layperson use. significant figures, such as the surgeon general of the united states, have emphasized the importance of naloxone and encouraged the public to have naloxone in reach (us department of health & human services, 2018). although there are significant efforts to increase its availability, access to naloxone is still limited and, in many cases, problematic (us food & drug 99 administration, 2019). even if someone has naloxone for personal use, they cannot self-administer it if rendered unconscious by an overdose. in addition, communities rely heavily on ems, whose systems are saturated with requests. the opioid epidemic has scaled to proportions where the country is in dire need of innovative solutions to fight the crisis. community involvement to rescue lives from overdose affords an opportunity for innovation and helping with the crisis. most states in the us have good samaritan laws protecting lay rescuers (good samaritan assessment act, 2016), meaning that liability is limited and protection from claims of negligence is provided for those who voluntarily perform care and rescue in emergencies. within this rationale, involving the community as first responders may become a vehicle for innovation. community engagement and social innovation the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) defines community engagement as a process of collaborative work, focusing on building trust, involving added resources and allies, and improving communication, which can have a positive effect on health and well-being (mccloskey et al., 2011). as the cdc states, community engagement “frequently involves — and often evolves into — long-term partnerships that move from the traditional focus on a single health issue to address a range of social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect health” (mccloskey et al., 2011, p.7). community engagement initiatives link people who may have a passive attitude to a problem and initiate a collaborative process that will lead the community to an active leadership role, guaranteeing the sustained effort of the initiative. this linkage opens the possibilities for social innovation to be sustainable and effective. phills et al. (2008) note that many innovations can tackle social problems or meet social needs, but only for social innovations is the distribution of social value. for phills and colleagues, if a solution to a social problem renders a bigger benefit to a stakeholder different than society, it is not social innovation. manzini (2015) moves from the grassroots description towards collaborative organizations, companies evolving in highly connected environments characterized by freedom of choice of their members and an open attitude. from the social innovation perspective, there is a good opportunity to bridge the gap between communities and patients in addiction treatment and to provide platforms in which we share the care of members of our society who are vulnerable due to addiction and increase their chances to stay in treatment. the opioid epidemic is an issue that requires a multi-modal approach, not only a top-down view where legislation and policies slowly move forward and communities are passive protagonists, but a combination that includes bottom-up views where the community takes a leading role and drives change. social innovation perspectives propose a change in the ownership of the solutions, giving communities the possibility to take responsibility and actions. bottom-up approaches also open up the potential for more compassionate and empathetic solutions because they represent the community responding from within. there is evidence that communities are self-organizing and attempting to prevent and reduce the rise in opioid overdoses at various levels (leece et al., 2019). these groups of citizens use strategies that can be focused on different areas such as social change, represented in activities of training, education, stigma reduction and advocacy, and intersectoral collaboration or harm reduction programmes that include naloxone distribution (ramirez-loaiza & rebola, 2022). there are different barriers to the distribution of this life-saving medicine, including stigma, lack of outreach and the overall need for easier access. 100 the purpose of this paper is to describe two design-led projects, naloxbox and antiod, that use technology to bridge the gap between communities and life-saving resources. community resources the state of ohio is addressing the opioid use disorder with approaches on different fronts, including stronger regulation of pharmaceutical wholesalers, increased penalties for trafficking in and possession of fentanyl-related compounds, expanding local prescription drug overdose prevention initiatives, and investing in strategies for granting better access to naloxone (recoveryohio, 2018). project dawn is a community-based overdose education and naloxone distribution programme in which members of the community receive training on recognizing the signs and symptoms of overdose, distinguishing between diverse types of overdoses, performing rescue breathing, calling ems, and administering intranasal naloxone (ohio department of health, 2019). hamilton county public health works through the naloxone distribution collaborative to give naloxone free of charge (hamilton county public health, 2019). the critical element that hinders access to naloxone is the required training before obtaining naloxone. other stakeholders involved in access and distribution of naloxone include altrixmedical, which developed naloxofind, a mobile app that allows people to locate naloxone in a two-mile radius from registered carriers (and registered locations), making it a crowd-sourced supply of naloxone (altrixmedical, n.d.). there is also a community of first responders that seeks to build a community of trained and empowered citizens to act in an overdose emergency and save lives where qrts have longer response times (community of first responders, n.d.). while these are effective mechanisms for naloxone distribution to save lives, there is no system for providing or integrating community-access naloxone, meaning preventable deaths due to the absence of a system that furnishes life-saving naloxone for good samaritan, community use. naloxbox naloxbox was an innovative programme to provide tools, training and awareness to empower laypeople to rescue victims of opioid overdose (ridmat inc, 2022). naloxbox is to opioid overdose what an automated external defibrillator is to sudden cardiac arrest. it provides requisite tools in public places to enable laypeople to save a life in advance of the arrival of ems. naloxboxes contain multiple doses of naloxone, the antidote for opioid overdose, along with a barrier mask to administer rescue breaths. the naloxbox programme design included technologies to support collaborators and end users, and installations were coordinated with overdose training. the naloxbox design involved collaboration between an emergency medicine physician and an expert in industrial design. the design purpose was to create an attractive, approachable, accessible unit that communicates emergency (image 1), with graphics and instructions to facilitate rescue, and information about what naloxbox is, how to secure personal naloxone and how to access addiction services. 101 image 1: naloxbox pilot product design. the naloxbox pilot project was supported by the rhode island department of health’s mini grant programme in overdose prevention, which, in turn, is supported by the cdc. the pilot was launched in cities and towns across rhode island, a state severely affected by the opioid overdose epidemic. two minigrants supported this work, which commenced in mid2017. initially, naloxboxes were implemented in homeless communities where training was provided. the pilot partnered with initiatives such as preventing overdose and naloxone intervention (poni), which was part of the task force where the cabinet was first deployed (prevent overdose ri, 2022). naloxbox’s novel design and collaborative engagement of overdose education and naloxone distribution experts, agencies serving high-risk populations, and public health and municipal officials provide a replicable, scalable model for community countermeasures for the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths. the overall purpose of the project and its implementation was to empower communities to save lives by providing naloxone and the information to administer it. this programme created accessible units with a tech component that sent a text message to the owner when the box was opened (capraro & rebola, 2018). a significant aspect of deploying naloxbox as a pilot was to evaluate the response from the community taking a role as first responders in the crisis. while the project hoped for a successful impact involving community members, the results exceeded expectations in validating the need for refining and scaling programmes, products and services such as naloxbox (jochem, 2019; kantor, 2019; orestein, 2017). from naloxbox to antiod learning from naloxbox, the antiod project started the goal of replicating the programme in cincinnati with an increase in the wide distribution of naloxone by involving the community as first responders for the crisis and supporting ems response. the design was improved by providing single-use kits of narcan, containing disposable gloves and a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr) shield. the package itself was 102 a bilingual training tool (image 2), providing education about signs of overdose, steps to administer narcan, and how to roll a victim into the recovery position. image 2: antiod product design. it was designed to be opened in an emergency by pulling from a tab and tearing a pre-cut strip, leaving the blister and the content ready for use. instead of a box enclosing the packages, antiod proposed a smart dispenser for each location that could hold two kits (image 3). the packs are unlocked by providing information to the smart dispenser (e.g. name and phone number). image 3: antiod single-use pack. 103 the smart dispenser used a lock safety mechanism for naloxone access to address regulatory mandates. a spectrum of access types was designed within the unit described as private, semi-private and semi-public configurations. the private configuration would be available for unit holders who would keep units in monitored spaces (e.g. offices) without the need to input information for unlocking the unit. the semiprivate configuration would allow the unit holder to generate a unique access code to be shared with a group (e.g. front desk spaces). lastly, the semi-public configuration would require users to input their names and phone numbers for data collection-tracking of naloxone distribution. with any configuration, removal of the single-use pack (narcan) is enabled. when someone requires narcan, they touch the 7-inch (17.78 cm) screen, and a 4-digit passcode is requested. when the passcode is given, the product is unlocked and a video of the four steps to administer naloxone is displayed. a switch in the latch is used to confirm that the product was retrieved. this action sends a notification to the location staff and the antiod team. besides being part of the safety mechanism, the platform had three objectives: 1) to give information to bystanders (i.e. how to recognize an overdose, where to get narcan); 2) to provide instructions on the administration of narcan, giving rescue breathing and rolling the victim to the recovery position— a necessary component to meet state regulations for naloxone distribution; and 3) to alert ems with the location for completing the rescue of a victim from overdose (rebola & ramirez-loaiza, 2020). several graphic materials were developed to help the antiod deployment meet the requirements (image 4). several iterations were developed to provide fast and accurate and accessible information for naloxone administration: bilingual, graphical, and video. image 4: antiod collateral materials for locations. 104 the system relied on wifi connectivity via the touch-enabled tablet screen, and information is input directly into the unit. by connecting the dispenser to a wireless network, the team can keep track of each location, plan restocking, keep a record of the activity and, more importantly, oversee the expiration date of every naloxone dose in the programme. moreover, having the smart dispenser be unlocked with a passcode as an access feature ensures accountable staff in each location and the mandatory data (name and zip code) for naloxone distribution. the programme was well received within the cincinnati community, validating the need for such programmes (ditirro, 2019; kirklen, 2019). antiod received an honourable mention in the fast company’s world changing ideas in the health and wellness category (fast company, 2019). from antiod to the public antiod partnered with several initiatives and organizations for its implementation. for example, the community of first responders was involved to provide information access to the smart dispensers for the people enrolled and trained in their programme, registered as naloxone carriers in the naloxofind app. in addition, the antiod project worked with organizations such as the former downtown cincinnati inc., now part of the 3cdc group, for stakeholder engagement, and cincinnati bell for supporting the communication and technology aspects of the project. while these collaborations were instrumental, the larger public community was a necessary component to close the circle of innovation. it became apparent that there was a necessity to engage and educate the public about the reality of the crisis. the “antiod: reclaiming our city” exhibition, hosted at the cincinnati central public library of hamilton county (image 5), was deployed to empower the public to take action (royzman, 2019). image 5: antiod exhibition at cincinnati central public library. instead of delegating the problem to institutions, the idea was to design mechanisms to share the responsibility of combatting the crisis. 105 the exhibition was designed to be an interactive platform for collecting and distributing information on overdose signs, treatment, support and resources for victims, relatives and the public. the exhibition was divided into four main sections: act: what and how can someone save a life from an overdose? share: what are the real stories related to addiction and/or overdose? learn: what are the facts and resources available for overdoses? and know: how is life after an overdose and can we learn from individuals touched by the crisis? with these four areas, the public was provided with information on naloxone administration, signs of overdose, local resources like project dawn and destigmatized language guidance, to mention a few. the exhibit also engaged the public by displaying the enquirer’s pulitzer prize-winning “seven days of heroin” video documentary (enquirer and media network of central ohio staff, 2017). overall, the exhibition was an invaluable venue for creating a network of shared responsibility and community involvement. scalability and opportunities any design project presents obstacles throughout the process. naloxbox and antiod encountered different obstacles that served as motivation to design technology for community engagement. this article presented iterations in creative development that explain how products and systems evolve to meet requirements across states. the success lies in transforming those obstacles into opportunities, thus making the later design stronger, as presented in the public exhibition. additionally, it is noteworthy how the design had to meet regulations and comply with legislation, in our case, set by local and state health entities, while at the same time keeping in consideration its ease of use, for example, the collection of names and zip codes before unlocking the pack and the display of interactive information on how to use naloxone. design can be an agent of change, generating community engagement and a social push to change legislation and promote better situations in our cities and communities, such as wider access to narcan. overall, this article claims that collaboration among experts, stakeholders and the public can result in a supplemental method to rescue overdose victims references altrixmedical. (n.d.). naloxofind | find naloxone when you need it with naloxofind. altrixmedical. https://www.altrixmedical.com/naloxofind capraro, g. a., & rebola, c. b. (2018). the naloxbox program in rhode island: a model for communityaccess naloxone. american journal of public health, 108(12), 1649–1651. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2018.304735 centers for disease control and prevention. (2022a, june 2). death rate maps & graphs: drug overdose deaths remain high. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html centers for disease control and prevention. (2022b, march 1). drug overdose mortality by state. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/drug_poisoning_mortality/drug_poisoning.htm city of cincinnati. (2022). heroin overdose response. https://tinyurl.com/3x87pubn community of first responders. (n.d.). community of first responders: because this can’t wait. https://communityoffirstresponders.org/ ditirro, t. (2019, february 6). antiod: naloxone kits to be available throughout downtown cincinnati. wkrc. https://tinyurl.com/mr42384h https://www.altrixmedical.com/naloxofind 106 emergent devices inc. (2022). opioid overdose treatment: narcan® (naloxone hci) nasal spray. https://www.narcan.com/ enquirer and media network of central ohio. (2017, september 10). heroin in cincinnati: this is what an epidemic looks like. cincinnati enquirer. https://tinyurl.com/4hz93pmm fast company. (2019). world changing ideas 2019. https://tinyurl.com/4an6a8cm good samaritan assessment act of 2016. (2016). https://tinyurl.com/2p99wxyd hamilton county public health. (2019). narcan® distribution. https://www.hamiltoncountyhealth.org/harm-reduction/narcan/ hedegaard, h., miniño, a. m., & warner, m. (2020, december 22). drug overdose deaths in the united states, 1999–2019. national center for health statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db394.htm jochem, g. (2019). narcan overdose reversal kits installed in northampton buildings. https://www.gazettenet.com/narcan-boxes-around-northampton-31161618 kantor, g. (2019, april 19). a box, naloxone, a new life. public health post. https://www.publichealthpost.org/news/a-box-naloxone-a-new-life/ kirklen, a. (2019, february 1). daap professor’s device makes it easier to access, use narcan. wlwt. https://www.wlwt.com/article/daap-professors-device-makes-it-easier-to-access-use-narcan/26116243 leece, p., khorasheh, t., paul, n., keller-olaman, s., massarella, s., caldwell, j., parkinson, m., strike, c., taha, s., penney, g., henderson, r., & manson, h. (2019). ‘communities are attempting to tackle the crisis’: a scoping review on community plans to prevent and reduce opioid-related harms. bmj open, 9(9), e028583. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028583 manzini, e. (2015). design, when everybody designs: an introduction to design for social innovation. mit press. mccloskey, d. j., mcdonald, m. a., cook, j., heurtin-roberts, s., updegrove, s., sampson, d., gutter, s., & eder. (2011). community engagement: definitions and organizing concepts from the literature. in principles of community engagement (2nd ed., pp. 3-41). nih. https://tinyurl.com/42zv9mpn ohio department of health. (2019). project dawn (deaths avoided with naloxone). https://tinyurl.com/46mwhbnn orestein, d. (2017, july 12). naloxboxes put lifesaving overdose drugs within ready reach. news from brown. https://news.brown.edu/articles/2017/07/naloxbox phills, j. a. jr., deiglmeier, k., & miller, d. t. (2008). rediscovering social innovation. stanford social innovation review. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/rediscovering_social_innovation prevent overdose ri. (2022). the task force. https://preventoverdoseri.org/the-task-force/ ramirez-loaiza, s., & rebola, c. b. (2022). systematic review of community-led initiatives fighting the opioid crisis and opportunities for design. in s. lockton, d., lloyd, p., lenzi (eds.), drs2022: bilbao, 25 june 3 july, bilbao, spain. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.468 107 rebola, c. b., & ramirez-loaiza, s. (2020). antiod: a smart city initiative to fight the opioid crisis. in arai, k., r. bhatia & s. kapoor (eds.), proceedings of the future technologies conference (ftc) 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32520-6_24 recoveryohio. (2018). new strategies to combat the opiate crisis in ohio. ridmat inc. (2022). naloxbox: saving lives one box at a time. https://naloxbox.org/ royzman, v. (2019, june 7). how can you help stem opioid crisis? interactive exhibit touring libraries offers answers. cincinnati enquirer. https://tinyurl.com/ydv44jpx us department of health & human services. office of the surgeon general. (2018). surgeon general’s advisory on naloxone and opioid overdose. https://tinyurl.com/54ktmtwx us food & drug administration. (2019, september 20). statement on continued efforts to increase availability of all forms of naloxone to help reduce opioid overdose deaths. https://tinyurl.com/b8hz9z3n 27 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. educational needs in cultural and arts entrepreneurship of women from marginalised backgrounds: a needs analysis for a social design intervention nicos souleles, stefania savva, ana margarida ferreira, andrew laghos published online: november 2020 to cite this article: souleles, n., savva, s., ferreira, a.m., & laghos a. (2020). educational needs in cultural and arts entrepreneurship of women from marginalised backgrounds: a needs analysis for a social design intervention. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 27-36. 28 educational needs in cultural and arts entrepreneurship of women from marginalised backgrounds: a needs analysis for a social design intervention nicos soulelesa, stefania savvab, ana margarida ferreirac, andrew laghosb acyprus university of technology, art+design: elearning lab, limassol. nicos.souleles@cut.ac.cy bcyprus university of technology, art+design: elearning lab, limassol. stefania.savva@cut.ac.cy ciade, universidade europeia, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200-649 lisboa. cunidcom/iade unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200-649 lisboa. ana.margarida.ferreira@universidadeeuropeia.pt dcyprus university of technology, art+design: elearning lab, limassol. andrew.laghos@cut.ac.cy abstract despite the recognition that cultural and creative industries can foster significant economic potential and are one of europe's most dynamic sectors, contributing to the creation of millions of jobs across the european union, there is a noticeable lack of cultural and arts entrepreneurship programmes of study. the project creation (cultural and arts entrepreneurship in adult education), funded under erasmus+ strategic partnerships for adult education, seeks to redress this situation through a social design intervention comprising the development of a framework for adult education for the creative and cultural sectors across europe, with a specific focus on aspiring women entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds (migrants, refugees and asylum seekers). this study provides a needs analysis to inform the identification of the required educational needs for the target groups. it comprises desk research of the related literature plus data from an online survey. the synthesis of the prominent themes that emerged from this study indicates the need for a multifaceted instructional design approach that combines both the essential generic skills in entrepreneurship and acknowledges the structural, contextual and educational challenges that are characteristic of the target groups. keywords: entrepreneurship, education, women, marginalised, culture, arts introduction the creative industries are the focus of different lifelong learning programmes across europe that aim to address adult training needs for a future workforce in a sector that requires a set of diverse skills to engage with cultural and arts entrepreneurship. in a study by essig (2017, p. 21), the author reminded us that education for cultural and arts entrepreneurship has moved on from the early ‘pioneering phase’ and is now transiting the ‘conceptual phase’, where related education is further defined, necessitating a ‘robust body of empirical research’. the view that education, skills and relevant training are not sufficiently addressed in the sector was also identified in a comprehensive report by the culture unit of the utrecht school of arts written for the european commission (2010). the authors argued that the proliferation of entrepreneurship education programmes in recent years have commercial success as the sole purpose. they do not cater to the creative industries where creative and cultural outcomes are considered more significant than financial outcomes (2010, p. 10; bridgstock, 2012, p. 129). for this article, the terms ‘cultural and arts entrepreneurship’, ‘arts entrepreneurship’ and ‘entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sector’ refer to similar endeavours and are used interchangeably and as they appear in the reviewed literature. 29 the rationale for engaging with the early ‘conceptual phase’ of cultural and arts entrepreneurship was articulated as a policy priority area by the european union in 2007. the european commission’s document on a european agenda for culture in a globalizing world (2007) made an explicit connection between the contribution of the cultural industries and the creative sector in general and growth and employment. subsequently, in the same document, the european commission set as a specific objective to “...promote capacity building in the cultural sector by supporting the training of the cultural sector in managerial competences, entrepreneurship...” (2007, p. 9). this objective stems from the recognition that the cultural and creative industries can foster significant economic potential and are one of europe's most dynamic sectors, contributing around 2.6 % to the eu gdp and provide quality jobs to around 5 million people across the european union (eu) (european commission, 2010, p. 2). following on from the acknowledgement that the sector can contribute towards growth and employment, the project creation (cultural and arts entrepreneurship in adult education, www.creationproject.eu), funded under erasmus+ strategic partnerships for adult education, seeks to develop a social design intervention comprising a framework for adult education for the creative and cultural sectors across europe with a specific focus on aspiring women entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds (migrants, refugees and asylum seekers). the purpose of this article is to provide a needs analysis that informs the development of the appropriate pedagogical framework for the target group. this needs analysis comprises two parts. first, desk research was undertaken on literature, including appropriate european union (eu) documents, to track down useful existing pre-published information. second, an online survey in the form of a questionnaire (appendix 1) was undertaken (n = 55) for two months in early 2020, inviting representatives from academia, the cultural and arts sector and entrepreneurs as well as others to comment on their perceptions on what the required set of skills is for the target group. the outcomes of this needs analysis derived from the synthesis of both these parts, i.e. the literature review and data from the online questionnaire. literature review the project creation identified marginalised women to include all those with a migrant, refugee and/or asylum seeker background. the european institute for gender equality, however, provides a raison d'être for what makes these groups marginalised. marginalised groups are those that within a given culture and context are at risk of being subjected to multiple levels of discrimination due to the interplay of different factors including their social status, sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual orientation, gender, education, income, or living in various geographic localities. being a member of such groups or even being perceived to belong to them increases the risk of inequalities in terms of access to rights and use of services in a variety of domains, such as access to education, employment, health, social and housing assistance, protection against domestic or institutional abuse, and justice (european institute for gender equality, 2020). in the context of entrepreneurship, marginalised groups were identified in a study by the enterprise research centre (2018) to include the following four groups: a) migrant entrepreneurs, b) ethnic minority entrepreneurs, c) women entrepreneurs, and disabled entrepreneurs. each one of these groups is confronted with unique challenges in addition to those faced by entrepreneurs. for example, migrant entrepreneurs tend to lack understanding of the culture of their new country and combined with poor language skills they are unable to access the support available for new entrepreneurs (enterprise research centre, 2018, p. 8). ethnic minority entrepreneurs are confronted – among others – with racism, unawareness of available sources of finance, low adoption of information and communication technologies as well as dealing with language and cultural differences (enterprise research centre, 2018, p. 30 13). the lack of relevant education and managerial skills combined with having to operate in a predominantly male-dominated sector, are among the issues that impede women entrepreneurs. there are also overlaps with the previous groups in terms of difficulties in accessing finance and support (enterprise research centre, 2018, pp. 14-16). lastly, disabled entrepreneurs dealing with a wide variety of physical and/or mental disabilities, in common with previous under-represented in the sector groups – and among other challenges – struggle to access specialist advice and start-up funding (enterprise research centre, 2018, p. 18). the academic literature on entrepreneurship, in general, is extensive. however, the related literature on entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries is limited (chang & wyszomirski, 2015, p. 11). a meta-analysis of this literature by hausmann and heinze (2016) indicates that this literature comprises mostly theoretical/conceptual approaches to the topic and case studies. the second point to note from this meta-analysis – and something identified by a few authors – is the lack of an agreed understanding and commonly accepted definitions of entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sector and what this entails. however, the overlapping areas in these varied definitions suggest that entrepreneurship in the sector entails, in a broad sense, a variety of cultural activities, diverse artistic outputs and products, cultural enterprises and the creation of tangible cultural capital. in a meta-analysis by chang and wyszomirski (2015, p. 24), the authors attempted a ‘preliminary’ definition based on their analysis that encapsulates the term in the following description: “...[arts entrepreneurship is] a management process through which cultural workers seek to support their creativity and autonomy, advance their capacity for adaptability, and create art as well as economic and social value.” this description is adopted as a working definition for this needs analysis, and it serves as a useful stepping stone to help identify the skillset required to foster entrepreneurship among aspiring women entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds. in a broad report by the directorate-general for enterprise and industry of the european commission (2008, p. 26), the expert group comprising a multinational team of european experts acknowledged that there are different emphases on how and what to teach, depending on disciplinary differences. however, the expert group recommended that the common elements of higher education (he) entrepreneurship, irrespective of disciplines, should entail instructional programmes that foster, among others, creativity, innovation, a proactive attitude, decision-making and leadership skills and an ability to work with uncertainty and recognise opportunities. the same report concluded that traditional instructional methods do not relate well with the development of entrepreneurial competencies, and multi-disciplinary partnerships are an essential element for the development of enterprising abilities (2008, p. 29). in a study from the united kingdom with a specific focus on how entrepreneurship is delivered in he for the creative industries (clews, 2007), the author highlighted the prevalence and significance of project-based and work-based learning. although this study did not seek to identify the range of competencies taught to learners in the creative industries, it identified the significance of soft skills such as networking, teambuilding and team-working (clews, 2007, p. 51). the learners who participated in this study identified as core competencies of entrepreneurship education for the creative industries good commercial skills, business management and good communication skills and as desirable attributes the ability for opportunity spotting and problem-solving (clews, 2007, pp. 56-58). similarly, it is argued that entrepreneurial failures in the sector are due to “a lack of strategic thinking, finance, and opportunity recognition skills” and “shortcomings in business management skills, market knowledge and networking skills (thom, 2016, p. 6). the characteristics of entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries were elaborated upon by a report produced by the utrecht school of the arts (2010). although the focus is on providing an 31 understanding of the sector from the perspective of related industries, it is possible to discern the ‘transversal problems’ that are common to these industries (utrecht school of the arts, 2010, p. 6) and thus identify some areas to address through educational programmes. a major theme that emerged from this report highlights the challenge that small creative enterprises are confronted with if they want to expand. networking and clustering to benefit from a collective position are options to pursue because in the cultural and arts sector many professionals are likely to be self-employed (bridgstock, 2012, p. 124). other challenges include access to knowledge about market opportunities, appropriateness of business models, knowledge of intellectual property rights (ipr), locating funds and seeking financing. these themes are part of the recurring skills noted in the literature on entrepreneurship. for example, in an extensive study by thom (2016, p. 13) the ‘crucial’ entrepreneurial skills were identified as the abilities to think creatively, apply strategic thinking and planning, recognise and realise opportunities, network, exercise leadership and understand finance and marketing. for reasons of convenience, we will refer to these recurring general skills as generic, i.e. they form an important component of all programmes of study in entrepreneurship. what hinders the identification of specific learning needs, vis-à-vis entrepreneurship for women as well as minority ethnic groups, is the lack of extensive research in this area (chreim, spence, crick, & liao, 2018; white, 2018). we take for granted the need for generic skills, but there are indications that due to contextual factors (culture, ethnicity and religion) these skills can be negatively skewed concerning women and ethnic groups (chreim et al., 2018, p. 4). for example, in a report that specifically focused on women’s entrepreneurship (halabisky, 2018), the ability to locate funds and effectively seek financing was identified as a characteristic challenge for women entrepreneurs, who are confronted with greater difficulty in this area than men (henry et al., 2007, p. 246). this applies across all eu states (halabisky, 2018, p. 14). the educational value of mentoring is identified as a generic element for all entrepreneurship studies, on the premise that it can facilitate guidance and support while at the same time it is perceived by learners as offering exposure to real-life practice (final report of the expert group, 2008; halabisky, 2018, p. 18). the significance of mentoring to address the challenges women are confronted with is an oft-repeated theme in the literature on policies that support women entrepreneurs (henry et al., 2007, p. 262; bridgstock, 2012, p. 132). mentoring – by successful women entrepreneurs – is explicitly proposed for aspiring ethnic women entrepreneurs, who are often confronted with the combined disadvantages of gender and ethnicity. while the generic educational challenges are common among all groups, mentoring for ethnic women can offer, among other things, insights into non-business issues, such as dealing with perceived gender expectations within certain cultures and managing a work/life balance regarding childcare (chreim et al., 2018, p. 9). a concept used in the literature to describe the dimensions of ethnic entrepreneurship is ‘embeddedness’. this relates to the spectrum of social agencies and networks and structural parameters (the politicoinstitutional and socioeconomic environment) that host the aspiring entrepreneur and the degree to which the latter encounters these either as obstacles or as advantages (chreim et al., 2018, p. 2; rath, & swagerman, 2016, p. 154). the implications for education in cultural and arts entrepreneurship for women from marginalised backgrounds are not immediately obvious. awareness of ‘embeddedness’ and all that this entails does, however, point towards a multi-level skillset that includes the ability to evaluate opportunities within the respective socio-political contexts. 32 emergent themes for two months in early 2020, a total of fifty-five (n = 55) respondents answered the online questionnaire (appendix 1). the data were gathered through convenience sampling due to time limitations, and this infers the possibility of a sampling error and lack of representation of the target population. however, the sampling process can also be considered as a wide delimitation. the authors deliberately sought a wideranging spectrum of opinions, inviting all those who consider themselves informed on the subject, irrespective of their background, to complete the questionnaire. for the first question of the online survey, most respondents (36.36%) identified themselves as professionals. some indicative descriptions they provided to qualify their professional roles include teacher of english as a second language, project manager, freelance consultant, product developer, trainer, linguistic mediator, professional in the field of cultural heritage and architecture and vocational education expert. the second-biggest category of participants (29.09%) was academics, and among the listed disciplines were textile printing, architecture/design for built environments, inclusive design, fashion design and design and multimedia. the third group in size was entrepreneurs (18.18%), followed by those that did not identify with any of the previous categories and listed themselves as ‘others’ (9.09%). the last and smallest group comprised of postgraduate students (7.27%). after repetitions and redundancies were removed, the outcomes from the second question (appendix 1) were mapped (table 1) and classified according to the following four divisions: a) personal attributes; b) personal skills (hard and soft); c) structural/contextual challenges; and d) distinctive issues for cultural and arts entrepreneurship. predictably, the replies to the second question confirmed the range of generic skills that are an important component of all programmes of study in entrepreneurship and are identified in the literature review. this mapping exercise also provides a list of distinctive social, structural and educational challenges that are unique to cultural and arts entrepreneurship for women from marginalised backgrounds. personal attributes personal skills (hard and soft) structural / contextual challenges distinctive educational challenges • courage • confidence • perseverance, persistence • grounded, strong sense of self • self-efficacy • diligence • resilience • assertiveness • adaptability, flexibility • willing to take risks • motivation, passion • be a dreamer, have a vision • open-minded • emotional intelligence • communication • ability to learn • persuasiveness • presentation skills • creative thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking • networking • budgeting, business planning, accounting • management • negotiating • teamworking • interpersonal skills • leadership • digital marketing, social media skills • fundraising • use of technology • public speaking • access to systems and services • cultural and gender inequalities • integration • intercultural competencies • mentoring • ability to recognise, analyse and question the power structures that marginalise • overview of actualities in culture and creative industries • basic knowledge of art history 33 • understanding of social processes • knowledge of ipr table 1: mapping of attributes, skills, and contextual and distinctive educational challenges. selected indicative statements from the respondents illustrate how the respondents perceived some of the items in table 1. for example, “… [women from marginalised backgrounds] need opportunities, access to systems, services and education to be able to learn about which skills they have and can build on and to be exposed to cultural, arts and other sectors as part of that learning. from this exposure, awareness there are discovered interests to pursue and pathways to take” (respondent #50). and “they [women from marginalised backgrounds] need to be well networked beyond their locality and community. this often needs to be done with the support of a cultural intermediary/support person to help make connections and 'translate' key information. women from marginalised backgrounds often experience discrimination for structural reasons rather than through a lack of their skills and competencies. in other words, it is not all about their skills but it is about the environment, the social and cultural inequalities in society” (respondent #43). last, “… [women from marginalised backgrounds] must be well-aware of their rights and [be] able to defend them. strategic thinking, communication skills and creativity [are needed]” (respondent #16). next, the respondents were asked to rank (1 = lowest, 12 = highest) in terms of importance twelve skills identified in the literature review. figure 1 represents this ranking. the total value for each item in the chart represents the cumulative average of choices among all the respondents. as an overview, the differences between all of them can be considered minimal, and this suggests not a prioritisation in terms of the educational value, but rather a pedagogical framework that incorporates all of them or at least as many as possible. figure 1: ranking of skills. networking skills communication skills understanding context business, accounting skills marketing skills (offline, online undestanding innovation strategic, analytical, creative thinking use of technologies, icts knowledge of european markets innovative business models opportunity recognition divergent, convergent thinking 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 34 the last question of the online questionnaire sought qualitative data on what the respondents perceived to be the characteristic challenges and opportunities for women from marginalised backgrounds to succeed as cultural and arts entrepreneurs. repetitions, redundancies and overlaps were removed, and replies that offered insights and something not previously identified is quoted as stated. “they [women from marginalised backgrounds] might be stuck with a label that chokes their creative process by making them create only about their marginalising context. having a point of view and a message doesn't mean you are stuck with your identity and can only create about yourself and your reality. artists imagine (respondent #55).” “…they [women from marginalised backgrounds] are locked in downward spiral ecosystems that punish ambition/risk-taking and reward submission/status-quoting. to name just a few of the components of this ecosystem: political and social power, gender, race, class, legitimacy, elitism, language, literacy, education, information, exposure, access, finance, social and financial capital … what they do have in their favour is talent, cultural and social literacy, commitment, intelligence (tactical and emotional), spiritual strength/ wisdom, resilience and a strong sense of self (respondent #53).” “…there are also opportunities to change the context of the status quo/establishment and apply out of the box thinking to create new, unique, and unexpected industries/creative businesses and practices (respondent #50).” “…the main challenge is to convince yourself to become an entrepreneur, especially for women from marginalised backgrounds. culture and arts are emerging business sectors where interesting opportunities can arise, therefore entrepreneurial and innovative training is necessary to support those women in meeting this challenge (respondent #24).” conclusion this needs analysis aims to inform a social design intervention comprising the development of an appropriate pedagogical framework in cultural and arts entrepreneurship for women from marginalised backgrounds. the synthesis of the prominent themes that emerged from the literature review and the data from the online questionnaire points towards the need for a multifaceted instructional design approach that combines both the essential generic skills in entrepreneurship and an acknowledgement of the structural, contextual and educational challenges that are characteristic of the target group. ideally, the instructional strategies and overall pedagogical framework to be developed will approach these themes as intertwined and interconnected, but also recognising the unique challenges that confront women from marginalised backgrounds. references bridgstock, r. (2012). not a dirty word: arts entrepreneurship and higher education. arts & humanities in higher education, 12(2–3) 122–137. chang, j.w., & wyszomirski, m. (2015). what is arts entrepreneurship? tracking the development of its definition in scholarly journals. arivate: a journal of entrepreneurship in the arts, 4(2), 11-31. chreim, s., spence m., crick d., & liao x. (2018). review of female immigrant entrepreneurship research: past findings, gaps and ways forward. european management journal, 1-13. 35 clews, d. (2007). creating entrepreneurship: entrepreneurship education for the creative industries. brighton, uk: higher education academy art, design, media subject centre. commission of the european communities. (2007). communication from the commission of the european parliament, the council, the european economic and social committee and the committee of the region on the european agenda for culture in a globalizing world. brussels: commission of the european communities [com(2007) 242 final]. culture unit of the utrecht school of arts. (2010). the entrepreneurial dimension of the cultural and creative industries. utrecht: hogeschool vor de kunsten. european institute for gender equality, 2020. marginalised groups. retrieved from https://eige.europa.eu/thesaurus/terms/1280 final report of the expert group. (2008). entrepreneurship in higher education, especially within nonbusiness studies. brussels: european commission, directorate-general for enterprise and industry. essig, l. (2017). same or different? the “cultural entrepreneurship” and “arts entrepreneurship” constructs in european and us higher education. cultural trends 26 (2), 125-137. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2017.1323842 european commission. (2010). green paper. unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries. brussels: european commission [com(2010) 183 final]. european commission. (2008). entrepreneurship in higher education, especially in non-business studies – final report of the expert group. brussels: european commission, directorate-general for enterprise and industry halabisky, d. (2018). policy brief on women’s entrepreneurship. oecd sme and entrepreneurship papers, no. 8, oecd publishing, paris. doi: 10.1787/dd2d79e7-en hausmann, a., & heinze, a. (2016). entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries: insights from an emergent field. artivate: a journal of entrepreneurship in the arts 5(2), 7-22. henry, c., orser, b., coleman, s., foss, l., welter, f., ahl h., berglund, k., braun, p., de bruin, a., diaz-garcia, c., gawell, m., lawton smith, h., lewis, k., mcgowan, p., nziku, d., pettersson, k., sheikh, s., tillmar, m., & yousafzai, s. (2017). women's entrepreneurship policy: a 13-nation cross-country study. in t. manolova, s. tatiana, c. brush, l. f. edelman, a, robb, & f. welter (eds.), entrepreneurial ecosystems and growth of women's entrepreneurship: a comparative analysis (pp. 244-278). cheltenham, uk: edward elgar. rath, j., & swagerman, a. (2016). promoting ethnic entrepreneurship in european cities: sometimes ambitious, mostly absent, rarely addressing structural features. international migration review, 54(1), 152– 166. thom, m. (2016). crucial skills for the entrepreneurial success of fine artists. artivate: a journal of entrepreneurship in the arts, 5(1), 3-24. white, j. c. (2018). toward a theory of minority entrepreneurship in the non-profit arts sector. the journal of arts management, law, and society, 1-13. wishart, m. (2018). under-represented entrepreneurs: a literature review. coventry, uk: enterprise research centre, warwick business school. 36 appendix 1 question 1: are you a) an academic/researcher? in what discipline? b) a professional? what is your occupation? c) an entrepreneur? d) other? please provide a brief description. question 2: in your view, what are some skills and competencies women from marginalised backgrounds need to succeed as cultural and arts entrepreneurs? question 3: rank each item below separately in terms of importance for women to succeed as cultural and arts entrepreneurs (1 = lowest, 12 = highest). strategic, analytical, creative thinking divergent, convergent thinking opportunity recognition understanding innovation understanding context communication skills innovative business models marketing skills (online/offline) knowledge of european markets 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-non commercial-no derivatives 4.0 international license. book review: design justice community-led practices to build the worlds we need dhriti dhaundiyal published online: october 2021 to cite this article: dhaundiyal, d. (2021). book review: design justice community-led practices to build the worlds we need. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 1-6. 2 book review: design justice community-led practices to build the worlds we need dhriti dhaundiyala aschool of design, doon university, dehradun, india. dhritidhaundiyal@doonuniversity.ac.in design justice community-led practices to build the worlds we need, by sasha costanza-chock. isbn: 9780262043458, 360 pp. | the mit press, 2020. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001 (open access) ‘design justice community-led practices to build the worlds we need’ is an essential read for those involved with social design and social justice. defining design justice as “an exploration of how design might be led by marginalized communities, dismantle structural inequality, and advance collective liberation and ecological survival”, constanza-chock position it as a function of power in design processes, hypothesising that design justice is a result of who has power while researching and while designing, the decisions they make and how these decisions affect marginalised groups. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001 3 background the author, sasha costanza-chock, is a communications scholar, participatory designer and activist, using the pronouns she/her and they/theirs. currently working as associate professor of civic media at massachusetts institute of technology (mit), usa, they have published many other defining works on the links between information and communication technologies and social movements, such as ‘out of the shadows and into the streets! transmedia organizing and the immigrant rights movement’. their approach is to take the established paradigms of the design process and reassess the fundamental tenets with the lens of social justice. they use the storytelling approach of critical feminism to give examples of lived experiences that illustrate the norms, values and assumptions encoded in the socio-technical systems in our society. they write against the production and reproduction of systemic oppression, with the confessed idealistic aims of building a better, more inclusive world. constanza-chock laud langdon winner’s thesis ‘do artifacts have politics?’ (1980) as a driving force for their work. they criticise the standardisation of products and services to the exclusion of the minority, which was first highlighted by simone browne in her book ‘dark matters’ (2015). they first gave the ‘resisting reduction’ manifesto in their essay in the journal of design & science (2018), writing from their standpoint of knowledge from embodied experiences as a non-binary trans-feminine person. their competency is based on lived experience and empirically grounded in participatory action research and codesign, specifically from their association with research action design lab, tech for social justice and the civic media: collaborative design studio course at mit. the book presents a manifesto based on principles put first put forward by the design justice network (2015) to transform design for good to design for liberation. the manifesto posits that people who are most harmed by generic design decisions usually have the least influence on those decisions, and proposes a rethink and reframe of design processes. in particular, the author questions the values, practices, narratives, sites and pedagogies embodied in design processes. book structure constanza-chock begin by tracing the roots of design justice in value-sensitive design, universal design and inclusive design. these shifts in design theory have brought in threads of feminism and anti-racism from science and technology studies (sts), in particular the ‘matrix of domination’ (collins, 2002). the author theorises that design justice stems from a core concept of design, ‘affordances’, originating in the 1970s in cognitive psychology. chapter one relates stories of design affordances, products being used in ways that were not originally designed or intended, such as the use of facebook as a site of mobilisation for social protests. the author constructs the implicit injustice perpetuated by disaffordances and dysaffordances (wittkower, 2018): one constrains function while the other makes users misidentify their own identity to access functions. ‘dysaffordance’ is driven by gender dysphoria where standardisation becomes discriminatory design. the average excludes those who don’t meet the definition of ‘average’. the next chapter moves the argument from equity to accountability and community control, in the context of participatory processes, user-led innovation and feminist human-computer interaction. constanza-chock note that although all humans design, only some earn a living out of it: generally privileged professionals, high in the matrix of domination. these professional networks concentrate agency and power within groups of others like themselves, perpetuating discriminatory social structures in technologies. chapter three gives examples of the design of design technologies with a case study of twitter, where the counternarratives of its origins have been forgotten. constanza-chock decry the popular and prominent narratives of innovation and design as ‘well-resourced corporate mythologies’ (p. 116) that concentrate and celebrate the individual genius inventors, discounting and ignoring other contributions like social movements. 4 another example is the microsoft ‘reinvent the toilet challenge’, where designers and inventors around the world raced to innovate the ideal toilet. the definition of the project’s aims and scope weas controlled by the novelty narrative, and the values of social good embedded into the designed objects were sadly ignored. chapter four covers the changing landscapes of design processes with the newly emerging subaltern sites like hacklabs, maker spaces, fab labs and hackathons, community gathering spaces that often reproduce social inequalities at the expense of marginalised communities. the author demands a reorganisation that challenges the tacit matrix of domination. the following chapter reflects on critical pedagogies and builds upon the theories of critical pedagogy, popular education and praxis, practical knowledge for action, constructionist design theories, community technology pedagogy and feminist pedagogies of data science. it lays a framework for democratising design education, not as a neutral process that maintains the status quo or challenges it, but about issues that people care about, teaching people to identify the correct problems, identifying root causes to generate correct solutions. critique the book outlines a manifesto for enabling all citizens to be equal decision-makers in the design process. this thought has been around in the design discipline for some time, but this book creates a formal manifesto for both design education and design practice. the book builds on the feminist sts approach that the world around us is socio-technical, and the infrastructure of constraints and affordances that determines how we design and use designed products is led by the codes that have been socially ingrained in us. the book is an examination of current design values, practices, narratives, sites and pedagogies to incorporate the tenets of design and social justice at the individual, community and institutional levels. figure 1 condenses the progress of the design process in participatory ventures across the spectrum from strong control to more consultative control. the aim is to help design for people who have been excluded due to omission. figure 1: analysis of community participation throughout the design process (constanza-chock, 2020, p. 91). 5 one of the book’s main strengths is that it abounds in examples of where design has inadvertently disenfranchised marginalised groups due to disaffordances and dysaffordances. this myopia in design affects not just tangible objects, images and the built environment, but also intangible socio-technical systems. the author leads with the example of the inadvertent prejudice of millimetre wave scanners at security check zones of airports against non-binary citizens, which resonates with the theatre of security one experiences in airports. costanza-chock echo foucault’s approach to knowledge as a form of the perpetuation of social violence if a conscious balance of power is not actualised in participatory design and acts of co-creation that jeopardise design justice. the onus is on the designer to reflect and realise equilibrium in design methods and design politics. costanza-chock criticise design for its ‘band-aid’ approach that ignores rather than examines root cause problem-solving. commercial design processes have been berated as ‘design by committee’, ineffective, inelegant and neglecting core concerns. design justice demands an intentional decision to frame the benefits as well as the harms of designed products and systems in a contextual manner. in recent literature, escobar’s ‘designs for the pluriverse: radical interdependence, autonomy, and the making of worlds’ (2018) and holmes’ ‘mismatch: how inclusion shapes design’ (2020) also expound on similar concerns of social injustice through omission. although the good intentions of design justice are undeniable, questions about its practicality have been raised by critics. design justice activists exhort the higher moral goals of creating the world we want to live in, but challenges of limited resources and time in the real world lead to trade-offs. there is a legitimate fear that no just outcomes may ever come out of the process, a fear that processes of design justice may slow real-world design processes down beyond viability, but design justice activists say that is a small cost to pay for a more just world, where design is a tool for liberation. summation though written before the global covid-19 pandemic, this book comes at an opportune time. the pandemic has exacerbated social disparities the world over, and the time is now ripe for community-led change that can help marginalised communities. exigent times like these can be catalysts for creating the right environment for transformational change that can be sustained. power structures are often bypassed, and change can be initiated from individuals across the socio-political spectrum. designers, developers and technologists hold immense sway in the current political economy, and, unknowingly, the infrastructure they build perpetuates larger systemic inequalities. positive action on their part can initiate change that has far-reaching consequences. the manifesto of design justice defined in this book can help designers reach that distant future in a fairer, more equitable way. references browne, s. (2015). dark matters: on the surveillance of blackness. duke university press. collins, p. h. (2002). black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. routledge. costanza-chock, s. (2018). design justice: towards an intersectional feminist framework for design theory and practice. proceedings of the design research society. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3189696 costanza-chock, s. (2020). design justice: community-led practices to build the worlds we need. the mit press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001 6 escobar, a. (2018). designs for the pluriverse: radical interdependence, autonomy, and the making of worlds. duke university press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822371816 holmes, k. (2020). mismatch: how inclusion shapes design. mit press lee, u., mutiti, n., garcias, c., & taylor, w. (2015) (eds.). principles for design justice. design justice zine, 1. https://designjustice.org/zines winner, l. (1980). do artifacts have politics? daedalus 109, 1 (winter), 121–136. https://www.jstor.org/stable/i20024643 wittkower, d. e. (2016). principles of anti-discriminatory design. philosophy faculty publications, no.28. https://digitalcommons.odo.edu/philosophy-fac-pubs/28 37 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. action-centred design to find opportunities in times of multiple crises: designing a toolkit from a participatory conference alastair fuad-luke, seçil uğur yavuz, corinna sy, jennifer schubert, kris krois published online: november 2020 to cite this article: fuad-luke, a., yavuz, s.u., a., sy, c., schubert, j., & krois, k. (2020). action-centred design to find opportunities in times of multiple crises: designing a toolkit from a participatory conference. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 37-49. 38 action-centred design to find opportunities in times of multiple crises: designing a toolkit from a participatory conference abstract the global crisis around the covid-19 pandemic raises questions about our societal conditions while amplifying the challenges of our existing multiple crises to wider questions of sustainability. such crises, which are both threat and opportunity, have been highlighted for 50 years within the design domain which has re-orientated towards ideas of ecological, social and economic transition and transformation. against this background, a 7-year old conference series, presciently called by design or by disaster, had to convert to an online format during the covid-19 lockdown in italy. applying eco-social and participatory design principles the participants of the conference, beyond crisis, co-created 21 parallel workshops tasked with the aim of each generating three actions on diverse topics reflecting the interests of the participants. live reports and synthesis of the actions generated a broad mapping of the situation to help build a spirit and momentum for social-ecological transformation through design. subsequent analysis of the content of the workshops and actions led to the development of a prototype opensource toolkit, the toolkit for designing actions in times of multiple crisis, that facilitates the creation of action plans with multiple actors. this toolkit for action-centred design has the potential to help diverse actors deal with multiple crises while simultaneously helping reconfigure our societal and human to other-than-human relations by materialising preferable rather than probable or possible futures. keywords: action-centered design, diverse actors, multiple crises, toolkit, transition, social-ecological transformation transition and transformation in times of multiple crises as the (still unfolding) realities of the covid-19 pandemic reveal the fragility of our systems and infrastructures, questions asked of our societal condition over the last 60 years rise to the surface once again but with a new urgency. the pandemic amplifies the challenges as a phenomenon of our multiple crises climate warming, destruction of biodiversity and habitat, the externalised costs of a neo-liberal global economic system and more (multiple crises reference). as the philosopher antonio gramsci sagely observed, crises destabilize socio-economic relations and cultural narratives of hegemonic regimes while simultaneously opening opportunities for the emergence of new symbolic and social possibilities (gramsci, 1971). against the dramatic, generational event of the current pandemic, the need to ask critical questions about how we embark on urgent social-ecological transformation is pressing. here we adopt driessen et al.’s definition of ‘societal transformation’ as ‘alterations to society’s systemic characteristics and encompassed social, cultural, technological, political, economic and legal change’ (driessen et al., 2013, 2 cited in brand, 2016). brand acknowledges that there are many possible definitions of transformation because as a diverse concept it has ‘broad containers and epistemic terrains’ that depend upon implicit or explicit assumptions and on cognitive interests (brand, 2016, p. 4). nonetheless, these observers highlight the huge ontological, epistemological and cultural challenge that transformation represents to human societies. notions of transition to more sustainable ways of living, working and modes of being through design have a long root of advocacy through ecological and social design in the 1970s, promoted by victor papanek, tomas maldonado, ian mcharg and others (papanek, 1974; maldonado, 1972; mcharg, 1969). they believed that designing has to be cognisant of human and ecological needs and be underwritten with new political, economic and design value systems to respond to contingent realities. in the last 20 years, these earlier design theories and practices were linked with the concepts of design for sustainability (dfs) 39 (charter & tischner, 2001; manzini & jegou, 2003), sustainable product services systems (roy, 2000), transformation design (burns et al., 2006), design for social innovation (chick, 2012; hillgren et al., 2011; manzini, 2014), design activism (fuad-luke, 2009; thorpe, 2012), transition design (irwin, 2015; irwin et al., 2015) and other emergent theories and practices. however, there has generally been little engagement from the design disciplines with transition management theory developed by various dutch scholars such as geels, schot, kemp, loorbach and others from the early 2000s onwards and transformation perspectives from other disciplinary fields that try to better understand and map how societies can change themselves. a key theoretical model underlying transition towards more sustainable development is the framework of the multi-level perspective (mlp) identifying the socio-technical landscape, regime and niche innovators. exploring and questioning the role of design, designers and designing in societal transformation is pivotal to teaching and research at the faculty of design and art in the free university of bozen-bolzano, south tyrol, italy. since 2015 it has operated a master in eco-social design and 2018 formed a research cluster entitled “trans-form” (fuad-luke, 2020) focused on ‘exploring design, art and social practices addressing political and eco-social issues’. as a core part of the curriculum activities, the masters students and teachers cocurate an annual conference called by design or by disaster (dod) (2020) a prescient naming given the ongoing circumstances of the covid-19 pandemic. the first dod conference, focusing on the transformative role of eco-social design practices in the transition towards more sustainable ways of living and working, was launched in bolzano in south tyrol in april 2013. since then, except for the year 2014, it has been an annual conference steadily building an audience and a network of hundreds of researchers, designers, artists, ngos, and others from italy, germany, austria and other eu member states. the focus is on the dissemination of new practices, case studies and initiatives complemented by keynote talks, minitalks, open workshops (suggested and facilitated by the participants), performances and other activities aimed at maximising discourse between the participants in a convivial approach and situation. since 2018 dod has partnered with the hier und da festival in the village of mals/malles in the obervinchgau/sopra val venosta, south tyrol, italy. mals/malles is a village renown in south tyrol and internationally as a community who rejected the use of pesticides in the municipality through a referendum and its resistance to the dominant agricultural infrastructures, systems and policies (ackerman-leist, 2017). the community runs the hier und da festival (hier und da, 2020). as a result of the covid-19 lockdown in italy in march dod20, scheduled for april 2020, was postponed to 1-4 october 2020. yet the opportunity was seized in april 2020 to create an online conference, entitled “beyond crisis” to open up questions as to the threats and opportunities presented to transition to more sustainable societies and the role design and designers can play. a participatory approach to creating an online conference in the covid-19 crisis a team from the masters programme, trans-form research cluster and external collaborative partners from other universities and not-for-profit organisations came together to organise beyond crisis a two-day online conference and workshop event. the key questions framing the conference were: • how to use the virus-induced situation to build up momentum for social-ecological transformation? • is the corona crisis an opportunity or threat to social-ecological transformation? a series of other, minor questions also framed the vision of the conference: • how can we establish another leading narrative that encourages positive actions? • what can we do now to nourish positive transformations and prevent the dystopian developments? 40 • what are the strategies, alliances and actions that can be activated for this purpose? • which framings, narrations, images and aesthetics are promising? through the dod blog and its extensive international network, a call was put out for proposals for workshop themes based on the above questions. during just 2 weeks, over 350 participants registered their backgrounds ranging from design practitioners and researchers, heterodox economics (degrowth and feminism alliances), sustainability studies and practices (environmental governance, ecovillages, etc.) to political activism. data was gathered through the online registration form in which the participants were asked to offer a contribution (talk, workshop or theme or topic) and express their expectations about the conference. the organizing team analyzed the data and through several iterative sessions using post-its with affinity clustering on a miro whiteboard, identified topics of interest, fields of knowledge and themes that could be tackled during the conference within a “workshop jam”. over 25 workshop themes were generated by this participatory process through the inputs of the registered participants (figure 1.). some workshops were proposed by facilitators with a specific topic, while some thematic workshop themes emerged based on the analysis of the interests and expertise of the registered participants. figure 1: the 25 workshops proposed by the registrants of the conference, synthesised by part of the conference team. 41 online modes of participation the online format of the conference has its limits due to the restriction of screen-based communication. therefore, the aim of the conference team was to use various interactive tools (such as miro whiteboards with a workshop template, break-out rooms in zoom and online social events such as a social presencing theatre) to enhance the engagement of the participants providing an experience of conviviality, lively collaboration and of “social undistancing” as saskia hebert called it. the conference team tested bigbluebutton and other open-source platforms for hosting the conference. however, due to the time constraints and technical limitations the zoom platform was chosen since it was the tool with the best performance enabling a dialog between so many participants. additionally, a live stream of the main conference inputs via youtube was possible for those participants who did not wish to use zoom due to data privacy issues. the conference was held over two days. on the first day, 9 experts shared their visions and thoughts around the conference topic with online presentations. following these talks, and throughout the conference, short breakout sessions of ten minutes were organized by randomly assigning four people to discuss and reflect on the conference issues. the second day started with some warm-up activities such as yoga and social presencing theatre, which were proposed and conducted by the participants themselves. the main activity was the workshop jam comprising 21 workshops in the programme to which participants subscribed (figure 1). a maximum of 13 participants per workshop ensured groups were small enough to encourage interaction online. all workshops were offered in parallel sessions. two different types of workshops were offered: • seven specific workshop formats were planned, facilitated and moderated by the participants and/or speakers who proposed their formats during the registration process. • eighteen thematic workshops were compiled according to affinity cluster analysis from the online registration forms. these workshops combined open space format, which means that they were facilitated and guided by the group itself, and the pro-action cafe, facilitating the move from questions to actions. this made it possible to offer multiple parallel workshops, as no major infrastructural preparation was required, but a custom-designed whiteboard, a miro template (figure 2), helped facilitate the process. the template offered a short instruction, a set of icons and post-its and was structured in four basic process steps: introduction, discussion, idea development and conclusion leading to three concrete action points. to support this open process, ensure a basic structure and provide visually substantive outcomes, each workshop had a visual note-taker, mainly students experienced in miro but also external volunteers. on the second day at the plenum session of the conference a spokesperson from each group presented a brief narrative of their workshop with the focus on the three action points. this was followed by a synthesis of the action points from all workshops by two of the authors (see figures 3 and 4, below). 42 figure 2: the miro template used by all the workshop groups. to provide an interactive feedback system for the participants at the end of the conference, another online tool, mentimeter (2020), was used. participants were asked open-ended questions (for example: “what are the inspirations, outcomes, learnings you gathered in the conference?” and “what is next? what actions will you take?”). the results were simultaneously shown to all participants through sharing on-screen. the record of the feedback gathered with mentimeter gave rise to the possibility to analyse expectations, insights and the actions of and by the participants while revealing their sentiments about the experience. a collective impression of co-presence in digital space emerged as the mind maps grew in real-time. real time analysis and synthesis of workshop outputs for the conference audience after the workshops finished in the morning session of the second day, two of the authors cut and pasted the three specific actions from each workshop into a text document then undertook a pre-coding of the actions to draw out critical key words, following coding methods developed by saldaña (2013). as this iterative process unfolded one author sketched the concepts and words generated by the key words (figure 3). the visual map shows the main concepts and the interrelations between them starting from the centre which represents the individual at a micro level and expands to actions that can be done collectively at a macro level. as seen in the illustration, most keywords range between two different states, for instance: micro-macro, individual-collaborative, digital-analogue, possible-impossible, secure-insecure, showing the fact that the crisis triggers a flexible, versatile, plastic thinking to cope with uncertainty and instability. moreover, this visual and word mapping embraces keywords connected to ideas and solutions that are open and accessible, emphasizing the need for shared knowledge to overcome the obstacles in the times of crisis. 43 figure 3: a visual and textual summary of key actions mentioned by the workshop groups. another author tried to ascertain where the actions were intended to take place systemically by assigning them to the micro, macro or meso level in a multi-level perspective framework (geels & schot, 2007) used by transition management theorists or by assigning them to categories of actions that could apply across all the levels (figure 4). there was a perceived need across many of the workshops to do system infra-(re)structuring by “keeping the good and changing the bad” through supporting essential systems and building regenerative systems together, that is, by “co-creating difference”. at the macro level this requires “new politics”; at the meso level, “new rights”; and at the micro-level, “new stories, new lives”. this requires a (significant?) shift in attitudes and habits of individuals, groups and institutions which were better exemplified in five intertwined categories: • new values • new languages, bodying (embodied experiences) and imaginaries • new responsibilities and civic approaches • new upward pressures (from the lower levels) • new dispersed tools and skills … suggesting radical shifts in how we perceive and act in and on our world(s), with whom and for whose benefit. this ontological shift was best described as acquiring new languages and bodying (expressing this through embodied feelings and actions) and imaginaries through: “bursting the bubbles, generating hope through action and exciting narratives, doing quantitative easing (euphemism for government central banks to print money or create bonds that inject liquidity into economies) for the people not the corporates, and by challenging politics by civic actions.” 44 figure 4: workshop actions summarised across a multi-level perspective (mlp) diagram. there was a sense from the conference participants that the participation, discourse and synthesis of outputs built a shared awareness of the threats and opportunities for transition during the covid-19 circumstances. also, it was clear that experiencing the conference seemed to empower people emotionally and interpersonally. post-conference outputs: the toolkit for designing actions in times of multiple crises the mentimeter results for the question “what is next?” was answered by 50 participants. the results range from personal actions to collective ones. most of the answers were emphasizing the importance of alliances and multidisciplinary perspectives for imagining and building more sustainable futures. some reported that they would continue working on the ideas developed during the workshop jam in the future, expanding their group to take actions in their localities, such as community building, taking political actions, searching for funding, etc. two of the groups of workshop participants actuated and formally organised active groups to generate specific initiatives the strategic alliances group and diverse economies resource fund. after the conference two of the authors revisited the original action outputs of the 21 conference workshops and the keyword coding exercise used to give the conference participants an initial synthesis of the actions within the transition management framing of the multi-level perspective model. an extended keyword list was generated by going through the word document of the original actions a second time. keywords were allocated to emergent categories in a new coding exercise. keywords were then checked against the final category list and either left in the original category or placed in one of the new categories, which were as follows: issue/topic/theme; concept; attitude; facilitation tools; actors; and actions. these categories were used to develop a set of cards and a process the toolkit for designing actions in times of multiple crises (figure 5) that can be used to develop an action plan by/for a group of actors for a particular issue/topic/theme and/or concept. 45 figure 5: an overview of the toolkit for designing actions in times of multiple crises illustrating the cards, maps and action plan. the toolkit provides a stimulating and flexible process for a group of people to co-generate an action plan for a particular context aimed at interventions to facilitate the transition to more sustainable projects and practices. there are three main steps to follow with the toolkit: step 01 orient yourselves! 1. begin the discussion ideally with 4-8 people. 2. define your context together. 3. choose or randomly select three cards, one each from the categories: issue/topic/theme, concept and attitude. you can also use the free cards to write your issues, concepts and/or attitudes. 4. based on the context and the three cards, define your idea(s) and objective(s). step 02 co-map the actors! 1. continue the discussion ideally with 4-8 people. 2. exploring the context you choose in step 1, identify the actors in the multi-level perspective (mlp) “landscape”. actors can be individuals, collective (groups, communities, not-for-profits etc.) or institutions but also non-human or other-than-human actors. 3. now select actors that can best help deliver your idea(s) and objective(s) to create your action plan. step 03 co-create your action plan! 46 1. place the completed actor cards one above the other on a table. 2. now choose the facilitation tools you would like the actors to use and place them alongside the relevant actors. 3. finally, for each actor, think of the actions they need to take to realize and concretize your idea(s) and objective(s). write action cards for the actors. 4. place the action cards alongside each actor in the time sequence they need to do them i.e. one action might be required before another action. 5. when all the action cards are in place with the actor cards and facilitation tools you have cocreated your action plan (figure 6). figure 6: completing the actor and action cards generates the action plan. playing with the toolkit cards facilitates deep discourse around the issue/topic/theme or a concept, or both and shows how different attitudes can dramatically affect the dialogue and outcomes for the chosen context. blank cards also offer the opportunity for participants to write down their own issues, topics, themes, concepts or attitudes and to invent new facilitation tools. new card proposals for the blank cards will grow and enrich the toolkit by each contribution. brainstorming the potential actors, their needs and objectives also helps build a more systemic awareness of who can contribute to creating new actions that can change or improve a situation or context. reflections and next steps the wide range of participants attending the conference and trans-/interdisciplinary participatory and dialogic design processes helped people from diverse knowledge domains turn workshop discussions into action plans for the contexts where they wanted to encourage ecological and social transformation. the diversity of actions suggested was notable for embracing and integrating actions at the macro, meso and micro levels of a multi-level perspective showing a more effective “bigger picture” of areas for change in 47 the socio-technical landscape, socio-technical regime and how a diversity of actions at the niche level could couple with actions at the higher levels. adopting a multi-level perspective analysis helps people to get out of their own knowledge and action bubbles and to see the bigger systemic challenges. this can reveal opportunities for seeing and building unusual (strategic) alliances to challenge or disturb existing socioeconomic and political systems. the design processes deployed during the online conference including the co-designing of the 25 workshop themes, the participatory design templates and working in small groups helped frame and deal with different aspects of the covid-19 situation and revealed the connections between the multiple crises. moreover, most of the participants tended to see the covid-19 crisis as an opportunity, although they did recognize threats from the existing socio-technical regime. as the conference was framed around “designing actions” and inviting the participants to come up with action plans, the results of the workshop jam were showing a range of characteristics of how to design, plan and take actions in the multiple crises. therefore, the conference not only gave rise to many real actions that were taken afterwards by the groups of participants but also to a toolkit that emerged from the valuable insights and ideas generated by the workshop participants. this toolkit represents the participatory nature of the conference, as its content was based on the participants’ action plans. whether to be a pandemic or other type of crisis, we urge to come up with not only new ideas centred with a human perspective but to take well-designed actions that are in the center of a network of multiple actors including, in latour’s framing of human and other-than-human actors in actor-network theory (ant) (latour, 2005). this will help drive the transition towards preferred rather than probable, possible or wild card futures (hancock & bezold, 1994). although the focus in the conference was towards human, cultural and social factors, our contingent realities involve biological, ecological and microbial factors so we should also consider an ontological shift towards “natureculture” and multispecies co-existence in symbiosis (haraway, 2003, 2016). in this sense, we also need an ontological shift in design(-ing) towards actioncentred design where the contributions of human and other-than-human actors co-regenerate our damaged (eco-)systems through social and material infrastructuring (star & ruhleder, 1996). actioncentered design does not seek to put any actors whether to be human or non-human in the center, but to focus on actions that interrelate actors humans and other-than humans. the prototype toolkit for design actions in times of multiple crises can catalyse fresh thoughts, perceptions, actions and new modes of production that can potentially change the “distribution of the sensible” (ranciere, 2013 [2000]) and hence challenge the existing socio-technical regimes that exacerbate our multiple crises. the emergence of the toolkit from the conference activities can nourish positive transformations by helping people think about novel strategies, alliances and actions by bringing together different kinds of actors. in doing so actions are generated which create their new narratives challenging existing uncontested narratives towards further dystopian developments. the toolkit, available for download from the dod blog (by design by disaster, 2020) was further tested at the hier un da festival in october 2020 to generate more positive narratives for social-ecological transformation. acknowledgements the authors would like to thank all the students, teachers in the free university of bozen-bolzano and diverse contributors, speakers and workshop facilitators outside the university who made the beyond crisis conference a success during the covid-19 lockdown. full acknowledgements are detailed here, https://designdisaster.unibz.it/conference-beyond-corona-and-capitalism-17-18-april-2020/. the toolkit for designing actions in times of multiple crises is open-source and available online on the https://designdisaster.unibz.it/the-toolkit-for-designing-actions-in-times-of-multiple-crises/ https://designdisaster.unibz.it/conference-beyond-corona-and-capitalism-17-18-april-2020/ 48 references ackerman-leist, p. 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(2012). architecture & design versus consumerism. how design activism confronts growth. london and new york: routledge. https://www.mentimeter.com/  how to use the virus-induced situation to build up momentum for social-ecological transformation?  is the corona crisis an opportunity or threat to social-ecological transformation? 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. circular and sustainable design: a systemic design model for the transition to a circular and sustainable economy published online: november 2020 to cite this article: camocho, d.g., vicente, j., & ferreira, a.m. (2020) circular and sustainable design: a systemic design model for the transition to a circular and sustainable economy, discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 1-11. 2 circular and sustainable design: a systemic design model for the transition to a circular and sustainable economy david camocho a, josé vicenteb, ana margarida ferreirac aunidcom/iade unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200-649 lisboa. alaboratório nacional de energia e geologia, i.p., estrada do paço do lumiar, 22, 1649-038 lisboa. david.camocho@gmail.com buniversidade da beira interior, faculdade de artes e letras, da, r. marquês de ávila e bolama, 6201-001 covilhã, portugal. buniversidade de lisboa, faculdade de arquitetura, ciaud, r. sá nogueira, 1349-055 lisboa, portugal. jmanvicente@gmail.com ciade, universidade europeia, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200-649 lisboa. cunidcom/iade unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, 1200-649 lisboa. ana.margarida.ferreira@universidadeeuropeia.pt abstract successful and innovative design practices towards the development of more circular and sustainable products and services that are aligned with the current and future needs of our society rely on efficient practices that combine three main levels in the design and development process. the design management level which is responsible for establishing, planning and managing the development of design projects. the business level, which is focused on the feasibility and effectiveness of the project and its results in the short and long term. lastly, the design level that is responsible for the implementation and development of circular design projects. this paper is part of a phd research focused on supporting an innovative and efficient transition to a circular economy and sustainability through design. it describes the basis of a design model under development based on the design thinking process and an expert's survey carried at an international level and the research activities undertaken. it integrates the three levels in a systemic perspective, guiding the process and establishing the link between the needs of the design and development teams in terms of the definition of circularity and sustainability considerations and strategies, objectives and the activities, resources and practical tools needed to support the circular design projects. keywords: design, circular economy, sustainability, design systemic model introduction to achieve sustainability and the transition to a circular economy (ce), we need to shift to a more innovative and effective way to fulfil the needs of the society and change the paradigm of production and consumption of products and services. the way we design, produce, use, distribute and discard products has a strong impact on the economy, the society and the environment (european commission, 2019) and design practice are seen as a catalyst to shift from the traditional model of take-make-dispose to achieve a more restorative, regenerative and circular economy (moreno, de los rios, rowe & charnley, 2016). however, the approaches proposed so far in the field of design and innovation have not addressed and promoted significant changes at the system level (idil gaziulusoy, 2015) and designers who have the function of translating the strategies and concepts of circularity in the development of products and services that promote the closing of cycles, the efficiency, and sustainability of the systems, are challenged by new environmental, social and economic needs must adopt a holistic approach to problem-solving (bocken, de pauw, bakker & van der grinten, 2016) taking into account that most of the characteristics of the entire life cycle of a product are defined in the design stage. 3 as part of a doctoral research project under development which aims to promote and demonstrate to practitioners and companies the key role of design in this process, and to increase the knowledge in the fields of design for sustainability and circular economy, as well as support the design practice and the practitioners with guidelines and resources to develop sustainable solutions to current and future needs, the project addresses four main research questions: • how can design support the transition from the linear economy to the new model of a circular and sustainable economy? • what tools and methods can designers apply to support an effective design practice for a successful transition to ce in the real world? • how can designers overcome the barriers to the implementation of a design practice that effectively results in more sustainable products and services aligned with the european policies for ce? • and, how can design practice and the role of the design professionals be promoted in the ce context? to support the design practice and to reduce the gaps that exist between what is being developed and investigated in ce and its practical application in the development of more circular, sustainable and innovative projects, products and services, and to promote good practices, this paper presents a systemic model that is under development to meet the needs of designers in the integration of circularity aspects in their practice. the model aims to establish the connection of the design process, the business strategy and the design management towards circularity and integrates the inputs derived from the research undertaken and will be further tested and validated to ensure its adequacy and efficiency to support the process. design for a circular economy in the transition from the traditional linear approach to the circular economy, design makes a huge contribution. design plays a key role in the definition of the features and the profile of products and services. a more sustainable way to design, produce, and consume is a crucial objective for the development of our society (bhamra & lofthouse, 2007; braungart & mcdonough, 2009; manzini & vezzoli, 2010; margolin, 2014) that, according to recent studies, is only 9% circular ( de wit, hoogzaad, ramkumar, friedl & douma, 2019). with the responsibility of responding to product-service system problems, designers must integrate circularity criteria and expertise in problem-solving innovatively, adjusted to the needs of users, businesses, and society’s dynamics (ferreira, 2008). the circular design process and the underlying practice can be seen as more challenging and complex, requiring changes in the way of thinking and conducting projects focusing on a shift from product-based solutions to more sustainable and innovative system-based or function-based approaches. designers need to align their development process with the ce approach to replace the conventional end-of-life concept in which the materials and components of a product are disposed of after fulfilling the initial function, through closing solutions, slowing and narrowing the resource flows in production, distribution and consumption processes (bocken, de pauw, bakker & van der grinten, 2016). they need to apply several strategies in the development process focusing on the efficiency and sustainability of the entire system (rocha, camocho & alexandre, 2019). to foster an efficient design practice, there is a need to provide practitioners, business stakeholders, and other product developers with guidelines, resources and practices to apply design strategies for different circular business models (moreno, de los rios, rowe & charnley, 2016; bocken, 2016), and influencing and managing the value chains. building circular and sustainable value chains that are highly influenced by 4 product and service design, inevitably imply a fundamental change in design practice (camocho, ferreira & vicente, 2018; prendeville et al., 2013; de los rios & charnley, 2017). new or updated and upgraded methods and effective design-oriented tools are needed to support and promote design in the transition to a ce. the over-consumption of goods and services have actively seduced society, leading to excessive consumption of natural resources and the generation of huge amounts of waste and emissions (medkova & fifield, 2016). designing products more smartly and innovatively, extending their useful lives and changing the role of such products within the system is crucial to the achievement circularity and sustainability (camocho, ferreira & vicente, 2018; european environment agency, 2017). currently, and given the post-covid19 scenario in which we are, the effects of the pandemic have further reinforced this need to create a more ecological and resilient society. europe needs to be revitalized. companies, businesses and society must adapt to a new reality, and new revitalization mechanisms must be adopted. the european union recently launched the europe recovery plan (european commision, 2020) in which measures to revitalize and support organisations will be put into practice. in this context, the design is a fundamental element in adapting to new needs and must respond with integrated solutions that enhance innovation, sustainability, employment and the creation of value for all stakeholders. basis and rationale for the development of the design model for a ce the integration of sustainability principles in product development has been a concern of many professionals since the 70s, having, in a way, an important influence of vitor papanek’s book “design for the real world” (1970). the authors called into question the practice of design and the relationship of this professional activity with the environmental and social impact associated with product development. from green design to design for the circular economy, we have witnessed an evolution in design, in the concepts, practice and growth in complexity by integrating a larger scope of sustainability criteria (vicente, frazão & silva, 2012). numerous projects and initiatives have been developed, numerous examples of success are available in the market, however, this practice has never become mainstream. these approaches have always been related to niche markets and in general (hassi & wever, 2010) never managed to demonstrate the real benefits of being sustainable, taking into account, the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability. the ce can be considered as another step in the evolution of a necessary and fundamental demand for a more sustainable future and presents itself as a possible path in this direction, and in this way, the scientific, academic and business communities are highly motivated and committed in this respect. however, as mentioned above, despite the numerous developments in terms of methodologies, practices, tools, funding, etc., there is still a huge gap between theory and practice (camocho, ferreira & vicente, 2019), between what is being developed in research and development projects and what is applied in practice for new solutions that reach the market. it is essential to narrow this gap and provide designers, who have a fundamental and irrefutable role in the development of new products, sustainable services and systems, with interdisciplinary practices supported by synthetic methods, tools and guidelines that result in sustainable solutions that contribute towards an environmentally efficient future, fair from a social point of view and that creates value and wealth for business and the society. 5 in this sense, this research project intends to develop a synthetic method that supports this practice and that integrates the project development, the management and orientation of the design project and the perspective of the business, as presented in figure 01, implementing these considerations in early phases of the project (hassi & wever, 2010) with high innovation potential. figure 1: the 3 dimensions of the circular design model. this model results from the work and research carried out and aims to systematize and guide the design process by integrating aspects of circularity and sustainability that respect the intrinsic needs of the design process and activities. the model is based on four main sources of information. an extensive literature review, the national practices applied in portuguese products that are available in the market, the perspective of consumers and the perspectives of a group of international experts that were consulted within the process (figure 2). figure 2: circular design systemic model – sources. literature review for the development of the design model, the literature review that aimed to identify and analyze the main circular design systemic model literature review current design practice (national product review) consumers perspective experts review (international review) project development bussiness perspective design managment 6 sources at a national and international level provided a clear picture of the state-of-the-art and knowledge in the field of design, sustainability and ce with a special focus in identifying methodologies, tools, definitions and case studies of development and implementation of design projects oriented towards ce and sustainability (camocho, 2018). within the research project, several resources were collected and analysed. the ce is a current topic, and a vast number of activities and publications are being released frequently. these have been considered in the project and integrated as possible. besides the support in the development of the project and the design model, the collected information, with a brief analysis of each resource will be systematized and made available in the form of a database of resources oriented towards the design process aiming to provide designers and product developers with a source of relevant knowledge that is available and can be used as reference and inspiration to support innovative projects. identification of national products with sustainability criteria to map sustainable and circular design practices in portugal and to analyze how the sustainability and circularity aspects are being integrated into product development and communicated to the user, within the research project, relevant industrial products that are available in the market which have been developed with sustainability and/or circularity criteria and are placed in the market with sustainability allegations were identified and collected in a database of portuguese products. this will be made available to be used by the design community as a source of inspiration, collection of good practices and promotion of the sustainability and circularity concepts and their background. the collection of national examples was done to support the identification of the design professionals and companies linked to the products identified and, through interviews, the research aimed to identify and analyze how sustainable and circular products were developed and which are the needs, drivers, barriers and more information on the design practice towards a ce to support the development on the resources that will result from this project. the search and collection of portuguese examples demonstrated that despite all the efforts that are being done by research institutions, the portuguese government, academia, associations, organizations, ngo’s, etc., there is still a lack of national products developed and placed in the market. there are, however, several examples of products available, but the majority are imported from abroad. analysis of consumer perspectives the availability and dissemination of products and services with sustainability considerations is increasing worldwide. there has been a growing trend in informing consumers about the environmental aspects to take into account when buying products (young, kumju, seonaidh & caroline, 2008). in general, consumers, are more aware of the societal and environmental problems and challenges and demand new and improved products and services. yet, the gap between what is placed in the market by producers and what the consumer perceives is an important issue to overcome. the communication of products, the inefficiency of labels for most users who do not understand these topics, need to be designed in a more efficient way (camocho, 2019). for an efficient transition to ce through design, it is important to have a holistic and integrated approach. on the one hand, we need to supply innovative and sustainable products that meet the needs of consumers, and on the other, we need to have a sustainable consumption behaviour and features related 7 to products and services that allow an informed choice and efficient use by consumers. within the development of design projects for ce, designers need to better understand the consumer habits, perceptions and general knowledge regarding the sustainability aspects of products and services, and in this regard, within the research project, a consumers analysis was developed. the survey undertaken indicates that consumer believes in a common-sense assessment of sustainability based on their perceptions, which are not always correct and are partially supported by self-declarations and allegations from designers, producers, and retailers focusing only in few aspects of the life cycle, and in some cases, misleading consumers through greenwashing approaches (camocho, ferreira & vicente 2019). these findings and concerns should be translated into criteria to guide the development process and must be considered in the design model under development. survey of experts despite the evolution of the ce approach and wide dissemination and engagement at many levels of our society, which lead to the development of new business opportunities, new business models and developing new markets, is ce the solution to attain a sustainable society? to answer this question, the current research conducted an international survey, in which a group of international experts were contacted and invited to collaborate by sharing their experiences and perspectives about the current and future status of ce in practice. to develop an efficient survey, the purpose, goals and the sample were clearly defined to ensure focus, concise and provide useful data. the collected information allows the definition of an international overview of the practice, motivations and barriers in the transition to ce through design, and supports the research and development of methods, tools and guidelines to promote an improved design practice. to involve an effective and relevant sample, before the development of the survey, a database of international experts was developed as well as a questionnaire based on the compromise between the length and time needed to complete it and the need for data to support the analysis. through the questions, the research aims to understand the views and perspectives of the experts in the field on what concerns the practical implementation of ce, in what sense the experts consider that ce is the way to achieve a sustainable society in the future, what is considered the novelty that the concept and approach can bring to society, what are the main drivers and motivations to adopt ce in practice, what are the main barriers, how should we overcome the current obstacles and promote the design practice towards innovative and sustainable solutions, and what lessons can we learn from the past. the analysis of the data gives an overview of the perceptions of the experts that are working in the field and are facing the real challenges in the circularity path. from the expert’s inputs to the survey, more than 80% consider that ce is the way to attain sustainability. the around 20% that do not consider ce as the way for sustainability consider that ce is one important strategy, but many other must be integrated and considered in the development of our society and the future patterns for production and consumption. from the overall perceptions, ce can be seen as a change of mindset for consumers and industries, leading to the development of different ways of production and consumption, focusing on the real needs of the users, business and the society by adopting new development paths and new business models which can lead to a more dematerialized and efficient ways to fulfil the needs of all stakeholders in the value chain. the results of the survey which include also a set of motivation, barriers for the implementation of ce in 8 practice, ideas on how to overcome the obstacles and promote the design practice towards innovative and sustainable solutions and other relevant aspects will support the development and adequacy of the design model and the related resources. development of the circular design model and toolkit aiming to support and promote the design practice, a design model is developed. bild upon the results of the research, the above-mentioned review, the analysis of strategies, tools and methods, and other relevant information collected and analyzed, the structure of the model (figure 3) derives from the six main stages of a design project and relates the activities of the process with three levels that complement each other resulting in a robust model to support the design practice towards circularity and sustainability: • the project management level to support an efficient integration of circularity in the different phases and aspects of design management • the business level to align the development with the strategy and considerations of the business, promoting the efficiency and sustainability of the system. • the design team level, to support the practice and the integration of the circularity and sustainability considerations, methods and tools in the development of new and innovative products, services and systems. the model establishes the relation of the design thinking process with the goals of the ce to define how the resources can guide the design process to promote sustainability and circularity in processes. figure 3. circular and sustainable design model. the description of each step in figure 3 are the goals and objectives of each phase, how circularity should be addressed, which sub-activities are included in each step of the model and which are the inputs 9 (resources, time, human resources, etc) and the outputs needed, will allow a systemic definition, the planning and the development of the design for a ce project. the strategy for the design practice within ce will be supported by relevant tools, methods and guidelines that can be applied by practitioners in their daily activity to develop innovative and sustainable circular solutions. the translation of the model into the practice will be done through a design for circularity and sustainability toolkit. the toolkit to improve the role of design in the transition towards a circular and sustainable economy is being developed and will support the development of new projects that will result in new products and services with more potential for innovation, sustainability and circularity. conclusions and further development the circular design systemic model, structured in three interlinked layers that integrate the project development perspective, the design management approach, and the business perspective, will promote the adoption and implementation of circular design in practice. the model provides guidance and support to designers, project developers, project managers and business strategists engaged in this typology of projects, integrating circularity considerations, tools and methodologies as core activities in the development of new and efficient products and services. these align the current and future needs of consumers with improvements and benefits in the circularity profile of products and services with an added value for the business and the society. this model aims to reduce the gap between theory and practice, developed with an orientation towards the project, respecting the needs of the various stakeholders and aligned with the characteristics and needs of project management and development. the result, integrating a set of guidelines and different types of resources for project development, will 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(2020). product-service development for circular economy and sustainability course [pdf]. retrieved from https://www.katche.eu vicente, j., frazão, r., silva, f.m. (2012). the evolution of design with concerns on sustainability. convergências: revista de investigação e ensino das artes. issn 1646-9054. n.º 10. young, w., hwang, k., mcdonald, s., & oates, c. j. (2008). sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products. sustainable development journal, n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.394 89 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. domestic kitchen design as a tool to reduce food waste maísa neves pimenta, eduardo gonçalves, cristóvão valente pereira published online: april 2021. to cite this article: neves pimenta, m., gonçalves, e., & valente pereira, c. (2021). the domestic kitchen design as a tool to reduce food waste. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 89-100. 90 domestic kitchen design as a tool to reduce food waste maísa neves pimentaa, eduardo gonçalvesb, cristóvão valente pereirac amaisa.pimenta@alumni.usp.br buniversidade europeia, iade, av. d. carlos i, 4, lisbon, 1200-649, portugal. unidcom/iade-unidade de investigação em design e comunicação, av. d. carlos i, 4, lisbon, 1200-649, portugal. eduardo.goncalves@universidadeeuropeia.pt cfaculdade de belas-artes da universidade de lisboa, largo da academia nacional de belas-artes, lisbon, 1249-058, portugal. ciebacentro de investigação e de estudos em belas -artes, largo da academia nacional de belas-artes, lisbon, 1249-058, portugal. c.pereira@belasartes.ulisboa.pt abstract this paper describes broader research undertaken for a master’s degree in product and space design at iade, universidade europeia, lisbon, portugal. it aims to define guidelines for the development of domestic kitchen projects that contribute to reducing food waste. after this research, our goal is to further develop its outcomes through future research and the implementation of the resulting guidelines in a lifesize field experiment. we departed with the hypothesis that space design may influence users’ behaviour; therefore, it can be used as an active tool in favour of sustainability. we defined a methodology that informed a review of the literature, case studies and surveys. we analysed comprehensive themes regarding the problem, which enabled a holistic approach to the issue. we conclude this paper by showing the pertinence of our research proposal, a novel way of combining specific strategies from three primary areas of knowledge (design for behavioural change, food waste and interior design) to achieve our goals of reducing food waste in domestic kitchens and contributing in this way to a more sustainable society. keywords: sustainability, kitchen design, food waste, design for behaviour change, interior design introduction this paper presents the initial stage of a master’s research project based on the hypothesis that space design, as an influencer of human behaviour (sommer, 1969), can act as a tool to contribute to food waste reduction in the context of domestic kitchens. at the same time, we study how space can change behaviour and how it has the potential to reduce waste with these changes. we aim to define guidelines that serve as a source of information for professionals in the sector. we defined portugal as the study context, more specifically the area of lisbon. this choice is supported by both the data—according to which portugal currently wastes 17% of the food produced for human consumption, which corresponds to 1 million tonnes per year (baptista, campos, pires, & vaz, 2012)—and by the limitations in scope and time of the study, which is being developed over one year. the research is based on a deductive approach followed by a non-interventionist methodology. at first, we point out that, as shown by ponis, papanikolaou, katimertzoglou, ntalla and xenos (2017), food waste impacts mean land, energy and water waste. in this context, it is essential to differentiate between the concepts of loss and waste. the concept of loss is a natural result of the inefficiencies in the production and industrial system (baptista et. al., 2012), while waste is “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers and consumers” (fao, n.d.), i.e. what could be avoided through better management and behaviour. 91 considering the above, we focus on the domestic scale, with families as the main subject. fao (n.d.) estimates that about one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted. according to the organisation's 2011 report, in 2009, europe was responsible for 22% of this waste, 52% of which was at the consumption stage of the chain (figure 1). these numbers show what baptista and colleagues (2012) mean by saying that it is in families that food waste proves to be higher. also, it justifies our choice of study, as the transition to sustainability will be a big and articulated process of social, cultural and technological innovation (manzini & vezzoli, 2002). figure 1: food lost or wasted by region and stage in the value chain, 2009 (percent of kcal lost and wasted) (adapted from lipinski, hanson, waite, searchinger, lomax, & kitinoja, 2013). furthermore, we pursued a bottom-up strategy: that is, consumer awareness actions have a relevant impact throughout the supply chain. aschemann-witzel, de hooge, amani, bech-larsen and oostindjer (2015) recognise that there must be a synergy of action in all stages of the chain, but they state that the consumer has a crucial role in this change. they exemplify this impact by showing that “retailers apply aesthetic standards to accept or reject foods based on the assumption that consumers will only buy foods fulfilling these standards” (2015, p. 6458). in parallel, we identified a disconnection between sustainable behaviour and environmental awareness (junior, da silva, gabriel, & de oliveira braga, 2015; kollmuss & agyeman, 2002; kraus & emontspool, 2017). that is, there is a gulf between the information disseminated through environmental education and society’s practices and choices. considering this, we propose an innovative approach seeking to comprehend the relationship between consumers’ space at the domestic scale (the kitchen) and their attitudes related to food waste. this approach is supported by the concept that space design has a significant role in behaviour change (cummings, 2012; montazeri, gonzalez, yoon & papalambros, 2012; scott-webber, konyndyk, french, lembke & kinney, 2017; wu, digiacomo & kingstone, 2013). it is a promising strategy when it comes to the reduction of food waste. 92 thus, we understand the kitchen as a system and not just as a set of appliances and storage spaces. hebrock and bocks (2017) show that the solutions currently available explore mostly smart fridge functions and packaging, with very low diversity. they conclude that “there is great potential for more innovative thinking that can challenge existing practices more profoundly” (p. 390). therefore, the design of a kitchen that aims to be more sustainable must consider not only its production but also how it will be used and how it can change habits. after all, as cummings (2012) argues, it is necessary to create a favourable environment to promote sustainable behaviour, making these activities as convenient as possible. literature review design for sustainability and behavioural change in 1963, environmental concern was marked by the launching of r. buckminster fuller’s work, operating manual for spaceship earth, in which we identified a call for a design revolution to guide the world towards a more sustainable future. later, papanek and fuller (1972), in design for the real world: human ecology and social change, highlighted the role of a tool for social and environmental change. in 1978, gui bonsiepe’s work, theory and practice of industrial design: elements for a critical manual, established the link between the study of sustainability and industrial practice. in monteiro (2019), we noted a novel approach that aims to draw attention to the impact of design and its choices on the world. in walker (2012), we identified the goal of creating a material culture with more value. similarly, manzini and vezolli (2002) proposed new forms of production compatible with the environment, aimed at a new consumer society. they advocated for the need to change development parameters so that development is not measured in terms of production and consumption but according to the reduction of these. in the same way, we understand that one must also consider new ways of organising daily life, the sustainable aspect of the product as a cycle and consider how a product influences its users. besides, the development of design for sustainability aims at promoting a fundamental change in user behaviour (manzini, 2015), so to determine the strategies for this “there is a need to understand behaviour and its determinants” (strömberg, selvefors & renström, 2015, p. 163). when addressing the consumer, the works of junior and collaborators (2015), kraus and emontspool (2017) and kollmuss and agyeman (2002) investigate the relationship between the possession of knowledge and tools for sustainable behaviour and the behaviour itself. that is, trying to understand how to reduce the gap that exists between them. these authors also point out that it is complex to understand why people choose environmentally responsible attitudes and to identify the barriers to adopting more appropriate behaviours. in this research, we highlight one of these determinants, which is space, whose impact on its occupant has long been demonstrated by environmental psychology studies (scott-webber et al., 2017). the literature review shows examples of these impacts on behaviour in research related to health and well-being spaces (petermans & pohlmeyer, 2014; ulrich, 1991), workspaces (vischer, 2008) and educational/ library spaces (campbell & schlechter, 1979; o'kelly, scott-webber, garrison, & meyer, 2017; scott-webber et al., 2017). 93 as far back as 1969, sommer drew attention to the lack of emphasis given to activities developed in internal spaces and how the configuration of the latter can impact them. for sommer (1969), “not only must form follow function, but it must assist it in every way” (p. 5). in the same sense, augustin, frankel and coleman (2009) stated that the design of a physical place influences its user and, therefore, it can shape his/her attitudes and behaviour. for the latter authors, well-designed spaces, in general are compatible with the planned activity; communicate important information about their users; are comforting to the psychological needs of their users; are challenging by presenting opportunities for individual development; and are continuous in time, evolving and adapting to new needs. in the field of sustainable interior design, stieg (2006) points out the need for a connection between theory and practice, analysing the difficulties of the interior designer to act responsibly. in the same sense, maté (2006), bacon (2011), aktas (2013) and hayles (2015) discuss the concepts of green interior design, the difficulties related to the specification of sustainable materials and the understanding of the project in all its cycles. in portugal, it is relevant to mention the work of vicente (2012), who studied furniture production processes to create information and support tools for a more sustainable practice. one of his main conclusions is that it is necessary to facilitate the work of the designer with the proposition of tools that are integrated into the product development process. in the same way, this research aims to build knowledge to give support to the professional, which is much aligned with our own goal for the development of the guidelines. food waste when it comes to the food consumption chain, bagherzadeh, inamura and jeong (2014) point out that, worldwide, the household scale is responsible for wasting 38 million tonnes of food per year, or 76 kg per capita per year. in portugal, a study conducted in 2012 by baptista and colleagues pointed out that 1 million tonnes of food produced for humans is lost or wasted per year (see figure 2). of this amount, it was estimated that about 314,000 tonnes are wasted on a domestic scale, i.e. about 32 kg per capita per year. figure 2: food losses in portugal by year (adapted from baptista et al., 2012). several studies have sought to understand the causes of food waste in different settings, as well as the search for viable solutions to the problem (aschemann-witzel et. al, 2015; ponis et al., 2017; visschers, wickli & siegrist, 2016). the results reaffirm that behaviours related to food choices and food handling are major influences. furthermore, they point out that it is essential to increase consumers’ awareness of the issue and how individual choices impact the whole. aschemann-witzel and colleagues (2015) concluded that there are three main focuses of action for effective change: (i) date labelling; (ii) expectations and 94 perceptions; (iii) and consumer behaviour in food handling at the household scale. the last point is pointed out by the authors as central, being the focus of action in this investigation. hebrok and boks (2017) divide the existing solutions in the field of design according to how they act, namely: information and knowledge, packaging, food risk and regulations. the authors conducted an extensive review, cataloguing and categorising studies to find potential intervention points. they show that several factors lead to waste, related both to behaviour (preferences, ideals, culture and convenience, for example) and to the physical structure of kitchens (ways of home food storing and packaging, for example). here we propose a more comprehensive analysis of the issue by trying to understand how these various solutions interact with each other. we will update and discuss these results. kitchen-focused interior design in this research, we address the kitchen as a dynamic and central space in the daily life of the western family. despite historical differences between contexts, it is possible to say that, today, this environment is the stage for technological revolutions and new activities that reconfigure domestic dynamics. considering this, bell and kaye (2002, p. 46) call attention to the need to think of it “not just as a collection of wires, appliances, and internet points, but as a space in which people live.” freeman (2004) points out that kitchen space is a very rich field of exploration between the past and the future of our society, illustrating the potential of design in understanding man as a social creature. bell and kaye (2002) agree with this point of view and add that the kitchen space, the act of cooking and food itself constitutes a set of cultural icons, being employed as metaphors for more complex meanings and actors throughout history. the understanding of the kitchen space as home, as centre and the result of social relations, is a subject treated by bell and kaye (2002), freeman (2004), bech-danielsen (2012) and shove (2007). in freeman (2004), we realise how the kitchen space has become determinant to the development of modern society; in bech-danielsen (2012), we see how everyday life has changed the way people see residential architecture, with a focus on the kitchen. for that reason, in this research, we seek to understand the dynamics of the kitchen in our context to add a new layer to the functionalities of this space, to combine rationalism with the fight against food waste. methodology as mentioned, this research aims to develop guidelines that support kitchen design towards more sustainable behaviour, focusing on food waste reduction. this study consists of a mixed methodology with two phases: deductive and analytical. first, in the deductive phase, we will consolidate knowledge about the subject, which will then serve as the basis for the second phase, which will result in the formulation of interior design guidelines. to this end, we seek to answer the following research questions: a. how can interior design contribute to more sustainable behaviour when preventing food waste? b. what are the factors that influence users’ behaviour regarding food waste in a domestic kitchen? c. how are users’ food consumption and handling habits related to the design of the kitchen? to answer question a, we carried out an extensive literature review, which sought themes related to “design for sustainability”, “design to combat food waste” and “design for behaviour change”. we intended to expand and consolidate the state of the art on the subject. also, we sought to understand what solutions exist in the field of design, identifying opportunities for action. 95 on the relationship between behaviour and the environment, wu and colleagues (2013), cummings (2012) and montazeri and collaborators (2012) investigated the impact and influence of space on sustainable decisions to identify how design can act to promote sustainable behaviour. in this sense, lilley and collaborators (2006) identified three possible approaches to design for behaviour change: eco-feedback (information provision), behaviour direction (user incentive) and intelligence (imposition of limitations and directing actions). in this research, we will focus on the latter two to structure our proposed guidelines. we will work in constraining or affording actions through the space design and non-perceived solutions that guide the users. in addition, we aim to understand how interior design can change behaviour. we selected case studies that intend to understand how space, even in other contexts, influences behaviour. from studies related to workspaces, we identified aspects that interfere with task performance, approaching our problem as a domestic task. in educational environments and libraries, we identified attributes that corroborate engagement with space and with the problem. here are the most relevant to our investigation: • spatial organisation; • design details; • ambient conditions and resources; • view and visual access of the workspace; • flexibility of the space divisions and furniture (to empower the user and support different needs); • environmental messages (to be symbolic and inspiring); • core connectedness (to give a sense of belonging); and • adaptability (to be able to change over time). in question b, we focused on food waste at the household scale to understand the causes and potentials for action. we researched and analysed previous studies that addressed the theme in several countries, including portugal, to identify strategic paths to solve our problem. question c relates to portuguese cuisine and habits and will be answered by reviewing studies that have carried out extensive research with the population. whitehead (2005) points out that to understand what goes on in each space, it is necessary to perceive some categories of human interaction phenomena. amongst these, we selected the essential ones for this research: • space: the nature of the environment where the interaction takes place; • objects: what they are and how they are organised; • actors: who they are; • behaviours: acts, activities and events; • patterns of interaction between the actors; • ideational elements: beliefs, attitudes, values and significant symbolisms; • broader social systems: behaviours and ideations found in the specific social system; and • goals, motivations and agenda of the individual and the group of the actors in the social setting. looking for information related to actors (demographic data) and the broader social systems, we will use statistical data collected by national demographic institutes, such as pordata (base de dados portugal contemporâneo [contemporary portugal data basis]) and ine (instituto nacional de estatística [national institute of statistics]). looking for information related to behaviours, ideational elements, goals, motivations and agenda, we will look at the results of the report do campo ao garfo, desperdício alimentar em portugal (from the fields to 96 the tables, food waste in portugal), made by baptista and colleagues, in 2012. also, we will carry out surveys to obtain more specific information related to kitchens, daily habits and the relationships between users and space. in this way, it will be possible to complement the available data. conclusions the research efforts have focused on the deductive phase, with an extensive literature review that sought to establish an overview of the issue. it was possible to strengthen the initial hypothesis that interior design can act as a tool for changing behaviour towards more sustainable practices. furthermore, we were able to define strategies and justify the relevance of the research both in terms of the study setting (portugal) and the scale of the intervention (domestic). there is currently much media coverage on the issue of food waste, with increased concern and a sense of guilt regarding both environmental impacts and social inequalities (baptista et. al, 2012). however, the disconnection between behavioural intentions and the attitudes themselves means that the problem needs to be approached holistically. it is of utmost importance to better understand social, demographic and cultural factors if we are to propose solutions to make this link. in the literature review, we found several solutions in the field of product design, e.g. smart fridge, grocery list, fridge cam, smartphone connection, colour coding, apps, online advice, awareness campaigns, storage guidance, smart data labelling and edible coatings. these seek to combat the problem based on new forms of planning, stocking, packaging and informing. we sought to approach the issue from the perspective of interior design, understanding the kitchen space as a holistic system in which we can integrate innovative solutions with existing ones. we can state that the relevant numbers regarding food waste in portugal, presented by baptista and collaborators (2012), firmly justify the relevance of the research. also, the same authors state that in industrialised countries, food waste is concentrated at the distribution and final consumption levels, which reaffirms the importance of action at the household scale. moreover, we believe that the obtained results can be considered, with appropriate adaptations, for other western countries, with similar cultures and habits. it is also important to add that the covid-19 pandemic crisis has created new challenges to the academy, and introducing new tools to reduce losses and waste of food is one of them (galanakis, 2020). according to kantar (2020b), two trends are observed: (i) the growth of food delivery and takeaway; (ii) and the increase in the number of meals made at home, probably because of the growth of teleworking. eurofound (2020) states that in the european union, it is estimated that 39.6% of paid work by dependent employees was carried out at home during the pandemic. the study conducted by kantar (2020a), comparing the months of january to august 2020 with those of 2019, showed that in portugal, there was a 23% drop in out-of-home consumption and a 3% growth in in-home consumption (delivery and takeaway). it also showed that in france, the number of family meals per week rose from 18 to 24 during the lockdown period of 2020. in brief, we have identified the working strategies that will guide us to our proposed outcome. using behavioural direction and intelligence as our main approaches, we will define our guidelines. considering who our actors are, how their actual kitchen space is, how they behave and interact, and to which social system they belong, we can propose a new type of scenario. to complete this proposition, we will need to define how to organise the space, what the main design details are, what the necessary ambient conditions 97 and resources are, what the visual strategies are, how to be flexible, what the main environmental messages are, how to create a core connectedness and how to be democratic and adaptable. finally, it is possible to conclude not only that there are solid grounds to justify the pursuit of this research but also that our main objective can be achieved, contributing to solving the problem of food waste through innovative solutions. furthermore, it is our goal to test the proposed guidelines on a full-scale field experiment in future research. references aktas, g. g. 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(2013). a sustainable building promotes pro-environmental behavior: an observational study on food disposal. plos one, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0053856. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0053856 abstract introduction literature review design for sustainability and behavioural change food waste kitchen-focused interior design methodology conclusions references 28 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, karl p. campos published online: november 2022 to cite this article: garcia, m.k.f., & campos, k.p. (2022). consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, philippines. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 28-37. 29 consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, mbaa, karl p. campos, phdb auniversity of southern mindanao-kidapawan city campus, cotabato, philippines. mkfgarcia@usm.edu.ph buniversity of southeastern philippines, davao city, philippines. karl.campos@usep.edu.ph abstract the severity of the plastic problem in the philippines has prompted the public and private sectors to take measures to address it. as the country shifts to sustainable ways, information about green consumer behaviour is essential to effectively implement policies and programmes. this study aimed to determine consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, whether a significant difference in consumers’ purchase intention exists when they are grouped according to socio-demographic characteristics and identify the factors that significantly affect consumers’ purchase intention. a total of 393 consumers from kidapawan city were selected as respondents using purposive random sampling. the results revealed that respondents have a high level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. there were also significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to age and sex. notably, females had a higher level of purchase intention. the findings from the hierarchical moderated regression analysis show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality significantly and positively influence purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, it willingness to pay, quality and awareness strongly affect purchase intention. meanwhile, the moderating variables do not affect the dependent and independent variables. the results of the study infer that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have favourable attitudes and supportive social circles, perceive that it is easy to buy eco-friendly packaging, are more willing to support or participate in environmental initiatives, more knowledgeable, more willing to pay and have a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. keywords: eco-friendly packaging, factors, hierarchical moderated regression, marketing, purchase intention introduction as countries experience economic progress, the natural environment deteriorates as a trade-off. countries address this by adopting sustainable development, which includes the promotion of green behaviour, i.e. pro-environment behaviour that minimizes harm to the environment (european commission, 2012). this involves research that aims to develop sustainable production techniques, innovate technologies, craft business strategies and understand consumer behaviour in relation to environmental concerns. filipino consumers’ green behaviour needs to be researched because businesses lack the information they need to decide whether to adopt sustainable ways, such as using eco-friendly packaging. as the country has recognized the plastic problem, groups and individuals from the public and private sectors are combatting this problem by practising and promoting sustainable practices, such as using eco-friendly packaging. however, the adoption of eco-friendly packaging remains slow because some businesses view this as a costly alternative (alpad, 2021) and they lack information on consumers’ behaviour towards it (prakash et al., 2019). 30 previous research on green behaviour, especially green consumption, has mostly been conducted in other countries. existing research has addressed several aspects of green consumption, including the purchase of green products, consumer theory to be used and determinants of green purchase (zhang & dong, 2020). focusing on eco-friendly packaging, most research has been conducted in china, the united states, india, brazil, italy, the united kingdom, spain, malaysia, canada and germany (wandosell et al., 2021). in the philippines, research on green consumption is relatively new. the topics that have been studied are consumers’ profile, purchase intention and preferences. for example, gregorio (2015) and resurreccion (2015) pioneered green consumer research by creating a profile of filipinos as green consumers. in addition, san juan-nable (2016) and palmero and montemayor (2020) investigated consumers’ purchase behaviours for green products. consumer studies about green behaviour, particularly eco-friendly packaging, in the philippines remain scarce. the closest literature is the study by gano-an (2018) about consumer preferences and perceptions of the use of eco-bags. to date, many opportunities for research about green behaviour in the country remain. some of these unexplored concepts about green behaviour appear to be important and worthy of investigation in the context of the philippines. an investigation of these issues is essential because consumer preferences are shifting, and people are paying close attention to sustainable development. moreover, promoting green consumerism must strike a balance among the perspectives of not only businesses, government and environmentalists but also consumers (gano-an, 2018). furthermore, previous empirical research has focused primarily on establishing filipino consumers’ green profile and green products, and little consumer research has been conducted on eco-friendly packaging. this paper seeks to address the following objectives: (1) to determine the level of purchase intention of consumers towards eco-friendly packaging; (2) to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to socio-demographic profiles; and (3) to identify the factors affecting purchase intention. this research contributes to the scant literature on green consumerism in the philippine context. more importantly, it presents consumers’ perspectives on the adoption of eco friendly packaging that could prove useful in business decisions and policymaking. literature review green behaviour, also known as pro-environment or sustainable behaviour, involves actions that impact water conservation, air quality, energy efficiency and use, transportation, agriculture and waste reduction (mckenzie-mohr et al., 2011). businesses have viewed green behaviour, especially by consumers, as a commercial opportunity, and it has developed further as a research field (peattie, 2010). as such, research related to green marketing is important, as it can foster cleaner production by businesses and sustainable consumption through successful marketing to consumers (dangelico & vocalelli, 2017). in particular, green consumption has been widely studied to gain a better understanding of consumers’ changing behaviour in relation to their environmental concerns. according to peattie (2010), green consumption research encompasses studies related to consumers’ intentions and behaviours and studies founded in industrial ecology or environmental economics. the existing literature shows that research related to green consumer behaviour in the philippines is scarce and relatively new. pioneering research includes gregorio (2015), who aimed to understand the impact of green marketing and provide the profile of green consumers. the study revealed that the lack of green consumerism behaviour was attributed to the convenience and availability of non-eco-friendly products 31 compared to eco-friendly products. another study provided a profile of filipino green consumers. using cluster analysis, resurreccion (2015) found two groups of sustainable consumers: the “mature and product cautious” and the “young and socially pressured”. few purchase intention studies on eco-friendly products have been conducted in the country. san juannable (2016) determined the factors affecting the intentions and behaviours of young consumers towards buying green products. the author found that parental influence and media exposure are significant predictors. meanwhile, palmero and montemayor (2020) identified the factors that influence purchase intention toward organic local food. their findings revealed that environmental concern and health and social responsibility are important drivers of young consumers’ purchase intention toward organic products. overall, green consumer research in the country has covered profiling and marketing research on eco-friendly products. consumer research focusing on eco-friendly packaging is lacking. methods this research utilized a descriptive-correlational quantitative design using a survey method for data gathering. given the limitations that the covid-19 pandemic brought during the study period, a nonprobability sampling technique, i.e. purposive random sampling, was used to determine the respondents. the selection criteria for the respondents included being a resident of kidapawan city, earning his/her income and having a fair level of understanding of green consumerism. the instrument used in the study was a self-administered survey questionnaire adapted and modified from auliandri et al. (2019), hoai (2017), paul et al. (2016), prakash et al., (2019), rajendran et al. (2019) and witek and kuźniar (2021). the questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the respondent’s socio-demographic profile, namely age, educational attainment, income and sex. in addition, statements about purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging and the factors affecting it were included in the instrument. the factors considered in the study were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality. the questionnaire consisted of 40 items, which were measured using a 6-point likert scale. this underwent reliability and validity tests to ensure the quality and unobtrusiveness of the statements. the researcher utilized offline and online surveys to maximize the benefits of both. ethical considerations were also considered during the data collection. the respondents were informed about the study and their consent to participate was obtained. for the offline survey, respondents were reached in urban residential areas, businesses and offices within the city. surveys in businesses and offices were only conducted after the letters of request were approved. a total of 393 responses were determined usable for the statistical analysis. the weighted mean was used to determine the consumer’s level of purchase intention. an independent samples t-test and one-way anova were used to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to their socio-demographic characteristics. hierarchical regression analysis was employed to identify the significant factors that affect consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. 32 results and discussion the consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is shown in table 1. the findings show that consumers have a high intention to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging when offered in the market (5.30). this finding is in line with the study by palmero and montemayor (2020), which found that young filipino consumers have the intention to buy eco-friendly products. consequently, their purchase intention significantly influenced their decision to purchase. the possible reasons for this are filipino consumers becoming more informed of the ecological impact of plastic packaging (cahilesmagkilat, 2020) and the consequent initiatives launched by both the public and private sectors. the respondents strongly agreed that they would consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting (5.42), and they wanted to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging in the near future (5.37). a recent survey revealed that 75% of filipinos were actively looking for brands that offset their impacts on the environment (cahiles-magkilat, 2021). this shows the changing preferences of filipino consumers, which are geared towards sustainability. furthermore, the results demonstrated the respondents’ plans to spend more on eco-friendly packaged products (5.18). gregorio’s (2015) study found that consumers are willing to pay an average 12.5% premium for eco-friendly products. no literature in the philippine context has specified the particular demographics of these consumers. however, several considerations are weighed by filipino consumers when purchasing eco-friendly products, which are usually perceived as more expensive than their conventional counterparts. these important considerations are value for money (palmero & montemayor, 2020), information and social acceptance (resurreccion, 2015). table 1: consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. statements weighted mean interpretation 1. i will pay attention to the eco-friendly aspects of the packaging of the products i buy. 5.22 strongly agree 2. i will consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting. 5.42 strongly agree 3. i will consider switching to eco-friendly brands for ecological reasons. 5.33 strongly agree 4. i plan to spend more on products packaged in ecofriendly materials rather than those that are not. 5.18 strongly agree 5. i want to purchase eco-friendly packaged products in the near future. 5.37 strongly agree total 5.30 strongly agree tests of difference were conducted to determine differences in the level of consumer purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment, income and sex. table 2 shows the results of the one-way anova. there was a significant difference in the level of purchase intention of consumers when grouped according to age (p-value = 0.025). this finding conforms to the research conducted by witek and kuźniar (2021), which found statistically different levels of green purchase intention among young and old consumers. on the other hand, the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging was not statistically different across educational attainment (p-value = 0.511) or income (p-value = 0.188) groups. this finding is like the results of the studies conducted by naz et al. (2020) and rahim et al. (2017). they posited that eco-friendly 33 products are accepted by consumers regardless of their income due to the popularity and increase in marketing campaigns. the findings could also be attributed to the growing consciousness of filipino consumers about the detrimental effects of plastics and the availability of eco-friendly alternatives. table 2: differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment and income. profile mean square test statistic p-value between groups within groups age 1.350 0.518 2.604 0.025* educational attainment 0.437 0.531 0.823 0.511 income 0.778 0.517 1.504 0.188 table 3 presents the results of the independent samples t-test. the results showed a significant difference in the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging in terms of sex (p-value = 0.009). comparing the mean scores of the males (5.1656) and the females (5.3720) revealed that the latter had a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. these findings are supported by the studies by witek and kuźniar (2021) and rahim et al. (2017), who found a significant difference in the green purchase intentions of females and males. they attributed this finding to female consumers possessing higher environmental concerns than male consumers. table 3: significant difference in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to sex. profile mean difference standard error difference p-value sex -0.2064 0.0786 0.009** the influence of the independent variables, namely attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, on the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging were analysed using hierarchical regression. these variables were entered into the models after all assumptions of the regression model were met. in the first model, the independent variables established in the theory of planned behaviour, namely attitude, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm, were entered. the additional variables, specifically environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, were added in the second model. at stage one, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control contributed significantly to the regression model (∆f = 253.019, p < 0.001). moreover, the coefficient of determination (r2) showed that the independent variables explaiedn 66.3% of the variability in the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. this indicates that model one (1) is a good fit. adding environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality to the model explained an additional 9% of the variation in purchase intention, and this change was significant at the 1% level (∆f = 34.873, p < 0.001). furthermore, all the independent variables accounted for 75.4% of the variance in purchase intention. these suggest that adding the other independent variables yielded a model that better predicts purchase intention. table 4 provides the b-values (b), beta coefficients (β), t-test scores and p-values for each variable accounted for in both models. 34 table 4: summary statistics of the variables. variable b β t p-value model 1 (constant) .839 5.012 .000 attitude .383 .379 8.586 .000** subjective norm .186 .217 4.716 .000** perceived behavioural control .290 .315 6.967 .000** model 2 (constant) .190 1.178 .240 attitude .110 .108 2.198 .029* subjective norm .085 .099 2.417 .016* perceived behavioural control .121 .131 3.070 .002** environmental concern .129 .120 2.229 .026* awareness .183 .168 3.433 .001** willingness to pay .174 .213 5.779 .000** quality .176 .187 4.759 .000** the findings show that all the independent variables considered in this study significantly and positively influenced purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, attitude (t = 2.198, p = 0.029), subjective norm (t = 2.417, p = 0.016) and environmental concern (t = 2.229, p = 0.026) are statistically significant at the 5% level, while perceived behavioural control (t = 3.070, p = 0.002), awareness (t = 3.433, p = 0.001), willingness to pay (t = 5.779, p = 0.000), and quality (t = 4.759, p = 0.000) were significant at the 1% level. the results also show that willingness to pay (β =.213), quality (β =.187), and awareness (β =.168) were the strongest predictors of purchase intention. the findings on attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control provide additional empirical evidence that supports the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework for research about purchase intention. consistent with the studies in the literature, attitude was found to significantly affect purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. when consumers’ beliefs and feelings towards buying eco-friendly packaging are favourable, they have a greater intention to buy it (martinho et al. 2015; moorthy et al., 2021; prakash & pathak, 2017; trivedi et al., 2018). the results indicate that filipino consumers’ favourable attitudes towards buying eco-friendly packaging led to greater intention to purchase them. an explanation for this relationship is the exposure to information about environmental problems. this develops the consumer’s favourable attitude to participate in efforts to solve these problems, such as buying eco-friendly packaging. subjective norm was also found to positively influence purchase intention. this indicates that the consumers’ perceived social pressures from family, friends and/or important people influence them to purchase eco-friendly packaging (auliandri et al., 2019; martinho et al., 2015). the finding suggests that filipino consumers are conscious of how people close to them and/or society in general view their actions, especially those that affect the environment. culture may also play a part in this relationship. conforming to the norm and the actions of the majority is deemed important in philippine society. consumers’ perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to buy eco-friendly packaging, which could be determined by their ability to purchase and the availability of resources, was also found to affect purchase intention (auliandri et al., 2019; moorthy et al., 2021). when consumers perceive that it is easy for them to buy eco-friendly 35 packaging, the more likely it is that they intend to buy it. consumer preference for convenient shopping can explain this relationship. access and availability of eco-friendly packaging are essential to realize purchase intention. consumers’ concern for the environment also influences their intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging (martinho et al., 2015; prakash & pathak, 2017). this shows that consumers have a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they are more willing to support efforts to solve environmental problems. like attitude, exposure to information about environmental degradation caused by consuming single-use plastics among others may explain this relationship. this is manifested by consumers’ growing demand for sustainable products and practices nowadays. among all variables in the model, the strongest predictor is willingness to pay. the more willing consumers are to pay for eco-friendly packaging, the greater their intention to buy it. this finding coincides with the findings of the studies conducted by auliandri et al. (2019) and prakash and pathak (2017). in the philippine context, several authors have noted that filipino consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products in general (gregorio, 2015; palmero & montemayor, 2020; resurreccion, 2015). this relationship may be attributed to consumers’ desire to protect the environment and/or to contribute to solutions, since eco-friendly packaging is more beneficial to the environment. this benefit could be seen as an added utility to the money spent on ecofriendly packaging. palmero and montemayor (2020) also noted that filipino consumers greatly consider value for money when purchasing. another strong predictor of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is quality. the quality of eco-friendly packaging is deemed an important determinant of intention to purchase it. like the results found by rajendran et al. (2019), in this study consumers had a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they perceived it to have better quality. the notion that eco-friendly packaging is less polluting to the environment and is as good as conventional packaging could explain this relationship. the quality of eco-friendly packaging remains an important consideration to consumers, especially if they are paying more for it. lastly, the study found that awareness is a significant predictor of purchase intention, i.e. consumers have a greater purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging when they are more aware and knowledgeable about it. this finding is consistent with the results of rajendran et al. (2019) but contrasts with the results of aleenajitpong (2013). one reason for this relationship is that filipino consumers are becoming more informed about environmental problems, particularly plastic pollution, and more aware of the available eco-friendly alternatives. as such, this is manifested in their increasing demand for sustainable products and practices at present. conclusions and recommendations the findings of this study revealed that consumers have a relatively high level of purchase intention for ecofriendly packaging. in addition, the test of significant difference revealed that a significant difference in the purchase intention of respondents only when they are grouped according to age and sex. in particular, female consumers have a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. also, the results of the regression analysis imply that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have the following: a favourable attitude, supportive social circles, positive perception of the ease of buying ecofriendly packaging, willingness to support or participate in environmental initiatives, knowledge about eco-friendly packaging, willingness to pay for eco-friendly packaging and a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. among these, willingness to pay, quality and awareness of eco-friendly packaging influence consumers’ purchase intention the most. 36 understanding the consumer perspective is essential for business decisions and policymaking. as this study has determined the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, businesses and policymakers are provided with information regarding the receptiveness of consumers to its adoption in the country. in particular, businesses, manufacturers of packaging materials and inventors/innovators of eco-friendly packaging could use this information when deciding to expand the use, production and development of eco-friendly packaging. together with government units, they could find the results about the significant factors useful in making business strategies, policies and programmes. the current work only explored the direct relationship between the dependent and independent variables. future researchers may consider exploring the interrelationships of the independent variables examined in this study. moreover, they may use other statistical tools that include the analysis of the interrelationships of the independent variables. to give substantial support to the quantitative findings, it is suggested to include a qualitative analysis in future research. hence, a mixed research design employing either in-depth interviews or focus group discussions is recommended. references aleenajitpong, n. 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(2020). why do consumers make green purchase decisions? insights from a systematic review. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(18), 6607. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186607 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 1, no. 1 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their assistance towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. dhriti dhaundiyal, doon university, india katja fleischmann, griffith university, australia alastair fuad-luke, free university of bozen-bolzano, italy andrew laghos, cyprus university of technology, cyprus carlos andres ortega, universidad del valle, colombia claire pillar, cyprus university of technology, cyprus fenja ellen sepers, studio abound, holland aakanksha sinha, seattle university, united states reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 1, no. 1 22 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. the pedagogy of discomfort: transformational experiential learning lisa elzey mercer, deana mcdonagh published online: october 2021 to cite this article: mercer, l., & mcdonagh, d. (2021). the pedagogy of discomfort: transformational experiential learning. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 22-35. 23 the pedagogy of discomfort: transformational experiential learning lisa elzey mercera, deana mcdonaghb auniversity of illinois, urbana-champaign, illinois, united states. lemercer@illinois.edu buniversity of illinois, urbana-champaign, illinois, united states. mcdonagh@illinois.edu abstract education is intended to be a transformative experience for the student. in the practice of transformative pedagogy, instructors provide students with the time and space to explore their own sets of beliefs, values and standards and how they incorporate those beliefs into their work, subconsciously and consciously. at times, transformative pedagogy can be uncomfortable. however, the value of discomfort in the pedagogical process of a design course is the ability to acknowledge a knowledge gap between one’s social experiences and the experiences of other social identities. this paper focuses on the value of transformative pedagogy in working through discomfort when learning about limit situations, developing a foundation for transformative pedagogy in a course setting, the importance of critical thinking in transformative pedagogy and how transformative pedagogy is presented with a focus on ethics, disability and responsible design. by embedding ethics, critical consciousness and strategic thinking, the process translates into a transformative practice of design and innovation. students learn new emerging ways of affecting change with a multiplicity of ideas when educators engage in transformative pedagogy. it is also to ascertain what kind of learning enables people to create solutions for communities involved in a continuously ongoing process of defining sustainable development. keywords: design pedagogy, empathy, experience design, transformational pedagogy, transformational practice, social impact introduction it is human nature to resist and avoid pain, while we reluctantly accept that growth comes from discomfort (e.g. social, economical and political). empathic understanding can develop through this growth and can lead to more impactful problem-solving, more relevant design outcomes, more intuitive forms of communication and the co-creation of knowledge that has transformative power. to develop thought leaders for our tomorrow, we need to reimagine how we teach them today. education is intended to be transformative for students and provide them with the space to develop critical thinking and produce innovative work and research. transformative pedagogy is a term that describes an educational experience or set of experiences that allow the student to gain a deeper understanding of social experiences and be transformed in their thinking to further understand the complexities of their social experiences. in the practice of transformative pedagogy, instructors provide students with the time and space to explore their own sets of beliefs, values and standards and how they incorporate those beliefs into their work, subconsciously and consciously. when design educators create an intentional space, either physical or conceptual, for students to discuss social experiences, students are more equipped to objectively begin to analyse and create an understanding of their own lived social experiences. this ability allows them to identify a knowledge gap between their own lived social experiences and other individuals’ experiences. while this process might be uncomfortable, it teaches them the epistemic practice of identifying their lived experiences and learning about another person’s lived experience. in addition, it supplies them with the necessary tools, insights and awareness to create a transformative practice of developing innovative designs (fricker, 2010). mailto:mcdonagh@illinois.edu 24 the challenge is not only to identify transformative learning that assists people to respond and adapt to modern conundrums. it is also to ascertain what kind of learning enables people to create solutions for communities involved in a continuously ongoing process of defining sustainable development. the relevant question is not only what makes up transformative learning but also what stimulates individuals and communities to take part actively in collective growth processes leading to an as yet barely discernible sustainable future (thoresen, 2017). this paper focuses on the value of transformative pedagogy in working through discomfort when learning about limit situations (freire, 1972), developing a foundation for transformative pedagogy in a course setting, the importance of critical thinking in transformative pedagogy and how transformative pedagogy is presented when the focus is on ethics, disability and responsible design. by embedding ethics, critical consciousness and strategic thinking, the process translates into a transformative practice of design and innovation. students learn new ways of affecting change with a multiplicity of ideas when educators engage in transformative pedagogy. developing the roots for transformative pedagogy in design the value of developing roots for transformative pedagogy in design is the development of space for students to focus on a specific social experience, also described as a limit situation. a limit situation is a social experience that prevents someone from living freely (freire, 1972). an individual who gains a critical consciousness of their own lived experiences can understand how their social identities intersect with their culture and how those identities can determine their lived experiences (freire, 1972; pinto, 1960). transformative pedagogy is intended to prevent the over-generalization of social experience through discussion and requires participants to develop a genuine and critical understanding of a social experience. one way of developing such an understanding is through the acknowledgement of social identities that are social constructs in our culture, i.e. race, gender and ability (crenshaw, 1989) and the way these social constructs turn into prejudices and biases that become ingrained in our everyday lives (ben-ari & strier, 2010; nadan & stark, 2017). designers can apply the iterative design research process to develop a design for a specific social experience and provide a transformative pedagogical experience. the steps include the following: 1) the development of the context of the social experience or limit experience being focused on, 2) the application of research—qualitative or quantitative, 3) the development of ideas based on learned factors, 4) the prototyping of those ideas and 5) the testing of those ideas. when implementing this process in a course where transformative pedagogy centres a social experience as the primary determinant of learning, students are prompted to engage in activities in which they must think through the perpetuation of limitations or oppression prevalent in design. gale and molla (2016) emphasize “[…] the importance of invoking pedagogic actions directed at creating an environment for learners to share cherished beliefs and assumptions without fear of ridicule or condemnation” (p. 253). when engaging in pedagogical activities, students can critically assess their values, beliefs and assumptions in a way that does not simply lead them to the ‘correct’ answer. instead, this form of learning highlights the diversity of design deliverables and innovation resulting from learning about social experiences different from our own and interacting with material that provides a safe learning environment. in addition, deeper understanding and empathy of others tends to reveal that many questions do not necessarily have ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. theorists focused on transformative pedagogy see immense value in developing activities that provide students with the opportunity to understand another individual’s lived experience. 25 the experiences should not exist in isolation, but the process should involve prompts or interventions that generate critical thought in the student that requires an assessment of who they are, their values and their beliefs (nolan & molla, 2018). through the focus of transformative pedagogy, we provide emerging designers (design students) with the time and space to be innovative when designing for complex social issues. learning about the person we are designing for is not a unique or new concept in design but is a foundation for many designers. as koppen and meinel (2012) wrote, “understanding the perspective and social context of the user is one of the most important parts of design and design education” (p. 35). transformative pedagogy can encourage a designer to consider human experiences we might not otherwise think of or even have the words to discuss. our collective forms of understanding are rendered structurally prejudicial in respect of content and/or style: the social experiences of members of hermeneutically marginalized groups are left inadequately conceptualized and so ill-understood, perhaps even by the subjects themselves; and/or attempts at communication made by such groups, where they do have an adequate grip on the content of what they aim to convey, are not heard as rational owing to their expressive style being inadequately understood (fricker, 2010, p. 6). by removing the ‘distance’ between ourselves and the experiences of others, we begin to understand knowledge from a more intimate and personal perspective. for the student, this educational experience tends to be memorable in comparison to more abstract constructs. for design students, the notion of designing for your future self (e.g. ageing and disability) or your wider community (e.g. gender and ethnicity) is critical to meaningful and impactful design solutions. when we try to understand and contextualize a social experience outside of our own experience, we require tools that provide us with the means to be critically conscious of what is outside our known ways of understanding. mcdonagh-philp and denton (2000, p. 111) used the term “empathic horizon” to describe “the boundaries to a designer’s knowledge and understanding” (mcdonagh & thomas, 2010, p. 180). they added that understanding is itself progress toward the development of relevant outcomes. this way of understanding could occur through words that offer a person agency by supplying a term that matches a social experience or tools that physically and mentally contextualize a limit situation. while these terms or tools might lead to some discomfort for students, educators must create meaningful space for ethics and criticality to be discussed within a course—space allowing exploration or a period of discovery. transformative pedagogy takes a critical approach to pedagogy from the perspective of both the educator and the student, and it requires both to leave their comfort zone and engage in “critical investigation of the self” (zembylas & mcglynn, 2012, p. 1). the feelings of discomfort in these situations are important to acknowledge and are what ultimately allow a student to identify their knowledge gap and then encourage them to determine their individualized positions of accountability regarding different forms of ‘-isms’, i.e. racism, ableism and sexism (nadan & stark, 2017). discomfort in the pedagogical process at times, transformative pedagogy can be uncomfortable; however, when one or more social experiences are the primary learning objective in a classroom, educators can centre the activities to prompt critical reflection and self-actualization. this provides students with the opportunity to learn how their social identities differ from those around them. this type of pedagogical experience in a design course allows students to approach a design challenge from a more empathic and contextualized space of understanding. “this critical analysis provides a space to create a context of understanding, a different way of knowing, to become change agents. this is evident in classes where students are presented with transformative pedagogy and transformative practices that prompt 26 critical thought and interventions for disrupting the status quo […] to transform students’ experiences of discomfort into generative learning tools, a process which requires time, energy and emotional investment.” (do mar pereira, 2012, p. 133) yale professor and social activist, bell hooks, shared a student’s experience walking into her classroom: “we take your class. we learn to look at the world from a critical standpoint, one that considers race, sex, and class. and we can’t enjoy life anymore” (hooks, 1998, p. 42). after she heard this, her students continued to talk with her about the pain or discomfort a person can have when learning their way of knowing. other instructors have written of a similar experience of an “uncomfortable classroom” (do mar pereira, 2012), which describes didactic discomfort, i.e. intellectual and/or emotional discomfort felt by students, which is triggered directly or indirectly by the material covered and/or methods deployed in a course and is perceived by teachers (and often also by the students themselves) as an experience that can enable or generate learning. this discomfort is an acknowledgement by an individual who is starting to develop a critical lens for the social experiences of people who have different social identities. it is the act of knowing that there is a limit to one’s knowledge when it comes to other people’s social experiences. the acknowledgement of not knowing is a form of epistemic injustice and can be unforgettable for people who have come to this realization. as educators, we need to help students question how they tell their own stories, how they engage with a community with those around them and whether they are willing to acknowledge what they do not know. nadan and stark (2017) added, “the development of critical reflectivity among students is also related to their exploration of their own identities and (largely privileged) social positions and how these shape their assumptions, attitudes and images about the ‘other’” (p. 686). the impact of criticality on transformative pedagogy a person’s ability to critically understand their own social identities allows them to reflect on their own social experiences more critically. transformative pedagogy teaches students critical thinking and critical consciousness and provides them with a lens for seeing the diversity of opportunities and ways of doing rather than focusing on a social monoculture. nadan and stark (2017) emphasize the importance of this process by highlighting schön’s (1983) conceptualization of a ‘reflective practitioner’ as one who creates new meanings through observing and analysing case experiences, either during the experience (reflection in action) or in retrospect (reflection on action)” (schön, as cited in nadan and stark, 2017, p. 686). through the conceptualization of an experience, emerging designers can develop a process in which they begin to develop an understanding of a specific social experience through listening, critical thinking, analysing and intentionally breaking down barriers in their assumptions. “having the ability to reflect critically on one’s practice brings to light contradictions and inconsistencies relating to beliefs, understandings, and practices, and enables teachers to be adaptive professionals.” (nolan & molla, 2018, p. 722) transformative pedagogy allows students to develop a critical consciousness and an individualized design practice with a foundation of ethics that become embedded into their work. this style of teaching and learning ultimately translates into a transformative practice in which innovation can flourish. siegel and dray (2019) wrote, “when companies allow a deep emotional understanding of people’s needs to inspire them—and transform their work, their teams, and even their organization at large—they unlock the creative capacity for innovation.” in the following sections, we present two courses focused on how students learn new ways of affecting change about ethics and a responsible process for developing design 27 solutions and how their designs can affect change for people who have experiences outside of their own. the first course highlights ethics and responsible design, utilizing the framework of racism untaught (racism untaught, n.d.). the second course highlights disability and the role design can play in enhancing quality of life through more relevant products, environments and experiences, by employing empathic design research methodology. ethics and responsibility + design the racism untaught course is a 16-week course focused on critically analysing artefacts, systems and experiences that perpetuate racism and the oppression of historically underinvested communities (racism untaught, n.d.). since the development of the framework in 2018, this course has been taught four times at the university of illinois. the students are guided through the design research process and prompted with design-led interventions that provide them with a way to analyse and reimagine racialized design challenges and critically assess anti-racist design approaches (mercer & moses, 2019). students learn how “ever-escalating pressures toward simplification and speed have generated innovation in the types of deliverables that researchers produce in their effort to condense information and make it digestible to others” (siegel & dray, 2019, p. 82). this course aims to guide students through identifying forms of racialized design, a design that perpetuates elements of racism. the learning outcomes in this course include critically analysing artefacts, systems and experiences that perpetuate racism and the oppression of historically underinvested communities, prompting students to select qualitative and/or quantitative methods to assess individual and shared experiences of racism. the instructor works with the students to examine systemic forms of institutional racism that are essentially invisible and how we and our culture perpetuate them. this course uses the iterative design research process to cultivate learning environments for students to further explore issues of race and racism. students utilize design research methods and processes to solve systemic problems and inspire further work in the public sector or a passion for public service. before the students start using the racism untaught toolkit, they go through an onboarding process in the first two weeks in which they unpack the concept of racism and the role racism plays in their lives. they begin the process by navigating their own story, background, cultural identity and upbringing to help shed light on their cultural biases and how they came to acquire them. the students then participate in the following activities: writing a poem critically assessing where cultural bias is present in their upbringing; creating a social identity profile in which they share five social groups they belong to and the roles they hold in each group; carrying out personality assessments; and developing a community agreement for the semester to use during more difficult conversations. at the beginning of the course, it is verbally acknowledged that everyone is learning new concepts and language, and students are asked to be open to change and flexible when new knowledge is gained. marta elena esquilin from bryant university and mike funk from new york university wrote on the importance of community building and the value of engagement agreements. they provided over 20 guidelines for a meeting or classroom environment (esquilin & funk, 2019) to create an intentional space for conversations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. through a course, they work together on the development of a community agreement that includes prompts such as the following: 1) listen actively, 2) speak from your own lived experience using “i” statements, 3) seek to repair harm when you mess up and 4) step in, step back; that is, if one person is often speaking within a space, they should step back to allow others who are quieter to speak up. 28 students are divided into groups based on what the instructor has learned from the onboarding activities in weeks two and three. the students are prompted with a racialized design and begin using the racism untaught framework, starting with the first step, context. this step has over 60 cards, which include definitions and terms that focus on elements of racism, sexism and ableism. students use the terms in this deck to create the context for the racialized design they have been prompted with (figure 1). the conversations often teach students unfamiliar words and prompt discussion on how forms of oppression are perpetuated and supported in the world around us. the terms also provide a specific understanding of the prompt, which prevents oversimplification and overgeneralization in conversations on race and racism. participants often speak of the ownership of agency they earn when learning a new element of racism that applies to a racialized design they have interacted with themselves or have witnessed the interaction (siegel & dray, 2019). the students are asked to identify why each element of oppression (racism, sexism or ableism) are relevant to the identifier and which elements are not. this first step allows participants to understand how to break down one instance of racism into the various ways it is present. to exemplify different elements of racism in design, the course focuses on three identifiers: artefacts, systems and experiences. these three areas include comprehensive examples of racialized design, which designers can positively affect in our society. figure 1: the first phase in step one of the racism untaught framework. 29 figure 2: the second phase in step one of the racism untaught framework. the first step also includes a diagram outlining what are called the levels of oppression. this allows further contextualization of the instance of oppression on four distinct levels: 1) beliefs—personal beliefs, ideas and feelings that perpetuate oppression, 2) agentic action—when oppressive beliefs translate into oppressive behaviour, 3) institutional—structural oppression that results from agentic oppressive behaviour and 4) cultural—norms, values, beliefs and trusted systems of acquiring truth that preserve, protect and maintain oppression (figure 2). “a vague, general sense of knowing the user is not empathy. as gregory bateson said, information is a difference that makes a difference. because designers are trying to 30 make a difference in users’ experiences, we need to be able to explain nuances of difference across those experiences.” (siegel & dray, 2019, p. 83) the next five weeks are focused on the second step, define. this step has about 50 cards, including qualitative and quantitative methods and theories to define how the participant might approach the design challenge. in this step, students must create a thesis question to help focus on their design challenge. the instructor provides students with this guiding question: “how might design be used to [action] in order to [create change] with [stakeholders]?” students garner factors from their research to move forward to the next step, ideation. the next step is called ideate and is completed in one week. this step includes over 100 cards. during this step, students begin to determine what they will create—an artefact(s), a system(s) and an experience(s)— and which will help dismantle the form of racialized design. students determine how they can affect change and how they can be part of the solution. this step includes a quadrant map to help evaluate the value of each idea. on the x-axis, students consider the intent of the idea in comparison to the impact, and on the yaxis, students consider how far the idea might shift stakeholders from systemically oppressive thought(s) to anti-oppressive action(s). students plot their most robust ideas and discuss whether their idea only has good intentions or if it will have an impact and focus on anti-oppressive actions against oppressive thought. this quadrant map is often revisited in the prototype stage to help students ensure they continue to work toward impact and an anti-oppressive final deliverable. the fourth step, prototype, is worked on for five weeks. this step has approximately 30 cards and walks students through a low-, midand high-fidelity prototyping process. the low-fidelity prototype is nonfunctioning and is initially presented to communicate an idea. a mid-fidelity prototype is limited in functionality, and a high-fidelity prototype requires minimal modifications for the final deliverable. in this step, students work iteratively through the framework to further contextualize or apply research methods to help them understand how the idea they are creating impacts communities. the last step is called impact and is focused on for one week. this step has approximately 20 cards. this step helps students understand their impact on their work because of the iterative framework and design interventions. this process is iterative and the time frames are meant to support the students moving to different steps to ensure they are conducting research and learning from the people who would engage with their designs. disability + design “if a designer chooses a scientific approach, the whole design process will have strong similarities to a research process. this will limit or eliminate not only what is considered to be the preconditions of the design, but also what is possible, what is needed, what is desired, and what the eventual outcome will be. it will no longer be a design process.” (nelson & stolterman, 2012, p. 33) traditional scientific research tends not to impact the researcher on such a personal level. research outcomes are specifically based on unbiased researchers. when focusing your efforts on creating a bridge between lived experience and theory, researchers need to be more empathic and lean into the experiences of others. seeking whole knowledge is a balance of what is true (scientifically provable) and what is real (a person’s experience) and directs the designer to develop a deeper felt sense for and understanding of others (mcdonagh, 2015, p. 422). the disability + design course (established 2008) is based on empathic design research and aims to bring together design students, non-design students and students (from any discipline) with disabilities. it brings 31 the students together as equals by elevating the value of the diverse range of lived experiences beyond the typical person. the students are encouraged to embrace the development of the new norm, those living with a different lived experience. by expanding the students’ empathic horizons through experiencing discomfort, vulnerability and frustration with activities of daily living (e.g. eating, walking and grooming) (woodcock et al., 2017), they develop a deeper understanding of other people through their own experience. this bridges the gap between themselves and others. challenges become more relatable (hansen & philo, 2007). another person’s experience becomes relevant to them. two student activities are shared that highlight 1) the levelling of the classroom and 2) the physical and almost immediate impact of analogue empathic tools in simulating physical challenges. levelling of the classroom for many courses, the student cohort’s profile and ability level tend to be similar. for this course, a diverse range of abilities and design awareness constitute the student group. therefore, a need arises beyond the typical ice-breaking activities. one of the initial activities that resonates with students regardless of their abilities is the self-portrait. students are required to draw themselves (maximum 5 minutes per task) using (i) their feet, (ii) their less dominant hand and finally (iii) their dominant hand. for those students with limited physical mobility, they can also hold the mark maker (e.g. pen, pencil) in alternative ways (e.g. in their mouth). after overcoming the initial shock of the task, which takes away all the perceived drawing ability of the design students and leaves all the students reimagining how they utilize their bodies for this task, students begin to ‘let go’ of realistic two-dimensional outcomes. the outcomes are truly remarkable. non-design students who were told that they did not have drawing skills can draw. design students who have progressed their academic careers based on their drawing skills have to reassess their notion of the portrait, particularly with the non-perfect portraits they have created. overall, the activity brings the cohort together more as equals struggling individually with this task. ultimately, students tend to delight in their unexpected ‘foot’ and ‘less dominant hand’ portraits, which often capture the essence of the person more organically than their more typical ‘dominant hand’ portrait (figure 3). figure 3: range of foot portraits (from design and non-design students). empathic tools we acknowledge that the only way to experience it is to experience it. however, empathic tools and approaches offer the able-bodied, young and healthy student the opportunity to physically experience challenges with activities of daily living. these tools range from low technology (e.g. tape up an elbow or knee joint with tape to restrict mobility) that is low cost and utilizes commonly found materials within the home and/or classroom to high technology (e.g. oculus end-of-life experience software). low-technology 32 tools can be made by individual students at home and do not require significant cost beyond materials and time to construct them. higher technology, such as the gerontology (gert) suit, provides a holistic system that can be applied to an individual so that they are experiencing several physical augmentations simultaneously but represents a greater expense (us$4500). the body can accommodate and efficiently adjust to one augmentation (e.g. reduced hearing or reduced vision), but when multiple ones are combined a more immersive experience is achieved (figure 4). experiencing the familiar material landscape through the perspective of limited vision, hearing, mobility and strength can result in an almost instant emotional response within the student. activities such as the foot portrait and tools such as the gert suit challenge the student’s mindset as they relate to others. reducing this psychological gap between themselves and the ‘other’ (e.g. elders or people with disabilities) supports more empathic design outcomes. through personal challenges (discomfort), understanding and humility develop within and beyond the classroom. introducing this way of knowing the range of experiences develops a more empathic mindset. designing for others becomes more aligned with designing for our future selves. it becomes personal and more relevant. figure 4: empathic tools (gert gerontology suit) simulating range of physical impairments. copd: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 33 the value of such experiential learning activities is in the opportunities for learners to go beyond assumptions (felt sense) to more tangible ways of understanding (felt experience). care needs to be taken, as many students have not experienced physical vulnerability (diminished vision, hearing or mobility), and conducting these activities within a safe environment (e.g. a classroom) and avoiding potentially harmful (activities of daily living) activities (e.g. making hot beverages) needs to be thought out. these activities are time-consuming and require planning and resources. however, overall, the benefits are significant to the individual, especially if they reflect upon their experience. when communicating through speaking out loud to others, they will generate and acknowledge the meaning they create and why it is of value to them personally and ultimately professionally as designers going forward. conclusion the development of activities for students that prompt critical thought and potential discomfort capture a person’s understanding of a limit situation. other ways of doing this are through a visual map, such as an empathy map or journey map, that students use to gauge what they have learned through the learning process. it enables them to reflect on the points of discomfort and acknowledge what they have learned. these activities allow students to reflect on the work they conducted over the semester, reflection being "the process of critically assessing the content, process or premise(s) of our efforts to interpret and give meaning to an experience” (mezirow, 1991, p. 104). reflection is vital because, as siegel and dray observe, “the pressure to develop design sprints for students to work through does not allow them to develop thoughtful final deliverables where they can conduct secondary and primary research to developing innovative solutions” (p. 82). learning is a social interaction that takes place through a combination of different processes in the body (genetic, physical and biological) and mind (knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and senses). an experience is therefore interpreted cognitively, emotively, or practices and integrated into a person’s biography, resulting in greater self-awareness (jarvis, 2009). references ben-ari, a., & strier, r. 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(ed.), design and technology international millennium conference (pp. 111–116). d&t association. mercer, l.e., & moses, t. (2019). identifying racialized design to cultivate a culture of awareness in design. the design journal, 22(suppl. 1), 1399–1407. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2019.1594965 mezirow j. (1991). transformative dimensions of adult education. jossey-bass. nelson, h., & stolterman, e. (2012). the design way: intentional change in an unpredictable world. the mit press. nadan, y., & stark, s. (2017). the pedagogy of discomfort: enhancing reflectivity on stereotypes and bias. british journal of social work, 47(3), 683–700. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw023 pinto, a.v., (1960). consciencia e realidade nacional (vol. ii). instituto superior de estudos brasileiro. racism untaught (n.d.). https://racismuntaught.com siegel d., & dray s. (2019). the map is not the territory: empathy in design. interactions, 26(2), 82–85. https://doi.org/10.1145/3308647 thoresen, v. (2017). how transformational learning promotes caring, consultation and creativity, and ultimately contributes to sustainable development: lessons from the partnership for education and research about responsible living (perl) network. international review of education, 63(6), 915–934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-017-9688-4 woodcock, a., mcdonagh, d., & osmond, j. (2017). developing empathy for older users in design students. international conference on engineering and product design education, 7 & 8 september 2017, oslo and akershus university college of applied sciences, norway. 35 zembylas, m., & mcglynn, c. (2012). discomforting pedagogies: emotional tensions, ethical dilemmas and transformative possibilities. british educational research journal, 38(1), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411926.2010.523779 introduction levelling of the classroom empathic tools the value of such experiential learning activities is in the opportunities for learners to go beyond assumptions (felt sense) to more tangible ways of understanding (felt experience). care needs to be taken, as many students have not experienced physi... https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 2, no. 2 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. sarah baker, media design school, new zealand beatrice villari, polytechnic university of milan, italy sue giloi, inscape, pretoria, south africa marios samdanis, brunel university london, united kingdom scott schmidt, georgetown & clemson university, united states harah chon, lasalle college of the arts, singapore jyoti kapur, university of borås, sweden egemen okutur, bahcesehir university, turkey zoran markovic, university of botswana, gaborone, botswana lisa elzey mercer, university of illinois, united states neema munuo, brandenburg university of technology, germany reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 2, no. 2 12 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. it takes a village: community based participatory research as a design research tool dhriti dhaundiyal, richa pant published online: november 2020 to cite this article: dhaundiyal d., & pant r. (2020). it takes a village: community based participatory research as a design research tool. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 12-26. 13 it takes a village: community based participatory research as a design research tool dhriti dhaundiyala, richa panta aschool of design, doon university, dehradun, india abstract design has transitioned progressively from a consumer-focused discipline to a human-centred one, with a more complex agenda. design thinking has been successfully deployed as an agent for social change. in this paper, we take a trans-disciplinary approach to social design in remote villages of uttarakhand, india. lack of employment opportunities and tough sustenance in the mountainous regions of india has led to mass migration and ghost villages. recent interventions at the micro-level, born from a participatory approach rather than the top-down structure of government development schemes, have been seen to be more effective in tackling this complex socio-economic issue. community-based participatory research has been deployed previously in areas like public health and primary education successfully. with this paper, we reflect on the viability of using it to identify areas of effective design intervention, not just to address current issues faced by the residents of remote villages in the himalayas but also to encourage future social entrepreneurs. we worked in a group of himalayan villages in collaboration with local government agents as part of a month-long design education module. design students and development professionals teamed up with residents, using methods like transect walks, socio-cultural mapping of health, water and sanitation, education, leadership, mobility, skill and vulnerability and co-design activities. the analysis led to a deeper understanding of the social structure, education, resource equity, power dynamics, the flow of information, drudgery, vulnerability and potential areas for social entrepreneurs. an iterative model of exploration, analysis, design proposition and refinements were followed to identify challenges faced by residents and areas of possible design intervention. keywords: social design, rural india, community-based participatory approach introduction design has transitioned progressively from a consumer-focused discipline to a human-centred one with a more complex agenda, and design education must follow suit, to equip future designers in the skills needed to address new social challenges and forge novel career paths. in the relatively short span that design has existed as a discipline, it has evolved continuously, changing with societal demands. with this constant evolution, skills for future designers have been debated by both professionals and academics. design has moved from a profession that celebrates individuality and exclusivity to one that thrives on diversity and co-designing practices (buchanan, 2001). design methods have traditionally been human-centred and the transition to co-creation practices is an organic progression. the ability to work collaboratively and contribute meaningfully in trans-disciplinary areas may well define future trajectories in design (singh et al., 2018; souleles, 2017). the purpose of this paper is to study the efficacy of using techniques and tools of community-based participatory research (cbpr) as a mechanism for information collection and rapport building with participants in design research. design requires an extensive understanding of the end-user and needs assessment of the user to effectively and efficiently lead the way from brief selection to final deliverables. we employed trans-disciplinary methods to conduct design research to seek and identify opportunities present in himalayan villages that face mass migration, leading to sparse population and ghost villages. 14 government agencies and non-government organisations (ngo’s) have been working to provide opportunities and solve issues that will motivate people to stay and encourage reverse migration, but with low success. the design process that we follow in the project has the defined stages of identifying problems, gathering data, secondary research, making sense of analyzed data, framing the brief, brainstorming ideas and developing a prototype. the objective was to use tools of cbpr in combination with co-design practices to collect exhaustive information for analysis, attempting to identify design interventions that could bring about a positive change in the region. in this paper, we start by reflecting on social design as practised today, in its many forms, and its relevance to current and future design education. we critique the tourist approach that designers sometimes take, partly due to myopic research methods and reflect on the more comprehensive realities that may emerge from relevant social science methods like community-based participatory research. the next section describes the detailed methodology followed, highlighting the hybridized design and development studies approach. we then discuss the findings and conclusions, reflecting on the potential of using cbpr as a design tool in identifying rural design interventions and ways of taking this research further. background design thinking and design methods are effectively used in identifying, framing and solving the complex problems assailing large sections of humanity, sometimes termed wicked problems. these complex challenges often do not have a right or wrong solution (buchanan, 1992) and have inter-linked social, economic, political, environmental and cultural issues at stake. linear strategies are thus not suited to solve them and design methods have the iterative approach needed, giving rise to social design. social design has grown from an amorphous set of ideas to a more developed area of research and practice. threshold concepts of the epistemological dimensions stress ways of thinking and practice over discrete theoretical ideas (souleles, ferreira & savva, 2020). design based strategies towards social outcomes have been successfully deployed in social sectors like healthcare, poverty alleviation as well as environmental challenges like climate change, population growth and improving the lives of people (shea, 2012; thorpe & gamman, 2011). design education and social design armstrong et al. (2014) defined social design as “activities that espouse various and mostly participatory approaches to researching, generating and delivering outputs towards collective and social aims, rather than pursuing an exclusive focus on consumerist objectives”. historically, designers like walter gropius, victor papanek, richard buchanan, john thackara, ezio manzini and bruce mau have engaged with socially useful design and reflected on working for the masses. bonsiepe (2006) wrote of ‘design humanism’ where the needs of the excluded majority are addressed as opposed to niche groups of consumers. the exploration into future visions for designers has presented designers as ‘brave explorers and activists’ (singh et al., 2018). as per the social design futures report by the arts and humanities research council (ahrc, 2014), design activities covered by the umbrella of social design include participatory design or codesign, design activism, critical design and disruptive design. ahrc defines design for social innovation as led by experts who identify, support and develop opportunities for social change. further, socially responsive design involves a basic understanding of the technical and processual elements of design but deep expertise in a sector while design activism involves design interventions that raise political consciousness while implementing design interventions. 15 ahrc (2014) has identified the immense design capability to create positive social impact through new knowledge co-designed solutions to address contemporary concerns. their report also captures the gap between the current student skill sets and those required for social design. the report finds that the research agenda in social design is currently dominated by non-academic organisations with a preponderance of problem-solving agendas. social design research was found to be in service mode, not aiming at building knowledge. higher education institutions in design have a limited approach so far that needs to build trans-disciplinary pathways for future research. souleles (2017) posits that subjectivist epistemologies of conventional design education are insufficient to tackle design for social change and need an infusion of user-centred and evidence-based approaches for effective intervention. social design requires interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches that are essential for social design to deal with complex, multi-layered issues that cannot be addressed by methodology from a single discipline (souleles et al., 2017). academics have endeavoured to create a curriculum that caters to the skill sets required to adopt social design. an analysis of courses offered by thirteen (13) prominent design institutes shows a positive trend of increased social, economic, political and environmental concerns in the curriculum (aryana et al., 2015) with increasing stress on social and humanitarian priorities. an inclusion of participatory methodologies from the social sciences and development studies has benefitted design education. participatory approaches the constructionist paradigm that action research advocates is that knowledge not just describes but also produces the world we want (bradbury, 2020). action researchers posit that interventions for social transformation transcend mere facts and figures whose objectivity belies the subjective truths of the real world (fazey et al., 2018). action research has been described as a balance of action and reflection, with theory and practice, with stakeholder participation, aimed at reaching viable solutions for vexing issues (bradbury, 2020). participatory action research stresses improving living conditions of a community rather than focusing on an artefact driven approach (cohen et al., 2011). the relation between the participants and the researchers is that of equal engagement with involvement at each stage of the project. participatory action research seeks to not just discover but to use the discovery to institute social change in a planned manner (brydon-miller, 2001; kindon et al., 2009). it aims not just to deal with the explicit issues of the respective group of people but goes beyond to identify the root causes of the issues at hand. development studies use a set of research techniques referred to as participatory learning and action (pla). originally called participatory rural appraisal (pra), it consists of interactive methods for analyses, planning, monitoring and evaluation of social development. in the 1990s, it evolved into pla (coghlan and brydon-miller, 2014). some key tools are direct observation, semi-structured interviews and sequences or chains of interviews, focus group discussion, diagramming, mapping and modelling, participatory mapping, social network mapping, transect walk, livelihood analysis, oral histories, group walks, storytelling, portraits etc. although pra is an excellent way of ice-breaking for individuals working in new and unknown territories, it has drawn criticism in the welfare sector for various reasons. mosse (1995) felt that pra was not very useful for understanding the social dynamics of communities or the reasons why marginalized groups might be excluded from decision-making or project benefits. it was also noted that community leaders could direct pra towards their aims or attempt to undermine activities that had no obvious benefit to them. pottier (1997) claimed that whatever the pra advocates say about relaxed settings, participatory workshops are structured encounters marked by hidden agendas and strategic manoeuvres. participatory research started in the 1970s, with stakeholder involvement when objective data-driven research approaches failed (krueger & king, 1998). there was a shift in power in the research process and 16 the under-represented and marginalized voices were given a chance to be heard, their voice placed centre stage (cornwall & jewkes, 1995). in the field of design, sanders and stappers (2008) have characterised participatory design as an approach that questions practices built on hierarchy and control that place authority in the hands of experts. instead, participatory design promotes egalitarian values where the endusers are empowered and become active and equal partners. creative agency is shared by the researchers, designers, and the intended end-users. designers have often been criticized for their ‘tourist’ approach for a superficial understanding of issues resulting in short-sighted solutions. the participatory approach can help overcome this shortcoming placing the end-users at an equal footing with the designers. fuad-luke (2009) praises the process for its diversity and celebration of social networks and communities over hierarchies. participatory approaches to social design have been effective in gaining meaningful insights from the field. community-based participatory research (cbpr), specifically, brings together and involves community members, organizational representatives, researchers, and any other stakeholders in the design process (israel et al., 1998), to build fundamental knowledge about issues before tackling them. studies in himalayan villages cbpr requires collaboration at each stage of research, from problem definition, research, analysis, design of intervention and evaluation of interventions. at its core, cbpr is an iterative process of collaborative research, reflection, and action (wallerstein, 2003). most of the himalayan areas of india consist of small towns and villages spread over vast, difficult-to-access terrain. they are primarily classified as rural for development and administrative purposes. research agendas in the mountainous areas of india have been mostly government-led with some sponsored non-government organisations (ngos). early participatory projects in the villages mostly followed pla and this legacy has continued. in the last two decades, there have been a few studies that used cbpr as a research approach. we came across community based participatory approaches in livestock depredation by snow leopards (jackson & wangchuk, 2004), in village tourism (peaty, 2009), in sustainable watershed development (datta & virgo, 1998), in public service delivery (joshi, 2013) and wildlife management of musk deer (wood, 2008). we did not find any studies or projects that investigated the daily drudgery faced by most villagers in these mountainous areas that have resulted in unchecked mass migration to urban centres in the gangetic plains and beyond. this is where we position our study and attempt to co-identify and co-solve key issues faced by rural communities. methodology our primary research objective was to examine cbpr as an effective design tool for social design. within the scope of this study, we attempted to identify possible areas of design intervention to reduce daily drudgery in remote villages of the himalayan state of uttarakhand in india. the study was part of a onemonth long module called ‘social design’ with sixteen (16) participating design students and two (2) faculty members. the project was preceded by a pilot study in a relatively smaller semi-rural area of maldevta near the city of dehradun. student researchers explored maldevta and grouped to conduct transect walks in the area. transect walks are observatory walks or treks across the countryside and fields to study natural resources, topography, indigenous technology, soil and vegetation, farming practices, and problems and opportunities that are tallied with resource mapping and modelling. through transect walks, one gets insights and information into the nature and complexity of the existing scenario in a way that the traditional approaches do not provide (narayanasamy, 2009). 17 students worked in groups to collect information on education, gender roles, farming, administration, health services, professions, infrastructure, businesses, livelihoods, recreation, and transportation. collected data was collated and put in layers in a map that was studied to identify and discuss viable areas that could potentially be investigated and dealt with through a product, system, service, or graphic design. figure 1: location of study area in india. the main study was carried out near the himalayan village of berinag in uttarakhand (figure 1). out of the many small villages that dotted the area around berinag, student researchers gathered data from six villages viz, jabukathal, tana, puna, kalasila, bajet, and kaneda. the population of these villages collectively as per the census of 2009 is 683 with a total of 162 households. the villages that have road connectivity are jabukathal and bajet and the rest of the villages can only be reached on foot. basic facilities available in these villages include a common healthcare centre (16 km away, in berinag), a common panchayat ghar or meeting hall (kalasila), an anganwadi or child care centre (kalasila), a primary school (kalasila) and an intermediate school (jabukathal). the villages have electricity available in homes, mobile phone connectivity and daily water supply through a pipe. the terrain is mountainous with terraced fields used for farming. traditionally crops like potatoes, kidney beans, rice and finger millet have been grown in this region. majority of the population practised agriculture once but this has reduced significantly due to mass migration. reduction in the cultivation of land is also responsible for increased intrusions by animals like wild boars and monkeys. the month-long project was conducted from 1 october 2018 to 3 november 2018. travel to the village was via train, jeeps and then on foot. due to lack of availability of transportation to these remote areas, travel to and from the villages had to be conducted by privately owned vehicles belonging to the villagers. in the first two days, the student researchers were sensitized to the local climate, people, behaviour and local culture and practices. the main languages spoken by the villagers were kumaoni and garhwali, but most of them understood hindi. berinag (district pitthoragarh) uttarakhand 18 figure 2: flow chart of cbpr methods utilized in design research. student researchers worked in groups and each group conducted structured exercises in participatory mapping and modelling, transect walks, seasonal calendars, timelines, and mobility mapping (figure 2). each group was facilitated by a key resident as a guide. travel between these six villages was on foot due to the absence of motorable roads. the villages were roughly located 3 to 4 kilometres apart and the researchers walked 10-12 kilometres each day on average and covered two villages in a day. extensive transect walks were followed by discussions and participatory mapping with the villagers to validate the data. transect walks included a key individual from the village who walks along with the group of researchers elaborating on everything that they encounter on their path including natural resources like ponds, water sources, trees, plantation, terrain and soil (figure 3). 19 figure 3: digitisation of a transect walk recorded during study. the village residents cross-verified the transect walks with participatory maps they drew on paper and by utilizing locally available materials like branches, twigs, stones. participatory mapping included three key individuals from each group: a team leader responsible for overseeing the event and later documenting it, the designated note-taker who recorded important information and any relevant details during the drawing of the maps and the facilitator who introduced mapping, aided the drawing of maps and moderated the process. to keep the process relaxed and spontaneous, discussions and mapping exercises were conducted in natural settings like fields, homes and the panchayat ghar (local meeting hall). transect walks from all groups were collated and data gathered from all walks was tabulated and used in creating maps using parameters like population, local and natural resources, type of housing, occupations, livestock, etc. a base map of the general geographic region was then superimposed with layers of these parameters for quick observations and discussions. 20 figure 4: village women drawing mobility maps from memory and lived experience. mobility maps were used to explore the movement patterns of individuals in their daily lives and movement and migration patterns of the community (figure 4). other relevant tools that were used in data collection included seasonal-calendar, which helped in understanding how seasons affected the livelihood of those with agriculture and other seasonal occupations. it was also used to gain insight into how individual and community practices and behaviour changed with seasons. timelines were created and studied to understand key events both in the village and in the lives of individuals. interview and dialogue formed a part of every interaction. it was a principal tool used in interaction with the school children of the junior and senior schools highlighting both complementary and contrasting perspectives of children and the older population of the village. during transects, mapping, and conversations with the residents of the village, researchers observed and asked questions, listening and discussing in-depth to co-identify problems and uncover opportunities for design intervention. the participatory exercises also covered local stakeholders from both governmental and non-governmental institutions. students interacted with the village sarpanch (locally elected head), the members of panchayat (locally elected governing body), school teachers, ashas (government healthcare workers) and local business owners. the research activities and findings were shared among groups and augmented with secondary research from multiple sources over the next week based on which they identified key areas to work upon. these areas were further analyzed to unearth specific problems with probable design solutions. data collection on the field was analogue as well as digital, using large charts and notebooks, along with digital videos and photographs. 21 primary source of income crops grown food eaten farthest travel cattle owned labourer bhatt, masoor, wheat rice, pulses, chapati haldwani 4 insurance agent bhatt, masoor, wheat rice, pulses, chapati berinag 3 labourer wheat, rice non-vegetarian berinag 7 labourer wheat, rice, polyhouse vegetables rice, pulses, chapati nearest hospital 2 pradhan (chief) pulses, wheat, rice rice, pulses, chapati haldwani 6 labourer pulses, wheat rice, pulses, chapati berinag 2 small wheat mill pulses, wheat non-vegetarian haldwani 4 labourer pulses, wheat, rice non-vegetarian many places 3 labourer pulses, wheat non-vegetarian bareilly 2 teacher pulses, wheat non-vegetarian char dham 2 table 1: sample table of data collected (group 1). all written data were pooled by all groups and digitised and tabulated at the end of each day. a data framework was established to ascertain feasible ideas to reach viable service solutions, prototypes, and materials. all collected data from six villages was tabulated and differences and commonalities noted (table 1). information collected was superimposed over participatory maps and analyzed to study and gather areas of interest for each group of students. findings and discussion the test project at maldevta, which preceded the pra exercise in the six villages, played a crucial role in ameliorating the apprehensions regarding the mechanisms of conducting the walk. it helped build an understanding of biases like seasonal bias, spatial bias, profession bias and personal biases that may present themselves at times during their visit to the village. a hands-on experience of biases in rural development tourists was key learning wherein the walk brought to fore the gaps in data gathered via observation and prevailing conditions. a cursory walk that did not reveal much of infrastructure in the village was contrasted with the information obtained directly from villagers about the presence of multiple schools with varied mediums of instruction, a health-care centre, the panchayat house, and a recreation center in the village. by comparing this walk with the study in villages of berinag, the student researchers were able to distinguish between the variations that were present in the villages based on seasons, topography, population density and facilities. impact of transect walks transect maps enabled the student researchers to outline the physical research area. resource transects that were used in obtaining information about village resources and locally available materials brought to fore conversations around ‘naulas’ in these villages. a naula is a shallow man-made tank that is built around a groundwater source to collect water (figure 5). diminishing and dried up naulas and conservation efforts and their efficacy was discussed and explored. reduction in agricultural activities owing to migration resulted in drying up of naulas due to lack of maintenance. data on migration was also strengthened by studying the mobility of the villagers through mobility maps. mobility maps were instrumental in studying the daily movement of local people going through their everyday tasks and their commute in and out of the village. drudgery and effort required in moving through terraced fields were also uncovered. they also highlighted migration patterns and the rate of migration every year. using these inputs and coupling them 22 with resource transects, student researchers were able to hypothesize avenues that had the potential to reduce migration. figure 5: naula, a traditional water conservation system to replenish groundwater. research on local wealth figure 6: a game idea based on recognizing the value of local crops and the challenges to cultivation (group 2). 23 resource transects also played a crucial part in discovering the availability of beneficial himalayan herbs in the village. conversations and unstructured interviews supplemented the information of low awareness of the utility and potential marketability of these herbs. the idea of planting information early into the minds of schoolchildren was explored. channels like custom literature, books, and games to improve knowledge on local flora and fauna interactively were explored. later as a part of the project a board game to generate interest in farming and impart information on the benefits of herbs like lemongrass, khas (vetiver), oak, amla (indian gooseberry) and reetha (indian soapberry). this was observed by the student researchers as a future entrepreneurial opportunity for the locals. it led to the development of a board game idea for children based on recognizing the value of local crops and the challenges to cultivation (figure 6). designing systems for easy sustenance figure 7: a hindi devnagri script interface designed to connect local foxtail millet farmers with agricultural experts and buyers (group 3). current farming techniques like sowing and tilling done manually due to unsuitable terrain for mechanized farming presented an opportunity to create lightweight devices to reduce drudgery. transect walks and participatory mapping in the villages brought forward the painful and lengthy process of sowing maduwa (foxtail millet), the local staple grain. participatory mapping identified issues like higher costs and lower availability of essential commodities including foods, consumables, and cooking fuel due to no motorable access in the villages. a model that included a government-aided setup where waste from livestock could be used in creating a biogas system to provide cheap fuel and compost was discussed. the system would utilize a lump sum amount from the government and with the fuel and compost it produces, it would cover its cost in a few years. there were also ideas for modification in farming tools for the specific topographical conditions and requirements of popular crops grown there. an interface designed to connect local foxtail millet farmers with agricultural experts and buyers was prototyped as a solution to several problems being experienced by the millet farmers (figure 7). 24 working with administration figure 8: participatory exercises with students of local school facilitated by the school administration. exercises in plotting personal timelines helped highlight health issues, especially those related to pregnancy and neonatal care by village women. timelines were able to give insights into challenges in getting good healthcare in these remote villages. methods followed by local asha workers (health workers) to track the health and vaccinations of pregnant and lactating mothers and babies were studied to identify lacunae and a system was proposed to reduce lapses and improve self-tracking. besides these project ideas, tools like seasonal calendars and daily schedules contributed to ascertaining patterns in agriculture and related activities. student researchers were able to utilize tools of communitybased participatory research not only for quickly building rapport with the villagers, but they also gathered more data, opinions, and facts and information than they could have via faceless survey questionnaires or formal interviews. ice-breaking exercises with school children led to an understanding of the mindset of the youth who see migration as an inevitability (figure 8). due to the relaxed nature of questioning and discussion, the villagers were more willing and comfortable in discussing their lives and conditions. conclusion this paper presents our findings from an exploratory field study in six remote villages in uttarakhand, india, integrating community based participatory research and design thinking approaches. the main aim was to develop an empathetic framework of research that eases both the student researchers and people of the community into easy dialogue. probing into overt and conspicuous findings along with voicing the ideas and concerns of the local populace was the primary benefit derived from the participatory exercises. student researchers used these tools to find and prioritize problem areas that affected the local people the most. the selected problems needed to reflect the needs, aspirations, and requirements of the community and the village. active participation from the villagers motivated all the stakeholders and propelled them into detailed conversations about the hardships faced living so remotely, obstacles in sustenance, and reasons for migration. it also functioned as a trust-building exercise between the student researchers and the village community. the scope of this research is limited to the application of community-based participatory rural research as a research method in social design. the study series is ongoing and has presented promising results which 25 may open many channels of improved and detailed research methodology and user interaction in settings that students may not have been exposed before. community-based participatory research, with its intense emphasis in human beings and their power to create and recreate, holds distinct promise in being used as a design tool for social good. this paper presents the findings of our first exploratory stage in this direction. future areas of research will involve further exploration into co-designing activities with more tangible and entrepreneurial outcomes. acknowledgements we thank doon university for giving us the freedom to explore trans-disciplinary curricula within the higher education framework. we acknowledge the design students of cohort 2015 as enthusiastic and creative participants in the research. this research would not have seen fruition without the willing and openminded cooperation of the local authorities and residents of the villages of jabukathal, tana, puna, 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(2008). assessing the prospects for community-based wildlife management: the himalayan musk deer (moschos chrysogaster) in nepal. human dimensions of wildlife, 13(1), 16-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871200701812910 67 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. eco-development of biocomposites from water hyacinth: a sustainable integral design proposal for xochimilco, mexico city ricardo gonzalez published online: may 2022 to cite this article: gonzalez, r. (2022). eco-development of biocomposites from water hyacinth: a sustainable integral design proposal for xochimilco, mexico city. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 67-82. 68 eco-development of biocomposites from water hyacinth: a sustainable integral design proposal for xochimilco, mexico city ricardo gonzalez a auniversidad autónoma metropolitana, mexico city. ricardogislas@hotmail.com abstract this work starts from the context of an environmental crisis that frames a growing trend of a search for alternatives of a sustainable nature as a proposal solution from the transdisciplinary approach of design. the objective of this work consists of planning an eco-development strategy to create biocomposite materials using water hyacinth (eicchornia crassipes) as raw material. the approach will be part of a collective research programme for future doctoral studies whose further objective is the sustainable integral community development of san gregorio atlapulco in xochimilco, mexico city. theoretically, an approach is made from complex thinking and the sustainability paradigm, resulting in a vision of design as an integral sustainable activity, from the perspective of the formulation of new materials, appealing to movements like material activism, ecodesign and material designers, in conjunction with a circular economy. exploratory experimentation for bio bases and sustainable treatments for the water hyacinth fibre was carried out to establish the optimal formulations for the elaboration of biocomposites. from this, seven biocomposites with different properties were obtained that can be used with various low-impact processes for manufacturing sustainable design objects. by doing so, this stage ended with a prospective scenario that was proposed for further work with the community as the beginning of a social entrepreneurship initiative. keywords: biocomposites, integral sustainability, water hyacinth, eco-development introduction the current situation of crisis in environmental, social, cultural, economic and health aspects is a consequence of the imbalance brought by industrial development, which has raised growth in terms of capital instead of ecological improvements. this is reflected for example, in accordance with sources like the global footprint network (2020), which mentions that the planet has an average biocapacity of 1.63 global hectares (gha) and that the ideal would be to have an ecological footprint that does not exceed that amount. however, the average per person is 2.75 gha, which represents a deficit of 1.1 gha. today, humanity uses the equivalent of 1.6 earth planets in terms of exploitation of resources and waste absorption; among them are deforestation and overfishing and carbon dioxide emissions, respectively. in a local context, we can think about specific problems in each community that can be added to the main ones. in this case study, the presence of water hyacinth with its impact on different areas and scales of xochimilco is the main concern. as a brief presentation, xochimilco has an history of eco-development since ancient times, a balance between a wetland environment and anthropogenic activities. nowadays, there is only a remnant of that antique land. xochimilco “is a zone that includes a group of original towns, a net of water channels, lakes and the chinampas (which is a portion of land built on the water with soil and the help of the endemic ahuejote trees, with agricultural purposes) whose importance was recognised in 1987 by unesco when it was declared a historical and cultural heritage of humanity” (soria, 2004, p. 261). despite its natural tourist attraction, it has various problems in each of its neighbourhoods. with a population of 442,178 people 69 (inegi, 2020), it expresses an environmental crisis promoted by water pollution, deforestation, irregular settlements in the protected area and in the socioeconomic dimension, due to abandonment of local activities such as agriculture, lack of opportunities, unemployment and migration, which together have returned to the town hall a very vulnerable area. one of the original neighbourhoods is called san gregorio atlapulco, a place that reunites a set of characteristics that led to proposing a project towards the sustainable development of the community from the design perspective. beyond the political organisation of this town, san gregorio has the characteristic of being well-organised through cooperatives with mainly commercial purposes. the people who work at chinampas defend their land, interests, customs and traditions, doing a very remarkable form of organisation in the zone. it is proposed that a strategy for the eco-development of biocomposites with water hyacinth can be derived towards a proposal of sustainable integral design. for their part, these materials have properties that make them suitable for use in various design projects. at the same time, the strategy seeks to integrate a prospective proposal within comprehensive community development plans that can be adapted and adopted in areas with similarly vulnerable situations. in the first place, the eco-development concept mentioned here is the one proposed by ignacy sachs (1974), which considers this form of development as an adaptation to the ecosystemic situations of each eco-region. the author mentions that one strategy for development will not fit all realities, given the complexity of the topic and multiplicity of operative variables. this concept aspires to define a development adapted mainly to third world rural regions, addressing specific solutions to specific problems, contemplating the ecological and cultural characteristics and the immediate and long-term needs. the eco-development then, is a reaction against the trend of universal solutions and master formulas. on the other hand, a biocomposites, as defined by bootle et al. (2001) is a combination of two or more constituent materials, which are the matrix and reinforcing component, with at least one being naturally derived. this new material must show an improved performance over its individual components. the reinforcing material can be fibres, whiskers, particles or flakes; meanwhile, the matrix is the binder that provides mechanical support. in the last two decades, there has been a great interest in the development of alternative materials around sustainable design, given the problems of environmental deterioration that have forced us to rethink how resources are extracted and exploited and how objects are produced and disposed of at the end of their useful life. greater attention has been paid to the life cycle of both the products and the materials used. the present work proposes a contribution to the exploration of new material alternatives and the link between design and social innovation through a project leading to co-creation. as designers, is necessary to rethink the activity in terms of the impact of what we design and how, so the main question is: what can be done from the perspective of design to transform the situation of a community with social and environmental issues? this work offers an approach to the potential that a developing country can have by visualising opportunities where they do not seem to be found, taking advantage of local resources to contribute to the transition towards a deeper ecology, following the concept of ecopuncture proposed by casagrande (2011) combining ecology and acupuncture, where a pin prick in a determined place will carry a revitalising effect to the point and its surroundings, i.e. a reaction of positive refeeding to have a bigger impact than expected 70 with the initial move. in this case, san gregorio is chosen as the ecopunctural site to have the incidence for further application of projects. literature review integral sustainability sustainability, from its conceptualisation and foundation, is referred to as a complex paradigm, uniting scientific and technological, political and legal and social and cultural aspects to improve the global environmental situation through local plans, mainly in countries like mexico, in growth. it is about substantiating pro-environmental actions that will lead to modifying the situation through changes on a small or large scale, involving very punctual or utopian actions that motivate a change of paradigm, implying “awareness, responsibility, ethical and cultural aspects, as well as patterns of consumption and lifestyles” (garcía, 2008, p. 73). for his part, lopez (2004), in his essay on integral sustainability, mentions that “it is clear that the emancipatory mission, linked to arousing efforts and actions for the constant improvement of the quality of life of the population, cannot be left in charge of the only attention to the environment, but that it has to be given integrally, it must be assumed taking into account the social problem as a whole. in this case, we would talk about comprehensive sustainability”. this paradigm implies recovering the transforming sense in different dimensions, since, in its practice, it tends to suffer different degrees of reductionism or, as mentioned above, it is easily manipulated in terms of convenience. for azamar and matus (2019, p. 16), the challenge of building comprehensive sustainability involves two central aspects: 1. thinking completely, considering the complex network of knowledge that a particular situation can summon; 2. development of operational actions that merge science and practice into an interrelated whole. sustainability, to face complexity, requires a degree of interdisciplinarity that needs material and logistical resources not currently provided for research. it implies not only the simple concurrence of disciplines but also an exercise in which situations are studied from articulated perspectives, linked to the processes that it defines and at the same time with those that integrate it (tainter, 2006, as cited in azamar and matus, 2019). it will include the integration of productive, environmental, sociocultural, political, and technological processes, among others, that are evident on different spatial and temporal scales. 71 image 1: dimensions of integral sustainability. design in this context will play a vital role, being a determining factor through the points described in the work of garcía (2008, p. 25): “raw material extraction, selection of materials, determination of the production process, establishing how the product is used, distributed and discarded”, that is, influencing each stage of the production of products. sustainable design contemplates the other seven dimensions of the context in which it will be carried out, to transform reality. integral sustainable design through material creation the role of the designer has come to be perceived as “an original conceptually deliberative thinker, who, through an active dialogue with manufacturers, fosters the development of new materials or production processes or develops them himself” (bürdek & eisele, 2011, as cited in karana, 2013, p. 169). and in either case, the request is the same: production must be based on renewable raw materials and recyclable and/or biodegradable products. for this, the following five complementary proposals were considered: circularity in a complex way of thinking, products must be understood as systems that are connected to other complex systems. these connections will allow waste streams from one system to be the raw material for another system. it is in the hands of the designer to apply this principle of circularity in the development of services and products, both by creating some that last longer, and by thinking about the future of the materials when they become waste (cléries et al., 2018, p. 14). upcycling alternatives have been explored mainly in the last decade, such as upcycling, understood differently from recycling (recycling) as an upcycling that “provides an opportunity for waste or discarded products to be transformed into new, reconfigured, readapted and improved articles […] in some versions even being ephemeral like bags made of food waste […] and others that range from soaps, carpets, lamps, furniture and even entire constructions” (bramston & maycroft, as cited in karana, 2015, p. 123). beyond being a phenomenon of mass production, it came to reflect on whether it is possible to compete with local environment al p o litic c u lt u ra l design 72 resources and techniques against industrial production. in time, more and more designers and experts from other disciplines such as biology joined the trend, products of this type entered the market, and material developments were increasingly elaborated based on this principle. material activism at the same time, there is another material concept called material activism (ribul, 2013), whose purpose is to explore the democratisation of material production with do-it-yourself tools, in terms of materials and infrastructure that can be had at home and from there carry out experimentations. from this perspective, new materials can be developed with non-advanced technology, using the inputs at the discretion of each creator, but following some scientific guidelines that are shared “freely” on the internet by activists ranging from bioplastics to biotextiles, from fungal or bacterial polymers for packaging to construction materials. material designers recently, a proposal has been consolidated by the institutions elisava barcelona school of design and engineering, the design department of the politecnico di miano, and ma-tt-er london. it is called material designers (cléries et al., 2020), and it consists of a project, co-founded by the creative europe programme of the european union, whose objective is to promote talent towards circular economies on the continent. material designers consists of a platform, a training programme, an award and a series of events for the positive impact that material designers can have in all types of industry and the generation of an alternative that relates to the circular economy. according to cléries et al. (2020), it is about empowering communities to search for alternatives applied to industry or the creation of activities from a creative sector, as it is through new explorations based on design and with the collaboration of other disciplines. the designer acts as a facilitator of materials derived from a reflection of the context, of the processes with which they can be created and of ideas for their application, since, based on the words of manzini (1986), it has been understood that the designer not only can transform and create using the material for invention, but can invent the material itself. biocomposites nature has developed examples in countless presentations, according to garcía (2017), in wood, where lignin acts as a matrix and cellulose as a reinforcing fibre, bones made up of a calcium binder and collagen fibres, the nacre of molluscs, made up of calcium carbonate or aragonite and a conchiolin biopolymer. now, in addition to proposing the manufacture of environmentally friendly materials, a more comprehensive approach is sought, so that these have relevant social, economic, aesthetic, scientifictechnological and cultural impacts to contribute to the transformation of reality from design. for dos santos and lenz (2013) the most environmentally friendly materials are those formulated from biodegradable polymers and reinforced with natural fibres, which can be composted at the end of their life cycle. however, the challenge here is the balance between life performance because of the physical properties and the biodegradability. for its part, the biodegradable polymers can be obtained from plants, such as cellulose, starch, pectin, soy derivates, polypeptides and polyphenols and from animals, such as silk, wool, polypeptides, chitin, chitosan and glycogen. the natural reinforcements are used to improve mechanical properties, giving stiffness and strength to the matrix, and the main source is the vegetable fibres. these have many advantages besides the environmental, like low costs, easy processing, lower density and lower energy consumption. the main lignocellulosic fibres are flax, hemp, henequen, jute and kenaf, among others, that have the best chemical compositions to work properly on biocomposites. dahy (2017) mentions that natural fibres like flax, jute, hemp, etc. have a higher cost and are not available worldwide as they are obtained from agricultural residues, which are those fibres retrieved after the crops 73 harvesting, also called agro-fibres. this has lead to a search for new sources other than the conventional ones to improve the production of material alternatives. in recent years, there has been a great boom in the exploration of these types of material. to mention some that have inspired this work, we have the paper pulp by debbie wijskamp, a composite of newspaper and a bio binder, to fabricate furniture; the ex-presso project by julian lechner, taking coffee waste mixed with casein or bio resin to make cups and other receptacles, the zostera stool by carolin pertsch, a stool fabricated with a composite made from aquatic plant waste and bio resin; sargablock by omar vazquez, a brick made from sargasso and soil for the construction industry; coconut ecodesign by karina sánchez, a composite developed from coconut waste and bioplastic made of starch; and the cheer project by gaurav wali, a biocomposite that consists of pine needles and bioplastic made from starch. as the main source of inspiration for this work, the cheer project of gaurav (2019) and the thesis ecoregional design for xochimilco by reséndiz (2010) are the chosen works. these are examples of academic works with the intention of reaching another level for social innovation and entrepreneurship in developing countries. the cheer project for india and the eco-regional for mexico are both proposals for organisation that starts with biocomposite materials in similar contexts, trying to take advantage of residual biomass that causes big environmental problems if it is ignored, so that a community takes part to solve the problem, and in a way, it turns out to be a cultural and productive activity. as with these examples, there have been so many more in recent years. developing countries that count on natural fibres that also represent an environmental problem are looking for commercial exploitation in some industries. at this moment, most of the biocomposites projected are limited to lab-scale investigations. it is important to consider the role of government legislation and technology development to escalate the lab work. water hyacinth for biocomposites eicchornia crassipes is a floating perennial plant with green leaves that has a spiky bloom violet and yellow in colour and has a fibrous root that extends up to three metres. it belongs to the pontederiaceae family, whch is native to south america. it is the only species of the genus eicchornia that is floating. the petioles have intercellular spaces filled with air, and the blades are raised above the water level and act as sails, which allow it to float freely and quickly spread its distribution until it becomes a plague (inecol, n.d.). it has been lying in bodies of water in mexico for more than a century, spreading to cause major problems in its early years and to this day. it is suggested that it was brought during the government of porfirio diaz, given the policies that were implemented in the economic sector to increase the development of agricultural and fishing activities. due to this, it is thought that it could have arrived as green manure in chinampera agriculture, as an element of fish farming technology or as an ornamental plant, according to cervantes and rojas (2000). it has a wet weight of 11–51 kg per square metre, corresponding to 0.62–2.87 kg per square metre in dry weight. the biomass has a variable doubling rate of between 7.4 and 46.5 days (juárez, 2011). its use for material creation was not raised until a few years ago. micro-enterprises are dedicated to its transformation into paper and derivative handicrafts woven from the stems, and more recently it has been proposed as fibre for the manufacture of composites and parts for the automotive sector. great interest has been shown in the last two decades for the creation of a wide variety of projects of this type, both research and marketed, for the sustainable use of waste and weeds mainly aimed at their transformation into industrial/handcrafted materials. this plant has been proposed as raw material, for example, due to its absorbent quality, to retain contaminants resulting from spills. vargas (2017) mentions a variety of existing and possible derivative products, such as compost, paper, handicrafts, toxin absorbers, construction materials, paint texturisers, 74 oven supplies, fodder, soil remediation, some produced as a biocomposite, with the addition of chemical or biological matrices. ajithram (2020) evaluates its use in compounds with epoxy resin, showing characteristics very similar to those provided by synthetic fibres. this is oriented to industries such as the automotive industry. non-woven textile production has been proposed by bhuvaneshwari and sangeetha (2017) through a defibration process and combined with another fibre (hemp) that has greater cohesion power. table 1: physical properties of water hyacinth fibre compared with others. (ajithram et al., 2020). methodology to implement an ecological production system for biocomposites in coherence with the context and the objective of comprehensive sustainability defined from the documentary review, a search was carried out for processes with the least impact on both environmental and human health, drifting towards simplified processes that are feasible to be carried out in vulnerable communities with a lack of services, reduced spaces and low investment level, using the most accessible tools and machinery in terms of use and costs, the least possible use of substances or additives both renewable and non-renewable, as well as an optimal use of energy and in the same way, the least possible, whether electricity or from fuel. in this way, a strategy of strategies emerged that occurred four stages before social entrepreneurship. 1) theoretical foundation. relevance of the proposal. 2) strategy where the methods of preparation of the fibre and other inputs for the material creation were planned. 3) strategy of experimentation in the creation of materials. 4) proposal for the future for obtaining materials and the creation of design objects aimed at a social enterprise. image 2: strategy phases of the proposed methodology for eco-development of biocomposites in san gregorio. 75 the main contribution of this methodology is to find a way to make an impactful project in the san gregorio region, going little by little, given the cultural characteristics of the communities. this work frames the first steps where a posture of eco-development is taken through the theoretical investigation and materials are obtained, so is possible to offer workshops with actors of the community to have an approach from the perspective of design and other fields like biology, architecture, chemistry, among others, with social entrepreneurship aimed at since the beginning. this is the first estimated bridge between the community and a group of work that will carry a whole project of sustainable restoration called master plan of sustainable development for san gregorio atlapulco, in which professors, investigators and students from different disciplines like those mentioned before meet. with a complete map of stakeholders, we can formulate a complex strategy for the estimated project to the integral sustainable transformation of san gregorio atlapulco. case study san gregorio atlapulco is chosen as a strategic site within the xochimilco demarcation. it is made up of different zones: rural chinampera, wetlands (remnants of lake xochimilco) and urban and hilly. this area shares the typical characteristics of xochimilco; it consists of an average altitude of 2,240 metres above sea level with an average 669 mm annual rainfall and temperature of 16.4°c (torres-lima & conway., 2018). the lake system is made up of 277.8 km2, where an estimated volume of 2622 cubic metres of water is contained in 160 ha. there is a channel network of 203 km in total length. the agroecological production area has decreased from 9,000 ha registered at the beginning of the 20th century to 1,200 ha. torres-lima and conway also mention a series of problems that affect the sustainability of the san gregorio atlapulco wetlands (table2): indicator socio-environmental impact socioeconomic use of modified or transgenic seeds use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides replacing traditional chinampas techniques with greenhouses construction of stables construction of bridges between canals introduction of a sanitary hydraulic network in chinampas improvised rubbish tips loss of trade with local markets environmental construction of locks and weirs closure of canals and ditches destruction of dykes drainage of sewage into canals deforestation of native ahuejotes trees (salix bomplandiana l.) invasion of water hyacinth (eicchornia crassipes) removal of wild plants and animals use of motorised aquatic vehicles regional abandonment of piers transformation of chinampas into housing conversion of canals into streets no intervention on the part of institutions and government officials table 2: indicators and variables of socio-environmental impacts that negatively affect wetland sustainability in san gregorio atlapulco (torres-lima et al., 2018). 76 the aforementioned has motivated the generation of a proposal that articulates the use of the water hyacinth plague that shows an average yield of 120 tons per hectare yearly (d’agua et al., 2014) and an approximate cost of 70,000 mexican pesos per hectare to remove it from the waters (juárez, 2011), causing an economic, environmental and social impacts that affect the water ecosystems and productive activities. with the strategy of utilisation as fibre, this can be profitable, through value-added products created by the community members in workshops. strategy of planning and technical design the processes for the preparation of the water hyacinth as a raw material for the manufacture of biocomposites are established, starting from the theoretical basis of the treatment of fibres for their use as reinforcement in biobases. a general approach to the treatment of the plant is provided by ajithram (2020) with a sequence of extraction, cutting of roots and leaves (which are discarded), drying and crushing. in addition, implements for these processes were designed and manufactured. subsequently, experiments were carried out with the manufacture of biobases using starches, vegetable glue, pine resin and gelatin. image 3: preparation of biomass for utilisation in biocomposites experimentation. a)–c): drying process in net panels; d), e): designed low cost shredding machine; f) particle sizes obtained from shredding; g) experimental biobases of starch, gelatin, mucilague + fibre. to obtain the optimal biobases for fibre binding, it was considered a design of experiments with mixtures proposed by gutiérrez y de la vara (2008). guided by the geometric representation, the vertexes represent pure mixtures, the edges represent binary mixtures, the faces correspond to tertiary mixtures. and the interior points to quaternary mixtures. image 4: geometric representation of design of experiments with mixtures by gutiérrez y de la vara (2008). strategy of material experimentation with the selected formulas, the material tests were carried out to obtain seven different presentations of fibre and combined biobases, using, as mentioned, simple processes, friendly for the user and the environment: 77 image 5: paper. a laminate from a mixture of 80% water hyacinth fibre and 20% recycled newspaper, both previously treated with water immersion of 7 days to soften the fibre. image 6: agglomerate. material made of 100% fibre, previously treated with water immersion of 7 days, only subjected to pressure in a mould to take form and expel most of the water. this presentation of bars was weak in its face, but very strong when it was resting on its edges. image 7: agglomerate with starch bioplastic. the optimal matrix was composed by a 4:1:1:1: 1/5 formula: water 30 g, starch 7.5 g, vinegar 7.5 g, glycerin 7.5 g, with 1.5 g of dried fibre. the difference between this material and the previous one is that this were not subjected to pressure to give form. it was just cast into the mould and left to dry. it takes around 4 days to be completely dry. image 8: vinyl of gelatin and starch bioplastic with fibre. the optimal formula for the matrix was 10:3/4:2:1, which entails 100 g water, 7.5 g of gelatin, 20 g of glycerin and 10 g of vinegar for the mould used. the optimal amount of fibre added was 3 g dried or 20 g wet. it solidifies in 15 minutes, but to be completely dry takes approximately 96 hours. 78 image 9: bioplastic of pine resin. this material consists of three components: pine resin, beeswax and fibre. the wax is added to give fluency to the mixture. the optimal amount was 15 g resin, 15 g wax and 3 g dried fibre. the matrix is heated until it melts and then is cast in a mould with the fibre already inside it, stirred for a few seconds and left to dry. image 10: bio-laminated weave. this material consists of a piece of woven stems and a process of bio-laminate with starch bioplastic. first, the hyacinth stems are set in the sunlight for drying, then the air is removed by pressure with the hand. once the stems are flat, the weaving starts. the bio-laminated weave consists of mechanical pressure applied to the piece of woven stems. once it is flat, it is coated with layers of starch bioplastic, then is subjected to pressure again, with a source of heat supplying hot air to dry and harden the piece. image 11: bio-panel. a combination of the last two materials: agglomerate + bio-laminated weave. the agglomerate is glued by the faces with starch bioplastic and subjected to pressure. then, two pieces of laminate are set under and over the agglomerates and glued with starch bioplastic applying pressure too. the result is a light and hard piece of a sandwich of water hyacinth that supports large amounts of weight. 79 strategy of prospective approach this section proposes an application of the development of materials and the manufacture of design objects in a community environment that contributes to its integral sustainable development. it is intended that from this research a complex strategy arises, where the materials function as a means through which a community such as san gregorio atlapulco can provide solutions to the identified problems and solve needs, improving the current situation without causing further environmental deterioration, and alluding to environmental education and awareness. how the project is planned to be carried out in the next stage is in a co-creation space where the community inhabitants interact with the material to explore design alternatives or applications for each material likely to be marketed to generate a social enterprise. this implies empowering the members of a community to achieve independence based on the self-production of materials, using simple transformation processes with local and circular inputs. image 12: examples of applications for the developed materials in this work. 1) biovinyl applications. 2) biovinyl objects. 3) paper for art. 4) biovinyl lampshade. 5) bio-laminated veneer on pdf. 6) paper dog poop collector. 7 & 8) bioplastic from hand-moulded starch. the main contribution of this work is a extensive exploration of the material possibilities with water hyacinth, working with austerity, thinking about taking the processes to a rural environment, with the possibility to make a manual for developing this kind of biocomposite to use with groups in workshops. another contribution is that when the work was showed to the public, mainly academic experts on the region of xochimilco, it generated great interest as a project applying social innovation, whereby this project has been considered the more feasible way to approximate to the communities of san gregorio, to carry then a greater project that covers another area and requires more actors. in the context of developing the project proposal as social entrepreneurship, it is expected that there will be attention to each of situation that needs solutions, as follows: 80 dimension development environmental water hyacinth control; inculcate ecological awareness; the barrier between the protected area and irregular settlements social improve quality of life; creation of new organisations; improve health economic improve navigation in channels; offer job opportunities bio-cultural heritage revaluation; landscape conservation; inculcate values and environmental care political agreements between stakeholders; support networks; proposal of new regulations and policies scientifictechnologic research and technological development (materials, processes); implementation of eco-technologies; educational form a socio-environmental criterion; educate for family planning fields of design sustainable alternatives of creation; aimed at socio-environmental benefit; investigation to and from design; create a regional product identity table 3: developments for each dimension of integral sustainability. final considerations: limitations and scope the objective is to create an eco-development strategy aimed at the production of materials in an environment of scarce resources and infrastructure. the methodology will entail an approach to a technical manual for the eco-development of biocomposites with water hyacinth. aspects of feasibility will aim at a circular economy that contributes to community development through innovation and social entrepreneurship, which in turn, contributes to its control in the tributaries that are plagued by water hyacinth. finally, due to the restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic, the study of the community was carried out through document review and participation in seminars and talks with academics who have worked in the area. conclusions a realistic scenario is proposed to carry out the eco-development strategy in the community of san gregorio atlapulco. through a subsequent multidisciplinary, in-depth study with various actors (research community and authorities) and with a definitive structure, a pilot project with desirable scenarios will be developed. the sustainability paradigm is perceived integrally, trying to contemplate the complexity, in this case, of the object of transformation, and thus responding with a proposal from complexity to provide solutions for social change. however, this approach is nothing more than a viable transition for the moment, towards a paradigm of deep ecology. future investigation will explore the optimisation of materials using other sustainable inputs – biobased or synthetic – and greater self-produced technological development. there will be execution of quantitative tests, such as mechanical, use and end of cycle like degradability and compostability. in addition, an impact matrix with social, cultural, economic and aesthetic indicators will be developed. finally, a survey methodology will be implemented in the community on the receptivity of social entrepreneurship initiatives from design. 81 references ajithram, a., winowlin jappes, j. t., senthil muthu kumar, t., rajini, n., varada rajulu, a., rangappa, s. m., & siengchin, s. 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(2017). lirio acuático: fortaleza en la gestión ambiental. foro en materia ambiental y ecológica, con enfoque y visión municipal. 79 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. social design pedagogy and the un sdgs: bridging theory and practice to foster critical agency for sustainable futures melinda gaughwin, sarah ellice-flint published online: october 2021 to cite this article: gaughwin, m., & ellice-flint, s. (2021). social design pedagogy and the un sdgs: bridging theory and practice to foster critical agency for sustainable futures. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 79-94. 80 social design pedagogy and the un sdgs: bridging theory and practice to foster critical agency for sustainable futures melinda gaughwina, sarah ellice-flintb athe university of sydney, design lab, sydney, 2006, australia. melinda.gaughwin@sydney.edu.au bthe university of sydney, design lab, sydney, 2006, australia. sarah.ellice-flint@sydney.edu.au abstract this paper reflects on designing, coordinating and teaching a third-year unit of study, design for social impact, at the university of sydney, australia in 2020 and 2021 during the covid-19 pandemic. it specifically comments on how the united nations 17 sustainable development goals (sdgs) are used to scaffold student projects in social design spaces. what we are interested in extracting from the entire unit of study is how design pedagogy for social change combines design theory and practice to deepen enquiry into what, how and why student social designers design. to do so, we pay specific attention to what constitutes social design and the role of a social designer. we discuss how design theory and practice might underpin a student’s understanding and application of critical agency to their practice of design. further, we draw specific attention to the unique challenges and complexities of the practice of social design for students in the context of covid-19. this paper intends to contribute to the critical discussion of social design pedagogy and offer insights into how the sdgs might frame this pedagogy. keywords: social design, sustainability, un sdgs, pedagogy, criticality introduction to shape sustainable futures, it is imperative to educate the next generation of social designers on the agency of design, given how design acts upon the world and the world acts upon it. the key to these futures is an interrogation of the systems that shape them. the social and the theory and practice of social design is one system that can be examined to help secure sustainable futures. this paper focuses on our approach to bridge such theory with a social design practice in the delivery of a new undergraduate unit of study at the university of sydney, titled design for social impact. we turn to theory from prominent designer scholars such as elizabeth resnick, jennifer ritter, cameron tonkinwise, tony fry and anne-marie willis in our approach. further, we specifically unpack how the united nations (un) sustainable development goals (sdgs) are used to underpin student projects in social design spaces. we touch on how the course and student outcomes were influenced by the challenges of the “next normal” of hybrid and online education. a focus is then brought to the most successful student projects, including a discussion of the role of interdisciplinarity for approaching the complex challenges that the sdgs and social design seek to address. we conclude with an exploration of interrogating systems through practice, how this relates to the sdgs and a reflection on what the next iteration of design for social impact might look like. our intention here is not to dwell on the specificities of curricula or student outcomes but rather to explore how pedagogy can contribute to shaping the future of the social designer and subsequently their shaping of the world. we provide students with a glimpse into what designing beyond the market might look like and what ontologies and epistemologies of social design might underpin this. we argue that the approach taken offers a model of how social design pedagogy can move beyond the interrogation of systems through discussion and towards an interrogation through design action, underpinned by fostering critical agency in students. mailto:melinda.gaughwin@sydney.edu.au mailto:melinda.gaughwin@sydney.edu.au 81 positioning design for social impact design for social impact is an undergraduate third-year, six-point unit of study offered as part of the design major at the design lab, school of architecture, design and planning at the university of sydney. a broad objective of the three-year design major is to equip students from a wide variety of disciplines with critical and theoretical understandings of design and design thinking skills to address and respond to complex problems. for example, the three-year design major combines units of study that focus on design theory (principles of design and design theory and culture) with those that specifically focus on design practice, such as design thinking, innovation design studio and experience and service design. design for social impact seeks to merge the study of design theory and practice. it is a relatively new unit for the design major that was first offered in 2020 and again in 2021 during the covid-19 pandemic. students undertake the unit equipped with practical knowledge of design thinking methodologies and methods of user and human-centred design from previous units of study (tomitsch et al., 2021). design for social impact students are asked to consider the application of these methods to a social design space based on their choice of an sdg and draw on learnings from the unit to strengthen and critically deepen their design practice. students are also explicitly encouraged to develop critical agency over their design thinking process rather than applying by rote design thinking methods learnt previously. key to this directive is an aim to foster critical, future-focused designers who possess the ability and flexibility to respond to the unique needs of contextual social design projects and community-focused problem spaces. design for social impact encompasses 12 weeks of lecture and tutorial content that introduces students to the theory and practice of design for social change (fig. 1). the unit is divided into four interrelated stages: (i) theoretical underpinnings, (ii) positioning practice, (iii) engaging practice and (iv) thinking forward. 82 figure 1: pedagogical framework of design for social impact highlighting the key stages – theoretical underpinnings, positioning practice, engaging practice and thinking forward – of the curricula. student success is measured by their performance across four assessments, as outlined in figure 2. a full breakdown of these assessments can be found in the appendix. 83 figure 2: assessment breakdown for design for social impact. the centre arrows indicate the direction of the assessments; each assessment builds on the next. the dotted lines represent how each assessment likewise speaks to those preceding and following it so that there is movement across the learnings. the un sdgs are introduced in week 1 and scaffold the unit’s lecture and tutorial content and assessments; they offer students a list of actionable, real-world and future-focused targets to base their major design project on. the goals act as a framework for student designers to work towards social outcomes that sustain our world, rather than designing within a delimited market, consumerist frame of reference. for context, the sdgs are a series of objectives ratified in 2015 by the un general assembly to assist in the creation of global sustainable futures by 2030 and beyond. in july 2017, a list of targets and indicators was added to the original goals to provide direction on how each can be achieved. the un explicitly indicates that the goals are interrelated and bound; in other words, action about one goal will facilitate change in another (united nations development programme, n.d). further, the un acknowledges the plurality of sustainable action and that “development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability” (undp, n.d). the types of problems that the sdgs are designed to address are those that parallel the “wicked” or complex problems that are so often spoken about in design thinking (buchanan, 1992). the theoretical underpinnings of design for social impact design for social impact begins with an explication on what constitutes social design. students are 84 introduced to the idea that social impact design is a term used interchangeably with public-interest design, social design, socially responsive design, transformative design and humanitarian design (resnick, 2019). what underpins the interchangeability of these terms is that, as elizabeth resnick articulates, “social design is the practice of design where the primary motivation is to promote positive social change within society” (resnick, 2019, p. 3). to facilitate this change, social design is concerned with the interrogation of systems – economic, institutional, behavioural, moral/ethical, political, social – that constitute ways of being in and being shaped by the world (rittner, n.d). further, cameron tonkinwise argues that a schema of social design comprises “designing as a social activity […] designing for/with non-commercial contexts […]” and “design in the context of unmet needs” (tonkinwise, 2019, p. 9–16). tonkinwise also indicates that social design is contextual, “directed at the creation of systems and places that support particular kinds of social activities” (p. 11). in other words, resnick, rittner and tonkinwise indicate that social design is systemsfocused, participatory and engages beyond design for market-oriented needs to create change. indeed, fuad-luke argues that “the ability of design (and designers) in bringing different people together to codefine possibilities, cofind problems, coframe challenges and co-create new modes of action lies in participatory processes and tangible aesthetic experiences that create difference.” (fuad-luke, 2021, p. 34) as such, social design encompasses a broad set of motivations, approaches, audiences and stakeholders, and impacts (armstrong et. al., 2014). it is well accepted that design is crucial to how people shape, experience and navigate their worlds (buchanan, 1992; papanek, 1972). as victor margolin posits, design is not a fixed practice but a constantly evolving one (margolin, 1995). design and design practices that exist today are vastly different from those that populate human history. as people engage with the world in different social, technological, environmental and political ways, the designs they choose to make, implement and use reflect this change. to deepen enquiry into a critical discussion of social design, students are introduced to the idea that “design designs us” (stewart, 2015 p. 290). in other words, humans design, and these designs configure people, places, and things into particular ways of being. design scholars tony fry and anne-marie willis refer to this as “ontological design” (fry, 2009, p. 34; willis, 2006). as anne-marie willis suggests: “designing is fundamental to being human – we design, that is to say, we deliberate, plan and scheme in ways which prefigure our actions and makings – in turn, we are designed by our designing and by that which we have designed […] we design our world, while our world acts back on us and designs us.” (willis, 2006, p. 80) further, students are exposed to fry’s idea that design is a “redirective practice” capable of addressing how people, places and things are currently shaped, and redirecting them “towards the future with sustaining ability” (fry, 2011, p. 77). we argue that the benefit of introducing the idea of ontological design and design as a redirective practice to social design students is twofold. students can (i) consider and critique how design exerts a shaping force where it is employed and (ii) examine how what design shapes can be shifted towards sustainable, future-focused outcomes. 85 the social designer in design for social impact, we unpack with students the meaning of the “social designer” as it might exist in opposition to the market-focused designer. as tonkinwise suggests, the practice of social design differs from the practice of design that produces commercial, market-driven outcomes (tonkinwise, 2019). it is well accepted that designers design things for people to consume. following the philosopher pierre bourdieu, “designers” are often referred to as mediators, the “new cultural intermediaries” or “cultural engineers” (bourdieu, 1984; nixon & du gay, 2002; forty, 1986). building on bourdieu’s work, guy julier argues that a designer’s role is that of a “taste creator” involved in “needs production”. designers introduce new things to people and encourage them to think that they need them (julier, 2014, p. 54). the designer’s job is predicated precisely on this manipulation of need. as julier, amongst others, suggests, the designer’s role is also to generate value, both fiduciary value for a company’s shareholders and social value for a consumer (crocker, 2016; heskett, 2005; julier, 2014). recalling tonkinwise’s (2019, p. 15) idea that social design is “design in the context of unmet needs”, students are asked to consider what these needs might be and how a social designer might differ from a designer who designs for the market in finding and addressing these needs. designer, urbanist and spatial justice activist liz ogbu provides an accessible pathway for students to understand what might constitute a social designer. a lecture given early in the semester introduces ogbu’s ted talk (2014), “why i’m an architect that designs for social impact, not buildings”. ogbu proposes that designers are (i) citizen designers working with (ii) citizen experts as (iii) translators and (iii) storytellers. what is made explicit here is that the practice of social design and the social designer is participatory; it is driven by designing with and for people. in other words, ogbu stresses the importance of a designer’s engagement with “expert citizens”, who she explains have “the experience of living and working in a specific community” (ogbu, 2014). as such, we encourage students to conduct research via interviews and focus groups to search for “expert citizens” to work with who can provide critical insights into the complex sdg problem spaces they were addressing. in turn, students are encouraged to position themselves as “citizen designers” (ogbu, 2014). ogbu’s explication on what might constitute a social designer extends students’ pre-existing knowledge of the user and human-centred design methods. here, design practice that focuses on uncovering and responding to the needs of a particular group of people underpins the lifespan of the design thinking process (tomitsch et al., 2021). however, we challenge students to consider the terms ‘user’ or ‘consumer’ in the landscape of social design, suggesting that such nomenclature conflates the complexities and intricacies of being human to that of a person who uses/consumes a particular design. although we suggest that the ‘human’ in human-centred design comes some way to address the view of a person as a ‘user’ or ‘consumer’, the unit encourages students to adopt ogbu’s use of the word ‘citizen’ to describe the people social design projects seek to work with. adopting the word ‘citizen’ rather than ‘user’ or ‘consumer’ also socially and contextually situates the people who student designers design with and for. integrating the un sdgs into curricula: positioning and engaging practice returning to the lens provided by ontological design and design as a redirective practice, students are encouraged to approach the sdgs as a series of objectives that seek to overcome how the world has been designed in unsustainable ways; they offer a series of directions to think about how things could be designed differently. indeed, the sdgs acknowledge a world made unsustainable and provide a series of pathways to facilitate change. however, what this change is and how it will manifest is open to contestation. students are asked to critically interrogate precisely what is meant by change. if designers, as herbert simon indicates (1996, p. 111), “devise courses of action that aim to move existing situations 86 to preferred ones”, we argue that designers must critically consider what underpins these courses of actions and what a preferred situation looks like. it is via this criticality that change might indeed come about, rather than a return of the same conditions the sdgs are seeking to overcome. indeed, fry (2011, p. 76) explicitly argues that design and designers “bonded to the economic status quo […] must break radically with existing and dominant patterns.” when defining the subject matter for their major design projects (assessments 2 and 3, see fig. 2 and appendix), student groups were directed to pick one sdg and explore the various sub-problem spaces associated with this. for example, a group focused on sdg 4: equity & education chose to explore the sub-problem space of gender inequities in australia’s education system. the sdgs chosen by the groups in the 2021 class of 45 students included the following: goal 3: good health & wellbeing – 1 group goal 4: equity & education – 2 groups goal 5: gender equality – 2 group goal 10: reduced inequalities – 1 group goal 11: sustainable cities & communities – 1 group goal 12: responsible consumption & production – 2 groups to reiterate, the sdgs worked to frame students’ understanding of social design as a redirective practice (fry, 2009) in the sense that we encouraged them to use design interventions as a vessel to redirect the status quo towards these goals of sustainability. our pedagogical project of redirection in this unit was to get students to see beyond the frame of reference of purely economic goals in design practice and towards social and environmental goals like the sdgs. we found that the sdgs worked well as common goals for redirective practice given they were ones that all students, no matter which culture or nationality they were from, could understand and were motivated to work towards. indeed, all students had at least one goal that was interesting or personally relevant to them. social design education in the ‘next normal’ the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic disrupted the planned delivery of this unit of study yet created an opportunity for pedagogical innovation within higher education’s ‘next normal’. that is, the post-covid era of reshaped ways of doing and being and the aftermath of “the great onlining” (bozkurt & sharma, 2020). the unit was first delivered in three months from march 2020, which saw the entirety of teaching transitioned to online due to the state-sanctioned conditions imposed by the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic in australia. the following year, 2021, we faced a new set of circumstances that entailed we delivered the course simultaneously in three modes: in person, online and hybrid. whilst transitioning a course based heavily on community engagement to online and hybrid formats posed novel challenges, an interesting set of opportunities subsequently arose. in response to the conditions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, virtual communication tools were employed. we used zoom to conduct online lectures and tutorials and miro, an online whiteboard application, to foster teacher-to-student and peer-to-peer collaboration. the latter was particularly useful in the case of hybrid delivery in 2021, as those students participating in person could collaborate in a shared visual space with those online. we used this to foster in-class conversations. likewise, students were able to complete tutorial activities such as system mapping (tomitsch et al., 2021) to foster understanding of cause-and-effect relationships in complex problems (lich et. al., 2017), such as that of the sdgs, in this virtual collaboration and co-learning environment. following these activities, we encouraged 87 students to reflect and review the approach of others on miro. whilst these tools enabled the effective delivery of this unit in parallel formats, there is still a significant opportunity for improvement as these technologies develop. as disalvo et al. (2012) argue, a central pillar of participatory design practice is community engagement. as such, the design of this unit focused heavily on this activity. this presented challenges for students, predominantly because they were often geographically distanced from the communities they were designing for. however, it also enabled students to widen the scope of communities that they could design for, given their new familiarity with virtual communication tools. we were impressed to see, for example, one group of students based in sydney using zoom to conduct semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the australian northern territory’s indigenous tourism community, who discussed the unique challenges they faced in light of the travel restrictions caused by the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. another group of students from south korea, china and australia chose to focus on the challenge of gender inequality, which they believed to be a shared issue; they were able to learn about this issue in their teammates’ countries. our intentions behind integrating the sdgs into the design for social impact curricula were to broaden students’ outlook and, as kopnina (2020) recommends, emphasise a planetary ethic. it was thus reassuring to see students taking the initiative to engage with communities beyond their everyday sphere of interaction. an advantage of teaching in hybrid and online formats was that we were able to create an international classroom of many nationalities and geographies, whilst still aiding students to ground their design practice in community engagement. this ‘next normal’ of social design education reflects irwin et. al.’s idea of “place-based, globally networked” solutions being central in design for sustainable transitions (2015). what is important to note here is that transition design encompasses a mindset that is at once both communities-focused and globally minded. this dual perspective is something we aimed to integrate into the curricula, specifically through drawing upon the sdgs as a project framework. students were encouraged to (i) select and research one of the 17 sdgs, (ii) consider and choose a specific target of their chosen sdg and (iii) narrow this target to a micro problem space that is place-based and specific to a community that they could connect with. as such, we aimed to connect their locally focused design solutions to globally minded long-term visions. we were thus able to aid students in learning through experience how a designer can play the role of mediator, as highlighted by howard and melles (2011), connecting the local to global transitions. a limitation of this approach is that problems can arise when students, as designers, are abstracted from the communities they are designing for. in particular, groups of students found it difficult to connect with relevant communities due to several constraints, primarily geographical. they were limited in the research methods they could draw upon, including co-design methods and ethnographic methods such as participatory observation, which in many cases involves observing people in physical contexts (clark et al., 2007). for this type of research, such contextual behaviour is important to understand given it can provide students with a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of those they are designing for (prosek & gibson, 2021). whilst some qualitative research may be conducted online, in many cases this gave students a limited window into participants’ lives, leading to designs that were not informed by the complex contexts of communities. the risk here, janzer and weinstein (2014) argue, is that a design practice not informed by these complex contexts may be seen as a form of neocolonialism, where the designer exercises control or a shaping force over a community they are abstracted from. to mitigate this, we ensured that students were aware of this risk and were critically reflective of how they were going 88 about designing and their subsequent outcomes. where possible, we encouraged them to continually engage with and in community-oriented contexts. in summation, this ‘next normal’ – consisting of a learning mode trifecta (in-person, online and hybrid) – is no doubt shaping the future of social design education. opportunity remains for continued iteration. interdisciplinarity for sustainability as menken et. al. (2016) argue, the complex questions and problems of the type that social design practice addresses require an interdisciplinary approach. this unit of study is open not only to students from the design faculty but also any undergraduate student at the university of sydney with assumed prior knowledge in design methodologies and methods. a benefit of this is that the cohort of students is truly interdisciplinary, spanning academic backgrounds such as economics, biology, anthropology, visual arts, psychology and marketing. most student project groups were composed of at least three different disciplines. it was thus interesting to see the variety of perspectives drawn upon when approaching the sdgs. for example, one group designing an experience for train stations drew upon their knowledge of both behavioural psychology and biology to create a biophilic installation that elicited feelings of increased safety when travelling. tonkinwise (2013, p. 219) provides a list of traits for the contemporary designer which include an understanding of histories, anthropologies, psychology and living systems. these, as inspired by buchanan (2001), realign design with the humanities, in addition to techno-scientific disciplines. we too agree that bringing a humanities perspective into design pedagogy is essential given this practice is inherently social. hence, much of our teaching touched on and incorporated ways of knowing through the methodologies of the humanities, so that students could develop a richer understanding of the mechanics of systems, cultures, institutions, and individuals that they were designing for and from. this grounding in the humanities was successful in challenging student designers to mediate between mindsets of making/doing and reflecting/enquiring. such an approach is critical to aiding students in navigating the post-normal times we live in, which sardar (2010) argues is characterised by three cs: complexity, chaos, and contradictions. these times are postnormal in the sense that we find ourselves in a transitional age, in which we are unable to return to a known past and are yet to carve out a known future of the kind that is desirable, valued, attainable or sustainable (sardar, 2010). hence, tonkinwise (2017) argues that design practice in universities must speak outside of its discipline, articulating experiments broadly to stakeholders, and go against the insular tendencies of institutions in light of these post-normal transitions. as such, it is crucial to foster interdisciplinary classrooms and interdisciplinary practices for design pedagogy. interrogating systems through practice a central idea we sought to communicate to students in the delivery of this unit is the relationship between social design practice and the interrogation of systems, as highlighted by rittner (2020). this is not to say that we sought to dismantle in its entirety that which is pre-existing. rather, we actively encouraged students to locate and address through design those systemic forces most problematic in light of their chosen sdgs. it is one thing to talk about interrogating systems by design and another to do it. a challenge we faced in the delivery of this unit of study was creating an effective bridge between theory and practice, one from which students could digest and take actionable steps. in their end-of-semester assessment 4: reflective 89 report, many students reported that “fear of not doing it right” was a significant challenge, as was resilience in the face of navigating complexities. many of these students tried to tackle too much of their sdg at once, rather than focusing on a very specific aspect and stakeholder group to design for. as discussed, those students who were most successful were the ones who were able to be specific and focused in their design efforts, whilst simultaneously connecting to the bigger picture of how their designs would contribute to interrogating broader systemic forces. a way in which we endeavoured to help students address the latter was through educating them about the practice of “design futuring”. the term “design futuring” is attributed to fry (2009) and is a design epistemology he also refers to as “design in the medium of time”. fry suggests that “…to design in time is not to claim an ability to see into the future, rather it involves examining in detail what is likely to, or could shape future positive or negative possibilities and thereafter deciding what should, or should not be factored into design activity on a cautionary basis ...”. (fry, 2009, p. 58) we encouraged students from the ideation phase right through to concept refinement to imagine the future and possible worlds in which their design contributes to social change, envisioning the role that it might play in this narrative. students were introduced to methods of futuring practice from the university of sydney, design lab’s textbook design think make break repeat, 2nd edition (2021). methods included: backcasting (p. 26); design timescapes (p. 62); scenario-based thinking (p. 134); and speculating preferred futures (p. 146) to facilitate their design practice in this space. connecting this practice to their sdg was critical to student success. the most compelling design outcomes were those grounded in the narrative concerning the critical role design would play in re-shaping the future, catalysing transitions and redirecting systems. the students who were most successful in their projects were those who were able to navigate the complexities of their chosen problem with critical depth. most groups conducted semi-structured interviews as a primary method in their qualitative research, which supported the uncovering of “unmet needs” (tonkinwise, 2019, p. 15). successful students were also those who effectively negotiated between an understanding of system-wide forces associated with their sdgs and a narrow definition of the specific aspect of it they sought to design for. for example, many engaged in processes of system mapping introduced at the start of their projects to better understand their sdg problem space and followed this with a narrowing-down through research of the lived experiences of a particular stakeholder group within that system. once a specific research question was defined, they did not let go of an understanding of how that question operates systemically in the space of their sdg. this entailed a negotiation between the systemic/narrow parallels and the global/local focus central to transition design (irwin et. al., 2015), as discussed previously, in addition to the movement between divergent/convergent, constructive/ deconstructive styles of thinking in the design process. we argue that students who are most strongly disposed to the practice of social design are those who can effectively negotiate between broad-based and narrowed-down perspectives on the complex problems they address and switch between the two where necessary in their process. in future iterations of this unit of study, we will seek to continue to develop further methods of teaching that help to foster such negotiation of perspective. we cannot mention the interrogation of systems by design without interrogating the systems through which we design. most students entered this unit with a strong grounding in design thinking methods, taught as one of their core units of study for the design major. as such, we noticed in the 2020 offering 90 of the unit that many students gravitated towards a familiar process of designing without critical thought on why they were employing its methods. concerned that students were not taking agency over their design processes, we sought to inform them of critical perspectives on design thinking, for instance, janzer and weinstein’s (2014) argument that designers must be sensitive to the complex social and cultural cues of systemic problems or they risk contributing to a form of design neocolonialism, as previously discussed. likewise, as rittner (2020) argues, well-branded design frameworks such as that of ideo are taken as gospel and “too often taught with credulity rather than criticality.” this is not to say that these processes are wrong but rather that design education should seek to interrogate those systems through which designers produce and acquire knowledge. as such, the aim here was not dissuasion but rather encouraging critical agency over the students’ design practice. it is a shift from branded methodology to critical pedagogy, as rittner (2020) argues: “… we cannot take this work lightly. the design curriculum frames the designer’s ability not only to apply a set of tools for building things but also a set of principles for applying social values to the things they make. the ‘thingness’ of design does not exist absent of a social construct that is laden with values. design is object and intention. it is our beliefs made manifest ...”. (rittner, 2020, p. 14) the next iteration there are elements of this unit of study which will be iterated upon in its continued delivery in 2022. a significant degree of these stem from the fact that we are still adapting to this ‘next normal’ of hybrid and online social design education, as discussed previously. aside from this, some opportunities for iteration are as follows. first, many students were challenged by the short time frame of their major design projects. despite the unit running for a total of 12 weeks, the bulk of their project work was done in the latter half. this was overwhelming for some, as students have to juggle the commitments of other units of study alongside things like part-time work and study-work-life balance. this meant that some student projects were not as resolved or showing a level of depth that we would have hoped for. some projects suffered from mismanagement of time with the bulk of student effort spent in one phase of their design process rather than another. in the future, we hope to explore ways of extending the time frame of their projects, perhaps by linking this first semester unit of study with a second semester sequel – design for transitions or design for futures, for example. students could continue resolving their design concepts in response to the sdgs whilst simultaneously deepening their engagement with theory. it would also be interesting to explore with students what a future beyond the sdgs (targeted for 2030) might look like. second, we reflect that the title of this unit of study, design for social impact, is no longer fitting. this is because the word ‘impact’ necessitates a force or exertion of power over another, reminiscent of janzer and weinstein‘s critique of design thinking as a neocolonial practice (2014), which is not the frame through which we wish to educate future designers. rather, we propose design for social change or design for social value, the latter as proposed by rittner (2020) as a preferred title for future iterations of this unit. third, the focus on participatory design in this unit resonated with students in theory, but they were often challenged to engage with this in practice. this was both due to the previously discussed issue of time constraints, in addition to students not having access or the courage to connect with relevant ‘citizen experts’ for whom they wished to design with and for. moving forward, we do not seek to dissuade students from designing with and for communities but rather to continuously encourage them to be aware 91 of and navigate the complexities of their positionality as designers. it is necessary to remind students that this unit is simply a taster of what social design in their post-university journeys could look like. fourth, the notion of interrogating systems through practice leads the call for an increasingly interdisciplinary approach. in the next iteration, we seek to further explore and test what the pedagogy of interrogating systems through design practice might look like. we are especially interested in widening the community of design for social impact, for example by engaging with students and academics from other disciplines such as sociology, philosophy and biological science either at the university of sydney or other universities. overall, the unit of study aims to provide students with a glimpse into what designing beyond the market could look like and what ontologies and epistemologies of social design might underpin this. we provide students with the tools to design for the narratives of an ontological, redirective and sustainable future, grounded in the vision of the sdgs and beyond. social design is a vessel through which we can move beyond the interrogation of systems through discussion and towards an interrogation through design action, underpinned by critical agency. we hope that as students venture beyond university and carve their design practice or contribute to the design practice of others, in whatever domain this may be, these lessons will stay with them well into the preferred futures they create. acknowledgements we extend our thanks to dr leigh-anne hepburn for her initial drafting of the themes of the design for social impact curricula. we also extend our thanks to our 2020 and 2021 student cohorts without whom this paper would not be possible. 92 appendix design for social impact assessment breakdown 93 references armstrong, l., bailey, j., julier, g., & kimbell, l. 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(n.d). the sdgs in action. https://www.undp.org/sustainabledevelopment-goals willis, a. m. (2006). ontological designing. design philosophy papers, 4(2), 69–92. 7 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. components of spirituality to safeguard life for the development of an integral design management approach luciana lopes, teresa franqueira, heitor alvelos, cristina parente published online: october 2021 to cite this article: lopes, l., franqueira, t., alvelos, h., & parente, c. (2021). article title components of spirituality to safeguard life to the development of an integral design management approach. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 7-21. 8 components of spirituality to safeguard life for the development of an integral design management approach luciana lopesa, teresa franqueirab, heitor alvelosc, cristina parented afaculty of fine arts of university of porto, porto, 4049-021, portugal. up201902226@edu.fba.up.pt buniversity of aveiro, aveiro, 3810-193, portugal. teresa.franqueira@ua.pt cfaculty of fine arts of university of porto, porto, 4049-021, portugal. halvelos@fba.up.pt dfaculty of arts and humanities of university of porto, porto, portugal. cparente@letras.up.pt abstract the present article is the initial result of fieldwork on design and spirituality in the scope of ongoing doctoral research in design. the research has been developed with lusophone ‘quilombolas’, afrobrazilian and traditional family farming groups and communities from brazil and portugal, which present implicit spiritually driven design management approaches. the project proposes that a spiritual dimension should be a fundamental component of a design management strategy that is intended to be integral. the first learning case was carried out in ethnographic format with the association of women farmers of castelões (associação das mulheres agricultoras de castelões) in portugal. the chosen methodology was the decomposition of the design and spirituality concept from the thoughts of papanek (1971, 1995), schumacher (1974), walker (2011), margolin (2014) and escobar (2018). components of spirituality were identified to guide field data collection. subsequently, these components were identified from the participatory experience and participant observation with the artisans and analysed. in conclusion, it was possible to conceive ‘components’ of a reinvented spirituality for today, 'spirituality to safeguard life'. these may support the development of a spiritually driven design management approach with a lusophone reference, entitled 'integral design management'. it is planned to apply this approach in academic, business, governmental, non-governmental and civil society environments. through its practice, it is intended to promote the implementation of transformative systems with values and paradigm shifts for the recovery, flourishing and continuity of life. keywords: design and spirituality, linen ancestral tradition, transformative social innovation, components of spirituality introduction this study addresses the theme of design and spirituality. it is based on different theoretical lenses, with a special focus on the thought of the anthropologist arturo escobar (2018). the aims of the study are: 1) to present the identification and translation of spirituality components from the thoughts of papanek (1971, 1995), schumacher (1974), walker (2011), margolin (2014) and escobar (2018) to serve as indicators for fieldwork guidance, 2) to identify and analyse the components of spirituality through participative experience and participant observation with the artisans of the association of women farmers of castelões and 3) to present components of a spirituality recreated for today, called 'spirituality to safeguard life', which can support the development of an 'integral design management' approach. the case study is on the association of women farmers of castelões, which was established 20 years ago by a group of women whom we call ‘linen ladies’. they are now in their 80s and come together to keep alive the ancestral tradition of the linen cycle – from sowing to weaving – in the village of castelões, tondela in portugal. 9 since the beginning of the association's project implementation, the artisans aimed to preserve local production with linen, as well as to produce new artefacts, keeping alive the ancestral traditional techniques and the ways of being, knowing and doing of this territory. the ladies are retired; they do not depend on linen production for their financial survival, i.e. they do not work according to a subsistence logic. through manual and agricultural activities with linen, the artisans relate interdependently with presence, care, love and affection, among themselves and with the village, their ancestors, nature and the divine. they meet every tuesday to spin, weave, embroider and crochet the linen and to produce the artefacts that guarantee the continuity of the ancestral knowledge embodied in their lives. the present paper is the initial outcome of ongoing phd research in design. the fieldwork with the linen ladies was and is being conducted in an ethnographic format through participatory experience and participant observation with the artisans (angrosino, 2012; martin & hanington, 2019; pink, 2009). the field study is also being conducted through an online ethnographic approach (ardérvol & goméz-cruz, 2013; pink, 2006) with three ‘quilombolas’ (the descendants and remainders of communities formed by runaway slaves) and afro-brazilian groups and communities in brazil that present implicit spiritually driven design management approaches. the focus of the phd research is design management, an area that does not currently include dimensions of spirituality. the project proposes that a spiritual dimension should be a fundamental component of a design management strategy that is intended to be integral: that is, multidimensional, encompassing spirituality in collaborative, collective, social, design, management and empathy aspects in a design management approach. this is a research gap in that, to date, the present study has not identified the existence of an 'integral design management' approach with a lusophone reference. it is believed that, due to humanitarian and civilisational crisis, it vital to develop and implement strategic actions of design for transitions through transformative social innovation principles (escobar, 2018). therefore, it is essential to think about design guided by spirituality, and as a means, a facilitator of transformative systems that make socioeconomic, environmental, cultural and human rights transformations for recovery, flourishing and continuity of life. to promote such systems, the intention is to propose an ’integral design management’ approach with a lusophone reference, guided by the spiritualities of political, gaia, self-awareness and divine/sacred. it is intended to develop and implement the 'integral design management' approach based on the ancestral traditional knowledge of ‘quilombolas’, afro-brazilian and family farming groups and communities from brazil and portugal that collaborate with the development of the phd research in design. literature review: the dialogue between design and spirituality the subject of design and spirituality was dissected from the thoughts of the authors papanek (1971; 1995), schumacher (1974), walker (2011), margolin (2014) and escobar (2018). we give special focus to escobar's thought that advises us on the importance of the 'ontological and spiritual look to the project' (escobar, 2018). components of spirituality were identified and translated from the thoughts of the referenced authors. such components are common in their thoughts, as well as proven and interpreted from each’s thought (table 1). 10 author components of spirituality only from the author components of spirituality in common among all authors victor papanek (1971, 1995) connection with the inner and spiritual self/being/light; caring for the planet/ecological consciousness; social and ecological responsibility; development of self-awareness; creativity; dignity; confidence; peace; non-violence; sense of social justice; sense of immanence; morals and ethics. connection with the inner and spiritual self/ being/light; caring for the planet/ecological consciousness; social and ecological responsibility; development of selfawareness; creativity; dignity; confidence; peace; non-violence; sense of social justice; sense of immanence; morals and ethics. components of spirituality in common among authors except papanek ernst friedrich schumacher (1974) economy; fraternity; solidarity; dignified and necessary work; encouragement to creation; livelihood and right action; respect for living things; service to others; determination; full attention. presence (in the essence of the present and the sense/the feeling); cosmos, whole, infinity, sense of unity, stardust; connection with the divine/the sacred; divinity with nature/sacred nature; health; well-being; good living; present (the here and now); sense of belonging/identity/rooting; sense of transcendence; the divine/the sacred; collectivity/collective; sense of immanence; fluidity/the flow; community life/communality; contemplation; responsibility; collaboration; participation; celebration; detachment; autonomy; donation; affection; intuition; spirit(s); care; love; faith. stuart walker (2011) right thinking; right being; right doing; right action; living well according to divine law; contemplative life and practices; knowledge of spiritual wisdom; virtue; charity; compassion; devotion and the inner life; the esoteric spiritual path; active and reflective life; creativity as love; selfless service. victor margolin (2014) connection with the divine as a force for personal/interior evolution; struggle; resistance; defence; affirmation; opposition; connection with ancestrality/ancestral wisdom; gaia theory: the earth as a living system; interdependence with all that exists; ecological and communal feminism; economy, fraternity and solidarity; non-violation of nature; engagement and freedom; symbiosis; synergy; relationality. arturo escobar (2018) communal feminism/recommunalisation of social life from communal feminism, communality; cosmovisions of indigenous and afrodescendants from latin america; interdependence on all that exists/radical interdependence; political participation, social movements, public policies; struggle; resistance; defence; affirmation; opposition; diversity/diverse worlds; connection with ancestrality/ancestral wisdom; life, earth as living being/the living system; right, equality, engagement; freedom; horizontal and collective leadership; 11 economy, fraternity and solidarity; relationality/relational ontology; depatriarchisation of societies; derationalisation of societies; territoriality, re-localisation; decolonization of societies; reiteration with the earth; spiritualities of the earth; weft work, webwork; symbiosis and synergy; democracy. table 1: components of spirituality identified and translated from the authors' thought, created by the researchers. victor papanek (1923–1998) austrian designer who emigrated to the usa at the age of 15. he mentions the importance of spiritual values in design for sustainability, which can be decoded in the designer's intention when designing (papanek, 1995). his ideas were based on the designer’s moral and social responsibility, and his unique approach to design pedagogy dramatically inspired the design movements in the 60s and 70s. he also influenced the designer's look in front of a systemic design amplitude in favour of sustainability, in defence of design as a political tool and in favour of democracy (papanek, 1971; 1995). ernst friedrich schumacher (1911–1977) german economist and founder of the intermediate technology group practical action. before the second world war, he went to live in england. he was a precursor thinker about economic, environmental and cultural causes. his thinking became widespread in the 70s, and he relied on spirituality by promoting the debate on the practice of local production for better environmental and social outcomes through the 'buddhist economy', in favour of simplicity and non-violence, the importance of community and dignified work (schumacher, 1974). he was inspired by his life experience when he was an economic advisor to the burmese government from 1955. this experience deeply inspired him, and in opposition to western economies, he fostered the implementation of appropriate, decentralised, human and local technologies. he also encouraged preservation of the environment and care of life and people on the planet (https://www.schumacherinstitute.org.uk/). stuart walker (1955–) stuart walker is an english designer, currently professor of design for sustainability and co-director of the imagination research centre at lancaster university, uk. his research focuses on the aesthetics of sustainable product design and on ‘sustainable aesthetics’ of the product and their resignification from the presentation of his ‘contemplative propositional designs’ (pantaleão & pinheiro, 2018). the author holds the conviction that the environment has been and is being devastated by apathy, disdain and scarcity of meaning due to the materialist-naturalist process introduced in western thought. walker fosters conceptions and practices on the importance of spirituality and preservation of the environment as a current and future worldview. through his thought, the author directs the design and the creative process grounded in cultural, spiritual and religious principles, both eastern and western, to influence ethical and moral foundations and consequently promote sustainability (walker, 2013). walker believes that the legitimate relationship between design projects and sustainability is inherent in the spiritual values of design and in the intrinsic properties of product design (walker, 2011). https://www.schumacherinstitute.org.uk/ 12 victor margolin (1941–2019) margolin is an american educator and filmmaker with a phd in design history and professor emeritus at the school of art and art history at the university of illinois, chicago, usa. his work has always been interdisciplinary across the fields of history, research and design studies. the author investigated and fostered responsible design, and with his wife sylvia margolin, experimented and proposed a social model of design practice in opposition to the dominant market model (margolin & margolin, 2002). margolin emphasises that spirituality needs to be reintroduced into philosophical debates and positioned more centrally in contemporary thinking to support reflections on the artificial, design and technology. in this way, it can support the self-development of designers and ground them to support social welfare. the author mentions the importance of 'spirituality as a metanarrative for design and technology’, from the practices of connecting with the divine through sacred nature and 'the divinity with the nature' with inspiration in the intellectuality and cooperative activities of ecofeminists and the gaia hypothesis (margolin, 2014). arturo escobar (1952–) escobar is a colombian american, an anthropologist and kenan professor of anthropology at the university of north carolina at chapel hill, usa. spirituality is translated in his thought as the ability to redesign the world starting from the ways of being, knowing and doing that happen in collective, collaborative, participative, autonomous and local ways in tune with justice, with the reiteration with the earth and the understanding of the planet as a living being. this redesign must be guided by the ‘earth spiritualities’, identified by the author as '[...] the work that requires a radical shift in our understanding of and in connection with the earth, with non-humans and with each other' (escobar, 2020, as cited in carley, 2020). this work implies reconnection with the spiritual world based on the practices of traditional communities, such as indigenous peoples and afro-descendant communities from latin america and based on the practices and thoughts of communal feminism. it is guided primarily by political participation in the face of 'relationality', 'interdependence on all that exists', territoriality, autonomy, affection, love, care, fight, resistance, 'our work in a weave, in a web', to provide the 'flourishing of the plot of life' (escobar, 2018). methodology and research the chosen methodology was first the breakdown of the topic design and spirituality from the different theoretical lenses mentioned by the authors and researchers above. from this exercise, the components of spirituality identified and translated in the thoughts of the authors were identified (table 1). these components of spirituality were defined as indicators to guide the data collection and the analysis of the participatory experience and participant observation with the linen ladies. the field research started in september 2020, when the researchers met the four ladies from the association of women farmers of castelões. from this first contact with the group, it was agreed with the artisans that the researchers would return to the association's head office to start to learn about the practices related to the linen cycle. since then, we started working together. the field methodology was qualitative and based on an ethnographic approach through participant observation and open and nonsystematic conversations and interviews with the artisans (angrosino, 2012; martin & hanington, 2019; pink, 2009). between september 2020 and august 2021, 15 meetings were held with the artisans. it was possible to learn how to weave, spin, embroider, crochet, sew, grind and scutch the linen and observe the linen ladies with a focus on the approach of design management guided by spirituality. 13 following the definition of the indicators to guide the fieldwork, spirituality components were identified from the participatory experience with the artisans (table 2). it was then possible to analyse the components identified in the field, as will be presented in the case study. finally, it was possible to conceive a preliminary proposal of the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life'. case study: the participatory experience and learning from the the linen cycle’s ancestral knowledge and doings from the participatory experience and learning with the linen ladies, it was possible to recognise an implicit spiritually driven design management process in the group. it was also identified that the agricultural and craft activities, as well as the social and political participation of these ladies, are recognised as principles of transformative social innovation. therefore, that can facilitate the implementation of strategic actions of design for transitions. based on the components of spirituality identified and translated from the thoughts of the referenced authors, three main components were confirmed that act as an umbrella to the others recognised in the artisans’ activities: presence (in the present and the essence of the sense/the feeling), relationality and interdependence on all that exists. these are anchored by three others: love, affection and care. and they are interdependent on other spiritual components, as can be verified in table 2. presence relationality interdependence on all that exists love, affection and care connection with: the divine/the sacred, the divine and spiritual light, intuition and ancestral wisdom; collectivity; collaboration; participation; engagement; freedom; autonomy; creativity; traditions; dignity; sense of transcendence; faith; spirit; celebration; communality/community life; territoriality; sense of social justice; ecological awareness; sense of belonging/identity/rooting; horizontal and collective leadership; reliability; solidarity; no violence; the present/the here and now; development of self-awareness; donation; detachment; synergy; well-being; good living; health; the divine/the sacred; weave work/webwork; fluidity/the flow; struggle; resistance. table 2: components of spirituality identified through the participative experience with the linen ladies, created by the researchers. conceptual interpretation we will briefly interpret the components of the spirituality concepts that were identified through the participative experience with the linen ladies in the field (table 2). relationality/relational ontology; interdependence on all that exists/radical interdependence; synergy escobar presents the concept of relationality or relational ontology as follows: “[...] all of this dense web of interrelationships and materiality [...] a whole world that is updated minute by minute, day by day, through an infinity of practices that link a multiplicity of humans and non-humans. [...] that in which nothing (neither humans nor non-humans) pre-exists the relations that constitute us. we all exist because everything exists”. (escobar, 2016) the author expounds on the concept of interdependence on all that exists or radical interdependence linked with relationality: 'inter-humans and beyond human relations' depend on each other and are 14 interconnected with everything. faced with the principle of relational ontology they are interdependent on all that exists, that is, radically interdependent (escobar, 2018). connection with: ancestrality/ancestral wisdom, the divine/the sacred, the divine and spiritual light, the intuition; fluidity/the flow; faith; spirit; sense of social justice; ecological awareness; non-violence; development of self-awareness; the divine/the sacred; sense of transcendence it is argued that in mystical-religious significations, it is possible to connect with the invisible considered the ancestors (entities known as spirits and/or energies) and the divine/the sacred as god, gods, goddesses, saints, angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim and orixás, which are related to religious traditions, beliefs and philosophies as well as to cosmovisions and spiritual sciences. it is asserted that the religious practices, such as divinity as sacred nature and/or the simple act of worship, feeling the vital energy and witnessing life, promote faith and peace of mind. through these practices, it is possible to connect with what is called the inner self, the self, the core and the heart as well as with the soul, the spiritual self and the spiritual, inner, divine light. it is stated that this connection usually promotes feelings related to morals and ethics, such as a sense of social justice, ecological awareness and non-violence. in addition, it provides reiteration with the earth, connection with the cosmos and perception of the sense of unity, of the whole, the assimilation of infinity and the understanding that humans are stardust (sagan, 2003). it also provides intuition and self-development, |i.e. the development of self-awareness of the human being (chandra, 2009, 2014). within the scope of the spiritual science anthroposophy, in 1962, steiner presented the spirit as the body energy i (ego) and the astral body of a human being. for the author, the astral body is the set of forces known as the soul. the astral body is the body of feelings, sensations and consciousness. the i body (ego) "is the individualized and simple spiritual element which constitutes the centre of the being". the human being has four bodies: the physical, the vital (etheric), the astral and the i (ego). when the human being dies, only the spiritual energy of the i (ego) and astral bodies remains (lanz, 1983). in the psychology sphere, it is considered a person’s personality. in the scope of some religions and spiritual cosmovisions, theories and sciences, it is considered the energy and/or the ancestor that manifests itself in various ways in materials and dimensions (bispo dos santos, 2015; blavatsky, 1980; cohn-sherbok, 1999; elias, 1999; hawkins, 1999; kopenawa & albert, 2015; krenak, 2019, 2020; lanz, 1983; lovelock, 2014, 2020; moreira costa, 2002; sagan, 2003; shattuck, 1999; margulis, 2014; wilson, 1999). through religious practices and esoteric experiences, it is argued that some can experience the sense of transcendence. in religions, philosophies, cosmovisions and spiritual sciences, transcendence as experienced is verified in physical and mental states that occur outside the material world, where the divine/the sacred is identified as being outside the mundane environment (bispo dos santos, 2015; blavatsky, 1980; cohn-sherbok, 1999; elias, 1999; hawkins, 1999; kopenawa & albert, 2015; krenak, 2019, 2020; lanz, 1983; moreira costa, 2002; shattuck, 1999; wilson, 1999). communality/community life; collectivity; participation; collaboration; engagement; solidarity; traditions; creativity; sense of belonging/rooting/identity; dignity; struggle; resistance; participation; donation; detachment; horizontal and collective leadership; territoriality, re-localisation; freedom; autonomy; well-being; good living; health; celebration; webwork/weave work it is asserted that feminine and matriarchal care for a community recovers and preserves life and life flourishes. this can be noticed by attitudes of engagement, detachment and respect for oneself, for the 15 other, for nature and for the planet as well as by actions that take responsibility, participation, collectivity, donation and communality in a solid matriarchal format. it is stated that this matriarchal care is genuine and has affection, love and robustness. it also strengthens and encourages fraternal economies, culture, art, traditions, creativity and equal rights. it promotes feelings of community and territory rooting, pride, dignity and identity and also identification with the communal way of life. it is argued that it takes place in defence of the territory, that it ensures that the local prevails and that it resists individualism. moreover, this way of life is democratic, since it dialogues, understands, believes, encourages, cares for and protects social, environmental, human and non-human relationships as well as diversity. it also operates in the mode where leadership is horizontal and collective, i.e. the collective acts and dialogues horizontally. there are no hierarchies, and everyone has the knowledge that supports, builds with, complements and is interdependent on the other. escobar signals the importance of "re-localization as an active role of inhabiting, eating, education and health" (escobar, 2018). this can be understood by the defence of local life, land and territory, known as territoriality, and the safeguarding of local freedom and autonomy that defend and promote health, housing, education, healthy food for living well and well-being. groups and communities that work according to the principles of communal feminism, territoriality, autonomy, freedom, creativity and celebration of life, are those that care for, love, witness and derationalise life. they experience relationality and radical interdependence, in opposition to the dualistic ontology of the globalised world. they “work in a web, in a weave” and provide the “flourishing of the plot of life” (escobar, 2018). the weaving work, i.e. the web work, is exercised in a collective, matriarchal, communal life. together, and interdependent on humans and non-humans, respect, care, love, affection, struggle and resistance occur for the recovery, flourishing and continuity of life. love; care; affection; presence (in the essence of the present and the sense/the feeling); present (the here and now) in 1995, comte-sponville translated love into various feelings and meanings: joy, fulfilment, warmth, cosiness, passion, devotion, donation, desire, pleasure, energy, potency, enjoyment of presence and existence, happiness, hope, gratitude, generosity, kindness, friendship, benevolence, sadness, anguish, grief, failure, greed, selfishness, misery, absence and madness (comte-sponville, 2004). it is attested that love and care coexist in the presence of one another, and that affection emerges from the existence of care. ergo, love, care and affection are mutually interdependent and complementary. in addition, affection is tenderness and dedication which turns into friendship and love, completing a full circle. as boff wrote: “caring is more than an act, it is an attitude. therefore, it encompasses more than a moment and attention of zeal and diligence. it represents an attitude of occupation, concern, liability and affective engagement with the other”. (boff, 1999) it is noticed that presence exists where there is a manifestation of love, care and affection. the authentic presence is understood as attendance and perceived through the existence of a life of being that is genuine and occurs in the present. 16 analysis of the components of spirituality identified in the field in this section, we briefly analyse the components of spirituality that were identified in the field. the divine and its relationship with some spiritual components the divine was identified by the researchers through the participant experience and observation in a common and collective ritual of a religious nature. the linen ladies always pray while they are working at their handicraft activities. it could be observed that the prayers and handicraft activities are performed through altruistic love, detachment, donation and synergy among the artisans, in tune with nature and the divine. these practices are interconnected with the sense of transcendence, social justice and ecological awareness through affection and care for themselves, for others, for nature, for the land, for the community and for the village. the researchers also identified that these practices are interdependent on the faith and the intuition that the ladies possess. connection with ancestors interdependent on other components of spirituality ancestry was observed from spontaneous conversations and unsystematic interviews of the artisans with the researchers. the linen ladies always mention with honour the value of their ancestors. it could be observed that their ancestors are their references and that ancestral wisdom is passed on by their presence through the lived life they had with them and through the invisible life they have with them. the experience with their ancestors provides pride of identity for the territory of ancestral tradition based on agriculture and the production of textiles and embroidery work made of linen. one perceives the rootedness, the identity and the feeling of belonging to the local as well as the feeling of dignity for the valuable and noble linen work that has soul, spirit and life. the researchers also observed that the relationship with their ancestors, between them and with the community, works as a web and promotes care, affection, love, communality (community life) as well as the feeling of harmony, well-being, good living, health and meaning of life. struggle, resistance and creativity: relationality and interdependence for conservation and continuity of the linen life cycle the researchers identified that the linen ladies struggle and resist to preserve and keep alive the ancestral tradition of the linen cycle in the village of castelões. this happens with affection, love and care in synergy and non-violence with themselves, with each other, with their neighbours and relatives, with the land, with the planet, with the animals and with the village. the linen ladies’ presence and creativity could be observed through the implementation and management of the association as well as through the artisans’ ideas for new projects. this commitment was also identified when the artisans call attention to the importance of work on the land and of the continuity of portuguese agriculture, not only of linen but of the family agriculture of organic/biological vegetables, greenery and fruits; the significance of caring for the animals and the family production of food for subsistence; and the dignified and noble handicraft work that cares and beautifies. it was noticed that they practise everything they talk about, and through their actions it was possible to recognise their connection with the forces of life, with the energies of nature, the sacred and the cosmos, which are interconnected with the health and the well-being that they have. one could observe their autonomy, freedom, fluidity, ecological awareness, sense of social justice and communal conviviality in this territory. celebration, collaboration and solidarity interconnected with some spiritual components every tuesday evening, the ladies joyfully celebrate the end of the working day. with coffee, tea, ‘jeropiga’ (traditional portuguese alcoholic drink made from grapes), portuguese chestnuts from the 17 village, cheeses, ‘rabanadas’ (traditional butter-fried portuguese bread soaked in milk, eggs, cinnamon and sugar) and delicious cakes they made, they celebrate their life, friendship and love. in addition, it could be observed that the ladies’ work is carried out in a dignified, simple, collaborative and participative way, with commitment, presence, solidarity and mutual trust. each lady has a function, and they all have their value. it was noticed that there is no hierarchy, since their leadership is horizontal and collective. one supports and complements the other, and they are interdependent. they always act intuitively, with affection and care for themselves, for each other and the community. they always think of each other, there is no selfishness and their heart is open. relational ontology and radical interdependence on the scene the principle of relationality and the interdependence of all that exists were observed in a scene often witnessed by the researchers. a lady is spinning linen and working with the spinner in her hands while another lady weaves on the loom. at the same time, two other ladies embroider linen cloths spun and woven by the artisans. when one looks at this scene with other eyes, that is, with the eyes of relational ontology and radical interdependence, it is possible to see a world, indeed several worlds, since the linen transformed into thread and cloth has passed through a process of visible and invisible interrelations before reaching the artisans’ hands, mouths and fingers. first is the preparation of the land, and then there is the sowing, the watering, the weeding, the grubbing up, the ripping, the tanning in the river, the drying, the grinding, the scutching and the threshing of the linen. afterwards comes the spinning, which then goes on to the ‘sarilhar’ (forming the skeins), then making the ‘barrela’ (a kind of broth made from the ashes from burning the linen plant), the boiling, the washing, the colouring, the drying of the skeins and the warping to ‘impeirar’ (placed on the loom). once the thread has been ‘impeirado’ (placed on the loom), it is woven and finally embroidered (veiga de oliveira et al., 1991). the preparation of the land, the sowing, the watering, the weeding and the grubbing up involves the compost, the humus, which is interrelated with minerals, microorganisms, fungi and animals such as insects, birds and those who produce manure (cows, for instance) to strengthen the soil. it could be noticed that this knowledge, added to that of the rest of the process as well as the use of tools to work with the linen, involves ways of being, doing and knowledge learned through the ancestors of these ladies and the community of this territory. there is also the interrelation with other invisible worlds, such as the beings who protect and bless the plantation, the work, the animals, the neighbours and the community life. it could be observed that those invisible relations refer to these ladies' relationships with the divine, whom the artisans believe guide and bless them, as well as their connection with the cosmos, with the moon and the sun that guide planting and also protect the farming. conclusion the components of spirituality identified in the field, analysed and described in the last part of this article, can be integrated into a more extensive inventory that is in progress and prospective and which will be finalised in the future. from the analysis of the participative experience with the linen ladies and the identification and translation of the components of spirituality through the thought of the referenced authors, it was possible to develop a preliminary proposal of this list, the ‘components’ of a spirituality 18 recreated for today, called 'spirituality to safeguard life'. this reinvented spirituality has four subnominations of spiritualities: political spirituality, spirituality of self-awareness, gaia spirituality and divine/sacred spirituality. the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life' are associated with peace of mind, joy, well-being, a sense of transcendence, the divine/the sacred, a sense of immanence, connection with the spiritual self and the intuition, a sense of unity and development of self-awareness. they are correlated to social justice, ecological awareness, human rights, political participation from communal feminism and matriarchy in defence of health, education, housing, land, diversity, autonomy, local, well-being, good living, relations and life. they are inspired by the cosmovisions of indigenous and afro-descendant communities from latin america and secular religiosity. they are related to care, affection, love and presence (in the essence of the present and the sense/the feeling). they are also linked to the relationality and radical interdependence between humans and non-humans as well as to the reiteration with the earth. the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life' are interconnected and occur as a web and a weave. they are interrelated with one another and are interdependent (figure 1). figure 1: web of the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life', created by the researchers. it is intended to dissect and integrate the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life' in the fieldwork with the other ‘quilombolas’ and afro-brazilian case studies from brazil that collaborate with the development of the phd research in design and identify further components in this field and integrate them into the more extensive inventory that is under way. we believe that it is essential to promote dialogue between design and spirituality, especially in contexts of humanitarian and civilisation crisis on a large scale, as in the current one with the covid-19 pandemic. it is essential to think of spirituality-oriented design and as a means to facilitate transformative systems that bring about socio-economic, environmental, cultural and human rights transformations. the design for 19 transitions based on principles of transformative social innovation is vital so that one can recover, flourish and continue life. the intention is to carry out the final design of the 'components of spirituality to safeguard life' based on the ancestral traditional knowledge of the ‘quilombolas’, afro-brazilian and family farming learning references from brazil and portugal. it is believed that these ‘components’ can support the development of a spiritually driven design management approach with lusophone reference, entitled 'integral design management'. it is planned to apply this approach in academic, business, governmental, nongovernmental and civil society environments. through its practice, it is intended to promote the implementation of 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(2022). an ecology of media, technology and design. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 17-30. 18 an ecology of media, technology and design umut tasaa ayildiz technical university, istanbul, 34220, turkey. utasa@yildiz.edu.tr abstract it is a mediated experience through designed artefacts, systems and environments that human beings relate to the earth. the already transformative effect of this mediated existence has accelerated sharply with digitalization. in this research, we take the dichotomies of nature/culture and human/environment and the consequent miscalibration between human intentions and ecological results as the root cause of the current ecology and mind crisis, and we approach the situation as a ‘design failure’. we intend holistically to propose a conceptual design guideline, as a contemplation tool to be able to ‘think like a mountain,’ which proposes a set of common principles that healthy ecosystems are supposed to carry. keywords: mediation, digital technologies, design, systems approach, ecology introduction: a deep and digital media ecology being human comes along with designing media, which in turn designs the way we relate to the world around us. human beings experience the world through mediation and mediated environments, be it language or technologies. this is also the source of the so-called nature/culture dichotomy. through this dualistic epistemology, nature is comprehended as a body of entities to control, manipulate, utilize and liberate from, and technologies mediate this externalization and transformation of nature into industrialized cities, artefacts and culture (stuart 2007, pp. 418-419). david abram invites us to an embodied understanding of the phenomenon: “today our relation to the enfolding earth is filtered through a dense panoply of technologies – from air conditioners that mask the heat, to electric lights that hide the night, from capsuled automobiles that hustle us hither and yon to earbuds and headsets whose self-enclosed sounds eclipse the layered silence of the land, blotting out the hum of bees and the whooshing wind whose voice swells and subsides into the belly of that silence.” (abram, 2010, p. 263) considering our mediated relation to the planet and the members of our species, what we see consequently is a world in ecological crisis. this is not only an environmental, but also a ‘mind’ crisis. it has almost been a century since bateson (2000) took his bold steps towards an understanding of ‘an ecology of mind’, bringing together ecology, anthropology, evolutionary studies, and cybernetics from a ‘systems’ perspective; yet the world seems to be getting further and further away from this vision. what is the role of mediation in this? pioneer ecologist eugene p. odum states that design practices affect the whole of human civilization in the hierarchy of society and environment, and ‘a holistic approach is necessary when dealing with complex systems such as human civilization’ (1997, p. 315). design, however, is a field that is inclined either to exert anthropocentric values or to follow the ‘value-free’ discourse of science and technology. considering the effect range of design practices and assuming that there is a mind and ecology crisis, we focus in this research on the design of mediated environments, the artefacts that mediate our every bit of experience from a normative ecological perspective. 19 every artefact that has come to be invented is an embodiment of technology. the change that technology brings is ecological and thus holistic, as it not only adds a new value to the system but also changes the whole relational structures of the body, mind, society and environment (postman, 1993, p. 18). although this fact encompasses even most ‘primitive’ tools, such as glasses or a cane, the process has accelerated sharply with the advent of digital technologies. over the last decades, digitalization seems to be overtaking life so much so that even most basic daily practices become embedded with them and gain this aspect of interactivity. as of today, we do know that “to design digital artefacts is to design people’s lives” (löwgren & stolterman, 2007, p. 1). these are meta-technologies or meta-media with the capability to change it all (lauria, 2001). the transformations that would take decades and even centuries after the invention of each technology now take place only in years. the boundaries between the body and artefacts have blurred, and digital media, which is ubiquitous and pervasive, has become more than extensions of man (mcluhan, 1962). apple designer jonathan ive, one of the most prominent designers of our age, however, declared during his knighthood ceremony that they ‘don't spend much time thinking about [their] impact’ on the modern world (the guardian, 2012). and this was an argument yet limited within the scope of the human world. in the world of computer technologies and interaction design, environmental impacts are mostly regarded separately from social/physiological/cognitive impacts of design. being one of the prominent causes of environmental crisis, the miscalibration between human intentions and ecological results is a design failure, and the solution is ‘better design’ (orr, 2002, 14). if a better design is the design that is calibrated to ecology, then we need to shift the mindset of designers so that they can think ecologically. the term ecology here refers both to environmental ecologies around planetary ecosystems and to the holistic and inter-related systematics that these ecosystems run. thus, it refers to the law, the logos of such systems from a systems theory perspective. as designers and scholars, we need tools to be utilized right at the design stage, so that we can foresee the vision of the future that our designs contribute to, from an ecological perspective. aldo leopold (1968, p. 129) proposes the statement ‘thinking like a mountain’ as a metaphor for the holistic thought process of ecological view. this research, accordingly, focusing on the strategies that planetary ecologies have brought up from an evolutionary perspective, aims to reveal the characteristics of a healthy (eco)system, be it in a mountain or cybernetics. a guideline will be presented with those characteristics as heuristics, as a tool for ‘thinking like a mountain’ in human terms, for designing interactive media and technologies and for a holistic contemplation of occupational ethics. background: ecological approaches to the design of digitally mediated environments ecological notions approach although the very roots of media technologies can be considered cybernetics, let alone ecological thinking, holistic systems thinking has been a rather recent approach in the design of digitally mediated environments. the earliest ecology-related concept that played a prominent role in the field was gibson’s ecological psychology, with the best-known and most common adoption being the concept of ‘affordances’ (norman, 1988). in the frameworks that have been proposed more recently, complex configurations of people, interactive systems and artefacts (with digital technologies embedded in them) surrounding the environment and practices and values of the people in that context are interpreted as ecology in themselves. some of the notions that these ecological perspectives propose are (1) product/device/artefact 20 ecologies, (2) information/interaction/service ecologies, (3) ubiquitous ambient ecologies and (4) personal/user ecologies. although we can see several technology or process-centered notions, these perspectives can be broadly addressed as either ‘artefact-centered’ or ‘user-centered’. these approaches take ecological notions metaphorically and out of the environmental context, and the common research question behind them is ‘how to adopt ecological notions in settings of human-artefact interactions’ (blevis et al., 2015; raptis et al., 2014). environmental design approach when we shift our focus from the artefacts, humans and their mediated environments to the environmental issues, earth ecologies and a broader selection of design fields, including architectural, industrial and urban design, we come across the fields of sustainability, environmental design, regenerative design and so forth. these eco-design notions, contrary to the previously mentioned ecological approaches, are either eco-centric or still anthropocentric, with the understanding of the human as a species that cannot survive if the planet fails. there is a huge literature and background with distinct perspectives behind these. some of the common and key concerns from our point of view are product life cycle, energy consumption, green materials and community. as for the design of digital and interactive mediated environments and new technologies, just recently a growing community has emerged with environmental concerns and an interest in environmental design. following the fields of environmental informatics or eco-informatics, the common research questions behind these are how to make interaction designers aware of environmental implications of their design decisions to contribute to designing more sustainable products, and/or how informatics can increase our preparedness for ‘future of scarcity’ scenarios (blevis et al., 2015; raptis et al., 2014). bringing together two approaches in this research, we are interested in the world vision, the mindset that our designs contribute. our research question is how an interactive media design product could behave as (part of) a healthy ecosystem itself. our approach is neither human nor artefact-centered; we hold the planet-wise concerns of the eco-design approach. mediated environments are situated on the planet not only physically but also as a part of the interaction network. what kind of interaction, experience and attitude a design artefact or system asks from a user-human is quite interrelated with the behavioral and even spiritual patterns that are exhibited by the user-human as they interact with another species of the planet. ‘an interaction designer takes part in creating a dynamic gestalt’, argue löwgren and stolterman (2007, p. viii), comparing interaction design with performing arts rather than architecture and industrial design. ecology is about relations. our designs not only contribute to the material cycles like product life, energy, waste and feed cycles of the earth, but also behavioral, relational, perceptual and spiritual cycles and transactions in between all. thus, we intend to propose another eco-design guideline for designers, yet focusing on not the materialized discussions but the minds, and along with it we also intend to transfer ecological notions into the design context, yet without losing the ‘earthly’ context of ecology itself. guideline: a humble step to an ecology of a mountain’s mind “…i picked up a vague mystical feeling that we must look for the same sort of processes in all fields of natural phenomena – that we might expect to find the same sort of laws at work in the structure 21 of a crystal as in the structure of society, or that the segmentation of an earthworm might be comparable to the processes by which basalt pillars are formed.” (bateson, 2000, p. 74) to take this step, as an attempt to unearth the thinking patterns of a mountain, we delved into a list of distinct but inter-related fields of nature, poetry, science, philosophy, politics, design and media, all of which have an environmental/ecological stake. we analyzed the proposed ‘solution patterns’ and came up with a conceptual model that first categorizes and then unites all solutions as the requisite principles of a healthy system. in the following section, we summarize our guideline, which consists of six concepts. these can be elaborated as both guiding principles for designing and criteria for evaluating design. each concept has three defining parameters to be used as a list of heuristics. the parameters are presented in the final paragraph of each concept and figure 1. we invite the readers to contemplate these six concepts, the relational structure they constitute and the vision they paint overall. we suggest a simplified visual representation of our principles, their mottos and parameters as in figure 1 to accompany the discussion below. image 1: ecological principles for design. patterns: find and utilize them natural forms, structures, processes, behaviors and interactions are all woven by repetitive patterns and strategies. these prominent patterns speak in mathematics, geometry and rhythm. cycles and spirals are 22 among the most common patterns from plant structures to the activity patterns of animals, a hawk skydiving into its prey for instance, from storms to oceans, from galaxies to nature’s time of seasons. rhythm in terms of self-similarity or modular repetitions are also among the ‘the patterns which connect’ all living beings from a crystal to society (bateson, 2000). fractals (as in tress, mushroom, broccoli etc.) are a specific implementation of this pattern. the mountain asks the designer to begin by asking and observing how nature would solve this. the reason nature displays similar patterns as strategies and why local and traditional cultures have utilized patterns so much in their art and culture, is because ‘these are the ones that have proved successful’ over millions of years of evolution (orr, 2002, p. 38). artificial modern systems, on the other hand, which are mostly linear and hierarchical, represent an unsustainable world vision that is bound to end (orr, 2002, p. 162). what if the first iteration of the macintosh had shipped, lanier asks (2010, p. 13), in which the whole computer experience was designed on a completely contrary metaphor of a singular structure without a hierarchical file/folder system? when we go with nature, not against it, we then realize there is indeed no problem in nature, but only knowledge and solutions. a taproot weed in barren land may not be a problem to be solved by using force and removing it. information about the argillaceous soil whispers the solution that one should first heal the soil, otherwise one can only grow taproot plants here. to integrate the ‘patterns which connect’ in your design, get equipped with the proven wisdom of nature, by tracking the flows in natural processes and relational transactions. specifically, be aware of and utilize cycles, and let your design beat it by rhythms through repetitions and self-similarities. inter-connectedness: connect, complement and integrate the inter-relatedness of all and unity as such is the first principle of ecology. in cybernetics, as in biology and ecology, holistic systems are woven not by singular entities (nodes) but by the relations and interactions (edges) in between them (bateson, 2000, p. 316). how we see the world changes how we relate to it. local and indigenous cultures perceive the world as a network of relations where every living or non-living being is related to each other in a reciprocal responsibility (orr, 2002, p. 10). a summary of this principle is mitákuye oyás’iŋ, the sacred phrase of the indigenous lakota people of north america, which is translated to ‘all my relations’ or ‘all are related’. a law execution practice that embodies this principle, as narrated by the cultural anthropologist michael wesch (2010), is a practice by a remote indigenous culture in the rainforest of papua new guinea, in which ‘the relationships’ are brought to the court instead of individuals, with the intent to restore the relations, not to punish individuals. this indeed is an approach in harmony with ecology, for the unit of survival is not the species in a bloody competition but the common habitat in which species are interdependent with each other (odum, 1997, p. 200; bateson, 2000, p. 332). the predator, for instance, by hunting the old, the sick and the weak, controls the population of the prey animal, prevents over-grazing and maintains the health of the herd. this is part of the knowledge that aldo leopold (1968, p. 129) had read in the eyes of the wolf he killed, part of the wisdom that only those who think like a mountain can hold (odum, 1997, p. 193). the mountain knows that the human is not in the environment but a part of its relational total-field (naess, 1973, p. 95). 23 a permaculture designer does not settle with the observation of individual entities. in accord with gestalt’s ‘the whole is more than the sum of its parts’ principle, the relations are observed and designed, as in the case of building a coop so that it could also provide heating for the house or planting unions of different vegetables that complement each other’s mineral or water necessities (mollison, 1994, p. 5). the mountain has witnessed that anything is hitched to everything else in the universe (muir, 1997, p. 91). the ecological design begins with the realization of the ubiquitous inter-connectedness around us. in your designs, implement a network of wholeness where parts do not compete but cooperate for integration over fragmentation and for harmony over hegemony (lyle, 1996, p. 39; orr, 2002, p. 29). polyculture: embrace multiplicity and creativity at the margins contrary to the evolutionary procedure that requires the organism to regulate itself according to the environment, human beings organize their environment and create monoculture ecosystems. the disappearance of almost all non-human species in urban environments, fields that grow only one type of crop, bacteria cultures and mice colonies in laboratories and many other monoculture investments are all driven by technological progress. these domestic species, however — controversially argued to include modern humans, too — are not suitable for evolutionary survival (bateson, 2000, pp. 446-453; orr, 2002, pp. 114-115; shiva, 1993). city culture recalls diversity. however, when this diversity is distributed and diffused into the city texture without context, it homogenizes, as in the case ‘when many colors are mixed, in many tiny, scrambled bits and pieces, [and] the overall effect is grey’ (alexander et al., 1977, pp. 42-50). to prevent this homogenization, alexander et al. propose a mosaic distribution with many local centers of sub-cultures (1977, pp. 42-50). as well as preventing assimilation, this is necessary also for the edge-effect to take place, like in a coral reef where two distinct existences intersect, and hallmark ecology emerges out of this synergy (mollison, 1994, pp. 28). large margins for transitions, frontiers and interfaces increase resilience. as for media and technology, one of the two remarkable aspects is the dominance of seeing and visuality in sensory perception. human beings have lost their primitively more inclusive olfactory, auditory, and tactile sensual capabilities mostly to the eye, which, by creating subject/object dichotomy, has externalized the experience of the world (mcluhan, 1962, pp. 28-29). monotechnic is the other underlined problem as in the case of the medium of the car, which does not leave space for other types of transportation, or in the case of smartphones, which, by bringing them together in it, has assimilated many other ‘old’ media (mumford, 1993, pp. 235-239). the mountain is plural. from steep sides to vast highlands, from barren canyons to fertile valleys, from hidden caves to sharp peaks, from meadows to trees and from wolves to bees, the mountain contains so many. for polyculture, aim for diversity in every area from technology to sensual perception, a mosaic of heterogeneous distribution of these varieties and an emphasis on the edge-effect in between. context: internalize your own space and time in cybernetics, the fact that the relation of every node to the larger systems around it is different from the relation of other nodes to the same system, is context (bateson, 2000, pp. 332). a letter in a word, a word in a sentence, a sentence in a text and all other content is meaningful only in a context and ‘context is the precursor to communication’ (bateson, 2000, pp. 408). 24 time and space are two variables of context and, ecologically speaking, every situation or transaction is bound to its own time and space. the biological and social rhythms of beings that think like a mountain are integrated with the cyclic clocks of nature. their time ticks simultaneously with their heartbeats, and their space is the muddy land underneath their feet. both are hardwired in and cannot be comprehended separately from their momentary experience. for local communities, the land is not a commodity but an entity that embodies the souls and the memories of their ancestors, the past and the future of their children, their identity and culture (alexander, 1977, p. 37; orr, 2002, p. 11;). whereas the ethical, political and economic protocols of locality inherently limit and prohibit the damage that a community can cause to their ecosystems, remoteness opens up the way to ‘tyranny’ (odum, 1997, p. 303; orr, 2002). the modern human, on the other hand, perceives time and space as external, linear and quantified concepts and abstracts them through maps, clocks and calendars. from ambient to mobile, contextdependent design in smart systems has been a concept on the rise. with the advent of sensory, biofeedback and location-aware technologies, the spatial, temporal, physiological and/or environmental situation of a user can be tracked very easily. yet, this abstracted and information-processed context paradoxically separates people from the real time and space they inhabit, when the user experiences a place as ‘mere coordinates’, rather than a ‘meaningful existential locale’ (vollrath, 2016). ‘the map is not the territory’, and it can only represent reduced and quantified information about the land, which is why our relationship with the map vs the land must have different ethics (bateson, 2000, p. 408; mollison, 1994, p. 34). in what time does a transaction occur between a human organism that is based on continuous sensorymotor and cognitive processes that have to be synchronized precisely in time and a computer that is based on discrete, asynchronous and timeless events (lanier, 2010, pp. 11-12; varela et al., 1993; lakoff & johnson, 1999)? the remedy to moral, behavioral and economic failures of information technologies may be in the fact that in nature every creative process including evolution is bound to the local context (lanier, 2010, p. 138) and to spatiality and temporality in unity with momentary experience. design for real people in their real context and consider their unique ‘season’ that abounds in the physiological cycles and rhythms of both themselves and the earth and their own ‘place’ in the environment that they are situated in and out. quality, less is more, and you know it defining intrinsic qualities such as intelligence or excellence of phenomena through quantities has been in favor since the dawn of modernity. this has led to the perception that the value or goodness of phenomena increases by numbers. development, progress and acceleration (the more, the faster, the better) have been economic and political reflections of this paradigm shift. however, on a planet with finite resources, no phenomenon can grow infinitely without damaging its environment. and quantities are not proper tools to define organisms and their interactions in ecological, biological or cybernetic systems. form-wise, relational and pattern-wise qualities are prior; ‘sometimes small is beautiful,’ and both biological and social systems have optimum ranges (bateson, 1979). small scale and locality bring virtue by limiting the scale of the damage that humans can do. for instance, not only human beings but also other organisms and processes in nature release toxins. the latter do this, 25 however, in very small numbers and in a closed-circuit system, which is why theirs are ignorable as opposed to the human-driven toxic waste problem. technologies both connect and alienate by scaling up time and space. the automobile, which promised to bring people closer, has wiped the human scale out of urban design by scaling them up in metal bubbles and alienated them from each other, the city texture and the land. high-rise buildings, similarly, have separated habitats from hearing, smelling, experiencing and participating in the street life below (alexander et al., 1977; mumford, 1993, pp. 235-239). as for information technologies, from wisdom to knowledge, to information and to data, the rise of the communication age has freed information from spatial and temporal contexts that are bounded by the human scale. we are exposed daily to a flood of information of which speed is before its content. and its waters are shallow because information under-represents reality (lanier, 2010, p. 132). another bell rings for the myth of crowd wisdom, that enough quantity will turn into quality, and its duality that trolling and intended harm to others are on the rise. if ‘[q]uality is the response of an organism to its environment’ (pirsig, 2000, p. 254), what kind of a response these high-speed new media environments trigger in us is a game-changer. the ‘bigness’ of a mountain comes from its age-old time. indeed, it is so slow that it is as small as its time permits. time and space are abundant in quality and wisdom. even modernists have come to know multum in parvo as ‘less is more’ when it comes to design solutions. carry this motto to a broader context, as sometimes small is beautiful, slow solutions are the resilient ones, and only low-definition channels can convey wisdom. autonomy: self-sufficiency is freedom, be free and free others generated from auto, i.e. ‘self’ and nomos, i.e. ‘law’ in ancient greek, the simplest definition of autonomy is self-governance, which requires decentralization and horizontal reorganization of once unilateral and external power structures. the distribution of control, power, wealth and knowledge is inherent in ecological organizations like local cultures, and in cybernetics no component can exert unilateral power on others as a built-in rule (bateson, 2000, p. 315; lyle, 1996; orr, 2002, pp. 114-115). the natural or cultivated sustenance of all autonomous systems depends on an internal organization of interconnected input and output variables in balance, so as not to become toxic by exceeding threshold values. complex cybernetic systems are homeostatic, i.e. self-corrective through ‘governing loops’ that not only constantly check and keep the variables in between optimum threshold values, but also dynamically prevent habits from occurring due to a variable getting stuck in a static value and becoming hard-programmed (bateson, 2000, p. 511; bateson, 1979, pp. 26-73). the control mechanisms and limits that are intrinsic in small-scale and local systems may have to be introduced specifically in digital systems. in design, limits do not restrict; on the contrary, we need them as they free us (orr, 2002, p. 122). another parameter that increases autonomy is redundancy, which requires every component to have a backup in the system. in permaculture this is formularized in two ways; (1) each element has as many functions as possible, (2) each function is supported by as many elements as possible (mollison, 1994, p. 6). autonomous systems and beings are instantaneous like the sun and do not ‘steal’ from the future. they limit transactions with the environment, and non-renewable resources are only consumed for evolutionary transformations ‘as a chrysalis in metamorphosis must live on its fat’ (bateson, 2000, p. 504). 26 from distributed and decentralized organizations to self-governing loops, these mechanisms are most possible and efficient in a closed-circuit system. because ‘[o]nly the autonomous can plan autonomy, organize for it, create it’ (bey, 1991, p. 102), be like a mountain, as there is no better matching metaphor for autonomy but the mountain. how to use this guideline despite carrying the same ‘patterns which connect’, in nature there are various strategies for incorporating them. it is the same with this guideline. the strategies and methods that would work best depend on the context of the (design) problem. this multiplicity of strategies is supposed to be a polyculture. due to its qualitative nature, we cannot present an objective and fast-proven generic method. that is why we propose ‘contemplation’ as the first method to consider. pattern observance and use of natural patterns in forms, structures and problem solving methods. context socio-cultural, historical or ecological context. tempo-spatial awareness and locality. cycles non-linear, circular, spiral patterns. spatiality intrinsic spatiality, place bound experience. rhythm self-similar, rhythmic, fractal structures. temporality cyclic time (age, season, etc.) intrinsic to experience. solutions long-term and eco-mimetic solutions. locality ecological context and local belonging. polyculture support variety, multiplicity and encounters. quality quality over quantity, small, slow and wise solutions. diversity diversity of languages, media, and culture. small scale smaller and human scale. mosaic non-uniform and heterogeneous distribution of polyculture. slow solutions slower solutions. sensory all-sensory awareness rather than dominance of visuality. low-definition low-definition and contextual information flow. edge effect stress on marginal, edge areas where encounters occur. wisdom consideration of higher systems, wisdom over data. inter-connectedness holistic approach and focus on the relationships between the parts. autonomy self-governing closed systems with distributed/decentralized power structures network weaving relations between system nodes/subjects. decentralization horizontal and decentralized organization of control and power complementation stress on not competitive but complementary relations. self-governance self-regulating control and limit mechanisms. wholeness ‘the whole is more than the sum of its parts’. closed-circuit a closed-circuit systematization of product / service life cycle. table 1: quick reference card for principles as design heuristics. the concepts are presented one by one due to format issues; however, there is no linearity among them. each one is an autonomous and self-proclaimed characteristic, yet also a part of the guideline as an interconnected network. as an example of this relational structure, observe in figure 2 that there is a balance of ‘singularity vs. plurality’ in the system maintained by two relations. the first is the ‘dependency/inter-dependency balance 27 between interconnectedness and autonomy, and the second is the ‘multiplicity/essentiality’ balance between polyculture and quality. we chose to begin with patterns and cycles and end with autonomy and its cyclic closed circuits so that we could turn back to our starting point and close this cycle. patterns are the beginning of all and context is our base. figure 2: a relational reflection on principles. conclusion, many ecologies “single and free like a tree, and in fraternity-like a forest” (ran, 1966) according to abram, ‘the glimmering stars of the night sky appeared much closer before the invention of the telescope (2010, p. 154). yet, is the telescope to blame? it is a fact that an ever-expanding complex of technology is mediating between our bodies and the earth. contrary to indigenous people who talked ‘to’ the earth, in our mediated world we talk ‘about’ it from a distanced, hygienic and synthetic comfort zone (abram, 2010, p. 188). with the advent of digitalization, which imposes its interaction networks, the 28 interfaces between our bodies and the earth have become pervasively ubiquitous. however, a purist ‘anti-technology’ stance in eco-philosophers ‘seeks to unravel the traditional dualism between nature and society, may contrarily be serving to strengthen this dualistic epistemology’ (stuart, 2007, p. 422). pessimism in the face of media and technologies has roots in overall disappointment with humanity and modernization, beyond media and design. according to horkheimer and adorno (2002), the only thing that man tries to learn from nature is how to use techne to dominate nature and other men. according to the mainstream evolutionary theory as depicted in the dawn of man scene in 2001: a space odyssey (kubrick, 1968), indeed it is. violence and dominion were the first actions of the primate beings that awakened to the use of a tool: a bone as a weapon. yet, a weapon is not always a ‘weapon’; sometimes it is language. depending on the point of view, the telescope does make the glimmering stars much closer to some. depending on how it is designed, in the heideggerian sense, it can reveal a hidden truth like the poiesis of a seed sprouting or a poem being written. the watermill brings forth the flow of the river and utilizes its energy without ever manipulating its course and intensity, contrary to the hydroelectric power plant, which changes the ontology of the river such that the river may stop being a river (heidegger, 1977). as another instance, let us consider the horse. ‘if the horse is your primary mode of transportation, there are some things that you cannot do’ (orr, 2002, pp. 5-6). you cannot farm more than you need, for instance, you cannot desire to take over your neighbour’s land, you cannot blow up a building and escape, you cannot escape the time and space of your land (orr, 2002, pp. 5-6). because the horse limits the size, the speed and the power you can have and control, you have to become an active observer and part of the time and processes of your land. yet the horse is not a human tool but a living being that knows how to think like a mountain. what we need in the bottom line is a design that metaphorically behaves like a horse, as in the case of the watermill or the telescope. each is a perfect example to meet our guiding ecological principles of patterns, interconnectedness, polyculture, context, quality and autonomy. the purpose of this research was to seek an ecological approach for designing interactive media and technologies that contribute not to the cause but the relief of the current mind and ecology crisis. in the guideline we propose, we seek answers that come from ‘the patterns which connect’ and which might naturally answer the problems of much other design and life-related fields. although ‘blue mountains are constantly walking’ among us, they can still be hard to climb (snyder, 2010, pp. 110-111). if we have the telescope or some other poetic media, however, we may get closer to the glimmering stars. acknowledgements i would like to thank özge sevindir and my students for their voluntary 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(2010). learning in new media environments [video]. tedxnyed conference. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwycatynyhw. https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. innovating with social justice: anti-oppressive social work design framework aakanksha sinha published online: november 2020 to cite this article: sinha, a. (2020). innovating with social justice: anti-oppressive social work design framework. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 65-77. 66 innovating with social justice: anti-oppressive social work design framework aakanksha sinhaa adepartment of social work, seattle university, usa. sinhaaa@seattleu.edu abstract the world is experiencing myriad social, economic and political challenges that have exasperated inequities across communities. while there have been significant efforts to respond to the challenges, dwindling funds, hierarchical organizational structures, and an over-reliance on traditional methodologies have impacted the ability to create systemic changes. these limitations have paved the way for social innovation to create novel ideas to address social issues. innovation has predominantly come from the field of business, engineering, design and public policy. surprisingly, social work, with a professional mandate of advocating for social change and uplifting the voices of communities has made limited contributions to the field of social innovation. this paper introduces anti-oppressive social work design (aoswd) framework, which integrates the principles of anti-oppressive social work practice and a design method, humancentred design (hcd). it explains how social workers can use aoswd to develop collaborative power through empathy-building, co-creation and integrated feedback. through the establishment of collaborative power, it explains how the role of hcd can be expanded from an approach to develop userfriendly programs, to a tool for social workers to create a change in thinking in how they view and tackle complex issues. a case example of its implementation in a non-profit organization in seattle, wa has been provided. the paper has implications for social service professionals in the areas of training, organizational design, research and evaluation. keywords: social innovation, human-centred design, social justice, social work, anti-oppressive practice, design thinking background the 21st century has witnessed a myriad social, economic and political challenges that have exasperated the inequities across the world. while governments, corporations, social service organizations, and grassroots movements have been responding to the challenges, dwindling funds, hierarchical organizational structures, and an over-reliance on traditional methodologies have impacted the ability to create systemic changes. these limitations have paved the way for social innovation to create novel ideas and processes that address social issues and improve the quality of human life at the micro and macro levels (pol & ville, 2009). predominantly, the professions of business, engineering, design and public policy have been instrumental in leading the efforts related to social innovation (brock & steiner, 2009; mirabella & young, 2012). as a result, the innovations to challenge societal issues have been influenced by their professional values, skillsets as well as goals. despite a rich history of responding to complex social problems through innovative practices, social work has made limited contributions to the field of social innovation. over the years, the practice of social work has transformed into a medium to deliver individualized services to ensure the well-being of individuals, families and communities rather than confronting social inequities (clifford & burke, 2009). additionally, social work practice overwhelmingly emphasizes the use of evidence-based practices and authority-based models as primary solution mechanisms within the profession. these models are developed with 67 assumptions of a linear path from problem definition to an analysis of options and development of solutions for the client. however, this process is contradictory to the realities of the environment in which social workers and their clients operate, which are often ill-structured and complex. although the traditional and dominant methods gave have aimed to support communities that are marginalized, they have often left them disempowered, and unable to break away from the cycle of oppression and inequities. with the increased acknowledgement of the role of systemic inequities as a determinant of sustained positive social change, social workers across the world have been working towards developing and incorporating new ways of approaching existing problems. anti-oppressive practice (aop) framework has been one of the ways that the social work profession has been actively integrating social justice concepts within the practice, policy and research realms. dominelli (1994; 1996) has defined aop as a framework that addresses the role of social and structural inequities in the problems faced by clients and the solutions developed to address them. this shifts the focus from individualizing problems towards addressing the deep-rooted structural factors. aop embodies a person-centred philosophy; an egalitarian value system concerned with reducing the deleterious effects of structural inequalities upon people’s lives; a methodology focusing on both processes and outcomes; and a way of structuring relationships between individuals that aims to empower users by reducing negative effects of structural hierarchies on their interaction and the work that they do together (dominelli, 1994, p. 3). while many social workers support this approach to incorporate social justice values, there is limited evidence of how it can be tangibly used within their day to day practice. the framework of aop closely aligns with the values of human-centred design (hcd) which is a design and management framework that uses analytic and creative processes to engage people in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback and redesign (razzouk & shute, 2012). design thinking gives prime importance to the inclusion of citizens or end-users to define the problem, and develop solutions. specifically, it emphasizes the need to work collaboratively and iteratively to ensure that all stakeholders can work together to bridge gaps in each-others learnings and create client-focused solutions (mintrom & luetjens, 2016). the origins of hcd can be traced back to the works of innovative architects, and designers in the early 20th century. herbert a. simon and buckminster fuller were instrumental in introducing the idea of centring the experiences and challenges of service users when developing products and services. simon (1969) in his pioneering work “the sciences of artificial”, emphasized the need for all professions to learn how to iterate, test and incrementally improve design to best meet the needs of the clients as well as experience the world more richly. horst and webber (1973) in their work “dilemmas in a general theory of planning” for the first time introduced the idea of design thinking as a tool to understand and solve social problems. they suggested that the solutions for social problems lie in the use of hcd framework that emphasizes on developing deep empathy with the clients and their context. this not only helps to better define the problem itself but also opens the possibility of finding solutions that are more effective, sustainable and aligns with the needs of the people being impacted. in recent decades, hcd has gained significant momentum in developing creative solutions that focus on a diverse set of social issues through various global and national organizations. for example, ideo, a global design company was one of the first organizations that used hcd to tackle social issues that impacted communities at large. they have created myriad tools and processes that have focused on the importance of client voices in the development of solutions. till date, they have leveraged this model to create clientcentred solutions in areas such as waste, emergency disasters, literacy, and health amongst others (ideo, 2020). united nations children’s fund (unicef), has established an office of innovation that systematically 68 integrates hcd principles in all aspects of country-level work that is done by unicef staff, and grassroots workers. this includes situational analysis, development of insights that inform country programs, designing of inclusive and scalable models across various sectors, and participatory evaluation of the progress of country-level programs (unicef, 2016). this has helped unicef to develop country and community-specific child-centred programming to tackle problems such as malnutrition, illiteracy, pregnancy-related complications, amongst others (malan & newberry, 2019). while this framework has helped larger organizations, it remains largely untapped by local organizations, and social movements that are accountable for responding to individual and community level needs regularly. this can be attributed to being inundated by large caseloads, and limited financial and human resources, social workers are often unable to have the capacity to think innovatively. by having a structured way to enable social innovation and entrepreneurship within their organizational settings, social workers can build on social capital, knowledge and experience of existing organizations as well as leverage the resources within the community. additionally, they can also use these frameworks for efforts that take place outside formal organizations, such as grassroots movements, community advocacy etc. this paper introduces social workers to the anti-oppressive social work design (aoswd) framework, which integrates the values of aop within the three phases of hcd (inspiration, ideation and implementation), and provides an alternative lens that can inform how social workers view and tackle complex social issues. anti-oppressive social work design framework (aoswd) till date, the hcd framework has predominantly been used to create solutions that are focused on efficacy related to aesthetics, composition, usability and other technicalities (buchanan, 2001). the term “humancentred” has therefore been defined to centre clients in the design process to ensure that the programs developed can be easily adapted by the target communities. however, upon using an aop lens, one can interpret “human-centred” to advance human rights and dignity. by doing so, social workers can use hcd to evaluate how the services developed are positively or negatively impacting the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of people that they are designed for. the aoswd framework by integrating aop and hcd approach empowers social workers to explore ways to pave the way for socially-just innovation. here the focus is not only to create user-friendly programs but also dismantling oppressive systems that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. additionally, it contributes towards berzin and pitt-catsouphes (2014) efforts to expand the concept of social innovation to focus on the social justice element within outcomes. it also recognizes that social innovation can take place in multiple ways, including entrepreneurial efforts by individuals, organizational change through intrapreneurship as well as a combination of the two through partnerships between organizations and communities (berzin & pitts-catsouphes, 2014; berzin & camarena, 2018). specifically, the aoswd framework embeds values of critical self-reflection, understanding the socio-cultural political and economic context, and establishing trusting relationships within the three hcd phases of inspiration, ideation and implementation. by doing so, it provides social workers with a way to use their professional values and existent skills to innovate by transforming the way we examine problems, the structure of organizations within which social workers function, and programs that have an objective to uplift the rights and dignity of our clients. 69 figure 1: anti-oppressive social work design framework. figure 1 displays the aoswd framework. this framework operates within the larger hcd process, which includes the 3 phases of inspiration (data gathering), ideation (solution development) and implementation (solution execution). the first phase, inspiration, is primarily focused on developing deep empathy with the clients. the second phase, ideation, is aimed to consolidate and analyse the information gathered from clients, and develop a range of potential solutions for the identified challenge. the third phase, implementation, focuses on two aspects, that is, execution of the prototypes and evaluating their effectiveness. in this phase, a few high-fidelity solutions are implemented cost-effectively and rapidly. also, feedback from all stakeholders is gathered to evaluate the efficacy of the various prototypes. each of these phases is bi-directional and interconnected, thus indicating the fluidity and dynamic nature of hcd framework. additionally, both ideation and implementation phases are mediated through inspiration, thus emphasizing the importance of centring the voices of the clients, and the consistent integration of their experiences in the design process. the aoswd framework hypothesizes that the hcd process can only be an effective way to innovate within the social work profession if collaborative power between the service providers and clients is established in all three phases. collaborative power can be defined as a collective action and mutual support that is developed out of a shared understanding of the reality in which we operate (pinderhughes, 2017). this departs from the predominant way in which power is often understood and used in social service agencies, especially when working with marginalized communities. pinderhughes (2017) highlights that power is commonly defined as having enough control over forces affecting life to meet individual and group needs, secure necessary resources, and bring desired goals. in the social service arena, this power is often used to exert authority and make decisions on behalf of the clients. providers often use top-down measures to protect and provide for communities they serve, thus excluding them from actively participating in their change process. fitzsimons and fuller (2002), pinderhughes (2017), romney (2005), and tew (2006) have emphasized that building power with clients, allows a shift in entrenched identities of the service provider as the controller of resources and the client as the passive recipient. it, therefore, opens opportunities for all participants to be included in the process of social change. the aoswd framework indicates that to 70 build collaborative power between the client and service provider, the process of social change has to include (i) understanding of the socio-political, cultural and economic context of the client, (ii) ability of the social worker to critically self-reflect and (iii) developing trusting relationships between the client and social worker (figure 1). within the hcd framework, this collaborative power between social workers and clients can be established through (i) empathy building at the inspiration phase, (ii) co-creation at the ideation phase and (iii) integrating feedback at the implementation phase. phase 1 inspiration: empathy building “empathy-building” in the aoswd framework is a process imperative to develop deep relationships between the client and service provider, and a way to assess the systematic marginalization of communities that social workers serve (bennett & rosner, 2019; morgaine & capous-desyllus, 2015). typically, empathy can be defined to understand and respond to the emotional state and ideas of another person (barker, 2003). however, within the context of aoswd, empathy-building entails a detailed understanding of not only the individual but also the structural inequities faced by them. according to segal (2011) and berzin and pitt-catsouphes (2014), by understanding the complex social conditions and experiences of others, it promotes innovation that challenges poverty, discrimination and inequity. within this phase, empathy can be developed during (i) rapport building process with the clients, (ii) exploration of client challenges, and (iii) assessment of systemic causes of the identified challenges. the empathy-building process will foster deep relationships between the social worker and client, thus paving the way for collaborative innovation to create social change. cultivating empathy will require social workers to engage in critical self-reflection, and use assessment measures that shift the focus from individual blame to structural inequities. by integrating reflexivity, social workers are less likely to impose their biases and assumptions on the clients. this, in turn, improves their skills to understand client’s experiences and to contextualize it within the socio-political, cultural and economic environment within which the individual, family or community operates. phase 2 ideation: co-creation co-creation within the aoswd framework refers to the process of developing services and programs by dismantling the hierarchical power dynamics between the service provider and clients. this process embraces the values of social workers as being embedded in the community and dedicated to bringing change through the involvement of various stakeholders rather than in an isolated fashion. additionally, it recognizes that to create an effective solution that applies to the target community, the process of program design has to be inclusive of their views right from the time of conceptualization of the problem to the implementation of the solution. this is different from the widely used ebp model, which has been lauded as the gold standard for effective programs, but at the same time has been critiqued for its lack of effectiveness in marginalized communities (sinha et al, 2020). one of the major limitations of the ebp model is that while marginalized communities are included in the feasibility tests, they are often excluded in the conceptualization of the program or intervention, and are therefore not designed to address their unique challenges. martinez et al. (2010) have suggested that for ebp to be effective in a minority or marginalized communities, the knowledge and experiences of community members should be included when designing interventions. the co-creation process through systematic integration of voices of the community departs from the focus on social workers as controllers of resources, and decision-makers on behalf of the clients. it provides clients and social workers a platform to collaborate and develop ideas that contribute to a common mission of social change (sinha, 2020). this not only reduces distrust regarding the social workers and social service 71 agencies but also leads to an increased buy-in from clients to advocate for change for themselves as well as their community. phase 3 implementation: integration of feedback integration of feedback from clients in the aoswd framework is imperative to develop programs that target the complex and dynamic realities of marginalized communities. in most social service settings, the feedback from clients is gathered to evaluate the effectiveness of a program after it has been fully implemented. this method of gathering feedback assumes that the social programs operate in a static environment, and cannot be iterated to meet the changing needs of the clients. additionally, the feedback has been viewed to determine whether a program should be continued or not, rather than assessing how it can be improved to make it more responsive to the needs of the clients (hasenfeld, et al.,2004). the integration of feedback within the aoswd framework, recognizes the dynamic social, political and economic context in which the social workers and their clients operate. it highlights that to create effective programs, there is a need to systematically integrate continuous feedback of clients so that the programs can align with their changing needs and realities. in addition to this, the aoswd framework within the inspiration phase highlights an essential ethical principle of social work, which is to respect the inherent dignity and value of the clients (nasw, 1996). by acknowledging, and incorporating the feedback of the clients as a method to improve services, the social workers and agencies take a step forward to value them as equal partners in the process of social change. the collaborative power in this phase will therefore enable social workers to test the novel ideas, critically assess their effectiveness and iterate programs to align with the complex nature of client realities. the next section provides an example of how aoswd framework was used to develop a community social council, aimed at empowering the voices of residents living in affordable housing units managed by community roots housing (crh) in seattle, wa. aoswd in practice: a case of community roots housing community roots housing is a corporation established in 1976 that owns and manages 48 properties throughout the seattle area (community roots housing, 2020). it currently provides safe and affordable housing to more than 2000 residents from a variety of income levels. the residents include individuals and, families who are transitioning from homelessness, single parents and their children, seniors with limited incomes, and recent immigrants. as a public development authority (pda) and community development corporation (cdc), it is committed to providing programs, services and activities to promote and support community engagement. this service is carried out by the resident services program unit within the organization. to ensure that the services are better aligned with the needs of the residents, a redesign process to develop a community-informed residential services program was conducted. the objective of this process to develop a framework to integrate client voice throughout the process of program design, development and implementation. thus, improving community roots housing’s ability to clearly define the needs clients, and create nuanced solutions that integrate the values of dignity, autonomy, equality and solidarity (mintrom & luietjens, 2016; sarmiento-pelayo, 2015). methods the redesign process utilized the aosdw framework to create deep empathy between the community roots housing staff and the residents, with an ultimate objective of creating a community-informed 72 resident services program. to inform this process, a mixed-methods needs assessment was conducted to gather information regarding their living conditions, challenges and strengths. to gather quantitative data, a survey was sent to residents in all 46 buildings managed by community roots housing. the survey was completed by 373 residents and provided information on (i) demographics, (ii) assessment of the current housing, (iii) assessment of basic needs, (iv) and community residential engagement needs. in addition to this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 residents to gather information about residents’ beliefs regarding their wellbeing, living situation, and community engagement. the information gathered increased the understanding of the lived experiences of the residents, which was an imperative step in the empathy-building stage. the research yielded significant insights about the prioritization of needs, barriers in the utilization of resources offered, the importance of community trust and gaps in understanding between service providers and clients. to ensure that the information was systematically integrated into the co-creation process, the research results were used to develop “personas” (figure 2). three personas of residents were developed to highlight the key opportunities and challenges that emerged from the results. in addition to this, a word cloud was also developed to communicate the prioritized needs and challenges of the residents. both tools were used to ensure that the participants in the co-creating process had a holistic understanding of the context of the challenges and strengths of the clients. figure 2: community roots housing resident persona. co-creation process the design team consisted of 14 participants: 5 resident services program staff, 1 research assistant, 1 facilitator, and 7 resident representatives from 5 distinct buildings. they engaged in two 5-hour design sessions to review the needs assessment results and, personas which were direct reflections of the challenges and successes of many residents. the empathy-building phase was therefore focused on discovering the underlying systemic issues within the research results. this helped all participants gain a mutual understanding of the social, political, economic and cultural context in which the residents and community roots housing function. it also prompted the staff to critically reflect on their biases regarding w hat dasha needs for her wellbeing. some of the things that dasha believed were crucial to her wellbeing particularly related to her living situation included: 1. feeling of safety 2. better cleanliness of laundry and common areas 3. sense of belonging/ community 4. safe play area for her child how does she feel crh can support her. dasha has a lot going on in her life and feels like she cannot commit to building a community, unless her basic needs are taken care of. she is not particularly interested in events, because she usually has long days and then is taking care of her child. she is thankful for her housing situation, but would like to have a cleaner and safer environment for herself and her child. as a new resident she believes it would be great to know what is going on in the building, and how residents can use their own skills/ strengths to support each other. meet dasha dasha’s experience living in a crh managed building dasha moved to a crh managed building a year ago. she was happy to move to a place that was more spacious and was conveniently located. she says “its not fancy but at least its close to where i work, where i study and its easier to get places with my kid”. dasha indicates that her overall experience has been very positive, however is is never able to meet any one in person because she works or has to be in school during the day. if there was a way to get more “face to face” time it would be helpful, than to send emails and have no personal connection. dasha would love to have more supports available to her and her child. she did not think that was the role of the management property, and was pleasantly surprised to hear about the resident services“i had no idea that a service like this was available. if this is true i would like to meet them and figure out how i can get help for legal concerns and child care”. residential services according to dasha can play a pivotal role as a ”connector” and a “builder of community”. she wishes there was readily available information about the residential services and how it connects to the larger chh management – “i didn’t know the management people are different from the residential services people”. age:34 years gender: female race & ethnicity: african american profession: mom & student languages spoken: english, arabic, amharic household incom e: <$20,000 length of stay in crh : 0-2 years 73 the residents, thus assessing the appropriateness of services offered. this phase led to the development of three main criteria that drove the development of potential solutions for the overarching objective of “how might we reimagine the residential services program to empower residents to feel more valued and heard in their living community?”. the three criteria included: 1) programs or services should be directed towards making residents feel included and valued in the community, 2) clear communication between the staff and residents to increase accountability, and 3) resident leadership to integrate community strengths and interests within programs offered. the participants engaged in the co-creation phase by creating a minimum of three actionable ideas that would incorporate all three criteria. to ensure collaboration between staff and residents, the participants were divided into three groups, such that, each included at least 1 staff member and 2 residents. a total of 9 actionable ideas were created. all 9 ideas were presented to the full design team. along with the description of the idea, the residents and staff from each team discussed the feasibility and, impact from an organization and client perspective. each participant was asked to vote for 1-2 ideas that they believed would be the most effective. all participants unanimously chose one idea, that they believed would empower the residents and, bridge the gap between the management and clients. this idea focused on developing a resident council that would integrate resident voices in all decisions regarding types of services needed, effective implementation of programs, and creating community identity. the residents, staff and facilitators collaborated to improvise and finalize the concept. the final prototype “resident leadership council”, was assessed against the three design criteria and the overall objective of the design process, that is, empowering residents to feel more valued and heard in their living community. upon this assessment, three changes were made that integrated the complex realities of the residents and community roots housing. firstly, the name of the council was changed to “resident social council” to ensure that a hierarchical power dynamic does not arise between resident leaders and the larger resident community. second, all council members and staff would be required to attend antibullying, conflict resolution training, to ensure that they can develop skills to successfully navigate challenging conversations with residents and staff. lastly, a list of feasibility criteria was established to ensure that the council had buy-in and financial support from community roots housing. outcomes for community roots housing the use of the aoswd framework ensured that the residents’ voices were centred throughout the process of the needs assessment, analysis of results, and development of the final product, that is, the resident social council. by building empathy with the clients keeping in mind, their social, political, economic and cultural context, staff were able to critically reflect on the efficacy of current programs. additionally, staff recognized their bias as service providers in assuming the needs and wants of residents. on the other hand, clients had an opportunity to learn about the complex realities of organizations and barriers in developing client-centred programs. by developing a sense of trust, both, clients and staff were able to collaborate to develop a program that would not only integrate the opinions of clients but would also be cost-effective and sustainable for the organization itself. implications for the social services profession the aoswd framework, embodying the true essence of the social work profession which is rooted in social justice; attempts to provide social workers with a tangible way in which they can integrate their professional principles with that of innovation. it also attempts to expand the scope of social workers to be innovators, intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs that partner with their clients to develop ideas that meet immediate needs effectively as well as works towards structural reform. this can further strengthen the 74 overall field of innovation, by prioritizing the core values of service to others, advocating for social justice, recognizing the dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity and trustworthiness, and professional competence. it can therefore redefine social innovation to be focused on uplifting human rights and dignity rather than solely developing solutions to meet the immediate needs of their clients. this framework can be integrated by social workers and other social service professionals in three specific areas (i) professional training of professionals, (ii) service delivery and evaluation by small to medium non-profits, and (iii) assessment of needs and assets. to tackle the grand challenges that are being experienced by our society, social workers should be trained in skills that build their capacity to think and act innovatively. currently, social innovation curriculum is mostly housed in management and design schools. recently, some social work programs across the globe have introduced courses to train students in social innovation (e.g. social work programs in boston college, boston university, san diego state university, university of denver, and the university of toronto amongst others). however, they seldom integrate social justice principles within the curriculum and do not apply to the social service settings in which most of the social workers will be placed. the aoswd framework provides an opportunity for educators to expand the training in innovation principles to all social service professionals while prioritizing values of social justice. faculty teaching social work courses can integrate the aoswd framework as a theoretical lens for assessing case studies, conducting needs assessments, and analysing the effectiveness of solutions. additionally, the framework can also be used as a way to develop specific skills, such as (i) assessing client problems within their context, (ii) collaborating to create solutions that are feasible, sustainable and account for the multidimensional nature of human problems, and (iii) critically reflecting on their positionality as service providers and its influence on the programs created. aoswd framework is a beneficial tool for small to medium size non-profits that are often limited in their resource capacity. the aoswd framework can be used as a cost-effective organization tool to help service providers (i) assess the alignment of their programs with values of equity and anti-oppression, (ii) redesign services, programs and policies to ensure that they are reflective of the needs of the clients, and (iii) prioritize services to leverage community strengths thus making it more cost-effective and sustainable. the framework can also be used by social scientists to integrate social justice values in the development and analysis of empirical knowledge. this is particularly useful for community-based researchers and evaluators that are often assessing the needs and assets of communities, as well as the effectiveness of services provided. by using aoswd lens the research process can systematically integrate the recognition of the power of communities, focus on emancipation and can be action-oriented (lather, 1986; parada & wehbi, 2017; strega & brown, 2015); thus, integrating and centring the client’s problems and context. conclusion and way forward social workers and other helping professionals, similar to designers have the power to impact people’s lives in a very significant manner. an oppressive service, policy or product can have a long-lasting negative effect on the lives of the people that use it, as well as the larger community. in the same way, a program or policy that systematically incorporates social justice values can empower communities and improve their overall quality of life. this paper provides one of the first frameworks of how the professional values and skillsets of designers and social workers can be leveraged to create socially just, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for marginalized and vulnerable communities. to ensure that the efficacy of this framework can be measured, it should be implemented in diverse settings, including skill training, organization development, program design and evaluation. by doing so, social workers and other social service professionals can develop flexible ways to use the framework to benefit the communities they work with. 75 references barker, r.l. 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(2006). understanding power and powerlessness: towards a framework for emancipatory practice in social work. journal of social work, 6(1), 33-51. traube, d.e., begun, s., okpych, n., & choy-brown, m. (2017). catalyzing innovation in social work practice. research on social work practice, 27(2), 134-138. unicef (2016). human-centred design: accelerating results for every child by design. retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/innovation/media/5456/file 123 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. rethinking social and sustainable innovations through prospective co-design and project-grounded research marie-julie catoir-brisson, thomas watkin published online: october 2021 to cite this article: catoir-brisson, m-j., & watkin, t. (2021). rethinking social and sustainable innovations through prospective co-design and project-grounded research. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 123-137. 124 rethinking social and sustainable innovations through prospective co-design and project-grounded research marie-julie catoir-brisson a,c, thomas watkinb,c aaudencia business school, nantes, 44000, france. mjcatoirbrisson@audencia.com buniversity of nîmes, 30000, france. thomas.watkin@unimes.fr c projekt lab, university of nîmes abstract how can project-grounded research in social design make it possible to question the creation of social relations and the emergence of forms of solidarity? our article aims to articulate in social and sustainable innovation the contribution of prospective co-design, foresight and societal fiction to offer new imaginaries of territories. we also explain how the evolution of project-grounded research (pgr) in social design can widen through design fiction by solidarity economy. we develop our subject in five parts to explain how social design could invest in sustainable development and the social and solidarity economy (sse). first, we present pgr in social design to precisely delineate its theoretical roots. second, we explain how we can cross design fiction and social design through a reflexive analysis of pgr in social design, focusing on two different topics that are both related to comparative and comparable purposes for mobilizing prospectively for sustainability issues. third, we present a synthesis of the reflective analysis on relating participatory and prospective design. this leads us to reframe the sse, communities and commons prospectively in the fourth part. finally, we open the reflection on the necessity of third places and actions and propose our approach as a prospective solidarity design. keywords: social design, project-grounded research (pgr), prospective co-design, sustainability, social and solidarity economy (sse) introduction project-grounded research (pgr) in social design is presented as a form of research at the crossroads of action research, participatory research and research and development, driven by the desire to transform society and promote social change (catoir-brisson & watkin, 2021; findeli, 2003). this research approach questions through social design the economic forms and social relations of social innovation embedded in the social and solidarity economy (sse). shaken by the imperatives of sustainability, social innovations seek through social design a more harmonious and ecological relationship with the environment. the participatory dynamic of social design becomes a vector of social innovation and sustainable development. how can pgr in social design and prospective co-design make social and sustainable innovations possible? how can prospective and future-focused fiction help redefine innovation in social design for sustainability? several themes can be considered to deal with this issue, such as sustainability and project timeframes on the one hand and user appropriation modes on the other. we propose to question how pgr in social design makes it possible to question the creation of social relations and the emergence of forms of solidarity by relying on collaboration and participation. thus, it questions “the habitability of the world” from a theoretical perspective aiming to study “generalized human ecology” (findeli, 2015). social design is also close to social innovation through design, which concerns “everything that designers can do to activate and support processes of social change” (manzini, 2015). it makes it possible to study, propose and put into action not only intentions and desires but also diverging points of view to create a debate to better understand the needs concerning our environment. 125 social design and innovations raise topical issues of sustainability and development to imagine different ways of living and inhabiting the world. indeed, innovation in itself is a paradox because it does not exist over time (schumpeter & fain, 1951) despite the desire to pursue a social aim. what kind of role should be given to research and the researcher in the project-driven process to move the lines and paradigms of society and trace new ones over the long term? our article aims to articulate in social and sustainable innovation the contribution of prospective co-design, foresight and societal fiction, to offer new imaginaries of the territories. we propose to develop our subject in five parts. first, we present pgr in social design to precisely define our theoretical roots. second, we explain how we can cross design fiction and social design through the reflexive analysis of two pgr actions in social design, focusing on two different topics and both related to comparative and comparable purposes on mobilizing prospectively for sustainability issues. third, we present a synthesis of the reflective analysis on relating participatory and prospective design. this leads us to reframe the sse, communities and commons prospectively in the fourth part. finally, we open the reflection on the necessity of third places and actions and propose our approach as a prospective solidarity design. project-grounded research in social design pgr (findeli, 2003, 2005, 2015) is an extension of action research that follows some principles of grounded theory (strauss & corbin, 1994). it is also an updated form of participatory research through the improvement of the research participants’ experience (findeli, 2005). the participants are involved in finding the solutions that best suit their needs and aspirations. the scientific knowledge principle of producing through action is the basis of pgr. as research through design is “active, situated and engaged in the field of a design project” (findeli, 2015), the designer-researcher must “draw methodological rigour” from the many theories resulting from the human and social sciences. a double problem leads the designer-researcher to ask a research question as a question of design. beyond a singular experience and a problem of use, design focuses on "fundamental questions relating to the human experience in the world” (findeli, 2015). the contribution of pgr in action research implies an iterative, process-based approach, which involves action about a research question. the creative methods coming from design renew both project practice and traditional project management methods but also action research, since design contributes to developing new methods of producing, collecting and processing ethnographic data. these deliverables produced through the various project iterations are also research evidence. pgr is also an approach to innovation open to exploration, prototyping of ideas and iterative learning. this form of abductive research makes it possible for the actors themselves to bring out societal issues as they carry these issues throughout the participatory design process. to innovate is to start from the tensions that appear between the actors and make them express themselves during the co-design process to identify them and imagine solutions to resolve them. this specific pgr approach leads us to take an interest in social innovation through design in public policies. this line of research integrates social design more than other design practices because it has participatory techniques. other design strategies such as speculative design, critical design and strategic design engage participants with others in various participatory forms. nevertheless, social design is essential in this paradigm offered by pgr, because it adds to the act of projecting design in a context of interaction of plural communication between actors, partners, stakeholders in the project. therefore, it renews research in human and social sciences by providing researchers with tools for their investigations (catoir-brisson 126 & watkin, 2021). this relationship between the researcher and the social design approach foreshadows innovative and experimental forms of ways of working, producing and interacting with others. in this way, carrying out pgr stimulates for research or the project an interest in forms of cooperation and collaboration. pgr involving social design ultimately questions the project’s sustainability. this sustainability, through its social dimension, grows through participatory techniques, and the emerging forms of social and economic organizations (the sse for instance) are the basis for sustainable societal and environmental development. it is also interesting to observe the links between the purposes and values of pgr in social design and action research in the sse, for example, the topics of social transformation’s sustainability at different scales of a territory, the posture of the researcher engaged in forms of co-construction of knowledge with this territory’s local actors and building the complex ecosystem of skills, expertise and knowledge that need to be articulated in a project situation. co-construction is based on the co-production of data and contents able to engage participants to revisit their role and posture in contact with others. it is organized “with the intention of neutralizing social hierarchies and power regimes between actors; co-production and the collective intelligence can reverse established roles. playful dynamics, the use of emotion, and collective communication devices participate in these modifications” (catoir-brisson & watkin, 2021). in addition, we can specify how social design and the sse mobilize forward-looking approaches, such as prospective co-design (lavoie et al., 2018), to imagine alternative solutions to existing ones in terms of social innovation. indeed, the common trajectories of design and the sse have already been considered based on the capacity of design to materialize utopias (béchet et al., 2015). design fiction seems able “to promote the expression of a pluralism of visions which is imperative in the design of public policies” (kerspern et al., 2017). we rely on two reflexive analyses of participatory and forward-looking design mobilized in the field of public policies at the level of a metropolis and the field of heatwave risk at the department level. these two projects were designed for comparative and comparable purposes as prospective devices to imagine solutions with the inhabitants of a territory. they are analyzed to explain how social design in project research is participatory and forward-looking. crossing fiction and social design: reflexive analysis in social design how can pgr in social design and prospective co-design make social and sustainable innovations possible? how can prospective and future-focused fiction help to redefine innovation in social design for sustainability? to answer, we propose a reflexive analysis of two pgr actions: the analysis is focused on the collaboration’s mechanisms triggered by fiction within social design. popsu: the frieze of metropolitan futures in this collaborative research observation of projects and the metropolization of montpellier (popsu métropoles), we developed a prospective tool for the territory to better analyze and co-design avenues of reflection, ideas or recommendations. plateforme d’observation des projets et stratégies urbaines (popsu) is a major national research effort financed by the plan urbanisme construction architecture, involving more than 100 researchers nationally. this programme bridges and coordinates universities and local governments of each metropolis to facilitate collaboration to study metropolitan urban projects and processes. each metropolis, such as montpellier, constitutes its own network and partnership. this 127 forward-looking tool aimed at thinking about and stimulating collective reflection on territories has been the subject of several iterations while adapting to contexts and situations. first initiated during the popsu pgr research during a large workshop with multiple stakeholders in the metropolis (watkin & redondo, 2019), this prospective tool was later applied and improved during other workshops, including the conference of the opde (tools for deciding together) and psdr (for and on regional development) network in october 2019 (redondo & watkin, 2020) and one for a more project-driven initiative with a mexican private design firm designing the future of the public space strip along the seashore of tulum (a major somehow hidden tourist site on the yucatan peninsula) (watkin et al., 2019). this first popsu workshop initiated a triple helix relationship between actors of the metropolis by integrating non-for-profit organizations and private companies involved in social entrepreneurship amongst the public agents from the municipalities and the academics of the montpellier local universities. the sse was at this stage suggested by this interrelation between actors. the other two workshops mentioned also considered this third sector part of collaborative experience to seek another viewpoint on future scenarios. in this context, it was intended in the case of the workshop of the opde conference to invite local actors of grand clermont and the pnr livradois-forez to use this design assistance tool to make visible and broaden the spectrum of possibilities in the clermont-ferrand region through a participatory approach on visual representations. here, the prospective tool is part of design practice in the sense that it materializes in a tangible medium prepared and then creatively manipulated by the participants. in that sense, it is assimilated to social design because it responds to its own social and territorial dynamics. it borrows and draws inspiration from speculative design and more specifically from the scheme popularized by what the designers dunne and raby (2013) call the “cone of speculative futures”. the diagram illustrates the amplitude between feasible, possible and probable futures (fig. 1). this dialectic perspective for thinking and imagining territories by and with the actors articulates the participatory approach of social design with the more strategic aim of foresight (abrassart et al., 2017). finally, the sustainability dimension of this frieze is not reduced to its participatory, engaging and communication dynamic by proposing for its realization to consider the three pillars of sustainable development to structure collective reflection and proposals. the frieze consists of a triptych corresponding to the proposed futures. figure 1: frieze of territorial futures: co-designing prospective scenarios in clermont. 128 images and visual representations of each chosen territory are prepared and selected in advance to constitute a database used during the workshop to make the visual frieze for a collective and discussed narrative. the participants undertake to debate and choose images catalogued and preselected by the organizers adapted to the problem and the territory. this contextual visual database constitutes the main material to build this collective debate and narrative. the participatory dynamic is organized in the form of ‘turning tables’. discussion is also activated by organizing the composition of the participants at each table. distributing diversity and anticipating representation is therefore, necessary to boost discussion, friction, empathy and power relations. the result is a visual frieze for discussing the future of the territory and making people understand the importance of the probable future and lead to a cross-examination based on the pillars of sustainable development. this experience and prototype in making this visual tool for prospective views on territory is intended to be produced in third spaces to favour the presence of third actors. in this case, the sse presents a diversity of actors. we think it can enhance the objective of and capacity given to such a visual tool of the frieze of territorial futures. opric: a helmet for a prospective journey facing a heatwave risk opric is part of the national programme anr inplic (initiatives des populations locales et intégration dans la conduite de crise) carried out by the dicen laboratory of cnam paris, utt-icd (the university of technology of troyes charles delaunay institute) and the projekt laboratory of the university of nîmes and financed by the national research agency (anr). in 2020, it gave rise to a heatwave risk observatory, opric. in the context of climate change, the aims of the project are as follows: 1) to sustain the development of a risk culture by gathering and making visible inhabitants’ initiatives to cope with heatwaves; 2) to build collective and individual memories to be able to use it in a crisis context; 3) to co-design some solutions with participants by opening the collective imaginaries. this research is based on social design pgr, especially to sustain the inhabitants’ initiatives. however, from the very beginning of the project, we decided to mobilize fiction to prototype future situations related to natural risks and help participants plan and act by experimenting with solutions. the need to develop forward-looking approaches in the field of risks has led us to take an interest in the contribution of fiction to design to urgently respond to an imperative of broadening imaginaries and design paradigms in the face of the environmental crisis. we can underline the importance of working with fiction when we deal with situations that do not exist yet: fiction is useful to project the participants into some crisis situations to stimulate their creativity in a collective and collaborative mode. the first step consisted of carrying out field trips with residents of nîmes and nearby (may–june 2020). at the same time, interviews were carried out with professionals (firefighters, local authorities and the prefecture), and a synthesis of initiatives related to risk was carried out. given the spring 2020 period (pandemic context and lockdowns), digital networks were used in a logic of participatory sciences based on contributory platforms (chupin, 2016; severo & filipponi, 2021) for collecting information and exchanging information with residents and interested persons. the second step was the organization of three workshops (in september 2020, april 2021 and august 2021) with different participants depending on each one’s objectives. to explain how fiction has been used in social design, we focus on a specific activity we proposed in the first workshop with the inhabitants, “heatwave and collective imaginaries” (zacklad et al, 2020). the workshop was organized in a third place, to be more precise in a local fablab. we decided to create and test a specific device, close to prospective co-design, to imagine solutions to the risk of heatwaves located in the 129 occitan region, in particular the gard department, by projecting oneself into a possible future over 20 years away, “like an imaginary detour to then think differently about the present” (abrassart et al., 2017). the purpose of the device designed for the workshop was to respond to scenarios of crises through design fiction. to do this, a forward-looking travel helmet was used in a dedicated workshop to help participants in this collaborative activity shortly project themselves into an unknown situation (fig. 2). the participants, accompanied by a facilitator, could play four roles: traveller (who wears the helmet), shaman (who guides the trip), scribe (who takes note of the exchanges on a dedicated board) and journalist (who asks questions). figure 2: the forward-looking travel helmet experience to co-design the future. the result of this workshop was a series of co-creation sessions on diverse themes, such as cooling fabrics by a group of makers and engineers at the service of the common good or even support systems for the homes of elderly or isolated people in a heatwave situation, etc. this entertaining and forward-looking device is particularly suited to the question of risk, which requires planning to anticipate and imagine alternatives to the existing one. in a context of tangled domino-effect crises, anticipation, co-construction and agility are useful for questioning paradigms of thought and accepting life with uncertainties (lagadec, 2015). design seems to be a relevant avenue to explore, in dialogue with the other disciplines called upon by each risk, in a transversal manner to adopt a different perspective and experiment with exploratory methods engaged in participatory research. an invitation to social innovation through design makes it less possible to apply tools or a list of recommendations than to develop a management capacity to quickly redefine an organizational vision, identify the best initiatives, anticipate and practise creativity (lagadec, 2015). relating participatory with prospective design these two forward-looking devices are examples that demonstrate the relevance of mobilizing forwardlooking co-design as a process of co-creation of forward-looking solutions with the inhabitants to embody situations in stories in which we can project ourselves thanks to the force of the story and storytelling. these two examples demonstrate the desire to include the prospective approach in a social design approach so that the solutions imagined contribute to the support of the local initiatives of the inhabitants by coordinating them with other actors of the territory. 130 it is in this perspective that participatory and forward-looking design can encompass dimensions of sustainable development and the sse. in particular, it makes it possible to project oneself into imaginaries of the resilience of territories in a forward-looking dynamic and to support sustainable transformations at three levels (ethical, social and environmental). thus, the prospective design complements the participatory, socializing and socialized approach of social design because it mobilizes imaginaries and summons both dystopia and utopia to project oneself towards an ideal of habitability, which encompasses the dimensions of sustainable development and the sse in addition to social innovation. to deepen the reflexive analysis of our two projects, we can explain the link between prospective and participatory design. the commitment of stakeholders, beneficiaries, users and all participants in creative dynamics is stimulated when the objective or question of the project goes beyond the strategic or anticipatory dimension. the prospective aim of design through speculative and fictional dimensions enriches the participatory process. our approach is close to the co-design approach (abrassart et al., 2017), mobilized in different fields of intervention, those of social action and public policies (kerspern et al., 2017). this approach “is based on several principles, at the intersection of design, participation, and foresight: the mobilization of scenarios of uses and unknown prototypes as vehicles of discovery and exploration (the ‘ design’ dimension); a collective creativity process with participants from local communities and various experts” (abrassart et al., 2017). it thus renews the dimension and the tools of classic foresight usually engaged in a strategic perspective, using creative and participatory activities mobilizing stakeholders’ imaginaries. design fiction can be a tool for the representation of futures at the same time as science fiction authors have influenced collective imaginaries and forward-thinking (minvielle & wathelet, 2017). through the project practice and relying on user experience and prospective storytelling, social design can help participants project in a diegetic space with a view to sustainability. in this perspective, social design mobilizes representations of the future through fiction. in addition, these representations can be supports for participatory design and support the capacity of participants to act. the view given by speculative design and fiction proposes a post-modern perspective of future actions and prospective by offering a narrative of opposition. speculation in design needs in-between steps to get to this stage from a traditional design perspective by engaging and integrating discursive and critical design practice (mitrovic, 2015). these in-between practices participate in structuring scenarios to fictions and discourses to speculations. speculative design can therefore push forward participatory methods and engagement in this array of experiences given and proposed to participants and any stakeholders. for this reason, our interest in prospective co-design, as developed by christophe abrassart (2017), can be enriched through the lens of speculative design. it becomes as much a useful tool as a critical mindset on social and sustainable ideas, leading to innovations. rethinking social solidarity economy, communities and commons through prospective design our experience in foresight through participatory design leads us to reconceive the collaborations and solidarities between actors and participants driven by a social aim and project. in this respect, we would like to argue in this section how prospective co-design can reshape our understanding of the sse as a major element of social innovation. for this, we will explain first how social design participates in building commons and activating the sse. social design offers an alternative path to the project for the implementation of this ideal and societal aspiration activated by the values of the sse. the sense of community identity is the result of a subjective 131 feeling of belonging or the object of a structured relation made through an organization, such as a community of interest. the notion of creative communities developed in the field of design (manzini, 2015; meroni, 2007) thus joins the notion of the creative city (florida, 2005; vivant, 2009) to the emergence of communities. without defining the notion of creativity, this notion is seen as a solution that participates in the collective imagination and is illustrated by a multiplicity of projects, initiatives and social and solidarity actions. social innovation led by local communities takes off through these creative communities as well as through collaborative networks, local action and tools of governance and collective decision-making (manzini, 2015). these communities are therefore the subject and object of social design. sometimes, they can also be activated by new economies (collaborative, self-initiated or even self-managed) for which design is also mobilized to guarantee their sustainability. forms of communities linked to sustainable consumption evoke these initiatives of social and solidarity economies through the creation of cooperatives, systems of goods exchange and services such as community-supported agriculture sharing and/or repair of goods within a local territory. social design participates in the creation of these new services and in the establishment of the communities associated with them, whose objectives direct collective action towards a committed and protesting horizon (dubuisson-quellier, 2009). in itself, it joins utopia and the societal ideal by putting forward the social economy and associationism. this economy and social organization of collective organization constitutes a founding element of social innovation and a vector of new economic and social practices, regulated and emancipatory (laville, 2016). design also intervenes to rebuild capitalism through the collaborative economy or social and economic innovations by responding to the imperatives of sustainability. community construction then takes shape through these economic exchanges of local and decentralized capital (resilient and resistant) stimulated by design practices (service design and strategic design) and supported by social design (bauwens, 2015). the social relations created by this action indicate the aim of disseminating common use value and distributing exchange value. it is illustrated by the social and solidarity systems of good economic practices, such as sharing land and implementation of commons. the collective imagination and the participatory project help through social design to make these collaborations a reality. beyond social design, support for the creation of communities is also manifested by the articulation between different scales of action, both local and global levels. this articulation between these two scales can contribute to the sustainability of the initiatives put in place by perpetuating them in one territory or by deploying them in other territories with similar social, cultural and political issues. indeed, this articulation of local and global scales, as well as the value of communities and their power of action, are also at the heart of the six principles of systemic design (design council, 2021). one of them is precisely the back and forth between the micro and macro analysis, referred to as “zoom in and out”. the other three involve inclusion and the building of collaborative, connected, circular and regenerative communities that involve humans but also the planetary environment, as shown in the diagram below (fig. 3). 132 figure 3: six principles for systemic design. reproduced with permission from design council (2021, p. 43), www.designcouncil.org.uk design methods, skills and tools can be used to sustain social and sustainable innovations. durability also challenges design to find assets instead of problems to face the situation to cope with. asset-based community development (also called abcd) argues for a renewed perspective of community development (kretzmann & mcknight, 1993). instead, abcd offers an asset-driven action as a strategy for community development usually driven by issues and problems. this community-building approach can inspire social design action and discourse. the focus moves from problem-solving to solutions generated with the participants as well as sustainability, which implies combining strategic design and design fiction. the current development of the sse and durability engages design in other orientations and narratives, especially fiction. the communities organized and supported by the approaches of social innovation through design have common characteristics with those initiated in the field of communication for social change (gumuciodragon & tufte, 2006), in which the role of communication is to “solve collective social problems” by considering it as a praxis, i.e. “a reflection in the action of human beings on the world to transform it” (freire, 1970). in this perspective, communities are at the heart of communication for social change with the objective of “stimulating processes of transformation, in which, from the articulation between citizenship and social networks, communication strategies based on more horizontal and participatory models and styles are carried out to anticipate other ways of living and lead to the transformation of dominant economic and political structures” (tufte, 2015). then, communities can have a power of action and design in the co-creation of counter-hegemonic media supports that give visibility and legitimacy to 133 these communities. the production and dissemination of communication devices also participate in the creation of social ties and the involvement of participants in the communities of interest created. communication for social change and co-design approaches have in common this role attributed to communities to transform their environment by stimulating action at local and global levels. this also refers to cosmopolitan localism (manzini, 2015) and to a design that takes a systemic interest in the relationships between humans and their environments by integrating ethical, social and environmental imperatives: “ […] it is possible to sketch out a design scenario to build a culture uniting the local and global (cosmopolitan localism) and a resilient infrastructure capable of requalifying work and bringing production and consumption closer together (distributed system)” (manzini, 2015). finally, social design anticipates and rethinks community building by communities, but also by the constitution of commons. forms of cooperative and local economies make it possible to put the commons back at the centre of society's ecological and sustainable proposals. social design through pgr finds in associationism and the structuring of social links a democratic societal and environmental ideal stimulated by the collective and shared resources of the commons. benjamin coriat thus offers fruitful avenues for this construction of the commons which fit in well with the project advanced by social design, in particular by putting nature at the centre as an object of law or even associating goods and services with fundamental goods organized in the form of commons (coriat, 2017). thus, there is an interest in social design in questioning environmental transitions and therefore resources and natural environments. here, so-called participatory and forward-looking design in the service of social design would make it possible to orient design practices towards a new paradigm of action. this design of transitions (transition design) opens up, as we will explain later, new avenues of reflection for research (irwin, 2015). it seems to us favourable to articulate it with a prospective aim based on fiction, which makes it possible to experiment with other ways of building durable territorial solidarities. in this regard, in the following section, we set out avenues for research where prospective design is part of social design to imagine supportive and lasting relationships in the territories. that is why we propose to open the discussion on the links between the sse and social innovation through social design and foresight. as we explained, sustainability in social innovation can take place in third spaces and activities. therefore, prospective solidarity design implies merging social design and design fiction to generate social and sustainable innovation. moreover, this prospective solidarity design-driven research seeks third spaces to open the relation with the sse for the common goods. this new paradigm on design and the sse can be conceptualized with a scheme to visualize how this prospective solidarity design is nourished by other emergent approaches (fig. 4). 134 figure 4: prospective solidarity design at the crossroads of emerging approaches. discussion and conclusion finally, social design is emerging as solidarity design that builds and maintains economic and territorial solidarities. and social sustainability refers to the ability of project actors to maintain the engagement of participants, who create transformations beyond the research project in organizations and territories. this solidarity design would thus constitute a particular dynamic of research aimed at creating and stimulating economic and social actions to activate solidarities and social ties through structured forms of emancipatory organization (escobar, 2020). therefore, social design focuses on sustainable development and the sse and also enters into a dialogue with other approaches such as transition design (irwin, 2015) and autonomous design (escobar, 2020), while re-defining its specificities. emerging approaches in design are raising this topical issue of sustainability (such as transition design), and some research methods are being renewed (such as pgr). findeli (2021) argues for an expansion of pgr by relating it today to these new emerging trends in social design facing uncertainty and the ecological collapse of the world but also the design itself. it is very important to deal with both at the same time with sustainability and social issues instead of opposing them. in this perspective, the emergence of transition design does not invalidate the approaches that have been developed before, such as social design. instead of building walls between humans and non-humans, design can build bridges and be handled with a mix of approaches (co-design, transition design, prospective, etc.) to cope with current issues. thus, it could be useful to deepen the analysis of the way sustainability raises questions for design as practice and research through the diversity of the tools and perspectives combined. this situation is a wonderful opportunity for design to find complementarities and play a significant role in interdisciplinarity with other fields. before identifying the contributions of prospective social design to the fields of sustainable development and the sse, we can identify the limits of this work. on the one hand, it would be relevant to study other 135 research projects in these two disciplinary fields to see how the links between social sustainability and the sse are woven, both semantically and methodologically, in particular through prospective co-design. this reflection on a larger corpus of projects could also extend to an epistemological perspective based on a systematic literature review, which could be the subject of dedicated research. this inspiring horizon of transition in design is also challenging the evolution of the methods and tools in design to cope with emerging sustainability issues, such as risks and instability. however, at the end of this article, we have also shown how pgr in social design could initiate a participatory process in the sse in a united manner. we explained how social design could invest in sustainable development and the sse by taking the example of commons and community building. finally, we opened social design with a sustainable and united aim through the prospective approach illustrated by two case studies engaging prospective co-design for sustainability and, to a lesser extent, sse. pgr in social innovation through design is also redefined by the fields of reflection and intervention relating to transition, such as the design transition (irwin, 2015) which is characterized by a new paradigm of research and design, which pushes the aim of social design and social innovation through design to take into account as many natural ecosystems and environmental parameters as possible to think and produce differently for a more habitable life, living ecologies and sustainable exchange systems. it therefore seems relevant to question the links between the processes of innovation, transformation and transition and how they are mobilized at different, sometimes simultaneous, stages of a pgr in social design. the analysis we have proposed has shown how prospective co-design devices can put research into action with a view to the sustainability of social innovation. references abrassart, c., scherrer, f. lavoie, n., & cyr c., (2017). 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(2019, august 14). repensar el futuro de tulum, [workshop organization] second workshop organized with estudio 3.14, tulum, méxico. zacklad, m. catoir-brisson m-j, gisclard, b. bonet, m. poujol, m., & delatour, g. (2020, september 3rd). heatwave and collective imaginaries, [workshop organization] first workshop, anr inplic, nîmes fablab, france. http://risquecanicule.fr http://risquecanicule.fr/ 36 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. bechange: exploring constitutions of a transformative design practice åsa wikberg nilsson published online: october 2021 to cite this article: wikberg nilsson, å. (2021). bechange: exploring constitutions of a transformative design practice. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 36-50. 37 bechange: exploring constitutions of a transformative design practice åsa wikberg nilssona aluleå university of technology, luleå, sweden. asawi@ltu.se abstract the world is in the middle of a climate crisis. the way we humans live – our lifestyle – is a major contributor, and some individuals and companies feel obliged to take actions to reduce their environmental footprint. in focus in this paper is a design-for-change initiative named ‘bechange’, aiming for long-term positive behavioural change and a sustainable lifestyle. the original project vision was transformative design, to crack the code between mental models, human behaviour and sustainability. the project approach consisted of a number of co-design sprints with different participants and orientations to ensure that a variety of mental models of sustainability and change and preferences for actions and interactions were explored. this resulted in a digital service that helps users cut their carbon emissions while gaining higher levels of hope and lower levels of climate anxiety, resulting in more motivated users and more durable sustainability lifestyle changes. the conclusion of the paper is that important constitutions of a sustainable design-for-change practice are as follows: to not prescribe user behaviour in the design, but to co-create action possibilities; to involve a lot of different stakeholders and explore both mental models and action possibilities co-creatively; to continuously ask how the design could be valuable to both prospective users and to the planet; and to deal with authentic sustainability that addresses social, economic and ecological change simultaneously. keywords: transformative design, co-design, sustainability, behavioural design, design for change introduction the current calls for action aimed at the climate crisis have probably escaped few people. all around the globe, devotees are striving to transform the way humans live – our lifestyles – into more sustainable choices and behaviours. designs and designers may for some not be the first resource that comes to mind for such transformations, as design has generally been associated with developing an idea or solution to be more visually pleasing or with filling the world with more inept things (papanek, 1971). in contrast to such views, this paper focuses on bechange, a one-and-a-half-year mission of co-creating a digital service for companies and organisations that want to inspire customers, employees and future recruits to act more consciously to reduce their environmental footprints. the overall objective of this paper is of furthering knowledge within design for change and the constitutions of the “hows” and the “whos” of a transformative design practice through exploring the motivations, actions and insights of the bechange project. design used to be a subject of visual and material form but has gradually over the years expanded into different practices also tackling previously non-design-related areas and issues. some more recent design approaches are, for example, aimed at a profound purpose, i.e. that “pulls ‘design’ out of the studio and unleashes its disruptive, game-changing potential” (brown & katz, 2011, p. 381). design thinking (e.g. brown, 2008; brown & katz, 2011), service design (e.g. stickdorn et al., 2018) and transformation design (e.g. bruns et al., 2006) are said to address a wider range of issues and areas than previously recognised as falling within the area of design. in these approaches, there seems to be general agreement that creativity and collaboration are good things. however, there is also critique, for example, the notion of tokenism, i.e. that some actors participate in the process simply to justify a human-centred process via 38 minor roles or activities (lee, 2007). there is also a risk of ontological drifts of users’ insights in the process, as the search for feasible technical solutions or financial gains takes the upper hand (robinson & bannon, 1991). as designers in more traditional design approaches “own” the user representation, such user insight drifts may include flip-overs that turn the result into something nobody values. additionally, there has been criticism for new design approaches being employed based on design consultancies’ drive for selling work rather than for driving transformation (kolko, 2017). a challenge for prospective transformative design practices is also the notion of the user, as there are no existing users before the potentially disruptive game-changing solution has been launched. hence, there is a need for transformative design practices to explore how they could cultivate prospective user insights. the designers’ role in a co-creative approach becomes as a process guide or facilitator, who through different means enables participating actors to explore a design situation (ehn, 2008; sanders & stappers, 2008). in such explorations, there is a need to address both prospective user values as such and the user’s mental models to identify important triggers for behaviour change (thaler & sunstein, 2009). to do this, there is also a need to explore with many different prospective users. in striving to foresee future solutions, designers have the responsibility of not occluding, i.e. blocking, hindering or excluding (redström, 2017). hence, it is essential to also address situated design norms (wikberg nilsson, 2021; wikberg nilsson & jahnke, 2018), i.e. not to occlude prospective users by presupposing who they might be or what they might value in the specific design situation. even though some of the aforementioned approaches are somewhat new as concepts, they have a design tradition to build upon. transformative design, for example, has links to action research (lewin, 1947), is a forbear of both participatory and co-design (e.g. schuler & namioka, 1993; ehn, 2008; sanders, 2002) and embraces egalitarian notions of change, innovation and emancipation. bruns et al. (2006) state that transformation design goes beyond problem-solving, as it involves creating solutions for current pressing challenges, such as health issues, impacts of climate change or an ageing population. in this respect, it deals with everyday life choices and organisations aspiring to transform how they connect to individuals. service design, on the other hand, has the prevalent focus centring on value creation, via redesign and the cocreation of resources by customers and other actors (wetter edman et al., 2014; vargo et al., 2015). online services are, on the one hand, seen as a way of cutting costs and adding customer value and on the other hand as a way of making customers co-creators of the services they use (bettencourt et al., 2002). with all this in mind, relevant questions to address are the “hows” and “whos” of a transformative design practice. this paper seeks to expand upon the previous works cited by exploring and proposing new insights of co-design for sustainable change. literature review the aforementioned design approaches generally focus on understanding users’ attitudes and/or behaviour. in this sense, the focus should neither be on who the user is nor on what kind of material or immaterial aspects that they appreciate, but rather on creating interplays and transitions between appreciated actions and through them understand behaviour and create designs (redström, 2017). some thoughts on how to achieve this and what to avoid in practice are outlined in the following sections. human-centricity might for some seem like a rather new design approach. however, the field of action research (ar) embraces several of the now [re-]discovered human-centric principles and practices. one significant contribution in terms of design for change is by one of the ar founders, lewin (1947), who emphasised the relevance of human experience and doing something with, rather than looking at this 39 experience. lewin stressed explorations of both parts and the whole as situated in context. he argued that one can never fully understand a system without trying to change it. the concept of ‘situatedness’ is detailed as awareness of meaning and representation in relation to participating actors, things and contexts (haraway, 1988). in this view, it is vital to embrace a critical perspective about how meanings are created in order to be able to live in meaningful futures. this involves real-life activities, in which many actors exchange knowledge of the situation at hand and take responsibility for nodes and directions in both the material and the immaterial sense (haraway, 1997). such an approach relates to the reflective practice described by schön as indeterminate zones of practice: “actions that function in three ways: [1] to test new understandings […] [2] to explore new phenomena […], and [3] to affirm or negate the moves by which the practitioner tries to change things for the better […].in these instances, we can think of the inquirer moving in the situation, ‘talking back’ to the inquirer, triggering a reframing of the problem, a re-understanding of what is going on.” (schön, 1995, p. 25–26) in relation to material and immaterial meaning, argyris and schön (1975) developed their action theory based on 1) espoused theory that expresses the users’ idea of how they think they should behave and 2) theory in use that controls how they actually behave. the crux of this theory is that it is not enough to ask a user how they should behave in a particular situation. to understand human behaviour, one must understand and observe a larger and wider context than the concrete situation one intends to change. hence, there is a need to know more about how people behave, i.e. intuitively rather than sensibly, and through responsible design of nodes and directions guide people toward what are seen as better actions (thaler & sunstein, 2009). in this view, a good design choice consists of the principles of exploring incentives, understanding mappings, carefully designing action possibilities and defaults, providing feedback, expecting error and structuring complex choices through careful design. humans are always subject to various biases that can inform non-rational decisions. in this sense, a good design choice can support behaviour change. morewedge and kahneman (2010) describe human thinking as linked to system 1, automatically and intuitively generated representations and based on prior knowledge, background, values and norms. the more energy-consuming system 2-thinking in this respect only starts when system 1 cannot process what is happening. usually, human inclination is to rely on system 1 thinking in most situations and only apply a small percentage of system 2. by understanding more about how people usually behave, empathic design can contribute to understanding more of how design can support behavioural change (lidwell et al., 2010). similarly, eyal (2014) states that human behaviour can be changed through design. however, he emphasises that the main question is whether the solution will improve the user’s life. a key question to regularly readdress is hence how will it be valuable for prospective users? lewin (1947) suggested both laboratory and field experiments of change, including both experiments and concrete observations in the actual context to understand the user in the system that is to be changed. jungk (1987) and jungk and mullert (1989) proposed future workshops for understanding the users’ context in both current situations and their dreams of what could be. future workshops are a kind of probe transmitted into the ordinary world to explore users’ experiences and situations. the method can also be seen as design spaces or cooperative learning processes, where actors have the opportunity to both question and explore current understandings and practices (sanders & westerlund, 2011). such generative sessions can involve a variety of stakeholders in co-creation activities that both lead to a greater understanding of the users in the situation and also give the participants a greater commitment to the matter as such (brandt et al., 2008). such generative sessions have the potential of clarifying both the explicit and implicit understanding that participants have (sleeswijk visser, 2009). moreover, the user 40 experience is not limited to the actual interaction but contains the whole experience of representations, aesthetics, layout, interface and/or physical interaction (garrett, 2011). in this sense, it is important to define more than just the actual interaction. traditional design practices have been criticised for focusing on designing for the user rather than with the user (sanders, 2002). the co-design approach is in this respect a change of mindset, considering all people as possible contributors to design, as long as the right tools are given for them to act. the rationale for a human-centric design approach is defined as developing a deep understanding of the user’s needs, desires and values to meet these with design (brown, 2008; brown & katz, 2011; stickdorn et al., 2018). stickdorn et al. propose that the difference in approaches is more in which methods are used than the basic principles themselves: “whatever you design, you must always understand the needs of users, you always work iteratively” (stickdorn et al. 2018, p. 88). whatever approach is chosen, the notion of user insights is critical. robinson and bannon (1991) describe ontological drift as the translation of meaning that occurs between first user insights and goes through different actors’ translation in the process into the final delivered solution that either satisfies user needs or not. the latter is hence an example of user insights drifting away as too many stakeholders re-contextualise the insights into their understandings and belief systems. the reasons for such design drifts may be that designers often conduct activities without involving all stakeholders, hence ending up “owning” the user’s insights. some reasons for this are lack of time and doubts around how end-users might experience interacting with other actors. there is also the risk of an applied “i-methodology”, which akrich (1992, 1995) explains as un-reflected design practices. the designer originates from his/her own understanding and experiences and develops a ‘script’ that guides the user to a certain behaviour, role and interaction. if the designer fails to recognise important user insights, the risk is that some might not subscribe to the design results. in this, it is important to think design after design. latour (1987) developed the actor-network theory (ant) as a critique of designers not taking responsibility for what happens after the design process, in implementation and use. relevant in this context is the concept of services, as service designers usually have to consider what happens in implementation and use and the whole customer journey. services has been defined as intangible and heterogeneous interactions, which are co-produced by receivers/customers and providers and which are predominantly local (gersung & resengren, 1973). digitisation is said to be one way of developing existing services by transforming the explicit and tacit knowledge that both providers and customers have into digital yet tangible interfaces and interactions. in such transformations, different forms of co-design practices are seen as imperative in understanding value and desirability amongst both customers and users to finalise a successful service design solution (steen et al., 2011). the opportunity to develop a service through digitalisation is said to reform the opportunity to create increased value for both receivers and providers and to create outreach beyond the local market (yoo et al., 2010). over the last decades, the service sector has expanded, paving the way for the design field to emerge through creating and formalising practices, processes and tools towards the design of services (stickdorn, et al., 2018). service design can be outlined as a merger of industrial, interaction, graphicand participatory design together with knowledge from e.g. service marketing, innovation, human work science, psychology and system engineering (segelström, 2013; wetter edman, 2011). other approaches focus on value creation, through a redesign and co-creation of resources by customers and other actors (wetter edman et al., 2014). the difference is a reconfiguration of socio-material constellations, as long-term relations between actors necessitate new action patterns and value creations. vargo and lusch (2016) articulate a need for outlining the mechanism of coordination and cooperation involved in the co-creation of value-incontext. the significance lies in creating several levels of value for individuals, organisations and society. a 41 challenge is that service design involves complex combinations of both explicit and implicit knowledge that receivers and providers need to structure and integrate to reach a successful digital service design solution. online services are generally seen as a way of cutting costs and adding customer value but can also be one way of making customers co-producers of the services they use (bettencourt et al., 2002). the bechange project the bechange initiative was initiated as a social innovation start-up in 2017, based on a drive to contribute to efficient lifestyle changes for both companies and individuals. the three founders have different backgrounds as a mental coach, ecologists/environmental scientists and business developers. in sweden and certainly other countries around the world, environmental and climate issues have gone from engaging a few people to becoming something that most people are aware of, whether they act on that awareness or not. the current drive for sustainable development calls for major transformations, both on an individual and societal level, to reach united nations (un) climate goals. goal 13, for example, deals with climate action through improving education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change (un, 2020). how we humans choose to live our lives and the choices we make on an ordinary day affect energy resources. sustainable lifestyles are, however, often depicted as individual sacrifices rather than gains (ilstedt & wangel, 2014). positive future visions are necessary to be able to motivate a change of human behaviour. the bechange founders noticed that the media debate on environmental and climate issues largely focuses on the negative aspects of climate change, i.e. as future disaster scenarios and the negative consequences of having to abandon “all good things in life”. carrying such crude concerns might lead to diminished hope or zeal for engagement and with that the drive to engage in solutions (ojala, 2007, 2013; scheier & carver, 1992). unprocessed climate anxiety and change fatigue might in this sense impede the behavioural changes needed to affect the climate in positive ways. the bechange entrepreneurs explored the idea of delivering a global company service that makes it easier for employees to create a greener and more positive sustainable lifestyle customised to their needs. the overall vision was expressed by one of the founders as “a genuine belief that this is possible, to be the change here on earth” (bechange founder, may 2020). in august 2019, a core design team was formed, consisting of the bechange founders, four design consultants (1 web developer, 1 designer, 1 project manager and 1 business designer) and 1 design researcher. other actors were involved in different phases throughout the process. the vision was initially defined as design for change – to develop a service that contributes to changing human behaviour towards more sustainable lifestyles. the mission was to design an easy-to-use and inspiring digital service concept that tackled both mental models and sustainable lifestyle changes. the overall tactic was iterative co-design sprints, consisting of exploring desirable sustainable lifestyle changes, a viable business model and feasible digital solutions for different platforms in a mix of methods aiming to crack the code between mental models, human behaviour and sustainability. a method, as a simplified representation of a process, seldom accounts for the messiness that often goes on or the values and bias that are assumed. a method “unavoidably produces not only truths and nontruths, realities and non-realities, presence and absence” (law, 2004, p. 143). the co-design sprint approach was seen as both dynamic and flexible. it is a condensed design process, moving forward through iterations, aiming at co-explorative learnings through experimentations, in which failure should happen fast, and prototyping is seen as vital for understanding what the end solutions must accomplish (knapp et al., 2016). such intense processes should in this sense be iterated several times to explore different themes, experiences and concepts to gradually develop an understanding of what values the solution should contribute to. this also associates with the previously mentioned indeterminate zones of practices (schön, 1995), aiming to test new understandings, explore phenomena and affirm or negate thoughts, ideas or concepts through user involvement. 42 in summary, the first design sprint dealt with understanding the scope, developing an understanding of the user experience and use context and through insights developing a first minimally viable prototype. the second design sprint consisted of refining understanding of user experiences and use context through user testing and value propositions to develop a feasible prototype. in the third design sprint, all user insights were gathered into a final desirable, viable and feasible digital service concept. each design sprint involved different actions and actors. project activities were documented in different ways, mostly through the material being developed in the workshops, by taking notes and photos and some additional recordings of users’ interaction with prototypes. activities were analysed through both quantitative and qualitative means. the online surveys and tests for example provided quantitative data as “how many” experienced different things. other activities, for example, the co-creative sessions, provided qualitative data on what values participants had that were jointly analysed in the core co-design team in terms of understanding what was going on. the phases overlapped as many activities were initiated in parallel; however, the core team had regular sessions aiming to define insights and discuss what future actions needed to be taken (image 1). findings the first design sprint was mainly internal, based on the core project team’s activities and insights that the founders brought from previous activities. current services and applications were explored to identify different aspects that participants thought would be good for the final solution. through both material and visual means, user representations, user actions, service features and content, such as goal-setting, feedback and human behaviour in general and detail were explored (image 2). the materials from the generative sessions were seen as important starting points and were used as means for exploring and discussing values in the core team. the practical transition the user would have to make in lifestyle changes, as well as the mental transition into positive future visions, were central in exploring the whole concept and its details. various metaphors for the user journey were discussed and used as a base for developing a graphic profile and a first user interface. image 1: the first design sprint iteration. the second design sprint was more external and focused on understanding user experience and customer value. the prototype was developed with a few additional features and then tested with prospective users (image 3). during the tests, two people were in the room with the users, and others watched the tests on 43 a screen. the reason for this was to share insights with the whole core design project team. this iteration provided insights that the conceptual digital service provided valuable actions to take for reaching a sustainable lifestyle but that it was difficult to understand how to set initial goals, i.e. what actions contribute to a sustainable lifestyle? the activities exposed different and sometimes opposing values and preferences, such as some wanting to being able to set short-term goals for the month or year and then change them and others wanting more long-term goals for the rest of their life. image 2: screen view of user test of prototype 1. parallel sessions with company managers led to insights into the prospective customer being a mediumsized company in low-impact industries. these participants, however, saw the bechange concept primarily as a tool for employees’ well-being rather than as a service for the company’s sustainability performance. this produced the insight that bechange can be valuable both for individuals who want to change their lifestyle and for companies as part of both their human relations (hr) and corporate social responsibility (csr) activities. different self-assessment features were explored through online tests with prospective users. these included reacting to value statements such as “i don’t see conflicts between a sustainable lifestyle and how i live” and “i think humanity will be able to make the changes needed for sustainable development” for the mental model feature. in parallel, the sustainability educational service content was developed further through processing the textual content and developing video content in sessions with instructional designers. the service content was advanced and explored with several potential users and went through a couple of iterations before the final design sprint. based on user insights gathered in the process, the graphic profile was redesigned. a “buddy” was developed as a character who prompts user interaction through nudging. the character was defined to be “serious” yet “friendly” and was created to represent the core values of bechange: positive sustainable lifestyle changes. in addition, it was designed and experienced to mix stereotypical representations of a woman/female and man/male to make all potential users feel included. it was created as an answer to user needs for a feature that gives some kind of feedback. the buddy should care about sustainability in general and support the user in particular. the traditional green climate/nature-connoted colour was in the graphic profile complemented with other colours to also communicate moods such as positivity, well-being, harmony, action and hope (image 3). a new “works-like” prototype was developed. it had limited functionality and did not include all features yet had the central content such as both mental and lifestyle features and the ability to adjust some of the settings. 44 image 3: the bechange graphic profile and user interface v.1. graphic design: laura di fransesco. the final design sprint focused on forming all insights into a final design. this phase involved more colearning of what the concept needed to be to fulfil desirability, viability and feasibility. value propositions were summarised based on the previous insights. the customer was identified to be active in a low-impact industry, e.g. the it or service business with 200–400 employees of equal gender distribution and most employees younger than 45 years. the main pain points for a bechange user would be that climate change is too slow and there is limited time to make a change. the bechange service was seen to add authenticity to the company’s sustainability work, which was understood as crucial for preventing accusations of “greenwashing”, building a strong brand and making employees feel motivated. a summary of the value proposition can be seen in image 4. image 4: the bechange value proposition and a mobile version of the bechange service. interface design: laura di fransesco & patrik juteståhl. 45 subsequently, the content was re-configured into a prototype with both text and video content to satisfy different uses and users. it was also re-arranged to better follow the user journey of an initial weigh-in and gradually developing both insights and actions to take for change of behaviours through educational content and goal-setting for eating, living, consuming and travelling (everyday/vacation trips) (image 5). an additional user test invited users to log in and test the service online and provide feedback. this gave insights that the concept was experienced as playful and interactive and that both prospective customers and users found it valuable and inspiring in terms of contributing to a transformation into sustainable lifestyles. the final test run also provided great results, as the participants reduced their climate footprints by half during the two months and stated a positive outlook on humanity's ability to handle the climate crisis. “the whole concept is inspiring, as it facilitates the need for more sustainable lifestyle changes. it is also inspiring in its colours, animations, illustrations and expressions – and ‘the buddy’! it is different compared to other solutions, and it is so important to realise that sustainability should not be boring, it should be inspiring.” (participant may 2020) image 5: the final online version of bechange — sustainable for you and the climate. graphic design: laura di fransesco. as the bechange project has now been finalised and the service launched, some participants shared their insights of the process, their learning and the results. it seems that all the core co-design team participants, founders and designers, had different ideas of the project before and after and also developed their understanding of design for change as a consequence of all interactions: “an insight is how important it is to test, test, test – not just speculate about ease of use and how things are experienced. it was valuable but complicated with many parties that should be coordinated and all the knowledge that should flow between all activities and actors.” (founder, may 2020) “a key insight is that it is so important to involve users. i knew this beforehand, but it has certainly been manifested in this project. the scope should perhaps have been smaller, but at the same time all of the participating users and all of these tests certainly made the solution into what it is. it has been 46 stressful from time to time, but overall the co-creative sessions contributed to good communication and transparency in the project team, which is important.” (designer, may 2020) the final prototype was launched in septembernovember 2020 in a sort of final “dress rehearsal” with 16 users and the bechange coaches. all in all, the users were satisfied with the learning experience and had great results in terms of decreasing their individual environmental footprints. one participant summarised: “[bechange] made me go from thoughts to actions. i feel better now that i have started the transition to my new clime-smart life.” (participant after final test run, november 2020) discussion the motivation behind the current study was to explore the constitutional aspects of a transformative design practice, the “hows” and “whos” of participation and user involvement in design for sustainability and behavioural change through exploring incentives and insights of the bechange project. the following sections aims to define such insights. the project vision was of a transformative design practice to develop a service that contributes to changing human behaviour towards more sustainable lifestyles in a positive manner. the mission was, however, more of a service design practice to design an easy-to-use and inspiring digital service concept. the overall approach was iterative co-design sprints, consisting of explorations of desirable sustainable lifestyle actions, feasible technical solutions and viable business models, through explorations of user experiences and use contexts. the overall endeavour can hence be seen as drifting back and forth between transformative vision and achievable mission. in hindsight, the constitutional aspect of the design sprint approach supports schön’s (1995) description of indeterminate zones of practices: to test new understandings (need for sustainable lifestyles), to explore new phenomena (through co-creating action possibilities and triggers for a digital service) and to iteratively affirm or negate the moves (iterate the design to develop a deep understanding of both physical and psychological triggers for change). the cocreative design sprint approach is hence seen as a key factor in the design success. the latter refers to both the positive user experiences of interacting with the digital service and their actions taken for a successful reduction of their climate footprint. a vision for a digital service for change of human lifestyles with non-existent current solutions or users imposes a need for a deep understanding of the potential user’s insights and values (brown, 2008; brown & katz, 2011; stickdorn et al., 2018) to be able to meet these with design. the diverse potential stakeholders and users involved in the bechange project thus confirm that a fundamental aspect of a transformative design practice is authentic co-creation. this also resonates with the risk of user insights drifting away during the process as more financial gains take the upper hand (kolko, 2017; lee, 2007; robinson & bannon, 1991). additionally, it resonates with the risk of an “i-methodology” (akrich, 1992, 1995). the current approach was more of a “we methodology”: a will for identifying how we could change behaviours into more sustainable lifestyles. there is thus a need for approaching the mission with a “we methodology”, co-creating iteratively with potential users all the way, providing them with a sense of ownership of the design. some insights are further outlined below. first, i propose that a constitutional aspect of a transformative design practice, however messy it might be, can be the “hows” of simultaneously and co-creatively addressing mental models and human behaviour and social, economic and ecological sustainability. the bechange mission was initiated with the incentive of transforming human behaviour into more sustainable lifestyles. the first motivation was thus purely 47 “eco-logical”, i.e. based on the logic of saving the planet. the incentives were of course also “eco-nomical”; the founders wanted to be able to do this for a living, and the design consultants wanted their bills paid. however, they all had the sheer motivation of realising social, economic and ecological sustainability. the co-creative process contributed to more social “eco-creative” incentives, i.e. explorations of user insights of positive human lifestyle changes through the overall service concept and its interactive platform. in retrospect, the bechange core design team might have anticipated some of the challenges a transformative design practice yields but perhaps did not realise the messiness of sometimes conflicting needs and preferences, many interactions with different actors and a lot of ideas, imperatives and relations they sometimes saw as difficult to manage. this echoes the challenges of current design problems being complex, crossing boundaries of several organisations, stakeholders, producers and user groups and that the design solution must meet diverse demands and expectations (redström, 2017). in relation to lewin (1947), the ambition was to identify triggers for change in human behaviour in more sustainable ways: understanding how people behave and, in line with thaler and sunstein’s (2009) tactics, through design nudge them into what is co-creatively identified as more sustainable actions. second, i propose that a constitutional aspect of transformative design for change is how the prospective customers and users are involved in the process. the iterative co-design sprint approach paved the way for the solution being inclusive and human-centred. however, it became so much more than the design of an online service’s interface and its interactions, as it involved enquiries into what different values of sustainable lifestyles might be and how they might be accomplished through design. this meant realising that it is neither merely a matter of putting people first nor of finding out what technical solutions or business propositions could best fit the concept. rather, it was involving many different actors, exploring all of these factors iteratively through co-creation, that ensured a successful outcome. users were at the centre of the process, it was however not one homogeneous user representation but several diverse perspectives and understandings that contributed to the success. this also included not prescribing user behaviour through the end solutions’ action possibilities but co-creating how people would like to be prescribed into such roles and responsibilities. third, i propose that a constitutional aspect of a transformative design practice is that the outcomes cannot be discussed as “the design” or even “the final result”. we can neither say if the digital service will contribute to sustainable lifestyle changes, nor if it will take one month or 10 years for potential users to make such changes. rather, the bechange service can be seen as what haraway (2004) describes as a cybernetic organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of social fiction. this resonates to the ant (latour, 1987) of not being able to define beforehand what it will become once it’s out there. for this reason, design-for-change practices have to deal with the “hows”, as in taking responsibility for nodes and directions through co-creating and testing material and semiotic meanings rather than prescribing actions. it also deals with the multidimensional connections between the “whos”: the designers, the things, the users and the planet, relating to how human beings and things interact in the world and the meanings they create of the same. the key question, in this case, was asking how this will be valuable to prospective customers, users and the planet and prompting this question repeatedly. the original bechange conceptual idea is now launched as a unique service experience that supports both organisations and individuals to bring about long-term positive behavioural change and sustainable lifestyles. naturally, more research is needed to confirm and identify more constitutions of design-forchange practices. in that respect, papanek’s (1971) now legendary words that designers are a dangerous 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(2010). research commentary – the new organization logic of digital innovation: an agenda for information systems research. information systems research, 21(4), 724– 735. 78 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. co-design for social innovation and organisational change: developing horizontal relationships in a social enterprise through walking mirian calvoa, madeleine sclaterb aimaginationlancaster, lancaster university bthe glasgow school of art published online: november 2020 to cite this article: calvo, m., & sclater, m. (2020). co-design for social innovation and organisational change. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 78-98. 79 co-design for social innovation and organisational change: developing horizontal relationships in a social enterprise through walking mirian calvoa, madeleine sclaterb aimaginationlancaster, lancaster university, lancaster, la1 4yw, united kingdom. m.calvo@lancaster.ac.uk bthe glasgow school of art, glasgow, g3 6rq, scotland. m.sclater@gsa.ac.uk abstract although an emerging body of literature identifies co-design as a promising approach to addressing the most urgent social challenges, little research has been undertaken about how co-design can support social change within the communities and organisations with which they collaborate. this is important because behavioural and organisational change is usually associated with the emergence of social innovations. these pressing socio-cultural challenges require interdisciplinary expertise, and we argue that the practice of co-design is an approach that provides such expertise. co-design by its nature is collaborative and can respond to the cultural demands of a society eager to participate. these demands require significant research to better understand how the practice of co-design can be a catalyst for social change and social innovation. in this paper, we explore what is meant by co-creation, social design, and co-design within the theoretical context of this study. we present a case study that focuses on a social enterprise committed to sustainability operating within the highlands and islands of scotland. here we examine the transformative process associated with co-design that the social enterprise and its members encountered. participatory action research (par) was implemented as the research approach to this study informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. the analysis suggests that the co-design process empowered the social enterprise and its members, enabling them to co-develop responsive and empathetic attitudes among themselves. codesign supported organisational changes by nurturing collaborative attitudes, expanding perspectives about social issues and releasing latent human abilities and assets. keywords: design for social change, social design, co-design, social innovation, participatory design, mutual learning, co-creation, participatory architecture, community architecture. getting together in the era of participation in the last half-century, there have been calls to consider new design methods (sanders & stappers, 2008). according to cross (1972), traditional design by its nature excludes people from the creative process and so fails to address the complexity of current challenges. the 21st century is witnessing diverse challenges: human migration (ahmed, 2017), environmental sustainability, climate change, cutbacks in public services, increasing social inequality, privatisation of education and healthcare (silverman & patterson, 2015), the current pandemic etc. all of these challenges impact our everyday lives, constraining our possibilities to choose based on our needs. cross (2011, p. 15) observes: “…we are on a journey from an industrial world ruled by certainty, precision, and logic to a natural world characterized by unity, unpredictability, and complexity”. in examining the impact of co-design, methodological frameworks must now be capable of capturing the dynamic processes of social change. the calls for change embrace democratic principles that are embedded in a myriad of practices and which aim to support the increasing demands on participation. practices such as co-creation, social design and design activism, co-design and participatory design are intertwined (bason, 2010). they share the idea that creativity resides in everyone and therefore any creative process should include participants covering the social spectrum – private, public and voluntary sectors, and involving all types of citizens. jungk (1973) envisioned a motivational shift in design which would radically reshape the future of the discipline. this shift has arrived (fuad-luke, 2017); society now 80 requires designers back in the public sphere, with greater involvement in socio-political problems and civil society (swann, 2002). these challenges require interdisciplinary expertise, and we argue that the practice of co-design is an approach that provides such expertise (meroni, selloni & rossi, 2018). in this paper, we examine how the practice of co-design in the voluntary sector, driven by social demands, can support the flourishing of ‘boundary spaces’ where the participants can re-negotiate their interpersonal bonds, and support organisational changes. boundary space is a notion introduced by gutiérrez et al. (1995), with the term ‘third space’, to describe situations where people who have different roles and perspectives encounter each other in power-balanced and horizontal terms, expanding the boundaries of both. it depicts a theoretical space of confluence where individuals approach from their different perspectives (calvo, 2019a). we explore the notions of co-creation, social design, and community-based codesign to describe the theoretical context of this study. we follow this with a case study that focuses on a social enterprise in which we examine how a co-design project functioned as a catalyst for a transformative process of behavioural and organisational changes. participatory action research (par) was implemented as the research approach to this study informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. finally, we discuss the findings of the analysis in terms of: (i) moving from hierarchical to horizontal organisational relationships; (ii) sprouts of behavioural and organisational change; and (iii) interpersonal learning. literature review in this section we investigate the theoretical conceptions about co-creation, the socialisation of design, and community-based co-design, leading us to narrow the scope of this study and reformulate the key focus of research – how co-design can become a catalyst for social innovation and organisational change. co-creation ideas of co-creation can be found in management disciplines (prahalad & ramaswamy, 2004) to explain the shift in business models from a centred to a customised view of products. tseng and piller (2003) illustrate enterprise models adopting mass customisation, rather than mass production. they identify a gap in understanding the impact of integrating users into value-creation processes in knowledge management. they describe the necessity for further research on methods of a customer-centred enterprise a kinship of user-centred design which has yielded benefits relating to consumer products such as value chain, customisable offer and knowledge-transfer (fogliatto, da silveira & borenstein, 2012). sanders and stappers (2008, p. 6) refer to co-creation as "any act of collective creativity", comprising a wide range of processes. bason (2010, p. 144) defines co-creation as the process of “…placing people’s wants, needs and situations at the centre of the creative process as a powerful way to generate the insights that allow us to create with people and not for them”. these are the prime insights influencing the landscapes of design that are expanding its frontiers towards fields such as service design or organisational design. 'design-withpeople' merges a society eager to participate with the principle that everyone is creative hence we all design (manzini, 2015). according to bason (2010), co-creation brings two benefits: divergence and execution. divergence appears when an increase in the number of ideas and inspirations brought about by diversity prompts more appropriate solutions. divergence has a direct relationship to the introduction of different knowledgebased approaches, such as the application of ethnographic research and qualitative data-gathering where researchers become participant-observers. hess and adams (2007) add that divergence enables conversations with a fresh slant on the same issue, hence changing perspectives and inviting new solutions. execution refers to human agency and anchors the participants throughout the whole creative process to ensure success (bason, 2010; halse et al., 2010). further, gillinson, horne and baeck (2010) disclose their 81 'radical efficiency model' after analysing more than one hundred case studies from different contexts which follow co-creation processes with a focus on reshaping public services. in the report, they chronicle ten successful social innovations. the radical efficiency model offers an opportunity for profound transformations in designing and delivering public services through centralised-strategies towards supporting local action and change. like nygaard and bergo’s (1975) local knowledge-production strategy at the dawn of participatory design, gillinson et al. (2010) recommend that governments devolve power to local communities who have the responsiveness and empathy required to enable social innovation. they identify four steps to pursue this: (i) developing 'new insights' through divergence; (ii) 'new customers' – redefining the notion of users; (iii) 'new suppliers', that means paying attention to who does the job – this includes re-contextualising the role of users; and (iv) 'new resources' – releasing latent human abilities, forgotten assets, and strengthening institutional networks. the aim focuses on engendering new perspectives about social issues. this leads to innovative transformations of services – based on the people experiencing them. socialisation of design design research increasingly concentrates on exploring approaches that can foster social innovation, shifting from design driven by the market to design motivated by social demands, promoting meaningful social impact towards sustainability (manzini & meroni, 2014). design methods have been applied in the public sphere (e.g. public services, community-based development, architectural transformations, etc.) aiming to achieve creative solutions that meet the needs and desires of people, going beyond conventional methods (mulgan, 2014). design is ubiquitous in contemporary life (fuad-luke, 2009). this is evident in the spread of rapid urban transformations (e.g. china’s urban development) and manufacturing technologies, which mediate in human interactions – an upward trend in pandemic times. papanek (1972) observes we all design all the time, as design embeds itself with human agency. from this perspective, people can adopt design roles (knowingly or unknowingly) in reshaping their everyday life – blurring the frontiers of design and raising tensions between the distribution of design competences, between professional designers versus non-professionals collaborating in a design process (manzini, 2015). the socialisation of design is a conscious act "…geared to goals, objectives and aims within a broad societal context…” (fuad-luke 2017, p. 281), thereby "…in the intimate interweaving between aesthetics and the political… an interesting answer to the activist nature of design activism is to be found" (markussen, 2013, p. 39). the research literature considers ‘the political’ (mouffe, 2013) dimension of design as the condition of dissent that each individual may experience within a concrete designerly situation. the political dimension of design could be used to re-mould pervasive and conventional structures of power because such dimension embodies activist strategies for transforming community paradigms and values (calvo & de rosa, 2017). design, as social action, has the potential to raise awareness of sustainable ways of living and working together; it assists in renegotiating the relationships we establish within the socio-material culture of human situations – between what we do and how we feel about doing it (markussen, 2013). design aesthetics thus embeds emotional reconfigurations and the allocation of meaning into such socio-material culture. it involves incorporating people’s needs within the designing process to foster alternative forms of inhabiting and reshaping identities, hence eliciting social and behavioural change (calvo & de rosa, 2017). it also requires methodologies able to study human agency and its interactions with the socio-materials of situations, and we argue that co-design is capable of intervening in people’s perceptions and affecting their behaviour. underpinning such a behaviour change is mutual learning which also supports the flourishing of networked communities and interpersonal bonding. building trust, engaging with social conventions, norms of cooperation and partnership, networking and community engagement, as well as formal and informal organisations, play a key role in behavioural change, which can lead to organisational change and social 82 innovation (ostrom & ahn, 2009). that is why, increasingly, design research pursues evidencing about mutual trust and empathetic relationships established with their partners and stakeholders. qualitative inquiry has been gaining relevance in social design as it provides the means to systematically document human interaction and participation. in this sense, ethnographic research used in this study provided a set of methods that enable the design-researchers to gather meaningful data. community-based co-design co-design as a design strategy increasingly resonates in community engagement and the voluntary sector. due to the democratic and open-ended nature of the design process, co-design aims to confront societal issues in the public sphere (fuad-luke, 2009). user-centred design, on the other hand, seems unable to address those challenges as it objectifies people in the design process and serves consumer products. gay and hembrooke (2004, p. xvii) illuminate a "…shift from user-centered design to context-based design... from a focus on human-computer interaction to a focus on human interaction that is mediated by technology in context". this shift emerged in the 1980s and 1990s in the field of interaction design (see kaptelinin and nardi, 2006; spinuzzi, 2005; zahedi, 2011) when its definition expands: from being focused on the computer, moving towards designing the sociocultural (hybrid) spaces of human interaction (winograd, 1996). as kaptelinin and nardi (2006, p. 10) state, our society is increasingly designed, “furnished with technologies at every turn”. these statements recognise the relevance of the social environment in configuring human interactions (‘designerly’ situations); and emphasise the intentionality (emotions, motivations and subjectivities) behind any design outcome. bannon (1991) advocates for a change in the systems design process, from meeting ergonomic specifications (human factors) to foregrounding greater involvement of the people acting with technology (to human actors) on the whole design spectrum. consonant with the insight that the ultimate input is on the users (people) to define their functionality, technology is then understood as an important part of human activity with a mediating role in their development. in user-centred design, social scientists were brought to mediate between designers and users (simonsen & robertson, 2013). over time, as sanders (2002) describes, both disciplines mutually learnt that the most productive designs come from a direct exchange of experiences when the stakeholders come together (gay & hambrooke, 2004; zahedi, 2011). both disciplines found strong allies in their combination (brandt et al., 2013; sanders, 2002). with a focus on participatory experiences, co-design emerges as pledging to address “…the most pressing societal challenges…" (meroni et al., 2018, p. 17). sanders (2002) uses the term post-design, a distinctive attitude to people, who, given appropriate tools to configure a hybrid language (ehn, 2017), become creative contributors to the design process. selloni (2017) illustrates co-design as a form of community engagement to strengthen communities, and as a prior step to co-production. co-design is also associated with social innovation as it can create a 'third space' (muller, 2009) where the multiplicity of expertise and perspectives (divergence) can be disclosed and assembled (manzini, 2015). cruickshank et al. (2012) define innovation as a systemic process requiring collective and creative activities to be performed by interdisciplinary expertise that emphasises knowledgeexchange amongst participants and disciplines (cruickshank, 2010). collier and williams (2013) propose ‘reflective practice’ to solidify such knowledge, out of what we learn and experience in the community. the notion of co-design refers to the act of collective creativity applied throughout the whole design process (sanders & stappers, 2008). this paradigm shift also involves a shift in the role of designers, who move from designer-to-designer to designer-to-public, and more recently, to public-to-public roles. here, designers need to acquire/emphasise social skills to facilitate ‘public designerly engagements’ (lindström & ståhl, 2016). in public-to-public relationships, those 'non-trained-in-design' still contribute to the designing (lee & ho, 2012), thereby democratising (and socialising) the design process. in designerly engagements, 83 designers intervene in public spheres, in a designer-public relationship, where people are perceived as experts, and designers adopt roles of support (ehn, 2008). with grassroots and bottom-up social innovations, communities take the lead and designers serve as triggers for local action (execution), their role is to activate and facilitate civic-collective creativity (lee & ho, 2012), alongside designing the sociomaterials of designerly engagements for ‘the co-articulation of issues’ (lindström & ståhl, 2016). methodology and case study this section presents the methodological approach and the methods deployed in a case study conducted with rural communities in the highlands and islands of scotland and associated with a three-year uk-ahrc funded design research project, called leapfrog. focused on transforming public engagement, leapfrog explored the role of co-design in strengthening communities and involving them in the designing of engagement tools to invigorate public-community engagement. this study adopted a participatory action research (par) approach to develop the methodology because it foregrounds participants and their context as the core of the investigation (whyte, 1991). it also embeds social change as part of the research agenda – aiming to produce a positive social impact on communities (walter, 2009). par stems from lewin (1946), a social psychologist focused on shifting away from the scientific tradition and establishing democratic principles in research, to reshape research itself (chevalier & buckles, 2013). par is an applied research approach oriented to address social issues. it is open to innovations or contributions that may arise from its interaction with other disciplines. par is usually represented by a spiral of stages where each stage informs the next one, once the research-community partnership identifies a focal social issue: (i) initial planning; (ii) action; (iii) observation; (iv) reflectioninformed planning (see walter, 1993, p. 3). par was implemented in this study as the meta-process of a methodological framework developed by the research team with four phases: (i) preparation for co-design; (ii) co-design situations; (iii) follow-up; and (iv) systematising learning. these phases structured the ‘tools for renewal’ research project, a case study where ethnographic and co-design methods were deployed to gather data about how co-design can support interpersonal and organisational changes in social enterprises. case study: tools for renewal ‘tools for renewal’ consisted of a six-month co-design project with the newbold trust, a social enterprise based forres, n-e of scotland. its mission is to consider sustainable ways of living together in the region. the trust had initiated a transformation shifting away from an organic and unstructured community to a social enterprise. this internal shift involved the renewal of both its physical assets and its identity as a social enterprise. the newbold community felt isolated from community life in forres and the region. they wanted to open up the doors of their property to include local communities in the physical transformation and decision-making of their future spatial uses. the participants' reasons to participate in the project were largely related to commitment to sustainable causes, seeking to nurture their personal inner life and curiosity. the flourishing of social connections was the ultimate motive of newbold community’s decision to embrace the project. the research aim was to identify ways to establish long-term community engagement by systematically inviting local communities to participate in the renewal of their facilities, as well as in the reshaping of their identity. after a series of co-design situations, ‘walking’ (careri, 2002; ehrström, 2016) emerged as the principal method by which to engage such communities, and a postcard tool was codesigned to gather the insights of the participants who engaged in the facilitated walks. 84 preparation for co-design this first step comprised three stages: (i) initiation and planning; (ii) historical research; and (iii) interviews. during the initiation and planning stage, conversations were held with the community and public partners – collectively defining the problématique; establishing a bidirectional dialogue for identifying the challenge and focus; co-designing a research plan and timeline, and inviting participants to sign the informed consent agreement and gain ethical approval from the institutions involved. semi-structured interviews and visits were then conducted to build rapport and trust, but also to begin understanding the personal context and motivations of participants. during the visits, we walked around the newbold property (figure 1), a victorian house and approximately seven acres of grounds. focused on seeing at first hand the spatial assets for renewal, design-researchers gathered accounts of the context of research while adopting a participant-observer role. touring around the newbold grounds, the research team and the newbold community began building mutual understanding. figure 1. route and map of the facilitated walk. 85 co-design situations this phase was the most intense and immersive engagement with participatory activities. it comprised several methods: catalysis workshop, co-design workshops, prototyping tests, semi-structured interviews, reflective group sessions, participant-observation, and tool delivery events. catalysis workshop designed to enhance the construction of group dynamics, the catalysis workshop brought participants together to share their personal experiences about the newbold services and spatial assets. twelve participants came from the newbold trust, the findhorn foundation and the forres local community. after introducing the project, the facilitated walk began. here the design-researchers adopted participantobserver roles. they mingled with the small group of people that moved naturally from one spot to another (see figure 1, and steps 1-9). we all walked in small groups, feeling comfortable, observing our surroundings and letting ourselves be embraced by the environment. two members of newbold provided an improvised narrative connecting the physical spaces with the past, present and future desires of newbold. eventually, the participants started imagining possible changes and alterations that could be made as they walked through those spaces; they wrote or drew on the tools that were designed for datagathering and analysis. people continued to organically form small groups. the act of walking closer together functioned as a way to initiate a conversation and the thread of the conversation became the way to connect the group until we reached the next spot (figure 2). walking was a means to break down the hierarchies of power between the members of the newbold community. in the next activity, a group reflective session, participant 1 said: “…i felt freedom when people were walking; we were not in this situation, staring at each other. here it is more difficult to express myself. when we were walking, we were talking at the same time freely.” figure 2. facilitated walk at newbold trust. 86 the catalysis workshop created horizontal group dynamics. the group reached the point where participants started building other types of relationships. working together, in this case, did not mean collaborating. each staff member in charge of each department tended to work independently and autonomously. in their work with the newbold community, the research team also observed a certain degree of intra-personal friction. there was an ideological split between two groups: those who pushed to turn newbold into a sustainable and self-sufficient business and others who resisted the change and longed for the return of a bohemian lifestyle. co-design workshop 1 during this workshop the participants went through four main phases: 1) a reflective session on previous engagements, 2) deepening understanding and reaching a collective agreement, 3) idea-generation and prototyping activities, and 4) presenting concepts/prototypes and selecting proposals. the first co-design workshop aimed to reflect collectively upon the previous walking experience, and, as a collective, to codesign ideas where walking could be adapted as the newbold trust method for engaging local communities in the long-term. there were ten participants. the day began with lunch and an opportunity to analyse the data collected during the catalysis workshop. using string hanging from side to side across the room, the participants began organising the insights according to their collective criteria, shaping a timeline of interventions based on the values of the group (figure 3). this helped them to consider what type of exchange they were looking for in engagement and the methods they might need to use to gather, interpret and act on information accumulated during the exchange. this activity sought to break with the hierarchical dynamics that the participants unconsciously brought to the workshop, an influence that would allow members to behave freely without wondering if they should agree with the ideas of a superior. this enabled participants to collectively identify different approaches to their strategic plan. figure 3. hang-it-up collective activity (priority building). 87 the participants were then divided into groups comprising three people and sent on a ‘discovery journey’ around the creative campus, glasgow school of art, in forres. the participants approached the activities with joy going with the flow and generally feeling comfortable. in turn, they gained the ability to put themselves in the place of their future walkers and built collaborative attitudes towards those they engaged within the co-design process. for instance, unconsciously, participants 3, 4 and 12 realised that they were not able to write their insights, so they used each other’s backs as improvised support to write their thoughts, showing a collaborative attitude (figure 4). figure 4. discovering activity. an interesting insight was the importance of somehow tailoring and planning the route of the walk into the purpose of the engagement. participant 3 commented: “the flow of the walk needs to be tied into how someone who does not know about this place may interact with it and how one feels. the reason why we are doing this is how to interact with the space. that would be also related within the experiences.” this session allowed them to gain a better understanding of their participation in the project. p6 said: “walking around the fields stimulated emotional responses. it is more about qualities. looking at that as a way to imaging the development of newbold”. participant 10 mentioned: “similar to when we were using the tool in newbold, we were imaging how the space could be transformed within the narrative. how do we develop that thing and how do we tell the story right from the entry gate? it is really the narrative, the story that we want to tell people.” 88 the narrative was a crucial component that needed to be addressed. the participants naturally began to imagine possibilities. the sharing of spatial and personal experiences shifted away towards co-producing ideas. the workshop produced three idea-prototypes and the group decided to focus on one. semi-structured interviews the interviews foregrounded how co-design situations were providing new conditions for them to learn more about their team. participant 2 said: “…in these two workshops i think i found the learning at watching us as a group, how the interactions happened, what formed the group dynamic and perspective”. the process was helping them to redefine their interpersonal relationships, an adjustment of behaviour. participant 1 said: “…because we are in a different environment, i am learning how they (staff) approach a problem, how they react when they have something new to build…”. prototype-test in-between co-design workshops, participant 5 facilitated a walk with a group of erasmus students and collected the observations written on the prototype. he brought his insights into the experience to initiate the following co-design workshop. co-design workshop 2 participant 5 outlined the use of walking as the method to offer the students an inclusive and comfortable atmosphere to spark informal conversations and so imagine through stimulating all the channels of learning. participant 5 said: “for me, it was a strong sense of engagement with the people. this was a tool (prototype) that helped me engage in more dialogue as we moved around with the people. the tool gave me a sort of structure to build the narrative.” researchers noticed no hierarchical relationships between the participants. next, participants were split into small groups of two or three people and spent the rest of the workshop co-designing new iterations of the tool (prototype) to enhance it. after collective selection focusing on a new prototype of the tool, the group decided to test it again, in a series of facilitated walks during the harvest festival. participant-observation the harvest festival was the biggest community event newbold organised and included sharing activities with other local communities. two facilitated walks were planned on the agenda of the community event. on average, both walks had around twelve participants, most of the visitors/eco-tourists. like the catalysis workshop, the walk sparked small groups who walked together, having conversations between themselves, asking questions and sharing their ideas about the spatial assets. they engaged with the narratives of the walk-in an informal atmosphere (figure 5). in the end, the participants spent some time writing their reflections about their experience and gave the prototypes back. the research-community team reflected on the activity and concluded that the prototype worked well, although some adjustments needed to be addressed. the design team developed a third version, more flexible and adaptable, according to the needs and purposes of the walk. 89 figure 5. facilitated walk at the harvest festival. tool delivery event the workshop began with a collective and reflective session. an insight emerged: the qualities of physical space and their rotation contributed to the emanation of interpersonal learning. participant 7 said: “when you go out of the house (newbold house) and you have conversations like these with the same people but out of your usual environment, you understand maybe better or from a different way. this becomes a tool to know each other better, differently.” they all agreed that the project helped them to know each other better and hence start working as a team. then they tested the final prototype and reported minor touches. by the end, all the participants had built their tools for renewal, which they took away with them. finally, the research team thanked them for their commitment during the project. this would not have been possible without all of their hospitality, kindness and open-minded approach, and the project drew to an end. follow-up the follow-up phase consisted of revisiting some of the participants once the case study was complete, using (i) participant-observation and conducting (ii) reflective interviews, observing the course and consequences of the co-design situations in perspective; perceiving a potential change in the agency. participant 1 said: “…you have to solve problems every day and sometimes you do not have time to stop and think about how to do things. on this, we learnt that we needed to stop and think and talk and create these conversations.” according to him, the co-design workshops foregrounded the beginning of a unique moment that impacted the way he perceived the other participants, unfolding hidden personal competencies and skills. it activated his learning and this led to reshaping the group dynamic. for 90 participant 3, the co-design project provided a learning outcome: the need to collaborate towards a common goal. he stated: "…going through that process and learning how it is not about roles, it is about the different perspectives that helped us solve problems, create new tools". he understood the relevance of merging different perspectives as a synergy that renegotiated the relational patterns of working together and their feelings about this way of working. the organisation had embedded the walks, held and facilitated regularly with wider communities. yet the tool needed more preparation and planning. they were in an evolving and transformative process. participant 6 expressed surprise about the process, however, he said: "…my only reservation is that it was too quick and i think we needed more time to expand on what we were doing…". he commented that they had embedded the hang-it-up activity in their meetings. he reflected, comparing both experiences and concluded: "…i might consider moving more, getting up and moving as a really important part of decisionmaking." findings this section presents the findings of the analysis phase (systematising learning) where affinity diagramming was adopted, an ethnographic method consisting of arranging pieces of paper-based data on a physical space like a wall and follows a three-phase process (each one illuminating a higher level of abstraction): item, pattern and structural analysis (lecompte & schensul, 1999). the process went through three phases of affinity diagramming, re-arranging the items by affinity, bottom-up, and consolidating theoretical structures. out of this process, three findings were identified: walking enabled changes: from hierarchical to horizontal organisational relationships the use of facilitated walks (ehrström, 2016; kanstrup, bertelsen, & madsen, 2014) animated an engagement process amongst participants. walking proved to be a useful method to read and imagine those physical spaces revealing opportunities and dilemmas through a process that reduced interpersonal conflict and foregrounded the third space (gutiérrez, 2008; muller & druin, 2012; muller 2009). in this, the disruptive aesthetic of design was a key dimension that opened a space between emotions and human agency, leading to consciousness-raising (markussen, 2013; fuad-luke, 2017, 2009; disalvo, 2012; rancière, 2010). the walk aimed to create the space for collective reflection about issues where social and physical dimensions converged. by discussing in small groups and letting the surroundings to embrace the conversations, the walk helped participants to see things differently. participant 11 shared: “the walk was a really good idea and the reasons i am giving are because we saw and spoke to each other about different perspectives. it also was fun to be with you and to understand your ideas both verbally and visually, and critically navigate throughout the space. it sparked loads of ideas. i liked it because it made me slow down, observe, and feel the spaces.” the activity generated an embracing atmosphere for the participants to reflect in situ and contribute to the focus of the project. the walk activated visual and kinaesthetic learning processes. it also broke down the hierarchies that sometimes can be found in traditional environmental conditions, such as round tables indoors. careri (2002) states that walking is an art form which discloses an interpretation of ourselves within the environment, and aesthetic recognition through the experience of understanding (rasmussen & wright, 2001) a production of collective meaning. sprouts of behavioural and organisational change 91 during the follow-up, participant 6 reflected on adopting “…moving as an important part of decisionmaking…”, denoting potential social change. about this, participant 2 said: “…i realised it is so important to have all that design planning before doing. i have just finished a permaculture design certificate. i think this project will help to inform that as well”. other evidence of change was to see that participants adopted walking and the hang-it-up activity in their community meetings. participant 1 shared: “…the process helped to open ourselves up and our relationship is a little different now. we are more comfortable. for instance, we used to have a non-flexible system. every week we had like a business meeting, and we decided, during the process, we would have meetings when we needed them.” the climate created during the workshops stimulated participants to behave differently and feel free to be themselves, acknowledging a change in their attitudes. participant 6 said: “…by the fact of us being a group, i felt like all the stuff of me having to perform or do something, just about me personally and my need to perform well, that just fell apart. that just did not happen, so i was comfortable and enjoyed it.” inter-personal learning this finding draws on 'people skills', comprising skills and competencies such as learning to listen to people, building trust and respect for different perspectives, changing perceptions and expanding mutual understanding towards working together. for example, participant 5 said: "…it taught me a little bit to just be open to other ideas, be able to contribute but be open to other ideas because it is a group". they learnt how to collaborate better by making their attitude more open to listening to others. participant 5 added: "…having the input of many people i realised is much more powerful, because everybody is involved, we can develop something which everybody is comfortable with…", raising awareness of collective ownership. participant 4 shared: "…i am interested in seeing how we are coming together as a team, working together and not just running the place…". participant 2: “…it helped me see that what i think is not always the most appropriate design, whereas with co-design most things are thought of and everyone feels ownership…”. participant 6: “…what i have learnt is the deeper level of trusting of the group process”. on changing perceptions, he added: “…i have learnt about other people, a couple of people who were able to see clearly and that helped me to have a different view of them”. discussions and conclusions this study has investigated the arguments pointing to co-design as a suitable methodology to confront socio-cultural challenges (meroni et al., 2018; fuad-luke, 2017, 2009; ehn, 2017; smith et al., 2016) that threaten and constrain our present and future qualities of life. today we live in turbulent times. the ripples of the recent recession are still spreading, globally re-moulding the socio-cultural and political-economic spheres. economic experts envision another significant recession, as a consequence of the pandemic, which will lead to the post-oil era (ahmed, 2017). the ipcc (2018) reports the socio-cultural need to urgently reshape our lifestyles and consumerist modes. internationally, we are witnessing movements arguing for egalitarian power-relationships (e.g. #blacklivesmatter) and social change that embrace sustainable ways of working and living together (e.g. #extinctionrebellion). the challenges at stake require networked communities and interdisciplinary expertise (meroni et al., 2018) to produce synergies and social innovations capable of adjusting and re-equilibrating the relationship between nature and the built environment, seeking for sustainable ways of inhabiting this world (manzini & meroni, 2014). our literature review has identified how design research approaches are increasingly present in the public sphere (fuad 92 luke, 2009; mulgan, 2014), and geared towards addressing complex social issues (fuad-luke, 2017; 2009). some approaches (see nygaard & bergo, 1975; gillinson et al., 2010) recommend governments to set up centralised strategies that empower and support local community-led initiatives, associating local knowledge-production, empathy, and horizontal relationships as key factors in the emergence of social innovations (ostrom & ahn, 2009). we argue that ‘centralised strategies and local actions’ require a greater understanding on how design can be a catalyst for supporting social change processes, and also the need for policies that create the legal framework of interaction, between local actions and centralised strategies. the challenges society faces are amorphous in their structure and characterised by emergence, nonlinearity, uncertainty, adaptation and constant change (silverman & patterson, 2015). we argue that design features in all these challenges. what we have suggested in this study is that co-design, as a socialisation act, has the means to configure boundary spaces (calvo, 2019a; edwards, 2011; gutiérrez et al., 1995; gutiérrez 2008; lally & sclater, 2013). these spaces have the potential to merge the nascent demands of participation (smith et al., 2017; disalvo, 2012; jenkins, 2006) and the divergence of expertise required to co-articulate the issues, a driving-force that can confront societal challenges. the notion of boundary space is not new in co-design. muller and druin (2012) mention it under the term 'third space', a concept built upon bhabha's (1994) argument that when two or more boundaries (two or more spaces) interact, a boundary space of overlap (a hybrid space) emerges. bhabha (1994), describes this boundary space as a combination of features coming from all the boundaries interacting. muller and druin (2012, p1129) explain that, within this space, "enhanced knowledge exchange is possible". lee (2008) names it the 'realm of collaboration' which describes a power-balanced space of convergence. björgvinsson et al. (2012) refer to 'infrastructuring' as the means to create a space for assembling the multiplicity of expertise and divergence (also in meroni et al., 2018; smith et al., 2016) regarding the need for co-developing a common design language (ehn, 2017). in this study, the notion of boundary space finds inspiration from gutiérrez's (2008) theorisations of the third space, which emerges from differences in the engagement and participation, as well as from the multiple social scenarios that informal situations provide, which are based on egalitarian structures of power-relations. therefore, the conversation flows under inclusive and comfortable social conventions. gutiérrez (2008) aligns with suchman's (2002) association of boundary crossing and mutual learning. the concept of boundary-crossing, developed in the 1990s, reflected the transition of individuals interacting between various practices (suchman, 1994). also considered in situated theories of learning (lave & wenger, 1991) and in communities of practice (wenger, 1998), it was particularly advanced in educational sciences and psychology. this study also argues that design-researchers and practitioners have the means to directly intervene in the social environment, through orchestrating and choreographing design activities, supported by techniques, engagement tools and design games (brandt, binder & sanders, 2013). this subtle yet complex designerly act should consider the aesthetic and the ‘political’ (mouffe, 2013) dimensions of design. it also requires design-researchers and practitioners to gain socio-emotional competencies to understand participants’ ways of feeling and doing (markussen, 2013) understanding and stimulating group dynamics and reading the group mood to reorient the flow of engagements as required. as markussen (2013) points out, the aesthetic dimension of design is disruptive because it opens up a boundary space, a third space, between the social and performative actions of the participants and the production of 'new' emotions. the aesthetics of a design stimulates emotional responses which cause a disruption by raising awareness of people's activities and how they may feel about it. in this regard, the facilitated walks were orchestrated and choreographed design activities. they were prepared, planned, and geared (designerly) social acts that triggered behavioural change among the participants by reducing 93 interpersonal conflict and foregrounding third spaces. about this, kierkegaard and bretall (1947) observe the benefits of walking, an act that frees simultaneously the body and the mind, enabling thinking. anderson (2004) builds upon kierkegaard's reflection on walking, and upon casey's (2001, p. 684) theorisation about the relationship between the self and place as a “constitutive coingredience”, to develop a walking method to harness 'the inherently socio-spatial character of human knowledge" (andreson, 2004, p. 254). he emphasises the relaxing effect that the bodily rhythmic moves have on both body and mind, which encourages the use of imagination and unfolds hidden memories and experiences. kanstrup et al. (2014) review several walking methods and their suitability for participatory and co-design approaches. they identify four key factors to take into account: (i) the relevance of preparing the sociomaterials of the walk to spark designerly interactions; (ii) walking methods are time-efficient regarding the enriched data they unfold; (iii) adaptability of walking methods to absorb spontaneous detours of the planned routes and/or of the conversations; and (iv) the importance of “post-walk activities” (anderson, 2004, p. 59). walking is a natural human activity, and in this case study, it was re-purposed as a design method to place the participants in a social environment with which most of them were familiar. yet the facilitated walks engendered boundary spaces, which disrupted participants' everyday thinking, reconfiguring their relationship with the physical and social attributes of newbold surroundings. the walks enabled the participants to connect in ways they did not connect before. this notion of relational aesthetics aligns with the notion of aesthetics developed by rancière (2010), a dialogic form of interacting (and learning) with the social environment, which "reorients perceptual space, thereby disrupting socioculturally entrenched forms of belonging in and inhabiting the everyday world" (markussen 2013, p. 44). giroux (2020) has recently argued that “hope is the affective and intellectual precondition for individual and social struggle”. emboldened with hope, educators can use theory to address pressing problems. to meet the challenges of social innovation and organisational change we are advocating the use of theorised co-design, drawing upon key theoretical concepts including, for example, boundary spaces. giroux also points out that civic courage is required to transform critique into political practice. co-design, in this sense, is, we think, a form of political practice and can be a catalyst for social change and social innovation. giroux comments: "hope as the desire for a future that offers more than the present becomes most acute when one’s life can no longer be taken for granted. only by holding on to both critique and hope in such contexts will resistance make concrete the possibility for transforming politics into an ethical space and a public act." we think that collective consciousness can be aroused through co-design activities, as evidenced in the case study presented in this paper. when combined with imagination, we contest that such consciousness has the potential to enable people to co-design new forms of community that, according to giroux (2020), "affirm the value of the social, economic equality, the social contract, and democratic values and social relations." references ahmed, n. m. 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(1991). participatory action research. newbury park: sage. winograd, t. (1996). bringing design to software. new york, usa: addison-wesley. zahedi, m. (2011). modèle novateur de conception d’interface humain-ordinateur centrée sur l’utilisateur: le designer en tant que médiateur [innovative user-centred human-computer interface design model: the designer as a mediator]. (phd), montreal, canada: university of montreal. 44 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. digital job onboarding: an erasmus+ project for digital upskilling of youth eirini papageorgiou published online: may 2023 to cite this article: papageorgiou, e. (2023). digital job onboarding: the erasmus+ project for youth’s digital upskilling. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 44-55. 45 digital job onboarding: the erasmus+ project for youth’s digital upskilling eirini papageorgioua asynthesis center for research and innovation, nicosia, 1101, cyprus. eirini@synthesis-center.com abstract for many people, digital working has become a reality, especially through on-the-job training during the covid-19 pandemic. students were home-schooled, and companies and offices operated distance working. digital skills became a key determinant in the employability of young people, and dealing with these new digital job realities is assumed by potential employers. millions of jobs requiring digital skills already exist, and more will be created in the coming decade. the demand for digital skills in the workplace has never been greater. however, unemployed (young) people, school leavers in the transition to work, who are not embedded in a supportive institutional framework, have widely missed this capacity-building opportunity. the target group for this project is youth not in employment, education or training (neet), as well as other young people at risk of marginalization. this project aims to help job-seeking young people adapt to the “new normal” after covid-19 by improving their digital skills. keywords: social impact, innovation, digital upskilling, job onboarding, neet, youth, unemployment, employment, education, training, young people introduction digital job onboarding (djo www.dj-training.eu) is an erasmus+ project funded by the european union which aims to familiarize youth with forms of new digital professional life, to upskill young people and to activate their career potential with a special focus on new forms of digital working. djo’s overall objective and scope is to close the gap of the digital divide during job onboarding for vulnerable target groups, especially young unemployed people without academic educational backgrounds, by developing, testing and delivering a training programme. the programme is led by fh joanneum gesellschaft, one of the leading universities of applied sciences in austria. other members of the consortium are dex innovation centre in the czech republic, which is a private innovation centre raising funds, creating new products, building startups and providing educational services, fondazione fenice onlus, a training and research centre in italy with specific skills in designing and implementing didactical and training activities in sustainable development, haaga-helia ammattikorkeakoulu, the second largest university in finland, jugend am werk steiermark gmbh in austria, a non-profit organization providing social services to support children, young people and adults in all the ups and downs of life and synthesis center for research and education in cyprus, which initiates and implements social impact projects with a focus on social inclusion. all participating organizations are experienced in the fields of social innovation, education and training. methodology as part of the project, an online survey was conducted, and several best practice examples have been collected in each partner country. the 3-month survey was held online via limesurvey and focused on current and future needs related to digital competencies in the workplace. it was addressed to representatives of the project’s target groups. during the survey, the consortium reached https://dj-training.eu/ 46 out to 252 employers, 238 companies and 233 unemployed young people in 5 countries: austria, cyprus, the czech republic, finland and italy. the main research questions were intended to inquire about what kind of digital skills are needed from the point of view of employers, as well as what kind of digital skills unemployed young people think they need to meet the demands of the current job market. towards evaluating the importance of job fitness competencies, the best practice examples collected through interviews, concerned the following main categories: 1) dealing with computer programs and pc software, 2) new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future, 3) personally organising the demands of present-day jobs, 4) professional use of social media in professional applications and 5) safe use of computers and the internet. onboarding onboarding is a process of adult learning. it often involves a series of training and orientation programmes providing new employees with knowledge of the organization’s vision, mission, operations, products, services and processes to build strong links between the employees and the organization. onboarding is necessary for new employees to enable them to perform well in the new job and meet the organization’s expectations. training also allows employees to improve their knowledge and skills, attitudes and confidence at work. digital skills at the workplace: an overview different definitions of digital skills or competencies exist, and different terms such as “digital literacy”, “digital competencies”, “ict-related skills” and “e-skills” are often used synonymously and/or interchangeably. digital skills are broadly described by unesco (2018) as the ability to use digital devices, communication application, and networks to access and manage information: basic or essential digital skills are considered to be the following: • email and instant messaging • word processing • social media for business • web-based research and problem-solving • data entry and handling • behaving safely and legally online advanced digital skills are considered to be the following: • user experience design • coding • programming, web, and app development • seo, sem, and content creation • data analysis at the same time, digital competence is one of the key competences for lifelong learning (council of the european union, 2018). based on its updated (2018) definition: “at work and for participation in society. it includes information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, media literacy, digital content creation (including programming), safety (including 47 digital well-being and competencies related to cybersecurity), intellectual property related questions, problem-solving and critical thinking ...”(council of the european union, 2018) findings of the online survey: current state in partner countries 1. dealing with computer programs and pc software 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 1: dealing with computer programs and pc software. for both target groups (employers and unemployed people) the average importance ratings are relatively low (employers = 2.75; unemployed people = 2.87). in the area of dealing with computer programs and pc software, there are clear differences between the target groups of employers/companies and unemployed people: • while the importance of training using a wide variety of software tools is expressed homogeneously among unemployed people, there is a clear preference among companies. • classic software programmes for day-to-day work (office, mail programmes, online communication and browser programmes) are preferred from the company’s point of view as basic skills are important. • high-end programmes (online collaboration, project management, erp solutions …), on the other hand, are losing their importance from the companies’ point of view, in contrast to unemployed people. 2. new forms of work and requirements for the job duties in the future 48 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/ competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 2: new forms of work and requirements for the job duties in the future. for both target groups (employers, and unemployed people), the average importance ratings are high (employers = 2.03; unemployed people = 2.21). in the target group of unemployed people, the various aspects of competences for new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future are considered little differentiated in relation to their training needs. on the other hand, there are clear priorities from the point of view of the companies: • competence in agile and flexible working • competence in working in teams and • competences in self-organization. interestingly, the crucial global challenge of sustainable, ecological actions is regarded with more or less low relevance from the point of view of both target groups. 3. personally organising the demands of present-day jobs 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 3: personally organising the demands of present-day jobs. for the employers, the importance ratings are on average higher than for the unemployed people (employers = 1.67; unemployed people = 2.18). when it comes to skills for personally organising the demands of present-day jobs, there is a clear difference between the assessments of companies and unemployed people. 49 • companies say that these skills are more important than unemployed people estimate their need for further training. • while in the case of work–life balance both groups express relatively uniform importance, aspects such as politeness/manners, self-management and time management are assessed with higher importance by the group of employers. 4. professional use of social media in professional applications 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 4: professional use of social media in professional applications. for both target groups, the importance ratings are on average low (employers = 2.86; unemployed people = 2.82). when it comes to skills for using social media professionally (e.g. facebook, instagram, snapchat, linkedin, xing, twitter ...), the assessments of importance are for companies (in the direction of their employees) and unemployed people in terms of their need for further training exactly at the same level. however, the absolute level of importance in this area is generally relatively low. 5. safe use of computers and the internet 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 5: safe use of computers and the internet. for the employers, the importance ratings are on average higher than for the unemployed people (employers = 1.52 = high score; unemployed people = 2.25). when it comes to skills for the safe use of computers and the internet, the assessments of importance for companies (in the direction of their employees) and unemployed people in terms of their need for further 50 training are very different. for companies, these competences are the most important of all five topics. they expect their employees to have very high qualifications in almost every aspect. for unemployed people, in contrast, there is less need for further training in these skills. findings of the online survey. current state in partner countries 1. dealing with computer programs and pc software the first competencies group is comprised of competencies for using computer programs and pc software: a) microsoft office (e.g. excel, word, powerpoint) b) programmes for video conferencing (e.g. teams, zoom, webex) c) programmes for surfing the internet/browsers (e.g. firefox, chrome, edge) d) programmes for online collaboration (e.g. miro, mural, google docs) e) online project management (e.g. trello, asana) f) programmes for planning corporate resources (e.g. sap, microsoft dynamics) g) programmes for editing files (e.g. text editor, notepad) h) developing software (e.g. visual studio, webstorm, android studio) i) programmes for automating tasks (e.g. macros, scripts) j) file-sharing programs (e.g. onedrive, google drive) figure 6: 1st competence group competences for using computer programs and pc software. most of the companies have the opinion that the competencies of microsoft office, video conferencing and surfing the internet are very important. the competencies of online collaboration and project management” seem to be very interesting only for italian companies. only three companies from the czech republic, cyprus and italy believe that this competence group is not important. all three companies belong to the production sector. 51 2. new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future the second competencies group deals with new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future. in the interviews the following points were raised: a) agile, flexible working b) entrepreneurial thinking c) self-organization d) teamwork e) networking f) sustainable & ecological action g) innovation and h) basic legal knowledge figure 7: 2nd competence group – new forms of work and requirements. overall, all competencies are important for the companies in all participating countries. only the competencies of networking and innovation have slightly less interest amongst the companies, and czech companies in particular showed no interest in these subjects. 3. personally organising the demands of present-day jobs the third competencies group deals with the demands of present jobs and personal organising: a) work–life balance b) manners/netiquette c) time management d) self-management e) crisis management and f) goals achievement (i.e. ownership and decisiveness, prioritising and coping with uncertainty) 52 figure 8: 3rd competence group – demands of present jobs and personal organising. the companies’ views towards this competence group show quite interesting national differences. in italy, all competencies are of significant importance, while czech companies see only time management as very important. finnish companies are very interested in all sub-competencies of this competence group. 4. professional use of social media in professional applications the fourth competencies group is about competencies for professional use of social media in professional applications (e.g. facebook, instagram, snapchat, linkedin, xing and twitter). the following issues were discussed: a) networking through social media b) overview of social media and c) creating your profile on social media d) not used in the company 53 figure 9: 4th competence group – professional use of social media. 5. safe use of computers and the internet the fifth and last competences group concerns the safe use of computers and the internet, and the following issues were raised: a) safely browsing b) secure handling of sensitive applications like online banking c) secure handling of emails d) secure management of passwords e) secure handling of personal data f) secure use of social media and g) secure exchange of confidential files 54 figure 10: 5th competence group – safe use of computers and the internet. this competence group shows the greatest interest from all participating companies and nearly all companies. the companies that have shown a great deal of interest in these topics do not belong to the production sector. conclusions figure 11: average importance ratings in the 5 competency areas. organizations value the importance of the five competency areas towards their employees. unemployed people, on the other hand, value the importance of further training in these skills areas. we can still compare both importance ratings, as they also reveal an interesting picture: • the importance of training is rated relatively equally among unemployed people across all five competency areas. • it is different in companies: there are major differences between the individual competencies. from the point of view of the companies, three topics of competence are particularly important (ranking): 1. safe use of computers and the internet 2. personally organising the demands of present-day jobs (work–life balance, manners, selfand time management) 3. new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future or skills managing new forms of work (agility, entrepreneurial thinking, self-organization, teamwork, networking, sustainability, innovation and basic legal knowledge) 55 next steps the completed study on (new) digital professional life and the current situation at workplaces, alongside the needs of employers and employees, will serve as the basis for the formulation of the content of a curriculum for a training programme targeted especially at 18-25-year-old unemployed youth. the curriculum will consist of 5 modules. this training programme will be implemented in the form of elearning with links to physical learning (blended learning), suitable for learning at home but also in the workplace context. the curriculum will be streamlined according to the feedback collected during the implementation phase through work-related sustainability projects. references atchoarena, d., selwyn, n., chakroun, b., miao, f., west, m., & coligny, c. (2017). working group on education: digital skills for life and work. broadband commission for sustainable development; unesco. https://tinyurl.com/5x87rcc5 council of the european union. (2018, june 4). council recommendation of 22 may 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. official journal of the european union. https://tinyurl.com/57b7mcah council of the european union. (2020, november 4). council recommendation of 30 october 2020 on a bridge to jobs – reinforcing the youth guarantee and replacing the council recommendation of 22 april 2013 on establishing a youth guarantee. official journal of the european union. https://tinyurl.com/4hwzrd96 digital job onboarding. (2022). digital job onboarding pr1 report. https://tinyurl.com/3mv7kjmx drucker, p. (1974), management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. harper & row. statista (2022). youth unemployment rate in eu member states as of january 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266228/youth-unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries statista (2022). unemployment rate in the european union as of june 2022, by country. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1115276/unemployment-in-europe-by-country/ unesco. (2018, march 15, last updated 2023, april 20). digital skills critical for jobs and social inclusion. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-skills-critical-jobs-and-social-inclusion world economic forum. (2020). the future of jobs report. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/wef_future_of_jobs_2020.pdf https://tinyurl.com/5x87rcc5 https://tinyurl.com/57b7mcah https://tinyurl.com/4hwzrd96 https://tinyurl.com/3mv7kjmx https://www.statista.com/statistics/266228/youth-unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries https://www.statista.com/statistics/1115276/unemployment-in-europe-by-country/ https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-skills-critical-jobs-and-social-inclusion http://www3.weforum.org/docs/wef_future_of_jobs_2020.pdf https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. digital job onboarding: an erasmus+ project for digital upskilling of youth eirini papageorgiou published online: may 2023 to cite this article: papageorgiou, e. (2023). digital job onboarding: the erasmus+ project for youth’s digital upskilling. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 44-55. digital job onboarding: the erasmus+ project for youth’s digital upskilling eirini papageorgioua asynthesis center for research and innovation, nicosia, 1101, cyprus. eirini@synthesis-center.com abstract for many people, digital working has become a reality, especially through on-the-job training during the covid-19 pandemic. students were home-schooled, and companies and offices operated distance working. digital skills became a key determinant in th... keywords: social impact, innovation, digital upskilling, job onboarding, neet, youth, unemployment, employment, education, training, young people introduction digital job onboarding (djo www.dj-training.eu) is an erasmus+ project funded by the european union which aims to familiarize youth with forms of new digital professional life, to upskill young people and to activate their career potential with a sp... the programme is led by fh joanneum gesellschaft, one of the leading universities of applied sciences in austria. other members of the consortium are dex innovation centre in the czech republic, which is a private innovation centre raising funds, crea... methodology as part of the project, an online survey was conducted, and several best practice examples have been collected in each partner country. the 3-month survey was held online via limesurvey and focused on current and future needs related to digital compet... out to 252 employers, 238 companies and 233 unemployed young people in 5 countries: austria, cyprus, the czech republic, finland and italy. the main research questions were intended to inquire about what kind of digital skills are needed from the poin... towards evaluating the importance of job fitness competencies, the best practice examples collected through interviews, concerned the following main categories: 1) dealing with computer programs and pc software, 2) new forms of work and requirements f... onboarding onboarding is a process of adult learning. it often involves a series of training and orientation programmes providing new employees with knowledge of the organization’s vision, mission, operations, products, services and processes to build strong lin... digital skills at the workplace: an overview different definitions of digital skills or competencies exist, and different terms such as “digital literacy”, “digital competencies”, “ict-related skills” and “e-skills” are often used synonymously and/or interchangeably. digital skills are broadly described by unesco (2018) as the ability to use digital devices, communication application, and networks to access and manage information: basic or essential digital skills are considered to be the following: • email and instant messaging • word processing • social media for business • web-based research and problem-solving • data entry and handling • behaving safely and legally online advanced digital skills are considered to be the following: • user experience design • coding • programming, web, and app development • seo, sem, and content creation • data analysis at the same time, digital competence is one of the key competences for lifelong learning (council of the european union, 2018). based on its updated (2018) definition: “at work and for participation in society. it includes information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, media literacy, digital content creation (including programming), safety (including digital well-being and competencies related to c... findings of the online survey: current state in partner countries 1. dealing with computer programs and pc software 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 1: dealing with computer programs and pc software. for both target groups (employers and unemployed people) the average importance ratings are relatively low (employers = 2.75; unemployed people = 2.87). in the area of dealing with computer programs and pc software, there are clear differences between... • while the importance of training using a wide variety of software tools is expressed homogeneously among unemployed people, there is a clear preference among companies. • classic software programmes for day-to-day work (office, mail programmes, online communication and browser programmes) are preferred from the company’s point of view as basic skills are important. • high-end programmes (online collaboration, project management, erp solutions …), on the other hand, are losing their importance from the companies’ point of view, in contrast to unemployed people. 2. new forms of work and requirements for the job duties in the future 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/ competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 2: new forms of work and requirements for the job duties in the future. for both target groups (employers, and unemployed people), the average importance ratings are high (employers = 2.03; unemployed people = 2.21). in the target group of unemployed people, the various aspects of competences for new forms of work and req... • competence in agile and flexible working • competence in working in teams and • competences in self-organization. interestingly, the crucial global challenge of sustainable, ecological actions is regarded with more or less low relevance from the point of view of both target groups. 3. personally organising the demands of present-day jobs 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 3: personally organising the demands of present-day jobs. for the employers, the importance ratings are on average higher than for the unemployed people (employers = 1.67; unemployed people = 2.18). when it comes to skills for personally organising the demands of present-day jobs, there is a clear difference between the assessments of companies and unemployed people. • companies say that these skills are more important than unemployed people estimate their need for further training. • while in the case of work–life balance both groups express relatively uniform importance, aspects such as politeness/manners, self-management and time management are assessed with higher importance by the group of employers. 4. professional use of social media in professional applications 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 4: professional use of social media in professional applications. for both target groups, the importance ratings are on average low (employers = 2.86; unemployed people = 2.82). when it comes to skills for using social media professionally (e.g. facebook, instagram, snapchat, linkedin, xing, twitter ...), the assessments of importance are for companies (in the direction of their employees) and unemployed people in terms of th... 5. safe use of computers and the internet 1 = training/competence for recently hired employees would be extremely important for me. 6 = training/competence for recently hired employees would not be important for me at all figure 5: safe use of computers and the internet. for the employers, the importance ratings are on average higher than for the unemployed people (employers = 1.52 = high score; unemployed people = 2.25). when it comes to skills for the safe use of computers and the internet, the assessments of importance for companies (in the direction of their employees) and unemployed people in terms of their need for further training are very different. for compani... findings of the online survey. current state in partner countries 1. dealing with computer programs and pc software the first competencies group is comprised of competencies for using computer programs and pc software: a) microsoft office (e.g. excel, word, powerpoint) b) programmes for video conferencing (e.g. teams, zoom, webex) c) programmes for surfing the internet/browsers (e.g. firefox, chrome, edge) d) programmes for online collaboration (e.g. miro, mural, google docs) e) online project management (e.g. trello, asana) f) programmes for planning corporate resources (e.g. sap, microsoft dynamics) g) programmes for editing files (e.g. text editor, notepad) h) developing software (e.g. visual studio, webstorm, android studio) i) programmes for automating tasks (e.g. macros, scripts) j) file-sharing programs (e.g. onedrive, google drive) figure 6: 1st competence group competences for using computer programs and pc software. most of the companies have the opinion that the competencies of microsoft office, video conferencing and surfing the internet are very important. the competencies of online collaboration and project management” seem to be very interesting only for ita... 2. new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future the second competencies group deals with new forms of work and requirements for job duties in the future. in the interviews the following points were raised: a) agile, flexible working b) entrepreneurial thinking c) self-organization d) teamwork e) networking f) sustainable & ecological action g) innovation and h) basic legal knowledge figure 7: 2nd competence group – new forms of work and requirements. overall, all competencies are important for the companies in all participating countries. only the competencies of networking and innovation have slightly less interest amongst the companies, and czech companies in particular showed no interest in the... 3. personally organising the demands of present-day jobs the third competencies group deals with the demands of present jobs and personal organising: a) work–life balance b) manners/netiquette c) time management d) self-management e) crisis management and f) goals achievement (i.e. ownership and decisiveness, prioritising and coping with uncertainty) figure 8: 3rd competence group – demands of present jobs and personal organising. the companies’ views towards this competence group show quite interesting national differences. in italy, all competencies are of significant importance, while czech companies see only time management as very important. finnish companies are very inte... 4. professional use of social media in professional applications the fourth competencies group is about competencies for professional use of social media in professional applications (e.g. facebook, instagram, snapchat, linkedin, xing and twitter). the following issues were discussed: a) networking through social media b) overview of social media and c) creating your profile on social media d) not used in the company figure 9: 4th competence group – professional use of social media. 5. safe use of computers and the internet the fifth and last competences group concerns the safe use of computers and the internet, and the following issues were raised: a) safely browsing b) secure handling of sensitive applications like online banking c) secure handling of emails d) secure management of passwords e) secure handling of personal data f) secure use of social media and g) secure exchange of confidential files figure 10: 5th competence group – safe use of computers and the internet. this competence group shows the greatest interest from all participating companies and nearly all companies. the companies that have shown a great deal of interest in these topics do not belong to the production sector. conclusions figure 11: average importance ratings in the 5 competency areas. organizations value the importance of the five competency areas towards their employees. unemployed people, on the other hand, value the importance of further training in these skills areas. we can still compare both importance ratings, as they also r... • the importance of training is rated relatively equally among unemployed people across all five competency areas. next steps the completed study on (new) digital professional life and the current situation at workplaces, alongside the needs of employers and employees, will serve as the basis for the formulation of the content of a curriculum for a training programme target... references atchoarena, d., selwyn, n., chakroun, b., miao, f., west, m., & coligny, c. (2017). working group on education: digital skills for life and work. broadband commission for sustainable development; unesco. https://tinyurl.com/5x87rcc5 council of the european union. (2018, june 4). council recommendation of 22 may 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning. official journal of the european union. https://tinyurl.com/57b7mcah council of the european union. (2020, november 4). council recommendation of 30 october 2020 on a bridge to jobs – reinforcing the youth guarantee and replacing the council recommendation of 22 april 2013 on establishing a youth guarantee. official jo... digital job onboarding. (2022). digital job onboarding pr1 report. https://tinyurl.com/3mv7kjmx drucker, p. (1974), management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. harper & row. statista (2022). youth unemployment rate in eu member states as of january 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266228/youth-unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries statista (2022). unemployment rate in the european union as of june 2022, by country. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1115276/unemployment-in-europe-by-country/ unesco. (2018, march 15, last updated 2023, april 20). digital skills critical for jobs and social inclusion. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-skills-critical-jobs-and-social-inclusion world economic forum. (2020). the future of jobs report. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/wef_future_of_jobs_2020.pdf 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. the neighbourhood home: an environments system from sharing to caring ilaria longo, sonia massari, alessandro spalletta published online: april 2021. to cite this article: longo, i., massari, s., & spalletta, a. (2021). the neighbourhood home: an environments system from sharing to caring. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 1–15. 2 the neighbourhood home: an environments system from sharing to caring ilaria longoa, sonia massarib, alessandro spalletta c aistituto superiore per le industrie artistiche (isia), rome, 00186, italy. ilaria.longo1993@gmail.com broma tre university, rome, 00154, italy. sonia.massari@uniroma3.it cistituto superiore per le industrie artistiche (isia) – deputy director, rome, 00186, italy. alessandro.spalletta@ edu.isiaroma.it abstract cities are changing. wars, climate change and idealised better life opportunities open the doors for massive migration. unfortunately, however, the new arrivals with their different backgrounds and lifestyles are often perceived as a threat to pre-existing culture and home. but what is ‘home’? from the results of ethnographic research and an online open survey conducted for a master’s degree final thesis in systemic design, ‘home’ is the neighbourhood that involves all the values and behaviours that everyone needs in their everyday life. this research led to the academic concept of the ‘neighbourhood home’, a system of new environments for future inclusive cities that aims to make all the inhabitants ‘feel at home’. this notion is based on the idea that inclusion is developed through empathy, creativity and know-how, discovering the cultural rituals and myths of different peoples. in every structure (like homes of music, language, clothing, etc.), new and old citizens can rediscover their common roots, which have always been, today as yesterday, interconnected through a multiplicity of cultural handicraft expressions. the pilot project designed is ‘meeteat’, a home that promotes informal cooking classes and social eating and is ingredient-driven (chosen on a seasonal basis) and organised by volunteer citizens in the neighbourhood. with the neighbourhood home’ thesis, we aim to propose a system that can turn diffidence into curiosity, conflicts into sharing and exclusion into caring. keywords: city, migration, roots, inclusion, sharing introduction: big cities and migrations the world is constantly changing, and so are cities. they grow, their boundaries fade, and they change as fast as the new economic, commercial, social and political dynamics. according to the world urbanization prospect 2018, globally, most people live today in urban areas. figures have radically changed from 751 million city residents in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018, and this is expected to increase to 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050, more than double compared to today (un department of public information, 2018). “cities have been sites of incessant and most rapid change throughout their history ... the change is so profound and the pace of change so mind-bogglingly quick that we can hardly believe our eyes and find our way amidst once familiar places”. (bauman, 2018) while in some developing countries high walls separate the rich from the slums, generating an immovable division that does not allow for social mixing, big cities of europe and north america see their borders widen, making space in the suburbs for new inhabitants. cities become worlds that mirror the incessant mobility of our age, with the respective fears and anxiety. new and old inhabitants walk through their streets, with their dreams, problems, needs and different backgrounds. 3 “on the one hand, the world becomes a city, an immense city where the same large companies, the same products are found everywhere. on the other hand, the city, the big city, represents a world. the diversity of the earth, the diversity between rich and poor, ethnic, cultural, origin and condition diversity: in the big city everything mixes. in it, we collide with the diversity inherent in the world”. (augé, 2017) big cities of developing countries are theatres of incessant movements: today’s citizens have frenetic lives, and frenetic work and sometimes forget natural human rhythms and sociality. however, the entire world also sees every day continuous migratory movements of different people who must leave their country, and their homes and feel the loss of their roots. “nomads traditionally studied by ethnologists have a sense of place and territory, a sense of time and return. this nomadism is, therefore, different from what is metaphorically called as such when speaking of current mobility. … it corresponds to the paradox of a world in which theoretically anything can be done without moving and in which nevertheless one move”. (augé, 2010) literature review: issues and opportunities for social inclusion when we talk about ‘cities’, we are not only thinking of buildings, streets and shops but, above all, we are thinking of their inhabitants, who have to live together side by side. migratory phenomena that have intensified in recent times (although always present in the history of humankind) have brought many new inhabitants into the world’s most flourishing cities. the caritas xxvii immigration report shows that in 2017, italy hosted 5,144,440 immigrants—speaking only of the regularly resident—or 8.5% of the total resident population and is ranked fifth in europe and eleventh worldwide in the list of countries that hosted the largest number of international migrants. most live in major urban centres (caritas and fondazione migrantes, 2018). a huge number of people, today and in the last decades, left their home, their motherland and their familiar places because of war (68.5 million between 2007 and 2017; unchr, 2018), famines, desertification and climate change. immigration and the consequent social tensions have undoubtedly become one of the most important and urgent issues of our time. foreigners are often perceived by citizens as ‘strangers’ or even ‘enemies’ who raise suspicion because of a poor or inexact knowledge of their culture and customs. “strangers tend to give anxiety precisely because they are ‘strange’ and therefore frightening in their unpredictability. … we know too little about foreigners to be able to interpret gestures and decide on appropriate answers, understand their intentions, and guess their next move. and not knowing how to proceed, how to behave in a situation that we did not create or control, is one of the main causes of anxiety and fear”. (bauman & cupellaro, 2016) the 2018 european commission report shows that half of europeans (46%) are ‘not very well informed’ about immigration and integration, in general, and tend to overestimate the number of immigrants in their country. four out of ten europeans believe that immigration is more of a problem than an opportunity for their nation, and this opinion is even more negative in italy, the base country of this study, which is one of the countries that demonstrates major hostility towards immigrants. most italians do not believe that integration is taking place successfully (european commission, 2018). 4 another report, ‘a fragmented italy’, demonstrates that there is a general feeling of self-loss among the citizens because of these social changes, to the degree that “half of the population reports that they have sometimes felt foreigners in their own country” and the majority fear that the national, traditional cultural identity is disappearing (more in common & the social change initiative, 2018). conversely, this sense of loss and these fears are perceived more by foreigners who have consciously left their territory, culture, connections and memories. the new places are foreign to them, and their condition is often of loneliness. the ‘integration’ we often hear about does not mean exchange, cooperation, mutual integration and organisation, but a pact of tolerance. foreigners are asked to set aside their roots, uniqueness, traditions and knowledge to embrace those of the new country. only by denying what makes them ‘different’ from us opens up the possibility of dialogue. however, dialogue is not only possible by denying the differences between peoples, but rather looking curiously at the roots we have in common because “the history of humanity is dotted with mergers of different groups ... it is a story of languages, religions, knowledge that have met and continue to meet, merging”. (giusti, 2007). these previous themes engaged us in reflection. how can foreigners be part of a community and be viewed as an opportunity for something better? this study, a master's degree’s final project that was designed from november 2018 to july 2019, addresses whether an integrated approach could be possible, considering migrants as persons with unique knowledge and wisdom. working in cooperation with some reception centres and communities in rome, through focus groups, co-planning activities and specific meetings that involved migrants, some concepts have been defined to mediate between the local and the migrant culture. methodology and research to understand both locals’ and migrants’ real feelings and desires, the study started with ethnographic research through direct contact and online to collect as many insights as possible to develop a humancentred proposal. two places in the city of rome, rich in diversity and multiculturalism, were chosen for interviews and meetings: the esquiline market in vittorio emanuele and the peripheral district of centocelle. these well-known landmarks for peaceful coexistence between citizens and foreigners were chosen to allow easier conversations and exchanges. the first is a famous social gathering place, in which culinary ingredients from all over the world can be found, brought by migrants who, with their commercial activity, supply their communities. here foreigners can find everything they need to prepare the typical dishes of their cultures and restore the sense of roots and traditions. “i miss my mother, my family, my sister. but we keep in touch, i see them online, and slowly i don't miss anything here in italy”, an asian boy said in front of the fish counter. he said that he also slowly appreciated italian cuisine: “i really love pasta; it is so versatile. in the early days i ate only recipes from my culture, but over time i also enjoyed the meat and fish dishes of yours”. an elderly arab man also stated: “at the inauguration of this market, we had a great party. it was called 'taste the world'. everyone brought something [a dish], and every day there was a different cuisine, together with dancing, music, etc. it was the union of the world at the table, a union that brings happiness, love and peace”. second, in the centocelle district, small groups of arab and indian women stroll with their children, dressed in their traditional clothes and conversing in their languages. 5 “what do you miss most of your land?” “the taste of the fruit and vegetables of our typical agriculture and the dishes that my mother cooked in my family”. “tell me about a good time you had in this city”. “it was in a small market: i was telling how meat is cooked in my culture, and a person looked at me in amazement. he was a jewish man, and he said that his family also cooks meat in a similar way. we laughed … it was beautiful. it made me think that the world is small”. to extend the range of interviews, an online survey was launched on social networks, which allowed people to speak more freely and anonymously. a platform like facebook is used by both italians and foreigners because the internet enables them to keep in touch with their friends and family in their country. eighty persons answered the question "what is 'home' to you?" and the results were collected, analysed and clustered in a word cloud map to trace the most frequent feelings, grouped with different colours, and the most frequent word pronounced, excelled with a higher dimension. image 1: word cloud map of the clustered answers to the survey “what is ‘home’ to you?”. the majority perceived ‘home’ as the place where affection and warmth can be found, where there are feelings of welcoming, appreciations and so many memories. ‘feeling at home’ is about a sense of ‘family’ and ‘belonging’ in everyday life, a place that is familiar and well-known. at home, people can relax and be authentic and spontaneous because they feel protected like in a reassuring refuge and can express themselves. there are relationships and sociability, that sense of ‘being together’, which forms a solid community. however, the most interesting aspect that emerged from the survey was the role of the neighbourhood, which is a perfect intersection between the overall city and the welcoming atmosphere of our own home. the neighbourhood represents an important part of daily life: in these places, everyday memories are built 6 and insecurity can be illuminated by progressive familiarity with its streets and shops and with the people who daily navigate them. system concept: the ‘neighbourhood home’ setting the neighbourhood as the ground of the concept, we defined the design scope as ‘inclusion’, not of foreigners in a different land, but rather of all citizens, old and new, in the fabric of a city that is constantly changing all over the world. the project aims to promote the transmission of different cultural knowledge and then co-creation behaviours within the community of the neighbourhood, to build a new, unique and collective cultural heritage that is flexible and resilient and can be perceived by every inhabitant as their own. the neighbourhood home project was born: a space for socialisation, receptive to inhabitants’ needs and open to neighbourhood improvement proposals. the goal is to improve people's inclusion in the small context of the neighbourhood, encouraging people to share their roots’ culture and knowledge. by understanding each other’s different cultures and traditions, a sense of belonging can be created, and new values and behaviours can be built. this goal can be achieved through a common mediator of all humankind: culture. promoting cultural activities in the neighbourhood home, citizens will be able to network, know each other, co-create and share local initiatives. each different culture produces, today as yesterday, specific traditions, rituals and myths that are grounded as cultural roots. as anthropology and sociology teach, only by understanding cultural practices do we understand the people who are part of it. moreover, with a neighbourhood home in each district, an entire system of welcome, culture and creativity can be created. each home can have a specific cultural focus: there will be a home of music, a home of costumes, a home of language and many others. in all its forms, from culinary to literary, artisan, musical, and so on, culture can be a link between people throughout the world. image 2: the neighbourhood home system concept. each structure is imagined as a newly built pavilion with a specific shape and provides specific tools based on the cultural focus. the home buildings can be on land that needs redevelopment within the urban structure and is itself the first improvement to the district. the contents of the activities in each neighbourhood home will not be fixed but variable, as they will be spontaneously proposed and self 7 managed by the neighbourhood’s inhabitants, which is a flexible way to allow everyone's creativity to emerge and shine. by creating a net of inclusion among the inhabitants, the second goal of the neighbourhood home system is to enhance and develop the neighbourhood itself and the city and to bring the restored empathy (massari, 2020) from people to the territory in which they live. in the space perceived as their own home, inhabitants are enabled to discuss neighbourhood issues and identify solutions together, for example, to organise a petition and volunteer events for their community. the project may interest both private and public institutions, such as municipalities, regional authorities or large companies providing goods and services that are sensitive to social issues. this system could also become supportive of municipal policies and help to manage the complexity of the problem in the neighbourhoods of rome, as in other cities. case studies of neighbourhood communities the concept of the neighbourhood home combines the scopes of citizens’ inclusion with neighbourhoods’ revaluation with a benefit especially for the peripheral districts who have seen their borders widen. but it is not the only initiative in the world that aims to improve neighbourhoods’ conditions in a big city. the ‘school of neighbourhoods’ (‘scuola dei quartieri’, https://www.lascuoladeiquartieri.it/) is a project of the municipality of milan with two purposes: to create projects and services designed and implemented by citizens for improving the lives of neighbourhoods; and to transform the suburbs of the city, enhancing the energy, creativity and resourcefulness of their inhabitants. through workshops, training courses, competition notices and public incentives, the school helps citizens to realise ideas and projects that are useful for the entire local community. the system includes a website and an app that present similar sections: #goodstory collects real stories of people who, through their dreams and activities, have created something good for their neighbourhood; and #goodidea tells the school about competition notices and shows the citizens projects that could win the opportunity to be realised. moreover, by registering on the app, citizens can see the calendar of events and initiatives promoted by the school, which is a series of opportunities available to everyone to help regenerate the suburbs. across the ocean, in america, the artist and professor, theaster gates, has launched numerous projects for the redevelopment of the greater grand crossing neighbourhood in the south side of chicago. that urban area was full of abandoned and decayed houses because of the failing housing market, buildings which people no longer knew what to do anything with. working collectively with other artists, architects, activists, educators and entrepreneurs, theaster started reshaping, as one of his pieces of art, how people imagined the south side of the city. he founded the rebuild foundation (https://rebuild-foundation.org/), a non-profit organisation focused on culturally driven redevelopment in under-resourced communities. for their most celebrated work, the ‘dorchester projects’ on dorchester avenue, he bought two of those vacant buildings—now called the archive house and the listening house—and involved the local neighbourhood in the restoration. the foundation turned the renewed buildings into cultural institutions to stage exhibitions, small dinners, lectures, book readings and workshops in the neighbourhood community. the listening house gathers discarded books from collections and out-of-business bookstores. the black cinema house plays movies that are important and relevant to the black people of the neighbourhood. in the arts bank, there is a collection of memorabilia from people who live or have lived on the south side, which reflect its identity and talk of its complexity. 8 what interested theaster the most was not a single house or building, but rather the cooperation between that house and the local school, shops, markets, parks, etc.; connections through all these buildings can have a dialogue with each other. he was able to collect all the people passionate about their neighbourhoods and gather together the right professionals who could realise their dreams through his lens of culture and art. his purpose was to rekindle the interests of the inhabitants through culture to get them to reinvest in their place. his attention goes to the connections that can be created between one house and another and then between one neighbourhood and another. both these case studies demonstrate the existence of widespread social interest in the improvement of cities to adapt and react to global changes and guide new ones within their territory. the participation of citizens in the renovation of their neighbourhoods is not only possible but desirable. only the inhabitants themselves can stand up and carry out initiatives to improve their living conditions. bottom-up projects are possible and are already implemented in cities. what is needed is the development of a culture aimed at sustainability through workshops, training courses, social initiatives, awareness campaigns, etc., to stimulate the common desire for improvement and the will to do something about it. these testimonials show that the objectives of renewal, dialogue and inclusion can be achieved by activating a network of interested people: first of all, citizens and municipalities, with the support of cultural institutions, investors, social change associations and also private companies and organisations. moreover, migrants can be an active and positive (no longer negative and neglected) part of this change, allowing them to finally feel part of a place that appreciates them, listens to them and values their different knowledge and points of view. pilot project: the neighbourhood… food as a pilot project for the neighbourhood home system, food culture was chosen as an intermediary for inclusion and socialisation, since food is one of the most immediate vehicles for sharing the rituals, knowledge, lifestyle and myths of different cultures. “eating other people's food seems easier—even if only apparently—than decoding its language” (montanari, 2011). food has never been seen by human society as mere nourishment, but has always been enriched with other symbolic and relational meanings that go beyond its nutritional value. “sharing the same food is at the origin of all rituals” (barilla center for food and nutrition foundation, 2019). sharing a meal represents an ancient and always effective bridge between cultures: diners will first notice the differences between their culinary cultures, but then, most importantly, the things in common. foods, ingredients and recipes in history have always travelled across lands and continents following people (bloch-dano & prencipe, 2017), which is why today’s typical ingredients of a culinary tradition often actually originate on the other side of the planet (the tomato, very dear to the italian cuisine, for example, is originally from america). for a neighbourhood home centred on food, two core activities have been imagined: cooking classes focused on an ingredient chosen by the home on a seasonal basis and social eating sessions, in which all the participants of the cooking class can share the meal. these activities will allow not only people to gain confidence in each other in a relaxed context but also to understand how the ingredients connect people around the world. every inhabitant of the neighbourhood can freely and spontaneously propose a cooking class in the home setting and can add the event in the community’s (online and offline) calendar. through the classes, people can share stories of their culture, specific gestures and cooking rituals from their typical tradition, teaching 9 a recipe that fits the established seasonal ingredient. the social eating at the end of the lesson brings all participants to the same table and makes that social inclusion effective. image 3: ‘meeteat’ pavilion from above. image 4: architectural elevation, front (above) and rear (below). the structure, called ‘meeteat’, is imagined as a newly built pavilion entirely designed around the themes of integration, nourishment and sustainability. the journey starts at the entrance area, provided by 10 a reception for passers-by’s curiosity and information, an entire wall of interactive digital frames showing past initiatives that have become shared neighbourhood memories and modular and freely aggregable seats for dialogue and waiting. here citizens can also have information about the network and the activities of the other neighbourhood homes in the city. these are in constant communication with each other. registration for the initiatives can take place on the online platform, on the interactive screens or at the desk set up for support. image 5: entrance area with a reception desk and view of the dining hall. image 6: entrance area, focusing on the seats and the digital frames. over the entrance, the journey continues in the kitchen area, the main feature of this home. here, all those who want to participate and learn will be able to register for free, bring ingredients with them and use the spaces and tools provided by the structure. the kitchen has an innovative and ‘neutral’ interior design because the neighbourhood home needs to be flexible and abstract from any specific culinary cultures. this choice of neutrality aims to create new behaviours and values that favour community and participation rather than choosing a typical layout of one culture at the expense of others. 11 image 7: kitchen area from outside. image 8: kitchen area, with a focus on the ‘earth’ section during a cooking class. 12 image 9: architectural plan of the kitchen with the semantic and functional organisation. to identify a common core of all food preparation, every possible action of a general cooking process was analysed: 1) storing the participants’ ingredients: containing and refrigerating 2) preparing the ingredients: cutting, cleaning, kneading, washing, etc. 3) cooking (if needed): boiling, frying, smoking, grilling, steaming, baking, etc. 4) dishing up 5) washing the clustering and arrangement of these activities and their corresponding furniture took inspiration from the lévi-strauss culinary triangle semantics. the metaphor of the four natural elements (water, earth, air and fire) was used because each one is essential in all culinary traditions and can evoke the imagination of the ancestral rites of all culinary spaces. a) the ‘water’ section collects all the ‘filling’ (as a cauldron) and washing activities: containers, pantries, shelves, refrigerators, sinks and dish drainers; b) the ‘earth’ section is dedicated to handwork such as ‘kneading’, ‘cutting’, ‘forming’, etc. and has a group of worktops equipped with sinks, drawers for instruments and waste bins; c) the ‘fire’ and the ‘air’ sections are six functional blocks for fire-related activities, each provided with a different type of cooking: stove, oven, wood-burning oven, grill, plate and deep fryer. the ‘air’ section corresponds to the ventilation hoods system on these fire blocks to guarantee vapour and smoke absorption. the six fire totems are the core of the entire meeteat pavilion because they 13 represent—at a mythical level—the fireplace of the tribe, around which stories, culture, myths and rites are transmitted. image 10: social eating in the dining hall (street view). the journey in this home ends in the dining hall, where the experiences of inclusion, socialising and empathising are consolidated by sharing the meal altogether. this is a meeting space, too, a comfortable area that allows citizens to discuss neighbourhood problems, find some solutions and organise collective social events. to merge these two purposes (the social eating sessions and the citizens’ meetings), a modular table has been designed that allows multiple combinations for space flexibility. in meeteat, a community as a sustainable and inclusive network can be created, responsibility for neighbourhood wellness can be fostered and a renewed sense of belonging can be inspired. "there is a growing need to find new ways to defeat food paradoxes (malnutrition, non-sustainable production systems and the battle against food waste, to name a few). in the past 15 years, the design method has been consolidating into this field of food. participatory design and co-creation in food experience design became popular along with the discipline of food design and social design." (massari, 2017) conclusion around the world, many projects have been designed to increase inclusion and interaction with migrants and foreigners in response to global and urban changes. however, fewer projects have been designed for the inclusion of all citizens to stimulate a new sense of community belonging and a renewed civic responsibility. the neighbourhood home project aims to highlight the common roots of all peoples in the world, who have always been interconnected by culture through migration and trade in history. culture is the human dimension par excellence: in each territory, culture has been shaped in typical expressions, rituals and 14 myths that enclose people’s real essence and values. it is necessary to understand these rituals to realise the underlying cultural values and traditions. transmitting and sharing gestures of typical cultural activities from all over the world, the neighbourhood home system will help create inclusion with each other in the district (and the entire city) context. this approach can generate not only a more inclusive society in each neighbourhood but also a possible common cultural heritage, composed of new shared values and behaviours and can become part of their daily lives. no longer “i” and “them” but an "us". curiosity for diversity must be the social innovation engine, an opportunity for growth and wisdom that allows us to recognise and valorise, in the end, our common roots. more inclusive cities and nations should be the most desirable goal today, transforming conflicts and social exclusion into interconnections and sustainable communities. references augé, m. 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(2018). global trends: forced displacement in 2017. retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2017/ https://www.ipsos.com/it-it/unitalia-frammentata-atteggiamenti-verso-identitanazionale-immigrazione-e-rifugiati-italia https://www.ipsos.com/it-it/unitalia-frammentata-atteggiamenti-verso-identitanazionale-immigrazione-e-rifugiati-italia https://rebuild-foundation.org/ https://population.un.org/wup/publications/ https://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2017/ 79 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. exploring mutual learning in co-design mirian calvo, leon cruickshank, madeleine sclater published online: november 2022 to cite this article: calvo, m., cruickshank, l., & sclater, m. (2022). exploring mutual learning in co-design. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 79-96. 80 exploring mutual learning in co-design mirian calvoa, leon cruickshankb, madeleine sclaterc aimaginationlancaster, lancaster university, lancaster, england, uk. m.calvo@lancaster.ac.uk bimaginationlancaster, lancaster university, lancaster, england, uk. l.cruickshank@lancaster.ac.uk cthe glasgow school of art, glasgow, scotland, uk. m.sclater@gsa.ac.uk abstract an emerging body of literature identifies a connection between mutual learning and co-design, yet it does not specify the nature of this connection or its implications for the practice of co-design. in this paper, we explore the theoretical and practical implications of mutual learning in co-design. we present three case studies with rural communities in the highlands and islands of scotland (uk). using participatory action research, we undertook a series of co-design projects with each case forming an action research cycle. through these, we build cycles of insights concerning mutual learning and how this can contribute to practical co-design outcomes for participants. we also present insights that increase the duration and amount of mutual learning in co-design projects. keywords: co-design, participatory design, mutual learning, community engagement, design research, social design introduction many co-designers and researchers have experienced the magic of a project that just ‘flies’, seemingly with little effort, and the inverse where things seem always to be ‘stuck’. in this paper, we explore how mutual learning between the participants in co-design processes may influence the success of projects and call for more co-design research focusing on this area. while the labels of co-design and participatory design (pd) are “often tangled” (mattelmäki & visser, 2011, p. 1) and used interchangeably to name collaborative design approaches (fuad-luke, 2009), co-design is also described as a contemporary progression of pd (meroni et al., 2018; selloni, 2017). initially, co-design was described as the collective creativity happening over the entire design process (sanders & stappers, 2008), depicted as workshops (binder, 2010) or events where people explore issues together in creative and open-ending ways (brandt & eriksen, 2010). rizzo (2010) refers to co-design as an umbrella of creative methods, techniques and practices whose aim is to inspire and enhance the divergency of the design process. in the context of social design, where design is driven by social demands (manzini & meroni, 2014), design goals and objectives are established with community members in their environments (mattelmäki & visser, 2011) and within a broad social agenda (markussen, 2013). in a review of the social design agenda (which is the theoretical context of this study), co-design and its methods have been divided into four orientations (mattelmäki & visser, 2011). the first orientation emphasises people’s expertise and involvement, while the second one focuses on people’s contributions unfolded with tools developed by designers. a third orientation concentrates on the twin roles of designers as simultaneously facilitators and participants of collective creativity. the fourth orientation focuses on collaboration between designer-people, adopting a distinctive attitude to people, who, given appropriate tools and engendering inclusive and creative third spaces (muller & druin, 2012), become creative contributors to the design process (manzini, 2015, 2019). in all these orientations, mattelmäki and visser (2011) observe, collaborative engagement is required, as well as the development of an interdisciplinary methodology of knowledge exchange (winters & mor, 2008), whereby mutual learning can be supported (fuad-luke, 2009). here we focus our attention on the 81 fourth orientation, seeking to amplify and support mutual learning to nurture collaboration between participants including designers and non-designers. zahedi (2011) contributes to an emerging body of literature that identifies a connection between mutual learning and co-design (see also disalvo et al., 2017; robertson et al., 2014; smith et al., 2017). simonsen and robertson (2013, p. 2) define co-design as “a process of investigating, understanding, reflecting upon, establishing, developing, and supporting mutual learning between multiple participants in collective ‘reflection-in-action’”. this statement emphasises that co-design requires participant learning and foregrounds mutual learning as a key part of the practice of co-design. the literature, though, does not specify the nature of this connection or its implications for the practice of co-design. this is a relevant issue because mutual learning influences both the co-design process and its outcomes (bødker et al., 2004). bødker et al. (2004) call for the active integration of people directly affected, arguing for a pragmatic need for mutual learning between designers and users, embracing its inherent democratic stance and aligning with the fourth orientation outlined by mattelmäki and visser (2011). this underscores the need for more research to deepen our understanding of mutual learning and co-design. origins of mutual learning in co-design co-design can be traced back to the early 1970s with the emergence of the work of kristen nygaard and colleagues in the scandinavian countries (muller & druin, 2012; simonsen & robertson, 2013; spinuzzi, 2005). at that time, there was a move to include trade unionists and workers in the design of computing technologies introduced in the workplace rather than imposing new solutions in a hierarchical manner (ehn, 2017). in the uk, co-design took inspiration from the works developed by the tavistock institute in london, which conducted action research projects. mumford (1987) built upon the emerging field of design research (archer, 1981; cross, 2001), tavistock’s experience, and upon the ‘soft systems’ methodology, developed by checkland (1981). the soft systems methodology focused on supporting dialogue as the basis of the design process, emphasising mutual learning. since then, co-design has been used in humancomputer interaction (hci) and design interaction and recently been expanded to other design disciplines, such as urban design, architecture, social innovation and public participation (meroni et al., 2018; zahedi et al., 2017). in europe, researchers laid the foundations of an approach based on democratic social constructivism and participatory action research (par) methods and techniques (bannon & ehn, 2013; spinuzzi, 2005). nygaard and bergo’s (1975) research revealed that a local knowledge production strategy needed mutual learning. such learning was considered the cornerstone of an emerging methodology. as ehn (2017, p. 10) states, “our ambition was to unite participatory actions research in the field with systematic theoretical reflections aiming at a productive interplay between academic and local knowledge production”. this statement illustrates co-design as a form of community engagement (selloni, 2017), which strengthens communityresearch partnerships as means of investigating communities and their sociocultural issues (davis et al., 2011), and in turn enhancing community conditions (balazs & morello-frosch, 2013). it also outlines how co-design borrowed from lewin’s (1946) work and par with a vast social research tradition (mcniff, 2002; walter, 2009; whyte, 1991). co-design also found inspiration in freire’s (1970) emancipatory learning notion, which helped assemble epistemological strategies. as ehn (2017) explains, two strategies were aligned: (i) the ‘decentralisation’ of power underpinning local knowledge production (nygaard & bergo, 1975) through central strategies and local actions around disruptive practices in the workplace; and (ii) the emphasis on communitycontextualised learning as the means for emancipation and liberation (freire, 1970), which opposes 82 traditional theorisations of learning (formal learning based on knowledge acquisition). combining both strategies, co-design developed methods and techniques to study the dynamics of social life through an approach focused on collaborative enterprise, mutual learning and reflection (mcniff, 2002). as sanders (2017) states, mutual learning in co-design was originally perceived as an emergent type of learning, happening there in all the interstices between social real-world situations and in between hands-on designerly activities. the notion of such learning in co-design situations was aligned with freire’s (1970) pedagogy of emancipation. this changed when co-design became more prevalent in the united states, where trade unions were less powerful in the workplace, with a corresponding move from democratic aspirations towards functional product features (spinuzzi, 2005). with this shift the (often implicitly understood) notion of mutual learning shifted away from freire’s (1970) emancipatory aspirations; it was considered a taken-for-granted process (robertson et al. 2014). this created a gap in understanding between co-design and mutual learning (brereton & buur, 2008; karasti, 2001). we propose in this paper that research attention should be focused on addressing this mismatch between theory and practice. case studies this section presents the methodology adopted and discusses three cases associated with leapfrog, a three-year (£1.2m) uk arts and humanities research council (ahrc)-funded research project. leapfrog used co-design as the methodology to bring people together from diverse backgrounds and with different levels of expertise to engage in dialogue to develop transformative agency through community engagement. this entailed a process involving communities in co-design situations and developing engagement tools to take into those communities to support effective engagement. partnerships were built on the triad of university–public–community. the three cases were conducted in the highlands and islands of scotland (uk), with a total of 15 co-design workshops and 277 participant interactions, where we explored the connection between mutual learning and co-design. the overarching aim here was to explore whether and how mutual learning contributes to co-design with external stakeholders with real-life challenges to address. the first case describes a sixmonth project on the isle of mull with five non-profit organisations aiming to develop engagement skills and supporting tools to re-animate engagement of disengaged people. the second case focuses on a ninemonth project with 12 service providers and third-sector partners who address loneliness and social isolation of elderly people in rural communities. this project aimed to develop effective ways to engage with lonely and socially isolated people and share best practices. the third case discusses collaboration with a social enterprise committed to sustainability and focused on engaging wider local communities in the renewal of the social enterprise’s physical assets and future services. methodology the methodology that guided these three cases followed a par approach, informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. par is an interdisciplinary research umbrella that covers an extensive range of approaches, which have change and action as common key drivers of research (walter, 2009). it has two objectives: (i) to produce knowledge and action that has a direct and meaningful use for the communities researched; (ii) to empower those communities through the construction of local knowledge, aiming to enhance their sociocultural and economic conditions (reason, 1998). we used the par approach to acquire a greater grasp of how the communities produced knowledge through mutual learning in designerly engagements. 83 par illustrates a spiral of research stages where each stage informs the following one (mcniff, 2002). each stage is also represented by a cycle within the steps of 1) planning: systematising experience and problematising, 2) action: reflecting and choosing action, 3) reflecting upon the action: observing the course and consequences of action and change, 4) systematising learning: coding and organising insights and 5) dissemination: validating and sharing new knowledge (loewenson et al., 2014, p. 13). the three cases were structured as action research cycles, allowing each one to inform the next one. the researchers also looked at the idealised model of co-design developed by fuad-luke (2009, p. 149), which illuminates four phases: (i) initiation and planning (collective catalysing), (ii) informed participatory design (collective understanding and exploring), (iii) pd with design team (collective designing and deciding) and (iv) doing and learning (collective actioning). a schematic idealisation of this was used as the theoretical basis for elaborating a research design capable of supporting mutual learning, onto which the researchers combined ethnographic and creative co-design methods and drew on reflective and analytical techniques. ethnographic methods were employed to reveal the dynamics of social interaction that would otherwise go unnoticed. the researchers devised creative tools for engagement and data collection to support not only the co-design workshops but also ethnographic encounters. co-design methods were used to accommodate participants’ agencies and orchestrate collective creativity, geared towards co-articulating shared goals. the data-gathering sets of each case study were analysed separately with a three-step process of affinity diagramming. this is considered “an interpretive, reflective method that is used to achieve new insights and ideas not to provide definite, objective answers” (harboe & huang, 2015, p. 96); thus it follows abductive reasoning (simonsen & friberg, 2014). at the end of the project, data triangulation was deployed to consolidate our insights. a methodological framework to study mutual learning in co-design we developed a methodological framework encouraging positive change and action in the communities we collaborated with. par provided a meta-process where each case study was configured as one action research cycle. the research design focused on the infrastructure of each action research cycle following five steps: 1) preparation for co-design, 2) co-design situations, 3) follow-up, 4) systematising learning and 5) dissemination (see calvo, 2019). each ‘research situation’ was designed based on the insights from previous ones. figure 1 illustrates the research design with two-way gears, reflecting the flexibility and responsiveness of a research design to the contextual changes that may arise. the varied sizes of the gears symbolise the estimated amount of time for each step. 84 figure 1: methodological framework scheme. source: calvo (2019). preparation for co-design this first step of three stages is depicted with small, exchangeable gears, meaning that one stage informs the others and vice versa. this involved (i) initiation and planning and collective catalysing, (ii) historical research and (iii) interviews. co-design situations step two comprises several stages: (i) a catalysis situation, (ii) a co-design workshop, (iii) prototype testing, (iv) delivery and (v) design ethnography: reflective group interviews, participant observation and reflective drawings. follow-up the follow-up step methods are (i) participant observation and (ii) conducting reflective interviews, observing the course and consequences of the co-design situations in perspective. systematising learning this step comprises the analysis and involves (i) affinity diagramming, which embeds (ii) stimulated recall analysis (messmer, 2015), (iii) narrative inquiry (chase, 2008) and (iv) production of second-order reflective sessions. dissemination following par principles, the last step aims to close the circle by presenting to the participants and other relevant audiences the theoretical concepts uncovered by the study. this involves dissemination, validation workshops and showcases. this research design gave us flexibility and consistency between the case studies, allowing us to draw out insights focused on mutual learning whilst being responsive to the tangible needs of the participants. 85 case one: co-designing on the isle of mull the first case involved four visits to the island in which three ethnographic encounters, four in-depth semistructured interviews and three co-design workshops were facilitated with a total of 13 participants with contrasting backgrounds and experiences, including the following non-profit organisations: highlands and islands enterprise (hie), mull and iona community trust (mict), ulva school community association (usca) and tobermory harbour association (tha). the participants included volunteers, community managers, trustees and chief officers. overall, their shared motivation was to collectively develop skills and tools to support engagement activities within their respective communities and enhance participation, as participant 3’s statement reflects: “it is just to get more tools or experience on how to increase participation in the community […]. things happen in mull because community members make them happen.” the co-design workshops in this case study were conceived as a progressive sequence, from initial conversations to prototyping. the workshops created spaces for design-participant interactions, gradually gaining trust and building mutual understanding in in-between designerly activities and coffee breaks. once we established interpersonal bonds, we gained access to some participants’ natural settings, for example during the tha community event in tobermory and with usca in ulva ferry, where participant observations were conducted, as well as semi-structured interviews (image 1). for the research team, it was crucial to build trusting relationships with the participants and to be able to gain access to natural settings so that we could experience first-hand and empathise with some participants’ everyday life constraints. in turn, we were also able to identify those learning moments by being there and bringing their voiced perspectives to the fore. we also observed the sequence of methods we were using and assembled them into an emergent research design with five steps: (i) co-design situations; (ii) learning from the context; (iii) delivery; (iv) access to natural settings; and (v) systematising learning. all steps were synchronised with the four visits in which we conducted the fieldwork. image 1: participant observation at ulva ferry with usca members. 86 we identified a strong component of mutual learning associated with the designerly engagements we facilitated. mutual learning emerged between the participants in the process of building trust, respect and mutual understanding through sharing perspectives and ideas, questioning each other’s ideas and codeveloping early prototype ideas. this was evidenced when the research team discovered that some of the participants began collaborating on some community development projects after their involvement in the co-design workshops. insights were gathered around how the co-design situations supported knowledge exchange about participants’ skills and ways of engagement. this led to building trust and certain levels of collaboration. the emerging productions were the eventual result of mutual learning. one insight from this process was that participants were not aware that they were learning by participating and doing. towards the end of the project, via conducting design ethnographic methods (participant observations) in natural settings, we began unpicking some of the participants’ notions of mutual learning. participant 10 said the following about learning during a community event in tobermory: “there is very important learning behind these events. all the schools on the island are very used to community events, helping to put their efforts into entertaining other people. there is a lot of exchange between different organisations. they are also in the schools, so they know each other […]. the children learn from a very young age about being part of the community.” mutual learning went unnoticed through the participants’ eyes, in that all interviewees were unaware of the degree of their knowledge production, competencies, skills and/or dispositions to engage in co-design situations or even in volunteering within their communities. participant unawareness of learning was identified as a challenge to overcome, as mündel and schugurensky (2008) suggest: how does one make explicit an implicit process of mutual learning? we used this insight of a lack of participant awareness (and reflection) to inform the next case study project. case two: co-designing to address loneliness and isolation the second case took place through six visits to the inverness, aviemore and moray area in the ne highlands of scotland, engaging with a total of 17 participants. the participants came from social enterprises and public service providers, including badenoch & strathspey community transport company (bsctc), health and social care moray, family outreach, art therapy, let’s eat forres, unit credit and tsi moray. the participants had diverse roles, from social care officers to well-being coordinators, art therapists, volunteers and more. all the participants wanted to address the loneliness and isolation of elderly people in the rural areas of inverness, aviemore and moray. the case focused on developing tools that could enable them to share assets, resources and best practices – tacit knowledge produced through their everyday ways of working. 87 image 2: co-design workshop 2: sharing personal stories through playing. responding to the understanding developed in case study one, we refined the research design, devising and facilitating a series of co-design situations (image 2), in which we assembled collective and individual reflective activities (image 3). the aim here was to draw out participant learning awareness. to help the participants reflect more on their learning process (when they are not used to such actions), we designed and introduced a reflective journal, with prompt questions and drawing tasks, to capture their thinking and emergent learning moments. we also observed that, in each case, the spontaneity and improvisation of everyday life affected and modified the course of events and thus the methods deployed. for instance, gaining trust and access to natural settings had a different pace in this case. in the first case, participant observations came late in the project, hampering the collection of enriched data about participant learning. therefore, the research design was reformulated reinforcing the use of design ethnography methods at the start and what produced early interactions with key participants to begin building trust right from the start. 88 image 3: reflective sessions. the first stage, ‘preparation for co-design’, helped us gain an in-depth grasp of participant motivation. in the second stage, ‘co-design situations’, we observed how the quantity of participation directly influenced not only the quality of the co-design process but also mutual learning. the participant observations called for attention to personal stories as vehicles for sharing experiential learning to mutual learning. in the third stage, ‘follow-up’, we gathered insights pointing out that the learning happened through participation and socialisation, through experiencing, playing, listening and having fun and observing how people behaved. as participant 1 said: 89 “by listening, by having fun, we were connecting in that moment of hearing the stories, hearing other people's opinions in a good atmosphere that it was not a debate or people trying to get rid of others. it was comfortable, fun, and sharing. it was playing.” this statement was shared with all the participants interviewed, and it emphasises the insight that personal stories enable mutual learning in a two-way, collective process of communication. different learning channels were activated through listening, empathising (emotional connection) and hence better understanding people’s identities, values and the motivations behind their stories. in the fourth stage, ‘systematising learning’, we used affinity diagramming to analyse the data, which suggested that the co-design situations and the follow-up interviews elicited the participants’ awareness of mutual learning. participant 8 commented on this: “it certainly broadens my understanding and feelings of how to relate to people and systems [...]. i think the game and having fun in those activities were essential to learning [...]. in terms of how the learning happened, well, most was interactive and fun. for me, that is the peak experience of learning.” all the participants interviewed expanded their understanding of mutual learning, through human interaction and collective fun, key conditions for mutual learning. they also reinforced their dispositional learning towards embracing openness from the divergence of ideas brought to co-design. the role that quotes from other participants played in this is significant: offering statements in a lexicon natural to the participants helped them recognise their own mutual learning experiences. case three: co-designing tools for renewal projects this project comprised a close-knit collaboration with the newbold trust, a social enterprise committed to sustainability in forres, ne scotland, with seven visits involving a total of 31 participants from the newbold trust, the findhorn foundation and forres local community groups, e.g. sky delights (nairn), roots, fruits and leaves (across moray), manna juice (elgin), roseisle gardens (college of roseisle) and the bread kiln (garmouth). the trust had a victorian house and about seven acres of grounds, most of which were neglected due to financial constraints. we initiated a co-design project that involved the renewal of both its physical assets and its identity as a social enterprise. the aim was to explore innovative ways to include wider local communities in the physical transformation of those neglected spaces and envision future uses. we also wanted to extend our use of early interaction and sharing participant statements on learning as a stimulus for more collaborative learning. we also deployed reflective journals to support independent reflective tasks and encouraged the participants (and the researchers) to embed reflective practice to raise awareness of our ways of learning in such designerly informal environments. 90 figure 2: route of the facilitated walk. after a series of co-design activities, including role-playing, switching roles and prototyping, walking (see careri, 2002; ehrström, 2016) emerged as the method to engage such communities. touring the trust’s grounds became the method for engagement. one member of the newbold community facilitated the 91 walks following a route around the grounds (figure 2). we moved, walking in small groups, comfortably observing our surroundings and letting ourselves be embraced by the environment (image 4). through walking, we shared our ideas on future uses for the different physical assets. these conversations sparked mutual understanding through mutual learning. here, we consciously removed graphic artefacts to create a third space (muller & druin, 2012) based on the participants’ voices, placing a focus on human-to-human interactions and also encouraging statements on reflection on learning to be shared naturally through conversation. image 4: catalysis workshop facilitated walk activity. in terms of the research design, we employed participant observations during the ‘initiation and planning’ stage, which allowed us to establish favourable conditions for attempting an immersive approach. our stay with the newbold community facilitated our immersion as we got to know the participants in a more natural (informal) context, away from the more formal ones associated with the workshop contexts. we also introduced two new methods in the ‘co-design situations’ stage: the catalysis workshop and test prototypes. the catalysis workshop was designed to enhance the construction of group dynamics and to animate the sharing of personal stories of their experience. the test prototypes emerged when some participants identified actual situations for trying out the prototype tools with wider communities that involved experimentation. this situation favoured letting the participants take the lead. analysing the methods used and the gathering of data from the participants, we observed that the greatest volume of insights was revealed during the co-design situations stage. yet, the reflective interviews of the follow-up, along with the reflective journals, proved crucial in identifying specific learning situations during the project. the sense of ownership was embedded in the group dynamic right from the start. interestingly, the breadth and depth of results were quite like case two. as in case two, mutual learning happened through participation and socialisation, learning through experiencing, playing, listening and having fun, using all the senses. participant 6 stated: 92 “we learnt in different channels, visual, auditory, kinaesthetic etc. – our feeling channel, then our dreaming, our relationships channel and our cultural channel. my impression of what you did reinforced that notion of learning as you have to approach it from different channels and not just sitting and trying to figure it out with your brain.” the participants acknowledged having learnt through their experience, listening and sharing different perspectives on the different spaces explored through the facilitated walks. this reinforced the idea that stories enable mutual learning. during the reflective interviews of the ‘follow-up’, we began unpicking the impact (transformational agency) upon the newbold community. as participant 1 said: “the process helped to open ourselves up, and our relationship is a little different now. we are more comfortable. for instance, we used to have a non-flexible system. every week we had, like, a business meeting, and we decided during the process we would have meetings when we really needed them.” the community had adjusted their organisational ways of interaction based on a change in interpersonal relationships, which suggests that the co-design process contributed to enhancing interpersonal relationships (see calvo & sclater, 2020). this process was ignited by mutual learning moments that drew from verbal-only interactions at the beginning of the project then were reinforced by more explicitly designerly interactions once the group was more familiar with each other. the use of only verbal activities at the beginning of the co-design workshops was explicitly experimented with during this case study to support mutual learning, interspersing these activities with collective reflective activities. the knowledge co-produced by these verbal-only activities was then used as the content of other designerly activities/interventions later in the project, amplifying and building upon the meanings transcribed by the participants’ exchange and learning processes. throughout these three workshops, we experimented with different approaches to understanding mutual learning in co-design while at the same time being respectful of the needs and motivations of the participants. this, to our minds, is an ethical concern. a developmental research design suggests a strong commitment to establishing egalitarian relationships. discussion increasingly, co-design projects reflect new emerging themes and goals that are socially ambitious, going beyond the design process that shapes designerly innovations (akoglu & dankl, 2019). we argue that mutual learning is a key part of the co-design process (as do muller & druin 2012 and simonsen & robertson, 2013). further, though, we contest that the structure of co-design projects can be configured to enhance mutual learning and that this may also lead to positive impacts on participants beyond the tangible outputs of a co-design project. in case study one, we found that informal learning was present if the researchers probed for it through explicit interview questioning and that this learning was very much situated towards the end of the project. responding to this in the second case study, we introduced a more explicit and reflective co-design structure to help reflect on processes. also, we introduced reflective journals and statements from the participants to be shared across the group to get people thinking about mutual learning without it being imposed from the outside in the design researcher’s language. 93 we found that this prompted informal learning to be recognised by the participants and took place earlier in the project. for the final case study, we extended the notion of reflective language between participants and prompted more and earlier mutual learning and built activities around walking, where the focus was on human-to-human interaction. analysis of the activities indicated that mutual learning in this mode was not significantly different to the previous two case studies, but that combining informal walking and reflective talking activities with more explicitly designerly activities did have a positive effect on mutual learning. further, the bond developed during a combination of walking and wa orkshop led to impactful, long-term relationships between the participants. this combination of walking and a workshop is an indicator, we believe, of a shift in approach for 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(2017). understanding collaborative design through activity theory. the design journal, 20(suppl.1), s4611-s4620. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352958 83 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. social impact measurement in cyprus and other european countries eleni zenonos published online: may 2022 to cite this article: zenonos, e. (2022). social impact measurement in cyprus and other european countries. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 83-94. 84 social impact measurement in cyprus and other european countries eleni zenonos a acenter for social innovation, nicosia 1010, cyprus. eleni.zenonos@csicy.com abstract although non-profit and other organisations related to social issues in europe have increased, there is currently a gap when it comes to measuring their performance and social impact. this can cause mistrust and may have negative implications on their efficiency and sustainability. as part of the erasmus+ project social impact measurement for civil society organizations (sim4csos), which aims to create a common methodology and approach civil society organisations can apply to measure their social impact (in the form of a methodological manual and online resources), a survey and focus groups were conducted with representatives of civil organisations, corporate social responsibility departments and policymakers to identify existing skill gaps and training needs. the research took place in croatia, cyprus, greece, italy, norway and portugal. the results showed that social change practitioners, whether they work for nonprofit organisations or the private sector, are keenly aware of the benefits of impact measurement. however, they expressed a need for buy-in and participation from organisational management, as well as identifying the main stakeholders who benefit from their activities. additionally, many organisations indicated a lack of resources (financial and technical) to carry out a full-impact measurement process and evaluation. finally, there was a clear need to consider the skill levels of practitioners, which varied. therefore, most organisations suggested that the methodology developed should be practical, adaptable and non-time-consuming and that any platform used should be accessible and easy to use. keywords: social impact measurement, civil society organisations introduction the social impact measurement for civil society organisations (sim4csos) is an erasmus+ funded programme which aims to empower non-profit and other civil society organisations by creating a set of tools and methodologies they can use to assess their social impact. the programme is led by higher incubator giving growth and sustainability from greece, a non-profit organisation that aims to reinforce non-profit organisations through educational and supportive programmes. the other consortium members are nova institute, which is part of oslo metropolitan university in norway, the center for social innovation in cyprus, act group from croatia, cesie in italy, inova+ in portugal and midot in israel. all participating organisations have experience in social research and social science, and their collective knowledge and experience have been instrumental to the success of this project. the aims of the sim4csos project are: “…to improve the effectiveness of the third sector, increase the fundraising possibilities of civil society organisations (csos), enhance the overall sector and the protection of the reputation of csos from bad practice cases, create synergies with organisations active in the social field and equip adult staff members with strategic planning of their professional development.” (sim4csos consortium, 2022) 85 as part of the project, several best practices concerning social impact measurement were collected from each partner country. furthermore, to explore and assess the state of the art of social impact measurement of csos in each partner country, desk and field research was conducted, including a survey and focus groups. in this paper, the results of the research in cyprus and the sim4csos partner countries will be presented as well as contextual information about cyprus and brief information about the other countries. current state of art in cyprus there are currently 6,300 registered associations, although most of them are inactive, which gives a false impression of the size of civil society in cyprus, 330 registered non-profit organisations, more than 400 charity foundations (office of the commissioner for volunteering and ngos et al., 2019) and about 190 social enterprises (isaias, 2019) which operate in a range of areas – from the environment, gender, education and culture to disabilities and health. nevertheless, reports and studies indicate that organised civil society in cyprus still has weak foundations for a variety of reasons, including limited participation. in july 2017, progressive amendments to the law on associations, foundations and clubs to improve the regulation of csos in cyprus were approved by the parliament, but there are still obstacles to overcome. for example, the legislation does not have specific provisions for the legal sources of income or property for any type of ngo, nor does it set any prerequisites regulating their immediate involvement in financial operations, which hinders the need for transparency. based on the most recent assessment of civil society nationally (civicus, 2011): “accountability and transparency rates of csos need to be encouraged and enhanced, particularly for the ones receiving public funding. this will help to create a culture of openness and transparency and will help to counter abuses and corruption in the long run.” this highlights the importance of measuring social impact, which can enhance accountability and transparency of csos. current state of the art in other european countries based on the comprehensive report published by the sim4csos consortium (2021), research conducted in partner countries, namely greece, portugal, croatia, norway, italy and poland, only a few had established policies or regulations in place regarding the definition of national standards for impact measurement. in italy, social impact measurement became more relevant with the reform of the third sector (law 106, 2016), in which social impact measurement was introduced and presented as a “key element for the legal recognition of social enterprises”. despite the lack of formal governmental guidance and official regulations regarding social impact measurement in most partner countries, it is evident that the situation has started changing, as csos, social enterprises and even private companies, including their corporate social responsibility (csr) departments, from all partner countries have indicated that they realised the importance of social impact measurement and identified several external and internal drivers which further stress the crucial role social impact measurement plays in their sector. methodology to explore and assess the state of the art of social impact measurement of csos in cyprus, first, several best practices were collected from each partner country, which consisted of examples of organisations 86 or projects which successfully implemented social impact measurement. second, a survey developed by the sim4csos consortium and set up on google forms was sent to over 160 non-governmental non-profit organisations, social enterprises and corporate responsibility departments in cyprus in february 2021. a total of 32 organisations from cyprus responded to the survey (215 responses came from the other consortium countries, 247 responses in total). finally, to further explore the topic of social impact measurement and the training needs related to it by civil society representatives, two focus groups were conducted in each partner country. the participants were recruited through email contact or had already expressed interest to take part in the focus groups via the survey. twelve participants took part in the cyprus focus groups, from a variety of non-governmental organisations in cyprus, csr departments and policymakers. cyprus research results demographics most survey respondents 78% (25) worked for non-profit organisations but participants from other types of organisations also took part, including a private company (1), higher education institutions (2), a public organisation dealing with social issues (1), a company limited by guarantee (1), a grassroots initiative (1) and an informal network (1). the respondents worked in a variety of areas: youth development (7), arts, culture and humanities (5), environmental and animal (3), environmental, climate and social justice (1), educational institutions (3), health and human services (1), intercommunal communication (1), hospitals and care (1), community capacity (1), business incubator (1), gender issues and human rights research (1), gender and women’s rights inequality (1), accounting (1), advocacy for civic space (1), business network (1), sustainable development goals (1), social care (1) and economics and public policy (1). figure 1: type of organisation the respondents worked for. 87 in addition, most participants had more than three years of experience in the non-profit sector (22, 69%) and only one had less than one year of experience. figure 2. years of work experience in the non-profit sector. figure 2: years of experience in the non-profit sector. the main funding channels for most of the organisations were eu funds (9), government grants (8), corporate donations (4) and individual donations (3). other sources of funding reported were a combination of the ones mentioned (1), membership fees (1) and sales of products (1). three (3) organisations reported they received no funding. figure 3: main funding channel of organisations. regarding the focus groups, 12 representatives of ngos, policymakers and csr departments in cyprus took part. most participants were 40–50 years old (5) and had a master's degree (9/12). the rest were 20–30 (3), 30–40 (2) and 50–60 (2) years old. also, two participants had a ba and one had a phd. measuring social impact when asked how measuring social impact could help their organisations, 8 participants stated that it could help improve their current processes and their organisation in general (e.g. “it is an important element of understanding the role and importance of our activities. this allows us to better understand how to improve 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 28% 69% 3% 1-3 years above 3 years less than 1 year 88 our activities in a way that will hopefully achieve the desired impact”). in addition, 6 participants believed that measuring their social impact could assist in their planning and strategy (e.g. “it will help with formulating future activities based on the impact, feedback and needs of our target group.”) other ways in which measuring social impact could help their organisations that were mentioned were assessing their efficiency (5 responses, e.g. “it can help us make sure we are creating the change that the community needs”), securing funding (4 responses, e.g. “to secure more funding, more collaboration with other csos, better public awareness of our work”), proving their effectiveness (2 responses, e.g. “…people respond/understand better when you present your impact instead of anything else…”) and raising awareness (2 responses, e.g. “promote the identity and values of the organisation. raise brand awareness”). furthermore, 41% (13) of the respondents reported that they measured their impact, with most measuring both qualitative and quantitative data (92%, 12) and one participant only measuring quantitative data. figure 4: percentage of organisations measuring their social impact. the reasons the participants measured their impact were to improve the services they provide (10), due to internal process requirements (7), donor requirements (5) and to reach more people (1). regarding the methods used to measure their impact, most used records/files (9), questionnaires (7) and interviews (6), followed by focus groups (4) and a combination of social media, emails and face-to-face conversations (1). figure 5: reasons for measuring social impact. 89 just over half (53%, 7) of the respondents used a logical model for these measures. the logical models used varied. some of the models mentioned were based on the organisation’s inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes, their goals (1), the organisation’s rules (1) and according to european criteria (1). of those who did not use a logical model, the main reason was lack of knowledge (1), lack of structured activities (1) and use of a theory (theory of change) similar to a logic model. in addition, 10 of the 13 organisations that measure their social impact had defined success metrics. some of those metrics were the satisfaction of employees and volunteers, financial income, quality of services activities provided and/or implemented, participation in activities, an annual target set by their council, the organisation’s projects and day-to-day actions, annual improvement, achievement of goals of projects and specific targets set and measured by the organisation. of those not using defined success metrics, the reason was lack of data. regarding the frequency of social impact reporting, most participants (5/13) report about it annually, every six months (2/13) or after each activity/project (2). figure 6. frequency of social impact reporting. the organisations that did not measure their impact reported that it was due to a lack of human resources (11/19), lack of financial resources (10/19), lack of time (10/19) and lack of knowledge (9/19). figure 7: reasons for not measuring social impact. 90 the most common reasons they reported they would like to start measuring their impact were to be able to improve their services (16, 84%) and due to internal process requirements (6, 32%) or donor requirements (2, 11%). figure 8: reasons organisations would like to start measuring their impact. obstacles in measuring impact the main obstacles to measuring impact that the participants responded with were lack of human resources (19, 59%), lack of an established system (17, 53%), lack of trained personnel (13, 41%), lack of know-how (12, 37%) and difficulty accessing data (11, 34%). figure 9: obstacles in measuring social impact. when asked how many hours a month they could allocate to measuring social impact, most participants stated that they could dedicate up to 5 hours (14, 44%), followed by up to 10 hours (8, 25%) and up to 20 hours (3, 9%). in terms of the amount of money they could give, most stated that they could spend up to 100 euros (10, 31%), followed by up to 500 euros (5, 16%) and up to 1000 euros (2, 6%). seven participants said they had no funds available to allocate for measuring their social impact. eighteen respondents claimed that they would also like to measure other aspects of their work, e.g. indirect impact on society in general (3 respondents), not just the immediate target group, people’s opinions/general public opinions (3 participants), comparing their impact with their stakeholders versus people who do not take part in the organisation’s programmes, the impact of scientific and cultural events and the impact of csr actions. 91 most respondents (27) agreed (agree and mostly agree combined) that social impact measurement influences donors’ decisions. they also agreed (25) that social impact measurement is an advantage for large-scale organisations and that in the long term these can lead to better, more informed decisions and become a management tool for the organisation (29). most participants also agreed that (29) social impact is more than numbers and that it has a long-term impact on the organisation (22). figure 10: the number of hours organisations could allocate to social impact measurement. skills analysis most participants (combined scores of 3 and 4) felt confident in their ability to apply questionnaire research techniques to a target audience (23), present the results on the monitoring plan (22), compile a report with the results of the monitoring plan (21) and successfully research target audiences (20), but felt less confident in their ability to set/define key performance indicators (kpis) (17), measure those indicators (16), apply focus group and interview techniques (16), design a monitoring plan (14), and apply social return on investment (sroi) methodology (5). finally, in terms of their training needs, most respondents reported that they need training in applying sroi methodology (26), applying focus groups research techniques (24), interview research techniques (23), questionnaire research techniques for a target audience (20), successfully reaching target audiences (24), setting/defining kpis (23), measuring those kpis (24), designing a monitoring plan to measure kpis (26), compiling a report on the monitoring plan (23) and presenting the results of that monitoring plan (21). focus groups the groups were asked about their experience in social impact measurement (if any), its importance for them, challenges they might face in implementing such methodology, what a good methodological tool would look like and what training or other needs they may have related to this area. all the participants agreed that measuring social impact was of high importance for them, but most participants either did not measure social impact or measured it occasionally with no specific methodology. the csr representatives and the commissioner of volunteering in cyprus emphasised how vital it is for ngos to be transparent and be able to measure and report their social impact, as funders will trust them more and will be more willing to donate. 3%3%3%3% 3% 25% 3% 10% 44% 3% 2 hours per month can't estimate it depends see answer above. surely more than 20 but do not know how many up to 10 hours up to 2 hours up to 20 hours 92 in terms of the main difficulties faced in measuring social impact, most respondents replied, similarly to the survey, that lack of time, money and professional staff were the main reasons. furthermore, for a tool to work for them, it must be easy to use, user-friendly, with minimal resources needed and should be adaptable to their organisational needs. all the participants agreed that some form of training will be necessary for them to be able to use such a methodological tool. results in other european countries the results of the research conducted in the other partner countries were strikingly like the cyprus results for both the survey and the focus groups. conclusions social change practitioners in cyprus and the other consortium countries are aware of the benefits of impact measurement, the fact that it provides organisational infrastructure and is a way to attract and communicate with funders etc., but they also recognise the lack of impact measurement and the need for a more methodological approach. it is also obvious that buy-in and participation from organisational management are crucial to the implementation of social impact measurement. however, there was some ambiguity about how the organisations should measure social impact. there was also a strong desire for professional support concerning the methods and skills necessary to conduct impact measurement. considering basic skills levels and limited resources, most, if not all, organisations suggested that the methods developed should be practical, adaptable, not time-consuming and that any platform should be accessible and easy to use. next steps the next stage of the project is the development of a methodological manual and an online platform that will supply information and resources to csos about impact measurement. based on the conclusions above: “…this tool would be developed to help practitioners of all skill levels achieve a common baseline. specifically, it would provide guidance on how to create a logic model, identify impact kpis, and develop a logic-driven measurement plan which includes clear steps and phases. more advanced content might include links to measurement tools specific to certain target groups and intervention types. it might also link up with national and regional indicators and longitudinal data and would help organizations understand how to incorporate country or region-level data into their impact assessments” (sim4csos consortium, 2022) find out more about this project and the tool that will soon be developed on our website www.measuringimpact.eu references civicus (2011). the assessment of civil society in cyprus. a map for the future-2011. civicus https://tinyurl.com/2p9cav4f isaias, g. (2019). social enterprises and their ecosystems in europe. country report: cyprus. luxembourg: publications office of the european union. https://tinyurl.com/4furvfpx https://measuringimpact.eu/ https://tinyurl.com/2p9cav4f https://tinyurl.com/4furvfpx 93 office of the commissioner for volunteering and ngos, expert council for the legislation on nongovernmental organizations (ngo) of the conference of international ngos of the council of europe, ngo initiative group (2019). the organized civil society in cyprus. press and information office. sim4csos consortium (2021). comprehensive report. best practices and needs regarding social impact measurement in csos. sim4csos consortium. https://measuringimpact.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/sim4csos-io1-comprehensive-report_en.pdf sim4csos consortium (2022). the contributions of the project. sim4csos consortium. https://measuringimpact.eu/ https://measuringimpact.eu/ https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 1 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. lisa elzey mercer, university of illinois, urbana-champaign alessandro segalini, binghamton university, usa vanessa monna, politecnico di milano, italy thelma flores, miami international university of art and design, usa oxana jeoung-rakova, seoul national university, south korea shriya malhotra, independent researcher, india selin mutdogan, hacettepe university, turkey aakanksha sinha, seattle university, usa reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 1 51 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. centenary haberdashery in downtown lisbon margarida salvador, isabel farinha published online: october 2021 to cite this article: salvador, m., & farinha, i. (2020). retrosarias centenárias da baixa de lisboa. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 51-63. 52 centenary haberdashery in downtown lisbon margarida salvadora, isabel farinhab aiade faculdade de design, tecnologia e comunicação da universidade europeia. margarida.lestra.salvador@gmail.com biade faculdade de design, tecnologia e comunicação da universidade europeia. isabel.farinha@universidadeeuropeia.pt abstract this study begins with a survey on the conditions of traditional haberdashery business in downtown lisbon, includes a study of the retail trade, analysis of the retro marketing concept and finally investigates the sustainability of consumption. it aims to propose marketing and design strategies that can help revitalize the economic value of haberdashery and remove these businesses from the dangers of obsolescence and anonymity. having understood the importance of communication with the consumer, through interviews, selecting a qualitative methodology and aligning this understanding with some theoretical concepts, we adopted a set of proposals for the creation of a new identity. for each haberdashery, a new identity was defined, as well as a broad one that encompasses all stores present in this study – retrós. these proposals seek to redefine traditional values by means of orientation and communication support, aiming not only to attract new target audiences, but also to consider creation of a new aesthetic and imagery that should not be disassociated from these brands nor be outdated. with the adoption of this creative strategy, some positive effect is expected on the relevance of haberdashery business, its financial impact and integration in the economic-cultural context that will give new life to rua da conceição haberdashery historical shops and their brands. keywords: retro marketing, sustainability, innovation, historical shops, haberdasher introduction reconfiguration of the traditional haberdashery business over the last few years, commerce has undergone profound changes, accompanied in parallel by changes in consumer behaviour, adapting and simultaneously demanding new responses from producers and distributors. consumers began this behaviour in a more intense and constant way due to the mass consumerism that is now inherent to life in the 21st century. these sharp and rapid changes resulted in the rapid obsolescence of some business models, which is why some retail trade that is more traditional and poorly articulated with the evolution of consumption, has become outdated, despite the resilience registered in various sectors. rousseau (2017) states that “throughout this century, the face of commerce has changed more than during the previous two millennia” (pp. 10–11). in the second half of the 20th century, a consumption logic was adopted, whose evolution was very fast and intense, bringing new consumption dynamics, but also other standards of consumer demand. it should be noted that the pace imposed today, mainly in urban areas, changes the entire behaviour 53 that the consumer has towards commerce – by looking for more convenience in consumption and seeking the lowest prices. as products are increasingly accessible and prices tend to be lower, largely due to mass distribution, small and traditional commerce outlets find themselves forced to reinvent and differentiate themselves in the face of this constraint. when a consumer product fails to work as intended, the consumer quickly replaces it with another instead of repairing it. replacement is cheaper, less time-consuming and often less costly. for this reason, retail stores with more limited supply or with products that are not ready to consume such as haberdashery, become less frequented by clients, due to the disappearance or at least scarcity of some professions that had regular customers, such as dressmakers. being less frequented, the businesses break down and their livelihood is threatened. it is at this stage that these spaces are confronted with the need to reassess their business model, as not doing so would only mean financial decline. haberdashery outlets are, according to porto editora’s dictionary, “haberdashery shops”; they are “sellers of retrós, railings [trimmings], articles made of silk thread, etc.” (https://dicionario.priberam.org/retroseiro). nowadays, it is almost unrealistic to think that the average consumer goes to a haberdashery to buy tools for themselves or someone else to repair or make a piece of clothing from scratch. the typical 21st-century consumer buys something that is replaced when it no longer is in good condition and without consuming a lot of resources. this is the general picture of the thinking of today’s consumers. for this reason, it is urgent that some businesses, although resilient in their present condition, be rethought so that they survive the new challenges of the 21st century. with this concern, this project emerged to present strategies, objectives and goals for five haberdashers located in rua da conceição, in the heart of lisbon. based on the above idea, this study intends to define a marketing and commercial design strategy for the five stores. it is hoped that this project will contribute to giving back to these businesses a more stable financial situation due to innovative methods and practices, starting with a diagnostic phase based on the characterization of the business units and ending with an intervention plan aimed at redefining the business and its commercial strategies. τhis work has as its main objective to restore the vitality that haberdashery once had within the retail market and promote the adoption of strategies intended for a better business future. it is also hoped that the path outlined will reveal some relevance for today’s consumers and enhance the reputation of the business units in their context. it is intended that these stores, as a niche in the retail market, become once again a shopping reference and regain their relevance. and, although this reappearance is conditioned by using different strategies from those that are currently prevailing, they gain relevance in the lisbon retail market. 54 research question according to creswell (2010), it is important to formulate the questions and hypotheses that lead to an investigation. punch (1998) argues that a hypothesis is defined by anticipation, as it equates the results with the research problem. creswell (2003) adds that hypotheses are normally used when one wants to compare two scenarios. due to the nature and the way this investigation is intended to be focused, the research questions objectively guide the project's implementation. the opening question marks the start of the investigation: can marketing and communication design contribute to the revitalization and redesign of the traditional haberdashery businesses in downtown lisbon? following this, operational questions were also formulated in a second phase, aiming to complement and enrich the opening question: 1. how can a traditional business become sustainable and adjust to current socioeconomic and cultural constraints? 2. how can the identity of a traditional business be maintained to make it economically viable? commerce as a source of identity the exploration phase explains the historical and social development of cities and the economic activities of commerce, proceeding to a reflection on their interactions and dependencies, namely in the traditional commerce of downtown lisbon. the emergence of these business spaces and their evolution is explored, thus creating an information network where all matters explored help to structure solutions to this investigation’s problem/object. this analysis would not be fully complete if currently pertinent and frequently debated themes were absent – amongst them, the market concept of saudade, nostalgia, the curatorship of commercial space, the sphere of the commercial and cultural world and the paradigm shift of consumption and other strategies for more conscious consumption. image 1: the five haberdashery shops’ signs: bijou, alexandre bento, adriano coelho, arqui chique and nardo (clockwise from top). 55 in this subchapter, the main academic works for this investigation are the book by rousseau (2017), “resiliência do comércio: as lojas centenárias de lisboa”, the work of lisbon city council (câmara municipal de lisboa, n.d.), “lojas com história”, the work “retromarketing old is wow!” by cruz (2013) and the work of herculano (2001), “o comércio retalhista português: pós-modernidade, consumidores e espaço”. methodology in the first stage of outlining the methodology, it was defined that methods of a qualitative nature based on an exploratory study of an inductive nature are privileged. specifically, in this project, and because the entire historical framework gave us a vision of the past, to understand the present and project the future, it was necessary to find a set of strategies that would allow a deep understanding of the reality on which it plans to intervene. for this reason, the answers to the initial questions were sought through field research, where the formulated question or problem is experienced. this direct collection was chosen since it is believed that the answers are precisely in the field, obtained through an interview survey, from the various haberdasheries subjected to research. these interviewed parties are the faces of haberdashery under study, the ones who have been dealing daily and for several decades with these business changes. they are privileged witnesses, who transmitted through their experience and position in the business, the best inputs on the area. the interviews were carried out in the stores of the five respondents to have the possibility through observation of visualizing the environment to which those involved in the interviews are subject (image 1). after analysing each interview individually, a general assessment of all interviews was carried out. in this way, it was possible to find contrasts or points in common, resulting in the best insights for the project’s construction. although the interviewees, in general, show discontent and pessimism regarding the adversities of the business, they do not seem to consider other strategies or objectives to solve the problems they identify. for example, regarding graphic identity and communication actions, it is noted that haberdashery, as it was not necessary for many years, never thought of this subject as being extremely important for the dissemination or constitution of their brand reputation. now that the main consumers, the fashion designers, have disappeared, it is urgent to project the future not only based on sales in the store’s physical space. having been faced with this issue, which plays an important role in this project, they state that they cannot do so, as they do not have the experience, resources or knowledge of how to proceed. everything that is part of the rules and procedures is traditionalist with little innovative character, almost unalterable from what was done in the year in which the different haberdasheries opened. the way communication is handled is no exception. the values also do not reflect a concern to keep up with the needs of consumers in current times, being limited mainly to quality and customer service, which, despite being important, should not be the only ones. these were the common points, which were found to be the most pertinent and where the greatest opportunity for transformation and change resides. 56 • first, most of those responsible for haberdashery show pessimism and discontent with the situation their businesses are going through now but do not consider any strategy or objectives to overcome them. many can identify where the problem lies, but they cannot formulate an answer to overcome it. • they do not recognize the importance of communication, marketing or graphic identity strategies. for many years, dressmakers were the main target for this business, relying only on the store’s good reputation. everyone knew that on that street you could find many haberdashers. however, now that it is an almost extinct profession, it becomes urgent to attract new clients and define a communication strategy. with this factor, it is also important that brands have an identity so that they are identified and consistent in the way they present themselves. they understand that this may be important for the business, but they lack resources or capabilities. • the existing marketing rules and procedures are traditional and not very innovative. they have been the same almost since the beginning of the century. the business continues to revolve around customer service in the sales area, which, despite being very valuable, cannot be sustained in this way. • service to the public and product quality are the values these stores find important. a change in the strategy of these stores must, above all, start with the constitution of their base values. reparo-te this project is structured to define an important proposal that considers adding value to the haberdashery business in rua da conceição, aiming above all to practically answer the introductory question: can marketing and communication design contribute to the revitalization and reconception of traditional haberdashery business in downtown lisbon? after a descriptive phase in which some weaknesses were identified, such as the absence of a graphic identity, communication and advertising, marketing techniques, values and mission, a strategy and some actions are proposed to help remedy some weaknesses and gain business viability. as a starting point, brand identities were developed, seeking to articulate and balance the traditional form with contemporary communication. having this confrontation between maintaining a traditional business, which has its heritage, with the new demands of a captivating and modern presentation, this project focuses on the search for harmony between these two different poles. the new graphic identity tries to be representative of what these stores once were and their current and future vision. in this way, five identities corresponding to haberdashery were created: bijou, alexandre bento, arqui chique, adriano coelho and nardo, and one more brand, which brings them together as a group. the name is retrós, and its mission is to represent these five stores as well as their common ground (fig. 1). the second step carried out in this project responds to the need to develop a communication and marketing strategy. the means and platforms that best suit the brand and the new target identified were defined. in addition, the motto and values that are intended to communicate 57 and adapt to the guidelines and values of sustainability were created to communicate the retrós brand. this brand represents the collective of all five haberdashery stores involved in this project. it is a question of changing the perspective towards which these stores are directed and orient them towards being places of knowledge supply and materials for textile repair. this is an opportunity to adapt these businesses to the value of sustainability and act as a hinge for good practices. in the end, it is hoped that haberdashery can reach a safer position in the market, no longer be an obsolete business, start having a relevant and prominent position and contribute to the sociocultural spectrum of the city of lisbon. to guide the way forward, explanatory objectives were defined. to make them more concrete and specific, the objectives were divided into marketing, financial and sociocultural objectives. marketing objectives: • build loyalty with existing consumers • increase brand visibility through the media • expand the target audience to a younger audience • increase consumer involvement with the brand mission and values • build a solid image that represents the brand financial goals: • increase sales volume • increase the profit margin • make store visits convert into more sales sociocultural goals: • go beyond the cultural and commercial universe to become a reference in downtown lisbon • promote sustainable consumption behaviour through products and repair services • appeal to new conscious consumption for more sustainable practices • bring people with a common interest in sewing together to share ideas and knowledge • call for more sustainable behaviours through upcycling, which according to the cambridge online dictionary (n.d.) means “the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material” • promote practical skills in clothing repair the communication lure, towards which all stores must be directed, should be based on the textile industry’s sustainability. the promotion of a circular economy becomes the most important value to communicate. hence, within the retrós group, reparo-te was born, a service that promotes the circular economy of textile objects through sharing sessions. it is intended that the stores are perceived as centres for the promotion of more conscious consumption, as they can find the knowledge and materials to do so. these stores defend quality as one of the most important values they consider in their products, coinciding with one of the main values of slow fashion. 58 business is sustained and directs its conduct, communication and the continuity of a solid and trustworthy relationship with consumers through brand values. the way consumers perceive the brand will certainly be influenced by the values transmitted to them. for this and any rebranding, values that give the brand a skeleton must also be rethought. the base pillars of this brand are the five values of sustainability, quality, service, community participation and search for innovation based on tradition and history. the competition was identified and the target consumer characterized as one who does not just look at function and aesthetics. consumers have a series of requirements that often involve ethical behaviour. consumers with ethical concerns related to sustainability who seek to deepen their knowledge of sewing and upcycling are considered the target audience. we are mainly looking for a young/adult target audience between 23 and 45 years. based on the structural issues for the retrós brand and the individual haberdasheries, the concept to be followed in the communication campaign was identified, as follows: • rationale: a growing number of consumers are increasingly looking for ways to adjust their consumption to more sustainable ways and practices, such as maintaining and preserving their clothes for as long as possible. the path to achieving this is still hampered and conditioned by the lack of knowledge of where to find the necessary tools and knowledge in one place. • insight: stores that survive are like a piece of clothing that is very dear and that the owner seeks to preserve and make it last. it takes persistence, care and some ‘patching’. these haberdasheries, which persisted over the years, now help to repair something that is also treasured by consumers, such as clothing. haberdashery history gives colour and meaning to patches and seams. • promise: facilitate the provision of training or materials for repairing and preserving textiles. sustainability and the pieces that are dear to consumers are also important for those who visit the store, which is the justification for this pledge. • campaign concept/signature: patching is creating. during the interviews with those responsible for each store, it was verified that communication or visual identity was never given much importance as a way of boosting the business. this compromises the memorization of the brand and its credibility. communication without this becomes fragile and inconsistent for the consumer. for this reason, an identity was created for each haberdashery and for the group that aggregates them, as well as a manual of good practices, to guide the brand’s implementation. even though the identities are all different, we sought to check common aspects that would make it seem that all brands come from a common visual style and that they all belong to the same core. in addition to the logos sharing the same graphics, there was a concern to preserve some aspects that are still part of the brands, such as the lettering on each store’s façade. this element, which is part of 59 the logo, was linked by a symbol that represents of a characteristic haberdashery object (fig. 1). figure 1: the graphic identity of retrós and the alexandre bento, adriano coelho, nardo, arqui chique and bijou haberdasheries (l–r) represent what this business is all about. αs for the graphic identity of retrós, it was chosen because it embodies the core word that names the businesses represented and refers to what they still sell. ‘retro’ is also the beginning of the word ‘retrospective’, which means looking back, paralleling the antiquity of this business supported by traditional foundations. from this, the intention is to create an identity with a view to the future. concretely in the symbol, each haberdashery is represented by two retrós threads and a colour. each thread is an indispensable part of building something. together, they can give a body to a unit, like a fabric. since the fashion industry is one of the most polluting, sustainability was defined as a primary value for the brand, and a service was created shared by all the haberdasheries involved. these are sessions for the practice and dissemination of knowledge about upcycling. it is not enough to offer the sale of materials; it is also necessary to share knowledge. these sessions, which are intended to bring together interested parties with issues related to sustainability seek to deepen knowledge of sewing and upcycling, and the repair of textile objects or creating objects from waste is proposed. the sessions will be held alternately in each store involved with three agents responsible for each session: a store employee, a designer and two seamstresses or experts in this area. the presence of all these agents is essential for the proper functioning of these reparo-te sessions (figs. 2 & 3). figure 2: graphic identity of the reparo-te programme. figura seq figura \* arabic 1a identidade gráfica da unidade retrós e das retrosarias alexandre bento, adriano coelho, nardo, arqui chique e bijou (respetivamente da esquerda para a direita) representa o que este negócio trata 60 although it is a social and environmental project, there is also the purpose that products are sold and that sales increase. the intention is to help sell old stock and for new consumers to start visiting these stores. with this new insight associated with ecological practices, we want this new consumer to look to haberdashery stores as tool stores, where they can find the necessary materials to give a new opportunity to their textile pieces through textile upcycling. in this way, after registration is paid, a bag and consumable materials will be made available. these sessions are very important, as they reinforce the value that the retrós brand intends to pursue. although a large financial return to each store is not envisaged, this service is part of the strategy to communicate the importance that sustainability asserts for the brand. because we believe that reparo-te is an important service and that it promotes the brand, a communication strategy has been created to communicate this service. the dissemination will include cultural agenda platforms, online platforms of stores with a history, retrós social networks, the retrós website and a collaborative network of associations or entities that promote similar services and with the same mission. all disclosures must be made on the retrós brand website, which will contain more information and direct access for registration. figure 3: information brochure about the reparo-te programme. a good name, as the respondents said, is no longer sufficient for effective communication. as this area is forgotten, and as it was confirmed as an important field, a communication strategy focusing on the means that are more permeable to the target audience was planned. thus, digital media was the chosen channel, including the retrós website, but mainly focusing on social networks like facebook, instagram and youtube, each with a purpose and a mission. the youtube channel should work as an extension of the reparo-te programme and the brand’s main value, namely sustainability. the website has a more institutional and figura seq figura \* arabic 3folheto informativo sobre o programa reparo-te 61 informative function and should contain information about the brand and the haberdasheries as well as enabling the registration and scheduling of the reparo-te sessions. conclusion the contributions that can be made to equate the current state of the units/businesses with history and identity in themselves entail several challenges. the first is to have a comprehensive research objective and, although in a state of decline, it is the traditional haberdashery outlets of downtown lisbon. conversely, this study also considers the enormous challenge of reflecting, researching, analysing, creating and proposing hypotheses to keep alive, dynamic and successful, the businesses of the few existing haberdasheries on rua da conceição. in summary, an environment of instability and despondency, closely linked to the past, could be detected in the stores in this study. in recent years, several stores have closed, and those that survive express fear for their future because they think their business has become obsolete. these stores have little relevance to society and do not present great value to consumers, and except for a small niche, demand has been decreasing. despite the interviewed subjects showing discontent and pessimism in the face of business adversities and seeming unable to find solutions, they are faithful to defending the businesses’ interests and relevance. they do not seem to consider a strategy or goals to address the problems they identify with; their financial condition has deteriorated, their preferred audiences of dressmakers have disappeared. strategies, knowledge and means to attract potential customers are lacking. they do not consider the need to create a visual identity or develop communication actions to add value to the business beyond sales in the store’s physical space. in general, they do not reveal any concern with keeping up with new business models or being more active on this front. this leads to an extreme need to rethink the business and add value and relevance based on innovation. the entire project component in this work was based on this objective and developments were initially thought of in the context of retro marketing. the most interesting option, but also the most challenging, was to follow the path of sustainability and new business values, as well as a way of interacting with markets and (re)conceptualizing the business model. there is a type of consumer who is interested in issues related to the environment and ethical behaviour, who seeks to repair their clothes or try to make the most of their potential. in the search for competition, it is concluded that there is a market for this project (reparo-te) that is sensitive to these issues. this was verified through informal conversations and the frequency of meetings organized by relevant stakeholders. one objective considered in this project was to reach some answers and these were found. a business, despite trying to stay true to its principles and focuses, must also try to understand the social environment and what its needs are. without these, stores are losing focus, function and identity. a new strategy, business concept and ways of communicating were designed. values such as sustainability gave rise to the reparo-te project. the strategy first went through an analysis of business objectives, value and analysis of the competition, realizing how important it was to create a new image for the brand(s) – individually and together. 62 considering the importance of the visual image, work followed to define this image, as an expression of identity – retrós, and of each business unit. a fusion between traditional and current was intended as an element of communication. to the question raised at the beginning of this study, i.e. whether marketing and communication design can contribute to the revitalization and redesign of traditional haberdashery business in downtown lisbon, it is considered that marketing and communication design can effectively contribute to this. that said, some of the actions and pieces created for this purpose are evidenced in the proposal, considering that a traditional business can be redefined, becoming sustainable and adjusting to consumer trends and market demands, and it is still possible that with this innovation, its identity and traditional business traits are maintained. study limitations and recommendations for future research the qualitative method adopted allowed the collection of in-depth information from field agents who have been in the haberdashery business for decades, since the information that exists about this business in portugal is very limited. this lack of information constitutes the greatest limitation in this study. the sample is also a problem, since of the agents interviewed, now only four haberdashery owners in rua da conceição remain. for this reason, and because the knowledge of this business has tended to be passed on orally over generations, it is feared that some relevant information may have been lost over time. as there are not many studies on this topic, the information described in this project, supported by the interviews, may not be the most reliable, even though there are not many more actors or sources. the conclusions reached cannot be extrapolated to other spheres of traditional business. for future works/projects, it is proposed that the approach to this type of case be carried out in a more integrated way in a network involving other stakeholders. during the realization of this project, the need emerged to speak with other social actors, namely the identified direct competition. it should be a more in-depth study, involving, for example, suppliers, customers, official bodies and the municipality of lisbon, to obtain a multidimensional view of the same issue. for example, in the business itself, it must be possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses more deeply to try to establish a network of opportunities for each entity involved. in addition, it is possible to plan and integrate the promotion actions in tourist actions, circuits and activities by integrating visits to haberdashery outlets in exclusive tourist itineraries. some small agencies arrange visits to the city of lisbon to places with little prominence in conventional tourism. they aim is to give a different perspective of the city of lisbon to those who are interested in places that are still unexplored, and this could be an additional opportunity. for example, the loft brand already organizes visits to haberdasheries on rua da conceição and some fabric stores for participants who are interested in sewing and buying relevant materials. these itineraries work as both cultural and functional visits. 63 this article stems from the master’s thesis: margarida lestra chaves salvador, retrosarias centenárias da baixa de lisboa, 2020. project thesis (masters in design and advertising) iade-universidade europeia, (isabel farinha) https://comum.rcaap.pt/handle/10400.26/32344 references câmara municipal de lisboa (n.d.). lojas com história. http://www.lojascomhistoria.pt cambridge dictionary (n.d.). "upcyling." in cambridge dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/upcycling creswell, j. w. (2003). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches (2nd ed.). sage publications. creswell, j. w. (2010). projeto de pesquisa métodos qualitativo, quantitativo e misto (3rd ed.). sage publications. cruz, a. p. (2013). retromarketing old is wow! edições ipam.  herculano, c. (2001). o comércio retalhista português: pós-modernidade, consumidores e espaço. gepe. punch, m. (1998). politics and ethics in qualitative research. sage.  rousseau, j. a. (2017). resiliência do comércio: as lojas centenárias de lisboa. principia. salvador, m. (2020). retrosarias centenárias da baixa de lisboa (dissertação de mestrado). iade faculdade de design, tecnologia e comunicação da universidade europeia, lisboa, portugal. https://comum.rcaap.pt/handle/10400.26/32344 44 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. nurturing public value for community resilience. a tentative discussion around co-production of narratives through a civic design approach vanessa monna, yasuyuki hayama published online: may 2022 to cite this article: monna, v., & hayama, y. (2022). nurturing public value for community resilience. a tentative discussion around co-production of narratives through a civic design approach. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 44-53. 45 nurturing public value for community resilience. a tentative discussion around co-production of narratives through a civic design approach vanessa monnaa, yasuyuki hayamab apolitecnico di milano, milan, italy. vanessa.monna@polimi.it bpolitecnico di milano, milan, italy. yasuyuki.hayama@polimi.it abstract within a society characterised by growing complexity, communities attempt to address wicked problems (rittel & webber, 1973), which impact how people live together. the concept of community resilience has been discussed in public policy and social-ecological systems studies for communities to be prepared for emergencies. recently, evolutionary resilience (davoudi, 2012) has been proposed in the context of communities facing wicked problems evolving within uncertain worlds. evolutionary resilience highlights the growing need for flexible adaptation towards more dynamic social change. we argue that nurturing public value could be a strategic approach for taming wicked problems beyond resource control and the capacity for communities to achieve resilience in a rapidly changing society. indeed, the broad literature about public value already implies that it can be properly developed as an outcome of collaboration between public institutions and citizens. however, the processes nurturing public value are still under investigation, especially within design studies. we propose that the co-production of common narratives between public institutions and citizens fruitfully produces public value, by linking design narratives to the interpretive approach tightly associated with the concept of evolutionary resilience. moreover, we suggest that the emerging realm of civic design could be a consistent approach for communities and public institutions to produce and reproduce these kinds of common narratives. keywords: public value, community resilience, evolutionary resilience, sustainability, storytelling, design narratives, civic design complexity within liquid society society is changing, and it is changing rapidly due to the liquid nature of the relationships characterising it (bauman, 2000). all human systems are exposed to unexpected risks and fragilities, which trigger hectic and multifaceted transitions that are increasingly more common, profound and dramatic. these transitions generate a growing complexity requiring creative solutions addressing a high degree of situatedness. within this scenario, we argue that design narratives and civic design can effectively engage with this multilevel complexity, resulting in new resilient communities moving towards sustainability at an environmental, social and economic scale. towards community resilience by nurturing public value community resilience beyond conventional approaches while conventional approaches to resilience have been adopted within emergency preparedness and planning, focusing primarily on resource control and capacity (chubb et al., 2021), the resilience of communities has been discussed in public policy and social-ecological systems studies. scholars in these areas of study commonly understand resilience as the capability of a system to absorb disturbance, experience change and preserve its fundamental functions, structure, and identity (resilience alliance, 2010). 46 since communities are composed of people, community resilience hinges on, yet is not limited to, its people’s relational structure (sang baek et al., 2015). within communities, social bonds are not fixed and continuously evolve, led by diverse trajectories and dynamics of interaction, transformation and adaptation. hence, within the context of communities, the notion of resilience is not conceived as a return to “normality”: it is understood as the capacity of complex socio-ecological systems to transform and adapt with or without external catalysts. davoudi (2012, as cited in monna & auricchio, 2020) refers to this conception of resilience as “evolutionary resilience”. this concept shifts beyond conventional approaches to resilience because transformation may be triggered by “…internal stresses with no proportional or linear relationship between the cause and the effects. this means that small-scale changes in systems can amplify and cascade into major shifts (reflecting edward lorenz's idea of "the butterfly effect") while large interventions may have little or no effects”. (davoudi, 2012). this framework requires constant learning of an evolving and uncertain world, where communities moving towards sustainability need to deal with the indeterminacy of wicked problems. communities addressing complex issues although all the issues a community seeking resilience faces are contextual and ever evolving, many of them impact how people live together and how they experience and give shape to their spaces. since these issues are complex and ill-structured, they acquire the nature of “wicked problems” (rittel & webber., 1973). indeed, they are identified by the following qualities: ● there is no definitive formulation of the problem, since it is understood during the development of a possible solution. each potential solution uncovers new facets of the problem, which require further investigation; ● positing that there is no definitive problem, and there is no conclusive neither right nor wrong solution; ● each solution is a “one-shot operation” and has no given alternative solutions; ● every wicked problem is unique and might be the symptom of another problem; ● around every wicked problem, there are conflicts about its values and objectives. choosing to explain a wicked problem in a certain way determines the nature of the solution. communities engage with the explosive combination of centrifugal and centripetal forces surrounding these issues, seeking to redirect self-interest towards the common good and shared responsibility for “our joint world” (landry, 2017). how do communities engage with these wicked problems? how do they determine what they deem as their common good? taming wicked problems beyond resource control and capacity traditionally, the complexity, dimension and scale of situated wicked problems are a prerogative of the polity, which addresses them through resource control and capacity, putting the accent on a deficit-based approach (chubb & jennings, 2021). however, “taming wicked problems requires crisis leadership that addresses challenges and issues [also] through relationships” (chubb & jennings, 2021). indeed, only through relational structures can a community collectively shape and socially govern its commons (basu et al., 2017; ostrom, 1990), intended not only as a “utilitarian concept but [also as] the moral and political condition of human life” (matei, 2011). in this perspective, “the common good is determined by 47 broadly inclusive dialogue and deliberative processes. citizens are seen as co-creators actively engaged in creating what is good for the public” (stenvall et al., 2022) or, in other words, “public value” (moore, 1995). moore (1995) proposed the concept of public value as the counterpart of shareholder value within public management. initially, this notion advocated for public officials to value public services’ benefits and costs not only according to money “but also in terms of how government actions affect important civic and democratic principles such as equity, liberty, responsiveness, transparency, participation, and citizenship” (kavanagh, 2014). despite this, today, the term is not limited to the public sector, but it broadly relates to the contribution to the common good by any kind of organisation (meynhardt, 2009). moore (1995) suggests considering the entire chain of value production, starting from the inputs, moving to the processes and finally focusing on the impact on stakeholders, which eventually spurs the intended social outcome (kavanagh, 2014). moore (1995) explains the entire chain of public value production through what he refers to as the “strategic triangle” (figure 1). “the model consists of three concepts, public value, legitimising environment, and operational capacity” (salemans & budding, 2021). it illustrates that public value is produced when a strategic action is both given democratic legitimacy, (i.e. it has been supported by the involved community) and is endorsed by an authorising environment, such as a governing board and when an institution has the operational capacity to implement the strategic action adequately. moreover, moore (1995) shows a relation of interdependency among the three elements of the strategic triangle: the more public value is created, the more citizens gain trust in the government, the easier it is for elected officials to obtain resources, and, finally, the simpler it becomes for a governing board to endorse new strategic actions, restarting the feedback loop. in a few words, public value is “about delivering a service that is sustainably valuable” (salemans & budding, 2021). figure 1: public value strategic triangle. adapted from moore, 1995. 48 when a governing board takes decisions concerning wicked problems, its choices “reflect local public values” (stenvall et al., 2022). this means that a community’s resilience is highly influenced by its public values and is considerably grounded in situated relationships. hence, how can public value be nurtured? power of narratives to nurture public value for community resilience to nurture public value, we propose that narratives can be powerful drivers to facilitate and coordinate two components of moore’s strategic triangle (1995), namely “legitimacy and support” and “operational capacity”. through promoting collaborative interactions among public institutions and communities consisting of citizens and diverse types of stakeholders, narratives can generate dynamics and trajectories encompassing shared values. hence, public values generated by common narratives between public institutions and communities function as a solid foundation of a resilient community, since the processes and outcomes are negotiated and shared by potentially all the stakeholders. narratives by design as nurturers of public value narratives have increasingly been addressed in design fields due to their essential properties, which comprise both a human cognitive process (polkinghorne, 1988) and a mode of communication (fisher, 1985, 1987). narrative — a plot of sequential and interconnected events with a beginning, a conclusion and a basic structure — allows humans to use it as a sensemaking currency (fisher, 1985; boje, 1991). its essential properties of being a human cognitive process and a mode of communication (bruner, 1986) allow the conceptual use of narratives in many disciplinary contexts, such as sociology, history, psychology, communication, anthropology, philosophy, business management and design studies (rhodes & brown., 2005). in the field of design study, narratives and storytelling have been studied in creative practice (lloyd & oak, 2018) and from broad dimensional aspects, such as “narratives as competency”, “narratives as process”, and “narratives as artefacts” (hayama et al., 2021). especially in the context of communication design, narratives have been underlined as enablers for the inclusion of people in the social innovation process (ciancia et al., 2014). narratives and stories unlock people’s potential and relationships in participatory design processes by collecting stories, expectations and wishes from the community as tiny tales from everyday life (ciancia et al., 2014). in this sense, narratives and stories can play a significant role in developing a common language and building empathy with people in a specific community context. regarding public value, narratives are considered to develop clear goals and legitimisation by stakeholders (salemans & budding, 2021). salemans and budding (2021) argue that using narratives is a fruitful way to communicate ambitions and results in terms of public value. however, they also warn about the potential risk of influencing management and inducing bias, given the capacity of narratives to convince people (brennan & merkl-davies, 2013; beattie, 2014). in these lines of argument, we suggest that narratives can be potential enablers to generate public values, facilitating the co-creation of social commons among public institutions and communities. a designerly approach can perform effectively as a powerful facilitator to generate common narratives among citizens and different social actors through active engagement, a common language and empathy building. any story consists of three essential elements: “a narrative subject in search of an object, a destinator (an extratextual force, the source of the subjects’ ideology) and a set of forces that either help or hinder the subject in acquiring the desired object” (fiol, 1989). following this pattern, community stories might be structured accordingly: the narrative subject as the citizens or the community; the ultimate object or goal 49 of the narrative as sustainable community development and maintenance; and the destinator as the community and societal environment in which the narrative subject operates. in this context, a designerly approach can facilitate collaboration with communities and peers to set a common ground for discussion, engagement and moving people together. performing the double roles of “storylisteners” and “storytellers” (ciancia et al., 2014), designers can collect potential fragmented stories from community members and organise information in a structured manner. as ahmad and thompson (2009) state, “storytelling as a means to sharing knowledge, building trust, and cultivating identity” could allow communities and public institutions to collect shared knowledge, build trust in each other and develop an intersubjective identity through a participatory approach. consequently, a solid basement of trust and an identity shaped by narratives enable a fruitful ground for democratic legitimacy, a fundamental part of public value. not only do narratives facilitate the generation of democratic legitimacy, but public managers can also use narratives’ benefits to build up another important basement of public value creation, which is the support of an authorising environment. indeed, once a specific public matter is democratically legitimised, public managers can easily align their mission with values articulated by citizens. strongly supported by citizendriven legitimacy, public managers can contextualise their mission on the common narratives and position themself in democratic political discourses. in other words, by relying on common narratives, public managers can easily involve essential stakeholders, such as formal authorities (e.g., the governing board), impacted citizens, especially citizens whose voices are commonly unheard, the media and the broader citizenry, as well as influential individuals outside of formal organisations. from the perspective of moore’s strategic triangle, once democratic legitimacy has been built up, it triggers the community to get easier access to the essential support of public authorities (moore, 1995; kavanagh, 2014). then, the managers of the public institutions who have collaborated with the community can easily access inputs (e.g., money, volunteers). hence, a loop of public value production and amplification would be triggered, since the public institutions and citizens would collaboratively achieve two pillars of the strategic triangle of public value: legitimacy and support and operational capacity. focusing on democratic legitimacy building at the beginning of a shared project would enable public institutions and communities to make the most out of the narratives and storytelling produced to generate public value in an interdependent way, activating a feedback loop. a designerly approach to storytelling and narrative creation could potentially trigger public value generation by achieving a firm foundation of democratic legitimacy towards a specific public issue through collaboration, which unlocks the potential of people and the relationship among all the stakeholders of a community. potential roles of narratives towards community resilience public institutions could use the potential roles of narratives to nurture public value and, thus, develop community resilience. as mentioned above, the capability for a community to tackle complex, wicked problems flexibly, in other words, nurturing evolutionary resilience, is becoming increasingly crucial. since evolutionary resilience emphasises “fluidity, reflexivity, contingency, connectivity, multiplicity and polyvocality” (davoudi & strange, 2008), davoudi (2012) proposes that the “interpretive approach” has good parallels with it. indeed, contrasting with the naturalist-positivist approach, the interpretive approach “considers knowledge to be a matter of understanding rather than an explanation” (davoudi, 2012). certainly, social phenomena diverge from natural ones because they hinge on people's meaningful and intentional actions. hence, instead of explaining the causes of behaviours, social sciences seek the meaning of action, making sense of them individually and on a social scale. 50 within this perspective, narrative as a mode of communication and a mode of knowing is endorsed as an original scientific approach based on “narrative rationality” (bruner, 1986; czarniawska, 2004; fisher, 1987). as narratives are intrinsically “interpretative flexible” (pinch & bijker, 1984), they can be shared with diverse audiences, stimulating multiple ways of thinking and enabling individuals to draw inspiration from concepts, ideas and events concerning their understanding and contexts. in this sense, narratives are considered a boundary object (star & griesemer, 1989). indeed, they are both coherent enough to bring together individuals' expression of different facets of communities and pliable enough to let them draw inferences that fit their unique contexts. according to fisher’s (1987) “narrative paradigm”, human beings are storytelling animals that make sense of their world and their own lives through narrative understanding, as their interpretations of the world. consequently, as a solid interpretative artefact, narrative can have strong potential to develop evolutionary resilience within a community through an interpretive approach. then, how can citizens and public institutions generate common narratives which can function as enablers of nurturing public value towards an evolutionary resilient community? we argue that civic design might be the preferable approach. civic design fostering common narratives even if the notion of civic design is yet to be theoretically clarified within design studies, we agree that civic design “is an approach for inclusive and productive conversations” (we who engage mit, 2020), contributing to “new forms of living together” (disalvo & le dantec, 2017). this means that there is the need to consider new modes of encounter — new ways of working with communities, with government and non-government agencies, with all manner of civil society and even (perhaps especially) with those who work beyond the normal conceptions of what is appropriate of civil action (disalvo & le dantec, 2017). this last point is critical when talking about co-producing narratives that actively involve all the impacted stakeholders, which is crucial for the successful creation of public value. indeed, civic design aims to create a space where, even if unanimity is hardly present if treated as a place in common, diverse voices can be heard, enabling a process resulting in negotiated resilience (harris et al., 2017). this space would allow stakeholders to discuss both the symbols and the structures on which society is based, opening the opportunity to create new common narratives around problems, sparking new publics into being (dewey, 1927; marres, 2005). common narratives could challenge and rethink established ideas that citizens have of themselves. this would transform the situated community’s public value which, potentially, could activate the community towards the open-ended remaking of its governance structures. discussion although the literature about public value has been long-standing, it has barely crossed the field of design studies. we propose an original yet quite raw view on how public value might be nurtured through designerly approaches and processes. specifically, we have bridged the concepts and practices of design narratives and civic design with significant debates around public value management and evolutionary resilience concerning communities. our reflection emphasises that a designerly approach to public value generation is meaningful in terms of legitimisation. indeed, both design narratives and civic design generate inclusiveness through engagement, participation and collaborative actions. these actions contribute to the production of public values resulting in a resilient community hinged on inclusiveness. a limitation of the presented contribution is that it does not clarify how civic design builds common narratives. indeed, the operational framework of civic design is yet to be defined, and it is the subject of ongoing phd research. 51 moreover, we consider an empirical study essential. here we propose a reflection to open a discussion about the designerly opportunities nurturing public value, which are yet to be investigated by design scholars. however, we suggest proceeding with an empirical study grounded in real projects within the design narrative and civic design realms. furthermore, we suggest several research avenues regarding public values and community resilience through a design study point of view. for example, among the many, investigating the broader roles and contribution of design to strategic management in governments (moore, 1995), such as design narrative for strategic sensemaking in governments. conclusion within design studies, the processes enabling the production of public value are yet to be clearly described and framed. the presented reflection brings the approaches and processes of design narratives and civic design into public value management and community resilience debates. this reflection critically considers complex relations between community and state, exploring common narratives nurturing public value as a fundamental agenda for democratic governance. references ahmad, a., & thompson, j. 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(2005). la narrazione come dispositivo conoscitivo ed ermeneutico. m@gm@, 3(3). http://www.analisiqualitativa.com/magma/0303/articolo_01.htm we who engage mit. (2020). the civic design framework report. mit department of urban studies and planning. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1srojezmz5jvdbexewnga0a7bomrdva13/view https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-021-09596-4 29 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. understanding single-use plastic (sup) during the covid-19 lockdown through digital ethnographic research erika cortés, pamela garduño, david molina, ricardo serrano published online: april 2021. to cite this article: cortés, e., garduño, p., molina, d., & serrano, r. (2021). understanding single-use plastic (sup) during the covid-19 lockdown through digital ethnographic research. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 29-45. 30 understanding single-use plastic (sup) during the covid-19 lockdown through digital ethnographic research erika cortésa, pamela garduñob, david molinac, ricardo serranod, aposgrado de diseño industrial, unam, cdmx, 04510, méxico. erika.cortes@fa.unam.mx bposgrado de diseño industrial, unam, cdmx, 04510, méxico. pamelagardunolara@gmail.com cposgrado de diseño industrial, unam, cdmx, 04510, méxico. di.davidmolina@gmail.com dposgrado de diseño industrial, unam, cdmx, 04510, méxico. ricardoserranoayvar@gmail.com abstract how do people’s interaction and behaviour change in a world where social contact is suddenly limited? how does ethnographic research change and adapt to new interaction rules? what can we discover through it? during the covid-19 lockdown, we identified an extensive opportunity for digital ethnography (de) to explore the evolving social worlds. as the starting point, this research aimed to inquire into the daily use of single-use plastics (sup) consumption and disposal amongst the community that occupies unam’s posgraduate unit through the design and application of a set of ethnographic analogic and participative tools. however, the covid-19 world pandemic detoured our initial research plan and turned it into de research. this shift required a change of theoretical contents into the comprehension and implementation of de to rethink the field research. this article registers the adaptation of an ongoing project because of a disruptive event like a pandemic; through it, we want to share our experiences of using de as a qualitative approach, insights about our project process and our predictive perspective about the growing problem we are facing with sup. keywords: digital ethnography, ethnographic research, lockdown, single-use plastics, design ethnographic futures introduction we live in a world where digital interaction is a frequent activity in which we spend many hours, from sending a short text message to controlling smart objects. the most immediate example is the assembly of this article, quoting from digital sources, using digital tools for the study and analysis of the results, the collaborative writing and submission, as well as the contributions that came from different authors interacting behind a screen. this article was written because of a project developed at the ethnographic research seminar in the industrial design graduate school, and it was planned initially as a traditional ethnography approach but evolved into a digital ethnography study, which was fully developed during the covid-19 lockdown. for a better understanding of what digital ethnography (de) means and encompasses, at the beginning of the semester we were familiarised with its predecessor, traditional ethnography. it is important to remark that in this paper, we agree on defining ethnography as “a way of practising research” (pink et al., 2016, p. 21) in which data come from primary sources (people). de relies on mediated contact with participants rather than an indirect presence. in fact, this approach “emerged as a response to the study of digital, mobile and networked media in everyday life, and it can be applied in different ways depending on the objective of the study” (hsu, 2017, p. 41). we faced an opportunity because of the covid-19 pandemic and used as inspiration the previous work and tools of de researchers, such as “participant observation in digital contexts; delivering and communicating discoveries and research; or creating ethnographic databases” (hsu, 2017, p. 41). we proved that “digital practices and technologies [...] 31 represent tools that offer a concrete step in the direction of a more participatory and inclusive ethnography, [...] more attentive to the establishment of a dialogue with the viewers” (favero, 2017, p. 285). these ideas supported an alternative to go on with the research. as different proponents of the approach argue, “there is not a unique method for de, this research is methodologically innovative or ‘mixed’, transdisciplinary, empirical, contextual and cross-cultural” (richardson & keogh, 2017, p. 211). we used this quality as an opportunity to develop experimental research. de is a tool for getting a deeper understanding of people’s thoughts and behaviours using digital media as a link between their thoughts and ours. it is a new virtual magnifying glass for the investigator to zoom in on and dissect modern culture; “not limited to virtual ethnography, it focuses on how our engagement with digital media and technological interfaces configure and the ways we attend to communicate and, perceive” (richardson & keogh, 2017, p. 215). the main sections of the article were named after the four types of de practice, which so far have been identified and documented by digital sociologists (lupton, as cited in pink et al., 2016, p.24) and applied to ongoing research developed at the rmit university digital ethnography design centre (derc) and point out the steps we followed along our research process: a. use of digital tools to network and build conversations; b. research into how people are using digital media, technologies and tools; c. use of digital tools for analysis; d. engagement in critical analysis of the use and consequences of digital media. secondary sources research this collaborative research began in january 2020 at the ethnographic research seminar. our group identified that pollution from sup was a common interest amongst us, especially related to the daily practices of waste production and disposal in the postgraduate building. “until the last months of 2019, [global] public discourse was largely focused on environmental matters including climate change and plastic pollution” (kistler and muffett, 2019). mexico was no exception, since on the first day of 2020 the “solid waste law” banned the use of single-use plastics (sup), focusing on plastic bags. however, “sup does not only generate pollution in its disposal but in its production, each year the production, recycling and incineration of plastic items emit about 400 million tonnes of co2” (world economic forum, 2016). to empathise during face-to-face classes, we applied research tools such as self-ethnographic photo diaries and concept maps developed individually and collaboratively. through them, we identified that most of our garbage came from sup, mostly used for food. this was our departure hypothesis, but we needed to open the scope to the postgraduate community to know more about their motivations and habits; therefore, in the way we were framing the topic, it was pertinent to use ethnographic research. field research planning the first step was contextually setting the problem we had previously identified. we realised that the postgraduate building has the particularity of being geographically isolated from the other academic entities. therefore, it does not offer the same amount and variety of food services as the rest of the campus. the postgraduate building has only one cafeteria, which does not always provide a satisfactory service to the members of the community. then we ideated a way to ask the members of the community about the practices mentioned before with a series of analogical and participative tools to understand how 32 the garbage in the building is generated and disposed of, but also to know if the community was conscious about the pollution generated by sup. to get a notion of the sup sources, we discussed the relevance of what and how to ask and agreed on the following questions, listed in table 1, and designed illustrative ways to engage people interactively to collect their responses (see figure 1). questions how many snacks do you consume during the week? (quantity and variety) where does your food come from? how is your food packaged or contained? do you carry a reusable water bottle with you? how many coffees do you buy in a week? what would it take for you to stop using single-use plastic? how do you classify this waste? how could we generate less plastic waste in the postgraduate building? table 1: kick-off questions, before transitioning to de. this yes/no poll would have helped us get an idea about the use of sup liquid containers vs. reusable containers. in this target, participants would have to pin where their daily lunch came from. these would have helped us to get a first idea about the source of food consumption. figure 1: these are two examples of the designed analogic and participative tools. these interactive panels were supposed to be installed outside the cafeteria. adapting to the world’s pandemic “covid-19 was implicated with the outbreak of uncommon pneumonia in the chinese city of wuhan, hubei province. the first cases were reported in late december 2019. since then, the virus has spread to other chinese cities, to other asian countries, europe and the rest of the world. each nation implemented its own health strategies according to its contexts” (samson et al., 2020). in mexico, the first case was 33 confirmed on 29th february (bbc news mundo, 2020), and the voluntary lockdown started on 23rd march 2020 with the countrywide campaign “jornada de sana distancia” (healthy distance campaign) to increase social distancing and reduce the speed of the virus transmission. “this campaign, similar to other countries, included basic prevention measures such as frequent hand-washing and correct coughing, no social contact, suspension of non-essential activities, the reduction of access to public space up to 50% of its capacity and suspension of massive events” (animal político, 2020) besides the national plan to deal with the pandemic, our seminar faced the administrative adaptation announced on 20th march, where “presence-based scholar, academic and administrative procedures and formalities were suspended until further notice, and each academic entity was responsible to adapt and preserve their activities” (grauje, 2020). this situation caused the adjustment of our initial (traditional) ethnographic research, which at that moment was at the end of the planning phase, to a de study. this approach sought “to radically transport, manipulate and reconstitute research materials with ease” (hsu, 2017, p. 41), so all our previous work basis was adapted to the alternative research method. this adaptation had to analyse and take into consideration the contextual particularities of the new (virtual) space within which we as researchers would interact with participants. one of the most important facts to consider was that traditional ethnographers immerse themselves in the world of their studied subjects, sometimes for long periods, to have a full comprehension of the studied phenomenon. the constant presence of the researcher in the subject’s physical space enables trust and comfort between them, giving the subject ease to naturally behave in their context. in this case, it was recommended not to interact personally with our participants because of the situation, so we faced the question of how these spaces transform in de. cultural geographers contend that space and place are constructed culturally, suggesting that spatiality can form online. although “online communities exist as legitimate places and, conversely, place-based communities exist online, such as national publics, regional networks, and local ways of living” (kraemer, 2017, p. 180), both “production and construction of space are mediated by social processes, especially being contested and fought over for economic and ideological reasons” (low, as cited in kraemer, 2017). to avoid the debate aroused among digital context researchers about “the extent social worlds that involve digital elements are reducing, increasing or changing social life and its consequences” (pink et al., 2016, p. 130), in this article we agreed with defining the social world as pink et al. do, namely “a neutral, heuristic concept that invites empirical investigation and comparative analysis. though this definition is highly polysemic, it comes with fewer moral or normative strings attached” (2016, p. 149). this enabled us to discuss the use of social media platforms during the pandemic’s first weeks and identify the proper “space” that would facilitate the path of meaning making (favero, 2017, p. 284). covid-19 and the plastic use context with the growth and evolution of the pandemic, the hierarchisation of plastic use changed from sustainability to self-preservation; inevitably, sup became a major issue. decision-makers turned in favour of the use of sup, and local policies were revoked. there was no time to prevent the urge for using plastics, and this has overtaken any sustainable initiative. the first hint was our seminar discussions on how some of us tried to keep ecologic practices, and food providers limited our options to pre-packed versions of products that a few weeks before you could have bought in bulk. our research participants shared similar 34 experiences, and finally, worldwide news photos of face masks littering beaches and reports on general poor waste management reaffirmed our hypothesis on how the covid-19 emergency left no space to discuss sup control. “this phenomenon was not related to mexico; in europe, stakeholders that have a role in decisionmaking, shifted their perception on environmental care, with concerns related to the covid-19 outbreak …” (grodzińska et al., 2020). “to maintain health safety standards, sanitization sup became a must in everyday life leading to a shift in value hierarchization …” (bardi et al., 2009; homer & kahle, 1988, cited in grodzińska et al., 2020). shifting from analogical to digital ethnographic research. amid the covid-19 pandemic context, all face-to-face classes were suspended, and the application of the interactive research tools that we had designed was cancelled. nonetheless, shifting to digital ethnography was more than a remedial measure, as postill (2017, p. 67) states: “… it is a “second best” choice for [researchers] unable to reach their field sites for reasons of safety, illness, or disability. it often helps us to observe familiar people and things from a different perspective, thereby creating a richer engagement with the worlds of our research participants”. figure 2: research process and tools timeline. use of digital tools to network and build conversations there was no doubt about the potential that the internet has for mediating contact with a community; thus, we decided to overcome this situation. on our first zoom meeting (our alternative workspace), new inquiries and questions related to the initial food packaging waste topic arose, which led us to adapt our objective to inquire about the use of sup, its consumption and disposal practices during the quarantine and to design the remote field study application. 35 an example of how our initial questions from the analogue research evolved to the digital version was, “where does your lunch food come from?” depending on the answers (delivery, dinner, home, restaurant, or street food), we would get insights into how many of these meals produced plastic waste. in the facebook group, we asked how many delivery services our participants had ordered during quarantine time (april 2020), where they were buying their groceries and how they arrived at their homes. in this transition to de, we planned the research process collaboratively through google slides, as figure 3 shows. also, the activities we initially had in march were modified in this process, as shown in table 2. figure 3: collaborative research planning made by the research team in google slides. researching how people are using digital media technologies and tools once the new objective was stated, we evaluated the platforms that could help us. according to favero (2017, p.276), “interactive platforms can function as a tool for generating new multimodal and participatory ways for both displaying and producing ethnography”. facebook groups was the chosen platform because “during quarantine, people were using more than usual social platforms and facebook is still the most used one” (statista, 2020; new york times, 2020). we chose the groups feature, so that we could have a small community answering one question/activity per day, and the posts would remain there for as long as we needed. also, posts would appear in the participants’ feeds, and, if they forgot to answer, we would be able to remind them through private messages. 36 activity / question a1 (google forms). hi! could you help us to know you by filling out this form? a2 (fb poll). since lockdown started, how many delivery services have you ordered? mark you ranswer in the poll and specify in the comments what you ordered. a3 (fb post). could you share on this post a description, photo or video of what you used to prepare your breakfast, lunch or dinner? try to show the product's packaging. thank you! a4 (fb post). could you help us understand how groceries arrive at your home? if possible, share a picture in the comments section of this post (it does not have to be from today; it applies to the day that you ordered or from the day before). tell us, where are you buying your groceries? a5 (fb post). during lockdown, have your food expenses increased or decreased? could you comment on why or how? a6 (fb post). during lockdown, has your online shopping increased or decreased? in what kind of packages were they delivered and what did you do with them? a7 (fb poll). during lockdown, which of these products have you bought? please comment on how many of each. a8 (fb post). what would you do if the garbage truck stopped working? a9 (fb post). during lockdown, have you noticed an increase in your single-use plastic-wrapped food consumption? which ones? if it has not increased, what are the containers or wraps of your food? a10 (fb post). please share with a comment what could you do to decrease single-plastic consumption during a lockdown. table 2: activity planning: the order of the questions and the platform features were decided among the researchers. even though facebook groups, comments, polls and the possibility to upload pictures was helpful, this platform did not allow us to collect all the responses in the same database to make the analysis easier phase, so all responses were captured manually in google sheets (figure 4). 37 figure 4: google sheets database generated from the feedback provided by the participants in the facebook group. using digital tools for analysis as mentioned above, we invited participants from our social circles that we knew were staying at home during the quarantine and had a facebook profile. thus, we had the confidence to remind them to participate if they had not answered activities. de broke the geographic barrier, so we were able to collect answers not only from different states in mexico but also from medellin, colombia. our population turned out to be almost evenly distributed between men and women, with an average age of 35 years. contact with participants, as well as between ourselves, was digitally mediated the whole time. while inviting our participants, we encountered the ethical considerations of making the objective or motives of the investigation clear at the beginning of this study. this made participants trust the research but, at the same time, it could alter the outcome of the research, predisposing participants to respond the way they thought researchers wanted to. in particular in our research, we briefly explained the motives and reasons behind this study to the facebook group members. also, we created a visual image to present the research with proper formality and uniformity (see figure 5). 38 figure 5: banner used to invite people to join the facebook group “plástico en casita” [plastics at home]. de research on facebook included activities like polls, narrative comments, and photographic evidence. these resources, according to favero (2017, p. 276), are multimodal, material, and relational items; the task we had as researchers was to recover ethnographic evidence, awakening the conversation with participants to deepen insights on the material they were sharing with us. at the end of the activities, the information we received from our participants was as follows: • most of them had ordered home delivery 1 to 3 times during the first month in lockdown. • the most consumed product categories were prepared food, groceries and home accessories or toys. all of them were contained in sup packages and wraps. • supermarkets and retail companies were their first point-of-purchase choice, second were local public markets and third the local convenience store. participants who got their groceries in supermarkets declared that they acquired more packaged products than before lockdown. participants who got their groceries in public markets and local convenience stores still used market tote bags. • a significant number of participants reported that their food expenses decreased because they began to eat fewer meals a day and prepare them at home. on the contrary, there were also cases where food expenses increased due to a rise in food prices and food anxiety-related disorders, as mental health was undermined for some. • the most consumed covid-19-related products were facemasks, hand sanitiser and medicines. 39 • the participants considered changing their consumption habits and implementing reuse and recycle practices when asked to imagine a scenario where the garbage recollection truck stopped working. this question caused surprise and some distress in them. • the participants proposed reducing sup use by being a responsible consumer and adopting practices like buying in bulk, avoiding purchases of products contained in sup and the use of market tote bags. at the beginning of the research process, some participants asked for the results. we interpreted this as a sign of interest in the topic and engagement with our research. the research team decided as an ethical principle to share with them not only our findings, but also extra information related to the discoveries on the facebook group, as shown in figure 6. figure 6: insights—visually expressed—shared through the facebook group. it was interesting to witness how a community started to develop among participants who, at the beginning, did not know each other. from their public answers, they started identifying what tips they could share and to inspire each other on different projects like composting or making eco bricks. one of the emergent aspects of this research was the co-evolution of the participants’ responses from their appraisal of others’ comments in the group. then, a participatory experience and construction of common knowledge emerged. we identified that participants might have started to feel insecure about revealing their true practices since they began to reshape their answers as activities went on during the field study application, making each response more detailed and supported by photographs. we also wondered if there were participants who abstained from answering certain activities because they felt embarrassed due to how they handled sup. 40 our interpretation to start envisioning future design opportunities and different scenarios, we mainly reviewed the work of akama, pink and fergusson (2015), who proposed a framework for studying futures that combines ethnographic research with various disciplinary practices like design research, to provide a step sideways and to depart from traditional approaches in de and human-computer interaction (hci) and named it design + ethnography + futures (def). this approach creates a different way to consider design opportunities to trigger change-making initiatives and change behaviour. the def framework has been applied before in workshops, but we adapted it to our research, helping us to explore people’s cultures and the human capacity for improvisation in an emergency state involving the use of sup, as well as to recognise uncertainties that could help us foresee how possible future scenarios might emerge. regarding this, akama et al. (2015) remarked: “our interest as designers and researchers has relied on understanding and creating change, working with emerging qualities and with people with whom we share journeys into the immediate future and that we have always been oriented towards future making and willingly embrace the unexpected”. we combined the def framework (akama et al., 2015) and the previously mentioned four types of practice (pink et al., 2016) to develop the interpretation phase. to accomplish this task, we used the miro app, a collaborative whiteboard that enabled our team to work in real time, organise data and identify design challenges in the immediate future, as shown in figure 7. figure 7: using the def framework in miro to find patterns, make connections, interpret answers, and visualise dynamics or tendencies. 41 engaging in critical analysis of the use and consequences of digital media at the end, we obtained various conclusions: • about design research tools, there were some mistakes while formulating questions; some participants commented that they did not reply to some activities because they did not understand either the question or the instructions. as questions were formulated in language open to participants’ interpretations, they answered according to their understanding. this bias might have led to the loss of some information. • about the research progress, researchers should encourage participants to tell their stories and promote fluid communication. we realised that enriched storytelling from participants reflected the trust they had in the research team or goal. • about replacement of physical interaction, there must be compensation for the limitations of participant observation, not only through the narratives but also with images or photographs that support it. for the photographic analysis, the researchers must develop a trained eye to understand the context, situations, interactions between objects and humans and ways of living reflected in the picture. by asking participants to take a photo of their daily consumption and to tell us about what they bought, we discovered useful insights about plastic consumption, behaviours and future design opportunities. sharing insights with participants so that they could have certainty about how we used the elicited data reinforced their confidence in how their answers were used. one of the most important findings we restate is the importance of empathy as a skill for ethnographic studies to understand people and their relationships with life and their own view of their worlds. amid covid-19, this was important for our remote field research because empathy became a constant reminder to keep a critical point of view about the complexity of timing and situation while research activities were developed. possible future scenarios as an outcome of the def approach, we agree with pink (2020) that to overcome future ecological and health crises, society should adapt and benefit from digital connections to reduce their ecological footprint. under this premise, we worked on the creation of different future scenarios to explore design’s opportunities regarding possible future crises, such as: • new business models for industries, distinct service solutions, new payment options, communications and learning solutions. • business guaranteeing the cleanness-related values people have for sup while reusing, recycling, and reducing its consumption. • how new human interactions emerge and change against the modification of one’s objects. • transformation of public spaces and transportation. we used the hitachi foresight north america 2019 card set, developed by d-lab (2019), which condenses emerging trends in economics, society, technology and politics; this tool was used to provoke conversations—amongst our research group—about the future of sup. for this article, we chose to present only as an example the outcome related to the “plausible scenario” (voros, 2003), where current 42 knowledge could happen, the context remains the same, opportunities are maximised, and threats are minimised. in this scenario, we used the “devastating inequality” (dlab, 2019) trend to think about the sup future consumption problem. the departure point is context, where we observed through de research that household consumption has a strong tendency to use sup to deal with the pandemic problem. this consumption behaviour in the healthcare context has also increased. the opportunities lie in: • new recycling processes, as well as safe disposal programmes that diminish exposition risk to the people that manage the residuals. there is a broad opportunity for design to develop new material alternatives that aid to keep cleaner and healthier practices—this was a common perception about products wrapped in plastic among research participants. the threat we should minimise is longterm responses due to emergency situations, in reference to the gap between knowledge and implementation. • changing consumption habits and reducing sup consumption were also enunciated during the research process. the def framework led us to think about the imperative shift from consumption towards an ethical economy (dlab, 2019), where consumers are no longer blindly loyal to brands but make their purchase decisions based on how a product or service is made of and what it stands for. to achieve this scenario, companies should realign their brand, act with transparency and be empathic to current situations such as the pandemic. a trend to link to new consumption practices and be considered a serious opportunity is “tailored services” (dlab, 2019), which must be regulated to not provoke quick production, delivery and hyper customisation but nonetheless, at the same time, make the shopping process effortless, involving fewer steps. • regarding digital interaction, current evidence shows that mediated contact with people will keep growing, not only during emergencies like the covid-19 pandemic but also to get closer to longdistance communities and thus enrich knowledge through new interactions or even to reduce urban mobility. somehow this will lead to the development of “adaptive cities” (dlab, 2019) where infrastructure will be responsive to resident’s needs and changing conditions. in adaptive cities, change will be anticipated in modular and resilient ways that are modifiable whenever needed. due to the pandemic, we put into practice adaptive conditions; schools and students had quick adaptation to provide personalised on-demand services and promote flexible learning of contents and new skills. this tailored service has been aided by online platforms, apps and teleconferencing, making learning multimodal. conclusion the pandemic triggered a quick migration from the in-person world to the digital one. though digital ethnographic research is a work in progress, it has been in development for at least 20 years, but under lockdown conditions it has represented an important tool to go on with certain research projects. our project adaptation benefited from its virtues (budget friendly, inclusive and facilitating collaboration) and enabled us to establish communication with our participants and with our teammates. research discoveries led us to think about alternatives that could optimise the ongoing dynamic and mitigate negative effects into positive social changes in domestic and commercial sup consumption. but 43 at the same time, the futures approach pointed out the urgency of developing handy waste management systems, which enable users to efficiently separate household waste and promote specialised collection systems. furthermore, regarding sup consumption, we found an opportunity to recycle cardboard and paper produced by courier, package delivery and mail services, which has been intensively used during pandemic lockdown. everything learned during the de project and the obtained findings are currently being used for exploring possibilities to properly conceptualise and design innovative and emergent solutions that use waste materials to face problems such as land degradation and food safety. acknowledgements we thank our partners who participated actively during some phases of this research: mariana águila, aranzazú garcía, alejandro maza, laura ochoa, angélica tule and rubén uvera. references akama, y., pink, s., & fergusson, a. 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(2003). a generic foresight process framework. foresight, 5(3), 10–21. retrieved from https://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/items/48369bff-dc46-4648-9f03-871981d01a89/1/. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680310698379 world economic forum. (2016). the new plastics economy — rethinking the future of plastics. world economic forum, ellen macarthur foundation and mckinsey & company. 95 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. involving or not the beneficiaries as role players in social initiative games: analysis of case studies pedro sancho, rute gomes, cláudia pernencar published online: october 2021 to cite this article: sancho, p., gomes, r., & pernencar, c. (2021). involving or not the beneficiaries as role players in social initiative games, analysis of case studies. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 95-122. 96 involving or not the beneficiaries as role players in social initiative games: analysis of case studies pedro sanchoa, rute gomesb, cláudia pernencar c, d aiade, faculty of design, technology and communication, european university, 1200-649, lisbon, portugal. psanchoferreira@gmail.com bciaud, lisbon school of architecture, lisbon university, 1349-063, lisbon, portugal. rutegomes@fa.ulisboa.pt cicnova, nova institute of communication, faculty of human and social sciences, nova university of lisbon, 1069-061, lisbon, portugal. claudiapernencar@fcsh.unl.pt dlida, research laboratory of design and arts, school of fine arts and design, polytechnic of leiria, 2500-321 caldas da rainha, portugal. abstract social inequalities are increasing the initiatives in which the provident state is requested to find solutions and tools to improve the social impact. in this perspective, the management and entrepreneurship fields assume a huge relevance in social innovation and social entrepreneurship. manzini suggests (2015) that a more efficient model for fighting social inequalities within a vulnerable community is to involve the beneficiaries in the process when solving social problems through project development. with the focus on manzini’s (2015) proposal and having in mind the beneficiaries’ involvement in this kind of initiative, a question emerged: what is the role of the beneficiaries’ involvement as a critical success factor in the development of social innovation projects? a literature review was undertaken and guided the action of a case studies analysis matrix following these parameters: 1) business model; 2) public funding dependency; 3) beneficiaries’ involvement levels and 4) business sustainability/longevity. seven social entrepreneurship projects were analysed. the results and the discussion conclude that a correlation between longevity and the beneficiaries’ involvement exists. when people are suffering from a lack of basic needs, their involvement in a project is affected. in such cases, the project’s success is at risk. this being so, the design of social impact projects should consider the beneficiaries’ involvement to positively influence their longevity. however, for this to happen, beneficiaries’ basic needs should be assured. keywords: beneficiaries’ involvement, design for social change, social entrepreneurship, social inequalities, sustainable development introduction social impact projects have been growing, according to bahmani et al. (2012). this increase is due to the ineffectiveness of social policies based on welfare models. these practices are focused on fighting social inequalities that are overcharging the national providence resources (netto, 2013). as a social service mechanism, it involves donating goods or services directly to the beneficiaries without any level of involvement or commitment by them. welfare practices do not solve the existing root of the problem but rather the consequences. in this way, public and private project development agents keep being overwhelmed with problems that are not solved effectively. 97 in this context, management and social entrepreneurship began to have a huge relevance through the application of specific tools that provide efficiency and innovation, fight poverty and hunger and improve the health system, housing and education. this article aims to understand how the beneficiaries’ involvement directly affects the social impact of a project’s success. as suggested by authors such as manzini (2015), beneficiaries suffering from social inequalities may play a very important role in the development of a social impact solution through their involvement. this context can be measured using different levels of involvement as proposed by manzini (2015, p. 107). each level implies distinct project management approaches and beneficiary behaviour. the study that will be presented in this article intends to answer the following research question: what is the role of the beneficiary’s involvement as a critical success factor in the development of social innovation projects? literature review social impact projects are overloaded because social inequalities have increased. they aim to ensure the country’s providence resources. the overloading scenario happens for various reasons: 1) human resources with low salaries or working as volunteers; 2) social organizations operating in the field without a strategic vision; 3) lack of management competencies (franco, 2015); 4) a great dependence on public funding, but most of all; 5) by the fact that the structures that fight against social inequalities usually follow welfare practices and do not provide any investment in social policies to eradicate the main causes of this inequality (netto, 2013). the welfare state is a system that allows a country’s government to assure social services to its population, such as public health, unemployment support, etc. for that, taxes are used. this path is essential in fighting inequalities, but the system becomes overwhelmed/overcharged. this happens because a great dependence on the system by its beneficiaries exists. this scenario caught the attention of several entrepreneurs with a set of tools, techniques and models used in corporate entrepreneurship. these entrepreneurs developed individual or collective initiatives to fight against social inequalities generated by different actual contexts. thus, the entrepreneurship and management fields assumed greater importance in social innovation and social entrepreneurship. the inclusion of these themes in different contexts, expressed by the need to make social initiatives financially self-sustainable, either by patrons’ donations, strategic partnerships or the sale of their own products or initiatives. new business and collaboration models amongst partners seek these initiatives to become sustainable and increase their positive impact (bahmani et al., 2012). manzini (2015) defends a strategy where involving the beneficiaries in the production and management of a social entrepreneurship initiative is a key factor. 98 figure 1: beneficiaries’ involvement quadrants in social innovation projects. source: manzini (2015, p. 107), fernando vieira’s illustration. manzini claims that last century was dominated by the concept of “if someone is hungry give them fast food or a tin of ready to eat (or, if they can afford it, give them a luxury restaurant)” (manzini 2015, p.94). this assumption focuses on solving inequalities without any effort, thought or knowledge production developed by beneficiaries. this is the kind of approach netto (2013) refers to. they neither improve the individual’s conduct of systematic problem-solving nor seek effectiveness and longevity. social impact solutions that select beneficiaries as actors in the project development can add value to the project, as the beneficiaries invest their own time managing and operating the project. this is one of the most efficient ways to develop social impact, a long-lasting project and ensure the subsistence of the initiative. manzini (2015) proposed levels that assume different parameters (fig. 1): 1. quadrant a: beneficiaries show low levels of involvement in the activity. manzini claims that this happens when the provider/designer only serves the final user. in this ‘collaborative encounter’, the condition of being involved does not reveal huge value through the project collaboration. this quadrant is found in welfare-based projects. 2. quadrant b: also represents beneficiaries’ low levels of involvement. however, here, they are final users and involved in the project’s design and management. the goal is to understand how the project can serve them efficiently. the path here is not directed towards the organization. 3. quadrant c: the beneficiaries are intensively involved in the project’s activities. there is coproduction amongst the beneficiaries. both providers and beneficiaries are co-producers and add value in a collaborative perspective. 4. quadrant d: the beneficiaries have a strong connection. they are involved autonomously in project activities without the provider’s intervention. all the social innovation operation is in the beneficiaries’ charge, who become simultaneously the project providers and beneficiaries. 99 in more urgent operational contexts, such as agriculture and fighting poverty, beneficiaries’ involvement is a key factor in designing, implementing and measuring the social initiative. working with beneficiaries in a project allows them to recognise their weaknesses, and consequently, the project design will easily meet their needs (foley et al., nd). similarly, thou (2012) argues that beneficiary involvement provides more sustainability in a project because the metrics that monitor it are used by the own project’s beneficiaries. this scenario allows an efficient and effective adjustment of the project’s strategy. in short, beneficiary involvement contributes to the activities’ operationalization required by a social initiative and allows the development of more successful and reliable metrics, based on the beneficiaries’ inclusion in their planning. the opposite scenario also happens. in africa, for example, many development programmes are planned and implemented without community inclusion, which led them to close. another critical success factor is when a great dependence on communitarian funds for project development is used to fight the problem (kinyata & abiodun, 2020). in sum, the involvement of beneficiaries in a social initiative acts as a tool of empowerment. the beneficiaries acquire deeper knowledge about their problems, which allows them to identify real needs and design initiatives that are more likely to have an effective social impact. this means that the involved actors are articulating, working and managing more effective realistic project metrics. methods and materials to answer the question set, two main methods were applied: first, a narrative literature review of communitarian intervention (kinyata & abiodun, 2020), design for social innovation (manzini, 2015), social entrepreneurship (patel & mehta, 2011) and social service (netto, 2013) with the main goal of understanding the importance for beneficiaries of being engaged in a social initiative. second, we listed specific parameters to help the research team develop a qualitative analysis method to compare social entrepreneurship case studies. this critical empirical analysis aimed to comprehend different practices/models of management and functioning related to social entrepreneurship projects and identify the relevance of beneficiaries’ involvement as a critical success factor. tool case studies comparative table with a list of parameters to figure out each social entrepreneurship case study’s details, a comparative table was developed in two sections, as follows: 1. identification: based on the project’s identity from the portuguese social innovation and entrepreneurship map (mies), the topics were: 1) goal of the project and excluded intervention areas; 2) identified problem; 3) entrepreneurs’ identification; 4) function and impact on geographical area; 5) identification used, as they were not framed within the research goal. parameters as a business model and longevity were added empirically aiming to establish a relationship amongst both. manzini’s beneficiary involvement scale (manzini, 2015) correlates beneficiary involvement in a social initiative with the business model and consequently with longevity. by contrast, the topic of dependence on public funds was introduced because the researchers wanted to understand if there was a direct relationship between this and longevity. 2. analysis: 1) business model, comprising a set of activities enabling a project’s increase in social value in; 2) public funding dependency, i.e. how much these initiatives rely/depend on public funding to carry on their mission; 3) beneficiary involvement level, i.e. the involvement of the beneficiaries in the project, on distinct levels (manzini, 2015); and 4) business sustainability/ longevity, representing the time the project remains active and its growth. 100 sample selection the inclusion criteria for the case studies were: 1) social entrepreneurship initiative and 2) involving activities from distinct intervention areas. these are justified because social entrepreneurship projects and profit-generatin entrepreneurship projects reveal natures from different contexts and several distinct actors, such as stakeholders, beneficiaries, cultures and developed solutions. a variety of social entrepreneurship projects enables more diverse analysis. table 1 presents the seven social entrepreneurship initiatives selected from mies, the portuguese platform that records in detail the spatial distribution of social innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide, and from selected social entrepreneurship literature. selected project goal a lijjat sisters to provide financial support empowering women who aim to achieve their independence and want to be integrated into the labour market. b refood to stimulate the fight against food waste through tracking restaurant leftovers. c dress for success to integrate women socially and professionally by strengthening their self-esteem. d wow – word of woman to inspire others and spread experiences, histories, values and projects created by women. e reklusa to occupy, educate and reintegrate female inmates and former inmates socially and professionally. f manicómio to provide financial autonomy and break the stigma towards mentally ill patients. g a avó veio trabalhar to fight against seniors’ isolation and promote active senior ageing. table 1: selected case study projects. the case studies analysis is summarized through a table that includes details of the parameters, followed by critical reflection that cross-references the data collected with the literature review. case study analysis each case study includes a brief description of the project and an analysis of the business model, public funds dependency, beneficiaries’ engagement level and business sustainability/ longevity (tables 2–8). figures 2–8 are infographics that explain how the business model works. figures 9 and 10 compare the difference in the set parameters within the sample. 101 case study a, the lijjat sisters project, recruits indian women who, due to their low social status (indian caste system), are unable to find a job to provide financially for their own families. lijjat sisters recruits and integrates them, providing a job; thus, the women end up being socially integrated and having the possibility of being financially autonomous. in this project, every employee receives profits from the generated sales of the papad snack. case a: lijjat sisters business model recruitment and professional involvement of indian women, who are responsible for producing and selling traditional papad snacks. the profit from sales is distributed equally amongst all the collaborators no matter the tasks they perform within the project. public funding dependency none. beneficiary involvement level quadrant d: extensive beneficiary participation in the management and production. business sustainability the lijjat sisters began in 1959 with seven collaborators. after 50 years, this number increased to 42, and their turnover reached 111 million dollars. the value chain is considered the top reason for a business’s longevity. table 2: case study a – lijjat sisters. 102 figure 2: lijjat sisters’ business model. image credit: fernando vieira. refood fights food waste and directs meals from local restaurants to people in need through partnerships established between refood, a chain of local portuguese restaurants, and volunteers who distribute the meals in the cities where the project is active. 103 case b: refood business model refood depends 100% on volunteers, does not generate any profit and is managed by an executive committee. the value chain is considered vulnerable because it depends on volunteers, government funding and donations. the switch of authority from the collecting units may compromise the project’s quality and credibility. the business model is an example of how the use of different management tools, namely human resources, are capable of effectively fighting a problem. public funding dependency yes beneficiary involvement level quadrant a: based on social assistance, the beneficiaries are only served by the social initiative project manager; quadrant: the beneficiaries are involved in the project concept and design. business sustainability refood has been growing since 2011. it started with one pickup for the shipping and distribution. in the beginning, it served 34 beneficiaries with only one volunteer. by 2020, this had increased to 25 pickup vans and 4000 volunteers. table 3: case study b – refood. 104 figure 3: refood’s business model. image credit: fernando vieira. 105 dress for success empowers women to enable them to enter the job-hunting market by providing fashion advice and preparing women for job interviews. case c: dress for success business model the dress for success business model depends financially on patronage. image consultants and professional agents develop their activities near to the beneficiary women identified by other institutions. public funding dependency none. beneficiary involvement level quadrant a: based on welfare, the beneficiaries are only served by the project. business sustainability this portuguese case was founded in 2012 and is still active. table 4: case study c dress for success. 106 figure 4: dress for success business’ model. image credit: fernando vieira. 107 word of woman provides marketing and management consulting services to women entrepreneurs. they work directly with women in order to boost their entrepreneurial capacities. case d: word of woman business model wow works directly with their beneficiaries, providing marketing and communication services. to keep the business model active and robust, wow depends only on its collaborators. public funding dependency none. beneficiary involvement level quadrant a: based on welfare, the beneficiaries are only served by the project manager. business sustainability active since 2013. table 5: case study d – wow 108 figure 5: wow’s business model. image credit: fernando vieira. 109 the reklusa project aims to provide female prison inmates with craft skills, financial income and social integration after prison time. through partnerships with designers, jewellery pieces and fashion accessories are developed and produced in a partnership with tires prison. a percentage of the product sales is allocated to the inmates. after they leave the prison, they assume functions within the project, such as sales or manufacturing. case e: reklusa business model reklusa’s business model is based on a partnership with tires prison. the product design is developed outside the prison and then sent to the prison to be developed manually by the inmates. the final products are sold at the reklusa shop. a percentage of sales is collected to be included in a financial fund for the prisoners. the remaining amount is for the trademark. public funding dependency none. beneficiary involvement level quadrant c: this involves co-production of the project’s gathering value. the beneficiaries dedicate their time and knowledge towards the project. business sustainability the project started in 2013. the lack of government support and no involvement by other associated partners, such as tires prison, caused its end in 2018. the project is no longer active. table 6: case study e – reklusa. 110 figure 6: reklusa’s business model. image credit: fernando vieira. manicómio provides a space for individuals with diagnosed mental illness to express themselves through art. manicómio offers a scholarship for the beneficiaries and acts as an intermediary with national and international art dealers. a percentage of the sales goes to the resident artists. they have also held art workshops for members of the public who are interested in learning different types of arts and crafts. a percentage of the workshop revenue also goes to the resident artists. 111 case f: manicómio business model manicómio is based in an art gallery space that actively encourages artistic work by people diagnosed with mental illness. two founders guarantee to assure the project’s management. all the created work is developed by the beneficiaries. they are supported by sponsorship, which includes meals, transport and a salary. in addition, the peoples’ salaries come from 70% of their artwork sales and 90% from the workshops promoted by them. sometimes, partnerships with well-known designers contribute with private-label products for manicómio’s clients. in this case, the income amount is shared amongst the project and the involved artists. medical clinics are also involved partners for the artists as an income source near the community that provides low-cost medical services in their space. public funding dependency yes. beneficiary involvement level quadrant c: there is co-production from the value achieved. the beneficiaries dedicate their time and knowledge towards the project. business sustainability active since 2019. table 7: manicómio case study. 112 figure 7: manicómio ‘s business model. illustrated by fernando vieira. a avó veio trabalhar is a project that fights senior isolation by providing a communal space for elderly to develop work in sewing workshops, knitting and embroidery. they also participate in video clips and photo sessions. the revenue from sales and other activities goes to the project itself and is allocated to buy experiences for the elderly people, such as travelling or attending cultural events. 113 case g: a avó veio trabalhar business model the project’s goal is to fight against senior isolation by promoting an active senior age. it provides services to trademarks, partners and individuals. the income is reinvested in the project and in the ‘grannies’ community’, offering them travel and other unique experiences. the project management is guaranteed by the two founders. however, the grannies are always consulted before any decision is taken. the grannies’ services are diverse: sewing workshops, knitting and embroidery, they also participate in video clips, photo sessions, develop pieces for trademarks, partners and artists, and develop objects for their mark selling. public funding dependency none. beneficiary involvement level quadrant c: there is co-production of the value achieved by the project. the beneficiaries dedicate their time and knowledge towards the project. business sustainability active since 2014. table 8: a avó veio trabalhar case study. 114 figure 8: a avó veio trabalhar business model. fernando vieira‘s illustration. 115 results and discussion business model the case studies presented in this article reveals distinct levels of complexity in how they plan to earn money or generate value with their product and customer base in a specific market. the lijjat sisters, reklusa, manicómio and refood projects, for example, are those businesses whose models reveal issues of great complexity. the first seems to be the most solid. the success factors involved a debate about where they needed a generalized workforce and affordable production tools. the project is based on an entrepreneurial activity that generates income for all the involved collaborators. this is a flexible way for beneficiaries to constantly achieve financial autonomy. if we compare this action with the remaining sample projects, it seems like how a commercial enterprise works. the second one, reklusa, had a business model like lijjat sisters’. they used human resources in vulnerable scenarios. it is considered social inclusion because it generated an income source for people recruited through a partnership with tires prison that, however, lacked support and consolidation. compared to the lijjat sisters’ case, reklusa had the disadvantage of not owning the production tools. in the lijjat sisters’ case, as thou (2012) claims, the beneficiaries became a crucial factor regarding the project’s sustainability. this is due to their engagement and how they are involved in establishing new strategies, goal metrics and even the total operationalization of the project. these factors contribute towards efficient monitoring and consequently towards the initiative’s sustainability. manicómio has a business model based on the free provision of space where art pieces are created. it acts as an intermediary for art pieces nationally and internationally and is considered to have a complex business model due to the number of agents and partnerships involved. refood’s business model is not easy to understand due to its organization. it has an executive committee that establishes the rules and goals for the existing units. each unit is managed by a person who manages the volunteers, answering to their local beneficiaries’ demands. unlike the other case studies, refood’s business model can be implemented in other regions following its standard model. this approach is considered a success factor. however, their growth may also represent a higher dependence on private patrons, government funds and volunteers, which makes the project’s position more susceptible to political cycles. although its business model is quite complex, it is also financially very vulnerable. this model is not sustained by netto (2013), who claims that a kind of welfare-based model does not contribute to the eradication of inequalities, as it does not solve the structural problem of inequality but rather fights the immediate consequences of hunger. dress for success, word of woman and a avó veio trabalhar are the case studies that present the simplest business model. dress for success’s model depends on private patrons, partnerships and welfare practices. its success factor directly links to an international network with plenty of organizations who provide financial support and partners. this allows the project to develop with few sustainability concerns. compared to the other case studies, dress for success is the only project linked to a worldwide structure. the wow network bases its business model on selling services and merchandising. it is independent of external partners for its activity development, operating only with its team’s knowledge. this can be recognised as a success factor. the wow network similar to dress for success in that the approach level gives autonomy to the beneficiaries through supplying services. dress for success, wow and a avó veio trabalhar, as models based on services, allow free income from outside, which differs to lijjat sisters, where all the resources are invested into the project and not distributed amongst the beneficiaries. 116 in both a avó veio trabalhar and manicómio, one considers a success factor to be hosting the beneficiaries in a structure that develops manual work. involvement level the case studies of lijjat sisters, reklusa, manicomio and a avó veio trabalhar present high levels of beneficiary involvement. lijjat sisters presents the highest involvement level from the projects’ beneficiaries (quadrant d). this project works as a closed group, where entrepreneurs/ beneficiaries are those who decide on the business, and their production tools allow more efficient control of the value chain. this involvement level provides higher autonomy and financial sustainability to the beneficiaries involved. within the sample, this is the only project where beneficiaries are autonomous towards the project management. according to manzini (2015), this quadrant shows intense involvement from beneficiaries. quadrant c is found in the reklusa, manicómio and a avó veio trabalhar case studies, where the beneficiaries participate actively. from this group, a avó veio trabalhar is the only one where people co-produce value within the project, but they do not receive any financial income. curiously, those cases which present the highest involvement level frequently have their beneficiaries doing manual work, such as artwork, sewing, embroidery or cooking. the cases with the lowest involvement level are refood, dress for success and word of woman. refood’s beneficiaries have a low involvement level towards the initiative. they only serve and work as a consultant regarding the project’s implementation. in this case, the involvement quadrant is between a and b. dress for success represents an involvement condition from quadrant a, i.e. low beneficiary participation in the project. this may be due to the level of fashion expertise and knowledge needed for managing and operating within the initiative. quadrant a represents the lowest involvement level from the beneficiary perspective. dress for success and refood provide a service that contributes directly to the beneficiaries’ wellbeing and autonomy. the word of woman project also reveals a similar scenario to dress for success: both depend on expertise for the mission’s development. public funding from the studied sample, refood and manicómio are those with the highest dependence on public funding. refood depends on public funding for its ongoing initiatives. therefore, this project is more vulnerable to political and economic cycles that may put at risk the beneficiaries who depend on the project. this approach reinforces the importance of choosing strategies that better involve beneficiaries’ life situations instead of following welfare practices (thou, 2012). manicómio depends on public funding for its development, which is justified by its target public – people diagnosed with mental illness. from the case studies presented, this is the only one where public funds focus only on the beneficiaries, who receive an income from their activities. with no reliance on public funds, word of woman, a avó veio trabalhar and lijjat sisters follow a different strategy. the wow network and a avó veio trabalhar are determined only by the services they provide. lijjat sisters does not need any public funding, as the whole operation depends on the production and sale of papad snacks. their independence in relation to the obtained incomes is suitable for a less vulnerable project. 117 from the studied sample, two cases differ from the remaining ones: dress for success and reklusa. dress for success does not depend on public funding, as it belongs to a worldwide organization, thus ensuring the project’s subsistence. reklusa did not depend on public funding but depended on a partnership with a public institution, tires prison. this is why the project ended. business sustainability/longevity the previously analysed parameters directly influence the project’s longevity. from the studied sample, lijjat sisters, refood, dress for success, wow, manicómio, and a avó veio trabalhar are still active. lijjat sisters’ business model is the most robust, since this initiative has been active since 1959. refood has been working and growing since 2010. during the covid-19 pandemic, they were closed. their dependence on restaurant network partnerships puts them at serious risk. nevertheless, refood is still active. dress for success (portuguese branch) has the highest financial support, as the connection to the dress for success headquarters strengthens its longevity (table 4). wow has been active since 2013, and like lijjat sisters has its production tools. both are cases with specialized knowledge that contributes towards more autonomy. manicómio and a avó veio trabalhar are the most recent cases. they have been active since, 2019 and 2014, respectively. 118 figure 9: case study comparative analysis 1/2. image credit: fernando vieira. 119 figure 10: case study comparative analysis 2/2. image credit: fernando vieira. 120 conclusions the current context, particularly affected by the covid-19 pandemic, has left exposed a set of communities disadvantaged in relation to health care access, food and housing, amongst others. this scenario has aggravated the overcharging of tools that assure a country’s welfare state. the subjects of management and entrepreneurship have become imperative to operate those tools more efficiently to fight against social inequalities. in answer to the question, what is the role of the beneficiary’s involvement as a critical success factor in the development of social innovation projects?, the literature review demonstrated the urgency in developing new intervention strategies without involving welfare practices. otherwise, stimulating beneficiaries’ autonomy and financial independence lead us to conclude that beneficiary involvement is a key factor establishing efficient and long-term strategies (foley et al., n.d). considering that, and reinforced by netto (2013), the case studies demonstrated the importance of beneficiary involvement as a contribution towards decreasing social inequalities. however, according to the analysis of the sample, it is notable that in some initiatives, beneficiaries’ high involvement did not achieve the result of a planned social impact or even a situational change for the beneficiaries. lijjat sisters is the only studied initiative where the beneficiary is involved in the project and generates income directly for herself. in reklusa and manicómio, for example, there is also that possibility, although the generated incomes may not be enough for an individual to achieve financial autonomy. interestingly, the a avó veio trabalhar project has an intense involvement level (quadrant c), and its sustainability is assured by the active participation of the beneficiaries. they do not receive any sort of financial income, leading us to assume their financial situation allows that context. in this case, the social initiative aims to fight against elderly loneliness and social exclusion, and the beneficiaries’ financial situation is not an issue. in the case of manicómio, although the beneficiaries have an income, they depend on sponsorship enabling them to focus on their artistic work. once again, the involvement level is high and the beneficiaries co-produce value in the project. all of them depend on the welfare state mechanism to participate in the project. manzini’s involvement framework assumes high importance in this study. he argues that an intense level of involvement shows greater benefits for social impact projects and therefore for beneficiaries (manzini, 2015). for the authors of this article, manzini’s premise is not so linear, however. as seen in some of the case studies, such as manicómio, a avó veio trabalhar and reklusa, a higher involvement level of the beneficiary does not result in a life-changing situation for the beneficiaries. manicómio and reklusa still rely on public funding to fight against social inequalities. a avó veio trabalhar allows an intense level of involvement because there are socio-economic factors that contribute to this situation. this means that the articulation between intensive involvement where value to the project is co-produced and public funding supporting the cost of the projects allows their self-sufficiency and results in great benefit for the beneficiaries. the opposite scenario of manzini’s discourse is apparent in the refood initiative, which presents a very low level of involvement from the beneficiaries, which is not advocated by manzini (2015) or netto (2013). it entails welfare, which according to netto (2013) is a practice that does not contribute to the eradication of the social problem. however, the work they do is pertinent and urgent, due to the beneficiaries’ precarious situation. these two cases demonstrate that a more intense involvement level may not always occur. autonomy and financial independence may not always happen, no matter the involvement level. 121 the welfare state is a way of protecting beneficiaries. they do not have any financial subsistence in an assumption labelled by market economies. lijjat sisters refers to fighting social inequalities. however, it is focused on an enterprise initiative or cooperative entrepreneurship. the social impact occurs during business development. the reklusa case study demonstrated a business model based on a public partnership, intending to integrate and educate inmates. the literature review showed that the taxes which are tools of a welfare state demand the adoption of new approaches since welfare practices do not work (netto, 2013). initiatives like manicómio show that beneficiaries’ autonomy can be achieved, starting from a point of view where financial independence exists through sponsorship income, demonstrating that in some cases it is necessary to adopt welfare practices. the reflections in this conclusion lead to the following questions: the first relatesto the beneficiaries’ involvement and the second to model development to effectively integrate different actors in a successful social initiative: 1) how can one profit better from beneficiaries’ competencies and capacity contributing positively towards a more successful social impact project? 2) what characteristics must a social entrepreneurship model have to effectively identify beneficiaries’ needs, involved contexts and their development models? this last question comes as a clue for future thinking/development, hoping to contribute towards successful social initiatives and respective beneficiaries. references bahmani, s., galindo, m., & méndez, m.t. (2012). non-profit organizations, entrepreneurship, social capital, and economic growth. small bus econ, 38, 271–281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-010-9274-7 dress for success (2021). https://lisbon.dressforsuccess.org foley, e., lithur, n. o., nimoampredu, c., & abbey, w. (n.d.). beneficiary participation and its impact on effective social protection programming. ghana inclusive development research network. https://www.gidrn.com/docs/girdn_report_09.pdf franco, r. c. (2015). diagnóstico das organizações não governamentais em portugal. universidade católica portuguesa; fundação calouste gulbenkian. kinyata, g. s., & abiodun, n. l. (2020). the impact of community participation on projects’ success in africa: a bottom up approach. international journal of research in sociology and anthropology, 6(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-8677.0603001 manzini, e. (2015). design, when everybody designs: an introduction to design for social innovation. the mit press. mapa de inovação e empreendedorismo social (n.d.), mapa de inovação e empreendedorismo social interativo. https://e-social.pt netto, j. p. (2013). assistencialismo e regressividade profissional no serviço social. intervenção social, 41, 11–35. http://hdl.handle.net/11067/1075 patel, s., & mehta, k. (2011). life’s principles as a framework for designing successful social enterprises. journal of social entrepreneurship, 2 (1), 218–230. re-food (2021). http://www.re-food.org/pt https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-010-9274-7 https://lisbon.dressforsuccess.org/ https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-8677.0603001 http://www.re-food.org/pt 122 tomás, a. (2020). manicómio o projeto português onde a arte desconstrói a doença mental. contacto online, feb. https://www.wort.lu/pt/portugal/manic-mio-o-projeto-portugues-onde-a-arte-desconstr-i-adoenca-mental-5e50237fda2cc1784e356acc thou, agatha w. (2012). the effect of beneficiary participation on project monitoring and evaluation: the case of kenya agricultural productivity project, nyandarua district. [master’s thesis, department of business administration, kenyatta university, kenya. pedro sancho, rute gomes, cláudia pernencar published online: october 2021 pedro sanchoa, rute gomesb, cláudia pernencar c, d abstract social inequalities are increasing the initiatives in which the provident state is requested to find solutions and tools to improve the social impact. in this perspective, the management and entrepreneurship fields assume a huge relevance in ... abstract social inequalities are increasing the initiatives in which the provident state is requested to find solutions and tools to improve the social impact. in this perspective, the management and entrepreneurship fields assume a huge relevance in ... keywords: beneficiaries’ involvement, design for social change, social entrepreneurship, social inequalities, sustainable development keywords: beneficiaries’ involvement, design for social change, social entrepreneurship, social inequalities, sustainable development literature review figure 1: beneficiaries’ involvement quadrants in social innovation projects. source: manzini (2015, p. 107), fernando vieira’s illustration. methods and materials tool case studies comparative table sample selection table 1: selected case study projects. case study analysis table 2: case study a – lijjat sisters. table 3: case study b – refood. table 4: case study c dress for success. figure 4: dress for success business’ model. image credit: fernando vieira. table 5: case study d – wow figure 5: wow’s business model. image credit: fernando vieira. table 6: case study e – reklusa. figure 6: reklusa’s business model. image credit: fernando vieira. manicómio provides a space for individuals with diagnosed mental illness to express themselves through art. manicómio offers a scholarship for the beneficiaries and acts as an intermediary with national and international art dealers. a percentage of t... table 7: manicómio case study. table 8: a avó veio trabalhar case study. results and discussion business model involvement level public funding business sustainability/longevity conclusions references 14 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. toward societal transformation through design storytelling: a case study of brand design in the mineral water industry in finland yasuyuki hayama, francesco zurlo published online: november 2022 to cite this article: hayama, y., & zurlo, f. (2022). toward societal transformation through design storytelling: a case study of brand design in the mineral water industry in finland. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 14-27. 15 toward societal transformation through design storytelling: a case study of brand design in the mineral water industry in finland yasuyuki hayamaa, francesco zurlob apolitecnico di milano, milan, italy. yasuyuki.hayama@polimi.it bpolitecnico di milano, milan, italy. francesco.zurlo@polimi.it abstract the world today is facing the urgent need for fundamental transformation in the ‘anthropocene’ era. however, even if consensus has been formed around the need for transformation, what constitutes fundamental changes and how these changes occur are researched and debated across multiple disciplines, including design studies. recently, in the design field, transition design has been proposed as a new area of design practice, study and research. transition design is based on long-term visioning and recognition of the need for solutions rooted in new, more sustainable socioeconomic and political paradigms. this study explores the role of design storytelling in steering and navigating a societal transformation. using a critical single case study method, this study analyses the fundamental elements of transformation that emerge from each component of design storytelling. a mineral water company in finland was selected as the purposive single case. it is a specific type of private organization that intends to bring about a societal transition through optimum use of design storytelling. the findings illustrate that the components of design storytelling, which use societal change as their innovative business proposal, distinctively match the components of societal transformation. design practices that leverage visual and verbal elements edit and weave a new relationship between the sociotechnical landscape, regime and innovation proposed by the company. we believe that this paper makes two main contributions. first, the authors emphasize the potential role of design as a deliberate change process for societal transformation. second, through the cross lens of societal transformation and design storytelling, the storytelling and narrative approach of societal transformation by design is underlined. keywords: societal transformation, transition design, anthropocene, design storytelling, narratives of change, designs for the pluriverse introduction in the ‘anthropocene’ era, the world is increasingly faced with the urgent need for fundamental changes (steffen et al., 2007). contemporary environmental problems, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and resource depletion (clean water, oil, forests, fish stocks, etc.), are human-driven issues that raise concerns about the future of earth’s environment and its ability to provide the services required to maintain a viable human civilization. the global change phenomenon represents a profound shift in the relationship between humans and nature. while a variety of terms have been applied to describe this fundamental shift, the term “transformation” is becoming institutionalized in the vocabulary of the scientific and policy communities (feola, 2015). recent contributions by large studies regarding societal transformation have emphasized the deliberate change process, which encompasses the possibility of steering or navigating, if not fully managing, the process of change (feola, 2015). in this context, several concepts of the change process have been emphasized, such as consensus-building through visioning (beddoe et al., 2009), transition management (grin et al., 2010) and social learning (park et al., 2012). owing to the essential need to evoke imagination 16 and pose alternative worldviews, the power of narratives has been considered to be at the crossroads of future studies and narrative studies regarding societal transformation and narratives of change (noc) (wittmayer et al., 2019). like the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries (jasanoff & kim, 2013), noc can generate a shared sense of belonging and community identity that leads to actions and creates meaning based on a common outlook on social reality and the desired future (pfotenhauer & jasanoff, 2017). meanwhile, aligned with this argument, research has been proposed in the design discipline on transition design or design for transitions as a new area of design practice (irwin, 2015). transition design is based on long-term visioning and recognition of the need for solutions rooted in new, more sustainable socioeconomic and political paradigms. furthermore, as a more radical and complete overhaul of design processes is needed, escobar (2018) insists on the need for an ontological reorientation of design. fry and nocek (2021) echo this perspective by arguing that design practice needs to become unrecognizable to itself in order to imagine a successful solution to climate change. while consensus has been reached on the need for fundamental changes to address these issues, what these specific changes should be and how they should be implemented remain a subject of intense debate across the academic spectrum (e.g. feola, 2015). this study explores the potential role of design storytelling in steering and navigating a societal transformation. specifically, the authors believe that design can play a fundamental role in societal transformation by narrating an alternative story. design storytelling and proposing new worldviews involving social, symbolic, physical and material changes have the potential to lead to fundamental societal changes, which will create a new relationship between the sociotechnical landscape and the value propositions that social innovation initiatives pose to society. hence, this study set out to answer two research questions: 1. how can design form the elemental factors of societal transformation? 2. how can design storytelling play a role in societal transformation? mineral water consumption and environmental and sociopolitical impacts to tackle the research topics, this paper focuses on the issue of mineral water consumption. water constitutes one of the most crucial natural resources on earth for all creatures, including humans and other species. the issue of mineral water consumption is rife with ethical considerations – who owns and can sell water and who gets to consume it – which may become even more critical in light of increased water shortages. with the major shift in interest from human-centred design to design that seeks harmony with more-than-humans (e.g. forlano, 2017), including with nature itself, it would be extremely significant to consider the role of design with regard to water consumption, in particular by reconsidering the most primordial and fundamental act of life, water consumption. from the larger perspective of the discussion of transitional design and the ontological reorientation of design, this paper intends to be a catalyst for broader rethinking of our daily consumption activities and their environmental, social and political implications. methodology a single case study serves as the foundation of our paper (yin, 2009). this critical single case study was guided by the purposive single case selection approach (edmonds & kennedy, 2016) to collect the most relevant data regarding the roles of design in prompting elemental factors of societal transformation and the roles of design storytelling in transformative change. the case study was developed and defined through the following sub-steps: deciding the unit of analysis and selecting the case, collecting the data, analysing the data and synthesizing and interpreting the findings. 17 first, the unit of analysis was set. the methodology consisted of analyses of changes in the fundamental patterns, elements and interrelations of value systems for current dominant brands in a specific market, the transition to a new brand and the roles of design storytelling in leading to that change. therefore, the unit of analysis (yin, 2009) consisted of fundamental elements of societal transformation, which involves societal, symbolic, physical and material changes (feola, 2015); thus, a focus on those key elements by a new brand entering a specific market leads to a societal transformation among dominant brands in that market. based on this unit of analysis, a mineral water brand, lahqua, from finland was selected as the critical single case; the brand intended to inspire a societal change in consumption through the power of design storytelling. second, the data gathering involved adopting multiple sources of information/evidence for data triangulation. face-to-face semi-structured interviews and documentation provided by the design agency, hangar design group, which supported the mineral water brand, represented the primary sources of information. the selection of interviewees aimed to gather information regarding the various perspectives on the project for societal transformation by design. the design director who led the design project and the pr manager knew that the mineral water brand was aiming to make a societal transformative change in water consumption. the data were combined with the researcher’s observations from a site visit to the design agency, as well as external documents to ensure data triangulation. third, after the data were collected, the data were analysed and synthesized to construct a discussion of the findings. the steps were as follows: summarize the data collected, analyse the interviews and documentation, triangulate the data and interpret the findings. this process consisted of content analysis to identify elements of societal transformation and the roles of design storytelling from a theoretical perspective, as described in the following paragraphs. to analyse and synthesize the findings from the case study, conceptual frameworks were set, namely, elements of societal transformation for pursuing sustainability (feola, 2015) and the role of stories and narratives in social change processes (wittmayer et al., 2019). through a literature review covering a wide range of arguments regarding societal transformation, feola (2015) depicted transformation as a process of structural change, that is, a change in the fundamental patterns, elements and interrelations in a system. feola emphasized that pursuing sustainability requires the involvement of social, symbolic, physical and material changes. hence, the focus of this case study is a company pursuing a sustainable alternative worldview, so that the theoretical focus can be applied through the elemental factors of the social, symbolic, physical and material changes that the company proposes to the market. meanwhile, in the context of a story’s role in societal transformation or noc, wittmayer et al. (2019) insisted on three roles of narratives: changing frames, identity-forming and meaning-making, and guiding practice. the new frames that social innovation initiatives put forth in their noc have the power to encourage actors in the relevant sphere to reconsider their behavioural practices and influence personal and collective identity formation, which would lead to practical actions toward change. hence, this study applied noc as a theoretical lens to analyse the case and find out how design can lead to storytelling for the sake of societal transformation. 18 results the collected qualitative data show the potential power of design to guide a brand in formulating new elemental factors for sustainable social transitional purposes, by deconstructing the existing elemental factors and reconstructing them into an integrated whole. our analysis also showed that design storytelling can potentially lead to a sort of societal transformation through offering an alternative framing, providing meaning and guiding the actions of targeted people. design decomposes elements and reconstructs an integrated whole for societal transformation the first component resulting from the case analysis is relevant to the use of design. in conceiving new products and services, designers are required to “reframe” the problem (dorst, 2011), change the meaning of the product and the reason for buying it (verganti, 2011) and put new cultural messages and symbolic value into products and services (ravasi & rindova, 2008). as the brand aimed for a transformative behavioural shift in water consumption, the case analysis indicated that the brand and the design firm had a strong intention to “reframe” the problem. the design director said the following: “we started reasoning, giving ourselves the mission to transform or create this brand, which is a brand that does not exist. it is a startup; treat it as a love brand, as something very close to people. so, it’s a design/packaging project, but actually, we did a strategic project on how this brand can be perceived by people. therefore, we defined a little bit the fact of being a game changer as a core element, a game changer from a philosophical point of view but also a visual point of view”. starting from the gap analysis between the market and the target users, the design firm and the brand concluded that they should aim to become a “game changer” in the market and not just design new packages, like the usual branding projects aiming for better commercial success do. the current natural mineral water market is dominated by global players who historically focused on polyethylene terephthalate (pet) bottles. on the other hand, there is an emerging ethical type of consumer who aspires to live a healthy lifestyle but is also conscious about the welfare of the planet. to bridge the gap between the current state of the market and the unsatisfied desires of “conscious citizens”, the design teams reframed the project’s objective from a design/packaging project to a game changer. the aim was clearly reframed to change people’s mindset and behaviour toward natural water consumption, by providing them with a new option that matches their desire for a more sustainable way to live and consume, allowing them to be sensible and care not only for their own health but also for the planet. hence, the design teams first concentrated on story construction works, that is, the decomposition and reconstruction of story elements from the philosophical and visual perspectives. the design director said the following in the interview: “the aurora, for example, is not there in any other country compared to the competitors. therefore, we took that as a building block [...]. we enucleate the various elements”. in this way, leveraging on “building blocks” that the brand can potentially speak and wear, the design team deconstructed the elemental factors and reconstructed them in several dimensions. through the theoretical view above, the elemental factors were analysed, as shown in table 1. first, as for the social aspects of transformation, the social mission that the brand pursues is a sustainability challenge, specifically, reducing the environmental impact of plastic packaging. most extant mineral water 19 brands rely on using plastic packaging. as a result, the daily consumption of natural water has a major social and environmental impact globally. the brand intentionally focused on this issue and tried to change the social elements of the packaging to have less environmental impact. in keeping with the change of social mission that the brand focused on, the other three elements, namely the symbolic, physical and material aspects, were also organized to align with the social mission. for the symbolic aspect, the brand tried to compose a symbolic logo with several keywords, such as source, water, nature and recycle. these keywords, placed alongside iconic images, were dedicated to inspiring change in consumption behaviour and were expressed as symbols of a “purpose-driven brand”. the symbolic logo was developed as a core storytelling element. the physical aspect of the brand has focused on the origin of the water produced by the brand. in this aspect, the source was stressed as being “from the planet not from the laboratory”. indeed, the source of the water carefully selected by the brand is lahti, the location of finnish lakeland and the country’s leading environmental city. the water source has remained untouched since the ice age and is surrounded by green forests and fresh air, which are ranked among the purest in the world by unicef (green lahti, 2021). leveraging on purity, the cultural background of water consumption in finland involves people valuing healthy hydration and physical well-being. the core value of the product is the pure water source. finally, the packaging materials were strategically selected to symbolize the social mission of the brand, namely an innovative, sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable, forest-based and paper-based material derived from certified sources. the brand selected the best available technologies aiming for maximum product quality and sustainability. lahqua spring water is packaged at the source in a newly purpose-built sustainable factory equipped with modern state-of-the-art machinery. the factory packages the water with certified renewable raw material which is 94.9 % forest-based, fulfilling global food safety initiative benchmarking (i.e. global food safety initiative-benchmarked fssc 22000).the production is carbon neutral and “naturally circular” with the cartons and forest-based plastic caps sourced from responsibly managed forests. its high-quality packaging ensures natural water conservation using vacuum pressure technology and aseptic materials. the packaging is mostly made of biodegradable, forest-based renewable materials from certified sources. when it came to designing the packages, the design team took advantage of these facts in order to communicate these brand values and to make clear the priority mission to develop the manner of production and consumption in a naturally circular way. as these different elemental factors were decomposed, the design teams reconstructed the story as an integrated whole. the director emphasized this as follows: “you see, this is a creative branding hypothesis. this is a symbolism that is also in the logo storytelling, so all the values here i find in the design of the logo. but you see, also in the way of writing, in the way of representing, for example, the graphics. here there are already combinations of elements that start from the idea, start from the strategy and transform it into something visual and creative”. “you see that even here the whole thing, the packaging, the bottle, the logo, the way of writing; everything contributes to give this storytelling narrative that we are talking about”. this integration was analysed as a proposal for a holistic website (image 1). all the elemental factors, such as the societal, symbolic, physical and material components, were integrated into one holistic website. 20 this is a way to awaken potential customers’ thoughts on ethical consumption using visual and verbal design languages as a consistent storytelling format. “this, for example, is the website. this is a complete project. we start from a concept, we dissect it, we define the values, the mission, and then we transform it into a series of creative touchpoints that all come together—so it also means different people because there is the photographer, there is the creative, there is the video maker—contribute to give an identity and then to build storytelling [...] the strategic part, the definition of the ‘strategic hat’ is important because then everything becomes coordinated and coherent”. here, it is worth noting that the director underlined the importance of storytelling and the strategic part of the design project. this implies that the role of storytelling and the strategic view of coordinating the story as a coherent whole were essential parts of the design activities that aimed for a societal transformation. table 1: analysis of the elements of change. elements of change facts of the case implications social sustainability challenge: reducing the environmental impact of plastic packaging long-term sustainable growth to raise awareness and concern about our planet and the future related to the emotional and higher benefits of the brand social awareness and concern transformative agent emotional attraction symbolic key graphic logo with keywords and images: e.g., source, water, nature, recycle graphical and verbal symbolic integration simplicity and ease of understanding by the average target consumer physical origin: coming from a specific natural water source from the planet, not from the laboratory core product content differentiated from other brands sustainability and well-being material innovative packaging: sustainable packaging made of biodegradable, forestbased renewable materials from certified sources -paper-based packaging for general consumers and glass bottles for the hotels, restaurants and catering (horeca) channel alternative worldview as a physical material itself variable material solutions for different potential customers 21 image 1: integration of the elements into a prototype storytelling website. the role of design storytelling: an engine of alternative framing, meaning-making, and actions the second construct derived from the case study relates to the role of design storytelling. in the context of societal transformation, wittmayer et al. (2019) insist that narratives can play a fundamental role in the construction of individual and social identities and efforts dedicated to the development and communication of collectively shared worldviews. they label them “narratives of change” (noc), stating that they can reframe the alternative frame, drive meaning-making and prompt actions. to adapt this theoretical argument to the case, an analysis was conducted (as shown in table 2). the following describes the analysis based on each analytic unit from the theoretical viewpoint. first, the case showed that the design team intentionally reframed conventional thinking by posing critical narration and changing the frame through a provocative narrative. during the early phase of the design project, the team formed a reframing narrative phrase that challenged current water consumption behaviour. after conducting an existing market analysis of the worldwide natural water industry in terms of packaging design strategy and practice, the team recognized some key trends and insights into the competition. following the “ethical consumerism” trend and new regulations, existing natural water companies were making further “responsible commitments” and supporting charitable causes to raise their profile, focusing mainly on “carbon neutrality”, the recyclability of materials, the use of recycled materials, energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility programmes. however, many of the dominant brands still use plastic packaging, which adversely impacts the environment. the team also recognized that around the globe consumers aspire to live a healthy lifestyle, desiring simple products with naturally healthy attributes, minimal processing and natural ingredients. they want transparent and traceable ingredients that can be read about on the packaging. the design team then issued a sharply critical narration: “who would drink from plastic when they can drink from the source?” (image 2). the design director recalled the following: “we, for example, say we are different from all the other water producers. the other water producers are all inside the plastic bottle icon. we say, ‘no, we're not that, we're completely different,’ and we put ourselves in a new concept where the content is more important than the container”. 22 image 2: changing the frame and making meaning. parallel to the reframing and posing of a provocative narrative, the design team interwove different narrative components into coherent narratives, consequently creating new meanings. by aligning the factual matters related to the brand, the design team explored relevant and emphatic narrative components in everyday life in finland, the purpose of the brand and the wider contexts of change. the factual matters emphasized were relevant to the essential values of the brand, such as “north eu origin finland lathi heritage”, “untouched source since the ice age”, “pure quality with balanced mineral content”, “innovative packaging” and “sustainable production processes”. those facts were gathered iteratively through a collaborative discourse between the design agency and the client as a team. it is notable that by posing hypothetical elements with provisional narratives alongside carefully selected images and words, the design team gradually wove the core narrative structures through discursive activities. thereafter, putting those factual matters at the centre of the structural narrative, other emphatic and emotional narrative components were sprinkled throughout the core narrative. for instance, “the everyday habit of people in finland to drink pure water for healthy well-being” “the brand's purpose to dedicate [itself] to inspiring change with imagination and creativity” and “contextual stories of emergent needs of sustainable worldviews” were the key empathic narratives added to the fact-based structural narrative. 23 consequently, those interwoven fragmented narrative elements were integrated into a simple narrative phrase: “lahqua is your source”. the design director stated the following: “with that in mind, here’s the ‘big idea,’ the theme of saying, ‘i bring the water source, from finland, i bring it to your home’. therefore, this product is your spring in some way.” finally, in the development phase of the design project, every touchpoint and design element were synthesized into an actionable practice to which potential customers could be easily and naturally guided (i.e. guided practice). specifically, all the outcomes were designed to engage potential customers to act towards ethical consumption through the simple narrative phrase “less plastic better for earth”. the initial touchpoint that the brand chose was remarkable. the brand decided to launch its exposition on one of the most effective occasions to draw international attention to its values of innovativeness and environmental friendliness, namely the finland pavilion at the dubai expo 2020. the expo had a powerful underlying message of environmental friendliness, and the brand intentionally chose a provocative occasion to position itself within the wider context of environmental awareness and succeeded in encouraging international leaders to embrace a sustainable world. furthermore, the innovative packaging line was coherently designed with three types of packaging produced: a bag in bag format, an elopak format and a glass bottle for the horeca channel (image 3). the brand thoroughly avoided the use of environmentally hazardous plastics, instead using paper and glass containers, while tailoring its packaging to the various usage scenarios of its users. in addition, other touchpoints and elements, such as the logo, font, merchandising and website, were designed carefully to contribute to the emphatic storytelling. in conclusion, the design director and the pr manager emphasized the following: “we have to imagine who will drink this water. we imagine a free person, an international person, a person who can have these characteristics. therefore, in storytelling, we already visualized what the target audience could be […] this project has been done, ‘it's now displayed at the dubai expo’. it's a project very focused on the future, very focused on a new vision of water consumption”. image 3: directing actions through the newly designed packaging systems. these design storytelling practices are intended to trigger change of mindsets and behaviours of target users, hence generating user experiences. generally, it is not easy to change people’s mindsets and behaviours. it requires stimulating the imagination, understanding and even creativity of the people involved. in this case, the team designed whole user experiences where people can change their mindset 24 and behaviour step by step as naturally as possible, through leveraging on the power of story, which evokes imagination and provides a guide for action and structural uncertainty (milojević & inayatullah, 2015). coherently united social, symbolic, physical and material aspects formulate “a good story”, which enables the target users to understand the story logic and perceive the verisimilitude of the narrative account, not the truth of it (bruner, 1986). it is notable that once the users take the action to select this brand for everyday water consumption instead of other brands that use pet, their small single actions can contribute automatically to reducing pet bottle consumption, hence taking a tiny step toward an alternative better future in which a “naturally circular” ecosystem is realized. in summary, this analysis implies that design storytelling aimed at a social transformation toward sustainability contributed to reframing the existing view into a new one, making new meaning and providing a reason for practical action. in other words, this role of design storytelling can be highlighted as creating a new worldview for the general public to take small ethical actions, which may potentially accumulate into societal transformation. table 2: analysis of the role of narratives by design. dimension of the role of narrative key narrative phrase related design activities analysis changing frames “who would drink from plastic when they can drink from the source?” deconstructing current standardized water consumption behaviour through a critical view questioning the current form of consumption through a provocative narrative making meaning “the brand is your source". weaving factual matters (e.g. north eu origin finland lathi heritage, pure quality with balanced mineral content, innovative packaging) with emphatic stories from everyday life in finland, the brand purpose and wider contexts generating new meanings through a coherent narrative using facts, people, the brand and contexts guiding practice "less plastic better for earth". synthesizing every brand touchpoint and element into holistic user experiences for people to naturally take action prompting a new type of consumer behaviour through an actionable narrative message and user experiences discussion and conclusion this paper explored certain fundamental roles of design and design storytelling that aimed to achieve societal transformation. first, design can form the elemental factors of societal transformation by decomposing extant elements and substituting them with new multi-dimensional ones. starting from the gap analysis between existing realities needing to be overcome and alternative futures; design decomposes current realities into pieces of elements with the power of images and keywords. thereafter, design can reconstruct those newly proposed elements in social, symbolic, physical and material dimensions into an integrated whole. second, design storytelling can fuel alternative framing and meaning-making and lead actions as part of a societal transformation movement. in other words, design storytelling can perform 25 as an agent to convey “narratives of change (noc)” through leveraging the power of story, which evokes imagination and provides a guide for action and structural uncertainty. the findings of this paper suggested that design can contribute to constituting fundamental changes and that the role of design and design storytelling is to steer and navigate societal transformation. hence, these findings can partially fill the gap indicated by feola (2015) regarding a certain lack of knowledge of what constitutes fundamental changes and how these changes can be prompted in multiple disciplines. furthermore, these findings can extend the knowledge of transition design (irwin, 2015) from the perspective of design storytelling for societal transformation. as we have seen in our analysis, it is worth mentioning the implication of the importance of storytelling and the strategic aspect of design, which can guide societal transformation. in addition, our analysis indicated that design could play a remarkable role when aiming for societal transformation. indeed, it should be underlined that design starts the transformative practice from the initial deconstruction and reframes the issue and extant elemental factors, integrating newly developed elements into a specific whole and then leading to an actionable practice in a comprehensive way. also, the study notably implied that design can be a potential driver of “narratives of change” or noc, as the empirical case study showed. more broadly, in relation to the argument of the ontological reorientation of design (escobar, 2018), this study can add an empirical contribution, namely that design and design storytelling can possibly perform as a trigger for the overhaul of the relationality of people, nature and culture (even if the packaging redesign can surely only scratch the surface in terms of sustainable practice). however, some limitations of this study are worth noting. first, methodologically, although the case was selected with specific analytic intention and empirical qualitative triangulated data were used, the results and considerations rely on a single case. more case studies or other empirical studies should be conducted to certify the findings of the research and generalize them. second, the case itself was mainly derived from a branding design and packaging design project, even though the project team intended to create a game changer in the broader context of water consumption and hence become part of societal transition. the authors believe that this case should not be interpreted as a case of brand differentiation in commercial contexts, but rather as one that can lead to societal change. however, to figure out the potentialities of design and design storytelling, diverse types of design projects (e.g. product design, service design and product-service system design) should be investigated according to the theoretical perspectives of transition design and design storytelling. third, the theoretical views borrowed from transition studies and future studies to analyse the case itself may not be mature, since the topic of research and debate in multiple disciplines needs to be developed further (feola, 2015). future work should be expected in several research directions. first, further empirical studies on the role of design and design storytelling can investigate the validity and generalizability of the findings. specifically, other case studies or empirical action research could provide supportive findings for the role of design and design storytelling in societal transformation. second, the collaborative aspects of societal transition involving different actors could be a meaningful research path. since societal transformation is a huge matter, potential actors could be considered broadly to include innovative private companies, governments, citizens and so forth. therefore, a specific question that could be posed among different actors is “how can design storytelling have an impact on societal transformation involving different societal actors?” taking into 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(2009). case study research: design and methods (4th ed.). sage. 54 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. teaching design in emerging countries: a train-the-trainer methodology arianna vignati, busayawan lam, philip azariadis, silvia d’ambrosio, spyros bofylatos published online: may 2022 to cite this article: vignati, a., busayatawan, l., azariadis, p., d’ambrosio, s., & bofylatos, s. (2022). teaching design in emerging countries: a train-the-trainer methodology. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 54-66. 55 teaching design in emerging countries: a train-the-trainer methodology arianna vignatia, busayawan lamb, philip azariadisc, silvia d’ambrosiod, spyros bofylatose auniversity of new south wales, sydney, australia. a.vignati@unsw.edu.au bbrunel university london, uk. busayawan.lam@brunel.ac.uk cuniversity of the aegean, greece. azar@aegean.gr dpolitecnico di milano, milan, italy. silvia.dambrosio@polimi.it euniversity of the aegean, greece. bofy@aegean.gr abstract design disciplines have constantly evolved to keep up with the emerging demands of the 21st century. design education is thus called to change its methods, tools and approaches. there is an increasing interest in emerging economies in design education, especially in india, where the role of creativity, communication and technology can support social and economic development. this paper aims to present the educational approach developed in the context of the erasmus+ ka2 project entitled ‘design and innovation capacity building in india/desinno’. the modernisation and internationalisation of indian universities with innovative and contemporary design courses have been the main goals of a set of research and training activities. in this paper, the state-of-the-art methodologies in design thinking, sustainability, design research, social innovation and ethical issues in design are presented, leading to a bespoke educational approach that provides a platform for indian design academics to apply modern educational approaches to their specificities and needs. keywords: integrated product design, interaction design, human-centred design, train the trainer, strategic design, blended learning, design thinking, indian universities introduction the state of the art of practice-based design approaches undertakes the focus on the design studio and design workshop methods for learning. contemporary design approaches and associated skills are moving design education to answer to emerging issues such as the service economy, digitisation and integrated product design that are new areas of education for the indian design institutions participating in desinno. the research question explored in the desinno project and presented in this paper aims to answer this need with a solid understanding of the value of the practice-based design approach and its implication in the tools, learning methods and related programmes. this paper presents a methodology to create innovative design courses through the transfer of knowledge to academics. this train-the-trainer methodology aims to balance the global evolution of design discourse and pedagogy and local needs, competencies and challenges. the desinno project revolves around the role of design and innovation centres inside the universities as places that provide a common ground for: 1. the development of innovative and permanent methods for research and design approaches. 2. the establishment of cross-sectoral projects for collaboration and co-learning. 3. the establishment of inter-industry projects to facilitate the inclusion of design thinking approaches. 4. the development of extreme affordability principles for the benefit of developing nations while taking care of the accessibility and sustainability aspects of design. 5. the development of community-based programmes to enable designers, craftsmen and artisans. 6. the modernisation and internationalisation of indian higher education institutions (heis) by the improvement of university design courses that will encompass product and service design by following 56 state-of-the-art methodologies in design thinking, sustainability, design research, social innovation, ethical issues in design, etc. ` design and innovation centres have a design lab with certain equipment and software for new product development and prototyping. these centres have a strategic role in the practice-based approach to design education. in addition to the establishment of said centres, courses new to the curricula of the three participating heis are to be added to support the use of the centres. design can foster meaningful social change in emerging economies such as india, as it provides the tools to sustain economic growth, to better address the needs of citizens by providing low-cost innovation and create jobs. for the desinno project, we developed a social innovation approach that brings grassroots innovators in contact with designers to scale up tools and products created. creating design-related social entrepreneurship by collaborating with academia through design and innovation tools is an important goal of the desinno project. to support the indian academics in the creation of the novel courses, three capacity-building sessions were undertaken to provide them with material, content and educational methodologies to develop courses that better fit their needs and competencies. the paper is structured in three main sections. first, the research approach, question, and state-of-the-art educational approaches concerning design pedagogy are presented. the second section presents the three capacity-building programmes put forward. in the last section, conclusions are drawn, and the lessons learned are reflected upon. design education teaching design today needs a specific training methodology and the establishment of new educational experiences and services in higher educational institutions and universities. in addition, the covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes towards remote and blended learning, and its consequences will be felt for years to come. the theoretical framework for a new training methodology in design starts with the concept of the wellknown ‘experiential learning theory’, which stems from the assumption that learning is best conceived as a process, not in terms of outcomes. according to this theory, ideas are not fixed and immutable elements of thought but are formed and re-formed through experience, and thus new knowledge, skills and attitudes are achieved through an immersive and concrete learning experience. put differently, learning is a process where concepts are derived from and continuously modified by experience (kolb, 1984). such a learning experience works within a boundary between observation and reflection on the one side and theory and practice on the other. experiential learning theory offers an asset of awareness that is increasingly demanded by professionals and apprentices in all fields of design (strategic design, service design, fashion design, interaction and communication design, etc.). the boundary between theory and practice is one in which design finds its best nourishment. according to the six propositions of kolb’s theory, the specific focus of a new training methodology in design supports the application of an innovative didactic method (vignati et al., 2017): 1 learning is best conceived as a process, not in terms of outcomes. 2 all learning is relearning. 3 learning requires the resolution of conflicts. 57 4 learning is a holistic process of adaptation to the world. 5 learning results from synergetic transactions between the person and the environment. 6 learning is the process of creating knowledge. the training methodology developed would therefore support the implementation of a learning experience by balancing abstract conceptualisation and reflective observation with concrete experience and active experimentation (kolb, 2005). this methodology has been tested through three capacity-building programmes for a group of indian delegates to train the trainers and improve an innovative design education scenario for new courses in the indian universities. moreover, building upon experiential learning and kolb’s theory, the didactic methodology proposed in the desinno project would notably offer a dynamic and innovative learning experience strictly linked to the practical and ‘hands-on’ dimension proper of the design discipline. design disciplines have constantly evolved to keep up with the emerging demands of the 21st century. according to meyer and norman (2020), the emerging challenges faced by designers can be grouped into four categories: performance challenges, systemic challenges, contextual challenges and global challenges. it becomes evident that design education for the 21st century can no longer focus on traditional skills. it must equip young designers with new knowledge and expertise that can help them tackle complex problems holistically, such as critical and systematic thinking. sanders and stappers (2008) observed that traditional design disciplines tended to concentrate on the designing of products. subsequently, these disciplines were defined by the outputs of the design process. to address emerging challenges, design practice has changed, and new design disciplines have emerged. these new design disciplines focus on designing for a ‘purpose’. the results are not limited to one type of output, e.g. physical products or built environments. in response to these changes, several traditional design disciplines have been redefined to help them stay relevant to the changing world. this paper will focus on three emerging design disciplines, namely interaction design, service design and integrated product design, as they will become new core knowledge assets for the creative industries. to help students develop new knowledge and skills (such as systematic thinking), they must go beyond surface learning, where they are expected to reproduce materials, and adopt a deep approach where they focus on making sense of materials (gibbs, 2010). this means that the educators also should move away from conventional ways of teaching, where most decisions are made by teachers, and adopt a student-centred approach, where the emphasis is on integrating learning across the curriculum (cannon & newble, 2000). project/problem-based learning (pbl) is one of the student-centred learning approaches that has been widely adopted, since it can help students develop critical and systematic thinking by engaging them in solving complex real-world problems (nagarajan & overton, 2019; yew & goh, 2016). two relevant methods for learning in design education were adopted to bring kolb's theory and the process-based design education approach to practice, the design studio and the design workshop. the ‘design studio’ is central to the pedagogy of design (demirbas & demirkan, 2007; shaffer, 2007). design studios are a synthesis of the three diverse types of courses constituting a design curriculum (uluoǧlu, 2000). according to hokanson (2012), the ‘design studio’ includes two main pillars, the public presentation of ideas to the teaching staff and the interaction between tutors and students. the basic elements of the design studio include the design brief, the design research, transitions between design thinking and practice, and the desk crit (sagun & demirkan, 2009; schön, 1987) that happens on students’ desks from the master designer and the design reviews. 58 the guided learning philosophy of the design studio is seen as the means to engage in ‘learning by doing’ (schön, 1987). the design studio requires intensive, closely coupled cooperation for design work in teams with minimal supervision. for students’ design competencies to flourish, emphasis is given to facilitating the three factors put forward by christiaans and venselaar (2005): knowledge of the design process, the integration of different disciplines and the integration of theoretical knowledge in practice. the role of the tutors is more to facilitate and provide high-level guidelines and links to resources rather than to teach or directly correct participants along the way. this is according to a problem-based approach to learning, which has been applied in previous projects in short-term learning activities (koutsabasis et al., 2011) as well as during the duration of studio courses (vosinakis & koutsabasis, 2013). additional principles of problem-based learning include that participants are provided with an authentic problem at hand, i.e. a) it is related to (their future) practice, and the design problem is ill-defined or wicked (kolko, 2012), in the sense that it does not have a unique solution which can be good or bad (not ‘optimal’ or ‘best’), b) the participants work in groups of complementary competencies, c) the participants are responsible for their learning about the problem at hand and d) the participants gradually develop a solution by practising design and engineering methods. the second learning method investigated is the design workshop. in the context of design, workshops typically involve participatory or co-design activities and have been defined as “a form of participatory design, consolidating creative co-design methods into organised sessions for several participants to work with design team members” (hanington & martin, 2012). however, there can be several arrangements of a design workshop, depending on the learning goals and the problem context. design workshops have been proposed in several contexts and forms to deal with complex problems that require a participatory design approach, including co-design activities (holman et al., 2008), change management (holmberg & robèrt, 2000), urban studies (hou, 2013) and urban planning (wates, 2014). generally, design workshops entail several activities that facilitators plan and orchestrate. the workshops often begin with an overview of topics and an agenda, may continue with field visits (goodman et al., 2012), observation or ethnographic research, followed by brainstorming and closely coupled cooperative design, modelling, artefact making and testing. in between these activities there may be breaks with short inspirational presentations or stakeholder visits. according to this preliminary research, it is relevant to remark on the importance of the practice-based approach in the learning methods adopted in design education. three key findings emerged as strategic pillars for the definition of an innovative teaching design methodology customised for the contemporary needs of indian academics: integration of different disciplines a problem-based approach in a real-life environment co-design and co-creation of knowledge and values (trainer to trainer, trainer to student, student to student). with the theoretical foundations and formative decisions on how to train the trainers set in stone, we moved to develop three capacity-building sessions. these sessions aimed to apply the state-of-the-art findings and give our indian colleagues the content and scaffolding to build their courses that would make use of the design and innovation centres established and combining them with contemporary design pedagogy. in the next section, these three capacity-building sessions are presented and discussed. 59 capacity-building sessions in this section, the authors present the experience of running three capacity-building sessions aimed at supporting an hei in india in planning and developing educational content to support the three design and innovation centres. the capacity-building sessions adopted a train-the-trainer methodology with a specific methodology and tools for training, research and applied research activities with companies and institutions. before training design students, it is fundamental to train who is going to train them. the trainthe-trainer methodology has equipped a panel of 35 indian experts (phd students, researchers and professors from three universities) with a particular method and set of design tools with the following aims: to start developing future courses and laboratories to practise a constructive, holistic, empathic and iterative approach that is flexible and that can be applied as both an educational and collaborative strategy to provide resources, content and an overall educational approach to teaching design in a hands-on, experiential way. the methods and tools offered and explored during the capacity-building sessions can be further used by the indian experts along with students in teaching and designing new services but also with local entities, external stakeholders and international partners. these choices were informed by desk research and fieldwork (bofylatos & azariadis, 2022). the synthesis of the research supported the establishment of the design centres as a focal point for the development of the design strategy in india. the train-the-trainer methodology was chosen as an effective method to scale up the interventions selected and to complement and strengthen the labs with both educational material as well as pilot projects. the following sections present the educational approach, the tools and methods adopted and the didactic organisation of the three capacity-building sessions. face-to-face session with a focus on integrated product design brunel university london hosted a capacity-building programme titled integrated product design in uxbridge, uk between 24 february and 6 march 2020 for nine delegates from three indian partner institutions. the programme was developed based on the concept of t-shape designers. according to hansen and von oetiger (2001), the horizontal part of the t refers to a breadth of knowledge across various aspects of design, while the vertical part of the t is defined as the depth of knowledge of professional designers. thus, this capacity-building programme aimed to build upon designers’ core skills and broaden their knowledge in other areas. the subjects delivered under this programme can be grouped into four areas: 1. professional practice (e.g. co-design and research-informed teaching) 2. strategic design (e.g. strategic design management, branding and future forecasting) 3. entrepreneurship (e.g. innovation process and innovation management) 4. technical design (e.g. design for manufacturing and advanced manufacturing) the programme is underpinned by the double diamond model (design council, 2019). the model was chosen because it reflects design practices in industry. it was constructed based on 11 case studies from diverse types of organisations, such as product and service design (e.g. lego® and starbucks), physical and digital design (e.g. whirlpool and microsoft) and emotional and functional design (e.g. xerox and alessi). the process contains four main stages: discover, define, develop and deliver. the first two stages focus on exploring and framing the question(s), while the latter stages concentrate on creating and realising solution(s). at the heart of the process is the notion of convergent and divergent thinking in the design 60 process. designers need divergent thinking to explore all possibilities at the discover and develop stages. however, they also require convergent thinking to systematically narrow down the scope and deliver practical solutions in the define and deliver stages. this model was integrated into many lecture materials and activities. although the programme offered several hands-on activities, it did not involve a task that linked all aspects together. at the end of the teaching activities, the courses were formally evaluated with questionnaires and a final group discussion. according to the feedback collected for the first capacity-building session, it would have been more useful to include a task that connects all subjects, such as portfolio development. in general, the delegates found the process-oriented approach useful. they observed that the application of the double diamond model in teaching and learning activities could help assure the quality of the process and outcomes, as well as avoid subjectivity in assessment. blended e-learning session focused on service design due to covid-19 restrictions, politecnico di milano organised a remote capacity-building programme between 10 and 23 october 2020 for 18 professors and experts from the three indian partner institutions. the programme took place through an exploration of blended e-learning potential and assets using both online interactions and offline activities: 1 online interactions: • lectures • gamified learning experience (several challenges and feedback) • microlearning (learning nuggets) 2 offline interactions: • assessments • co-working activities and round table discussions the topics, contents and tools were planned and offered to guide the indian partners in starting to design their future courses and labs by envisioning possible synergies as systems, both internal and external to academia. to achieve this goal, the training programme focused on service design and was implemented through a creative process based on the human-centred design approach and, thus, throughout three main phases of inspiration, ideation and implementation. the human-centred design makes systems desirable from a human point of view with what is technologically feasible and economically viable (ideo, 2011). this approach enhances effectiveness and efficiency, improves human well-being, user satisfaction, accessibility and sustainability and counteracts possible adverse effects of use on human health, safety and performance (international organization for standardization, 1999). according to the feedback, the indian professors and experts appreciated the innovative ways of using online platforms and tools proposed during the programme. the topics and themes offered a fresh perspective based on a systemic approach that keeps participants’ motivation and ambition high. further reflections and improvements lie behind the possibility of cooperative sessions among the three indian universities. blended learning session focused on interaction design due to the covid=19 restrictions, the session offered by the university of the aegean (uaegean) also had to be delivered online with synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. during a two-week 61 programme, the university offered a multifaceted lecturing cycle to cover the main aspects of interaction design, ranging from theory to practical examples and case studies. the presentations and dialogues on the selected theoretical issues implemented examples, and co-working activities were designed to offer inspiration and insights to both the uaegean lecturers and the participants from the indian universities. uaegean offered a broad and holistic view of the fields and connected them to digital heritage management (chatzigrigoriou et al., 2021) and connected computer-aided design subjects to humancomputer interaction (hci) and its evaluation tools. thanks to the assignments, the indian experts had hands-on experience of usability studies in the local setting and implemented the empirical conclusions in the framework of desinno. thanks to a selection of online platforms and tools, the indian experts could work together remotely in a collaborative way. during the capacity-building session, the lecturers introduced the concept of interaction design through an introduction to hci. they presented how it is educationally approached as a theoretical course, as a studio course and in terms of research outcomes. in this direction, the participants were given specific scientific papers to discuss among them at the next online session. hence, the first assignment focused on an overview of hci and education in design engineering and research in the uaegean by reading three relevant papers outlining different tools applied to hci and usability, with digital heritage as the central case study. the second assignment focused on running a heuristic evaluation of the indian railways e-service and filling in the heuristic evaluation sheet through task analysis. the participants were asked to try to define the individual tasks involved in the process of booking the ticket, e.g. “you could use task analysis to determine the separate steps the user follows to book a ticket and turn them into tasks to measure their time and errors”. thus, the third and last assignment was dedicated to running a usability test and producing a report of the key findings and directions to redesign the same platform. overall, the two-week programme managed to achieve a high degree of success. the participants evaluated the course highly. the lecturers provided an overview of the fields of hci and interaction design, outlined the synergies with fields adjacent to it such as digital heritage management, design for all and service design and pushed the participants to reflect and gain a second-order understanding of interactive systems through the two evaluation assignments. conclusions lessons learned after the completion of each capacity-building session, the participants were invited to provide feedback through an online questionnaire on their experiences of the training provided. overall, all three capacitybuilding sessions were considered highly successful, receiving an average score of 4.5/5 on a likert scale (1=poor, 5=excellent). thanks to the capacity-building sessions, 35 indian experts received training on all three main design disciplines that the target indian universities focused on, namely industrial product design, service design and interaction design. additionally, a vast volume of resources has been produced, e.g. educational material, presentations, scholarly articles, videos and audio-visual material that can be used by the indian heis for the development of their courses and lectures. 62 the blended approach adopted in the three capacity-building sessions allowed the authors to measure the impact of design education delivered both traditionally (face to face) and with an innovative e-learning approach. the most valuable insights collected from the practical application are: design contents: in addition to the three focus of the design disciplines included in the teaching activities (product design, service design and interaction design), the indian experts declared a high interest in exploring the fields of design for social innovation and human-centred design. design methods: the hands-on and assignment-based approach to teaching was evaluated as effective. the opportunity to apply what the participants learned in practical assignments with a strong relation to real applications in new courses or new educational experiences was evaluated as a relevant outcome. the blended sessions were evaluated to be well planned and apt for the educational goal. the adoption of a practice-based approach in e-learning education allowed for the exploration of new ways of applying and including technologies in the design of teaching programmes. design tools: the participants enjoyed going through the exercises that were supported and facilitated using templates and formats. the train-the-trainer methodology applied for field testing the design education in the capacity-building sessions has demonstrated the following: the effectiveness of the systemic approach in design education: train the trainer with a multidisciplinary and systemic approach to support the building of an innovative mindset for the future education of indian students with contemporary skills and visions of the design discipline. instead of providing a concrete framework of western design, our indian colleagues were given a scaffold to create a bespoke approach that better addresses local challenges and existing design perspectives, hoping to decolonise indian design education. the use of a blended approach demonstrated the possibility to adopt an inclusive approach in design education in emerging countries. the effectiveness of new tools using digital technologies can improve the number of experts and professors involved in train-the-trainer experiences without losing effectiveness and engagement. the capacity for social change through increased empathy developed by the adoption of humancentred design approaches. both human-centred design, as elaborated in design thinking, and human-computer interaction usability and design for all tools foster understanding of the users in the context of creativity. the evolution of the diffuse design capacity of grassroots innovators in the context of the maker movement as part of the labs established. leveraging design as a facilitator of bottom-up solutions can create new social value that is context-specific and embedded in everyday problems in a local context. 63 repeatability and scalability all capacity training programmes, namely integrated product design, service design and interaction design (or digital design) were developed to be turned into either new elective courses or new content that can be integrated into existing courses. to scale up 10-day capacity training programmes into proper courses, further developments were carried out. firstly, all teaching materials were gathered, formatted and shared on the online repository. in this way, all the professors involved in the train-the-trainer courses could access these materials and use them for their teaching and learning activities. the teaching materials and feedback were then used to form the basis for new elective courses or to add content to existing courses. next, the three indian universities engaged were asked to identify which courses they would like to develop further, and a benchmarking exercise was carried out. the aim was to capture the good practice of leading courses in related fields to develop the teaching materials further and address the feedback collected. the courses included in the benchmark exercise are shown in table 1 below. topics courses included in the benchmarking exercise integrated product design bsc product design & technology, loughborough university, uk meng design engineering, imperial college, london, uk ma collaborative and industrial design, aalto university, finland service design ma service design, royal college of art, uk mdes design innovation & service design, glasgow school of art, uk ma service design, university of the arts london, uk introduction to hci ba user experience design, university of the arts london, uk msc human-computer interaction design, city, university of london, uk msc human-computer interaction, university college london, uk table 1: courses included in the benchmarking exercise. after the capacity-building sessions, a concrete application of the tools and methodologies tested has been implemented through the definition of specific syllabuses for three new courses, with the involvement of the professors who attended the capacity-building sessions. the new syllabuses were developed based on key points extracted from the benchmarking exercise and the capacity-building training materials. after that, they were reviewed by corresponding staff at the indian institutes. once the syllabuses were approved, the tutor’s guidance for each course was developed accordingly. the teaching teams who created and delivered the capacity-building programmes were also invited to add relevant information and to provide further feedback/comments to all syllabuses and tutor guidance. the practical application of the contents and the teaching methodologies in innovative design education programmes represent the beginning of the answer to the research aim of the authors, namely the modernisation and internationalisation of indian universities with innovative and updated design courses with a set of methodologies based on design thinking, sustainability, design research, social innovation and ethical issues in design. acknowledgements this work was co-funded by the erasmus+ programme of the european union under the project entitled “design and innovation capacity building in india/desinno” (project no: 598404-epp-1-2018-1-in-eppka2-cbhe-jp). 64 references bofylatos s., & azariadis p. 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(2016) problem-based learning: an overview of its process and impact on learning. health professions education, 2(2), 75-79. introduction the state of the art of practice-based design approaches undertakes the focus on the design studio and design workshop methods for learning. contemporary design approaches and associated skills are moving design education to answer to eme... design education capacity-building sessions in this section, the authors present the experience of running three capacity-building sessions aimed at supporting an hei in india in planning and developing educational content to support the three design and innovation ce... face-to-face session with a focus on integrated product design brunel university london hosted a capacity-building programme titled integrated product design in uxbridge, uk between 24 february and 6 march 2020 for nine delegates from three indian par... blended e-learning session focused on service design due to covid-19 restrictions, politecnico di milano organised a remote capacity-building programme between 10 and 23 october 2020 for 18 professors and experts from the three indian partner institu... blended learning session focused on interaction design due to the covid=19 restrictions, the session offered by the university of the aegean (uaegean) also had to be delivered online with synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. during a two... repeatability and scalability all capacity training programmes, namely integrated product design, service design and interaction design (or digital design) were developed to be turned into either new elective courses or new content that can be integra... 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzi, anne mastamet mason, nalini moodley-diar published online: may 2023 to cite this article: mollel-matodzi, n., mastamet mason, a., & moodley-diar, n. (2023). south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 1-11. 2 south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzia, anne mastamet masonb, nalini moodley-diarc afaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. nailamollel@gmail.com. bfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. masona@tut.ac.za cfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. moodleydiarn@tut.ac.za abstract the textile and clothing industry intensifies pollution through the production of fast fashion clothes. the increase in fast fashion clothes imports in south africa has led to the closure of textile factories and consequent loss of jobs. sustainable development is a pathway to reducing socio-environmental, cultural and economic harm. sustainable processes and products create new employment. fashion design entrepreneurs are often involved and have influence in every supply chain of their business and are thus in one of the best positions to implement sustainable fashion supply chain operations. this qualitative study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. participants were selected purposively, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. the results indicated that most of the participants were aware of sustainable fabrics through personal research. half of them source and produce sustainable garments on a small scale due to the high price of sustainable fabrics. all the participants had limited knowledge of sustainable design methods. all the participants save their fabric offcuts, and only half of them are motivated by environmental concerns. furthermore, the results indicated a lack of systems to manage the recycling of fabric offcuts. given that there are few sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs in south africa, the study recommends that textile and clothing industry leaders, especially sustainability practitioners, disseminate knowledge and training across the board on sustainable supply chain operations. keywords: fashion design entrepreneurs, sustainable supply chain operations, sustainable fabric sourcing, sustainable garment design, sustainable garment manufacturing introduction entrepreneurship is linked to sustainable development because entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, generates employment, influences economic development, betters social issues and assists in dealing with environmental issues (un, 2015). sustainable operations in businesses entail those businesses integrating sustainable values into the creation of new merchandise (zu, 2014) and reconsider their core processes and productions (fisk, 2010). given the fact that the textile and clothing industry (tci) has contributed to the current socio-environmental challenges, fashion design entrepreneurs cannot afford to have sustainable operations as a separate element in their business. sustainable operations ought to be at the core of their business. the inability to address socio-environmental challenges endangers businesses’ capacity to build wealth and to be viable in the future (zu, 2014,). businesses that incorporate sustainable practices have a competitive advantage (bomgardner, 2018). for the south african textile and clothing industry (satci) to be sustainable and improve its sustainability efforts, sustainable supply chain operations need to be integrated into business practices and processes to ensure and increase the production of sustainable clothes. south african fashion week (safw) is a platform for south african fashion designers 3 to showcase their work. may (2019) reports that safw has a record of 580 fashion designers. however, only a small number of fashion designers are socio-environmentally sustainable. within this research context, this study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. table 1 presents the objectives of this study. table 1: sub-aims of the study. sub-aim 1 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods sub-aim 2 explore and describe how fashion design entrepreneurs balance economical sustainability and socioenvironmental sustainability while sourcing fashion materials, designing garments and manufacturing garment sub-aim 3 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ current practices while sourcing fashion fabrics and manufacturing garments sub-aim 4 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ current practices towards economic sustainability in sourcing fashion materials, designing garments and manufacturing garments literature review the emergence of sustainability has led numerous fashion businesses into altering their organisational approaches in their supply chain (choi & li, 2015; shen, 2014). it is worth bearing in mind that altering supply chain operations is a gradual process. this requires fashion design entrepreneurs to evaluate their supply chain operations and identify gaps and opportunities where sustainable supply chain practices and processes can be integrated. this study focused on three stages of fashion supply chain: sourcing, design and manufacturing. sustainable fabric sourcing sustainable sourcing firstly involves sourcing sustainable fabrics and secondly sourcing locally manufactured fabrics. it is important to note that every fabric has its individual socio-environmental threats (fletcher, 2014). sustainable fabrics include organic cotton, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rpet), wool, linen, hemp, tencel or lyocell and bamboo. some of the sustainable fabrics that can be sourced in south africa (sa) are cotton produced by the sustainable cotton cluster (cotton sa, 2016), rpet, linen hemp (del monte, 2021), wool, cashmere and mohair (twyg, 2020). it is important to note that some of these fabrics are sometimes sourced in sa and processed outside the country and vice versa (del monte, 2021). sourcing locally is reasonably costed and sustainable because it benefits the country’s economy through job creation, reduces shipping costs and reduces carbon emissions (cadigan, 2014; fontes, 2016; ho & choi, 2012; sprague, 2015). over previous years, leading retailers sourced fabrics and clothes from china, and this has negatively affected south african textile manufacturers’ capacity (daniel, 2022). chinese imports 4 have weakened the south african textile, clothing, leather and footwear industries (satclf) (mahlati, 2017). in 1996, the satci had about 1,600 clothing factories. in 2015, the industry had approximately 900 functional clothing factories (reuters, 2015). the drop in the number of factories indicates the urgent need for south african retailers and fashion design entrepreneurs to source and manufacture locally to improve the economic well-being of the industry and society. to date, leading retailers have committed to sourcing locally produced fabrics (daniel, 2022). when large businesses boost the demand of sustainable fabrics, it will help boost production demand from smaller manufacturers and will make sustainable products more reasonably priced and enable customers to purchase more products (lee, 2014). sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs often struggle to find reasonably priced sustainable fabrics (kawana, 2017; may, 2019). given that the satci struggles with adequate mainstream fabric production for its market, it is logical that there would also be a shortage of sustainable fabric production. thus, where sustainable fabrics are not readily available and are beyond the fashion design entrepreneur’s financial capacity, purchasing sturdy polyester should be an alternative. polyester is a controversial fabric because it is harmful to the environment, yet it is one of the two most used fabrics in the world (dehaan, 2016; fletcher, 2014). it is made from non-renewable resources and pollutes the environment (niinimäki, 2013; olajire, 2014). however, polyester manufacturing uses less water than cotton manufacturing (fletcher, 2014), it is durable and has stronger fibres than cotton (norway geographical, 2019). the popularity of polyester, due to its affordability and other characteristics, makes it difficult to stop using this fabric completely. in the fashion supply chain, the sourcing stage is followed by the garment design stage. sustainable garment design sustainable garment design involves careful consideration of the type of fabric and its effects, the manufacturing, the customer-use phase and disposal of garments to reduce harmful global socioenvironmental impacts (zoltkowski, 2022). sustainable garment design must consider, among others, “economic, social, and environmental values” (niinimäki, 2013) and cultural values. fashion design entrepreneurs determine the look of sustainable garments (sherburne, 2009), as well as the processes and practices that the garment will experience. fashion design entrepreneurs can use various methods to design sustainable garments, including, among others, zero-waste design methods, design for multifunctional garment design and design for emotional durability. zero-waste design methods do not separate the design stage from the manufacturing stage. zero-waste design is a method of reducing fabric waste at the design stage by considering the cost of the fabric, balancing garment aesthetics, fit and cost and pattern cutting (rissanen, 2013). zero-waste design methods consist of and are not limited to draping, zero-waste pattern layout or jigsaw puzzle methods and subtraction pattern cutting (the cutting class, 2013; ecochic design award, 2017). the jigsaw puzzle method refers to laying pattern pieces like a jigsaw puzzle to avoid fabric wastage (the cutting class, 2013). the subtraction pattern-cutting method is like the draping method in that both subtraction and draping require the fashion designer to “twist, displace, and feed the fabric back to itself” (the cutting class, 2013). multifunctional garment design – also known as transformable design and convertible design – involves designing a garment that can be reversible, consisting of various elements that can be added or removed by the wearer depending on the occasion or season (li et al., 2018). multifunctional garments provide customers with one garment that can be worn in multiple ways, with each look consisting of a different 5 aesthetic identity and function. it is possible to reduce customers’ purchases of new fashion (lang & wei, 2019), extend the life cycle of a garment and thereby reduce the number of garments in landfills (koo et al., 2014). emotional durability is a design concept that intends to create a long-lasting emotional connection between the garments and the users (chapman, 2015). involving customers at the garment design stage can contribute to creating an emotional bond with the garment (durrani et al., 2016) and tackling consumption behaviour (durrani et al., 2016). the sustainable garment design methods discussed above all focus on reducing fabric waste at either the pre-consumer or post-consumer phase. the garment design stage in the fashion supply chain is followed by the manufacturing stage. sustainable manufacturing in this study, sustainable manufacturing refers to the treatment of fabrics at the pre-consumer phase and of garments at the post-consumer use phase. fashion design entrepreneurs can employ various methods in the treatment of both fabrics and garments at the pre-consumer and post-consumer phases that can contribute to the sustainability of the tci in sa. this study focuses on a closed loop approach consisting of reuse and recycling practices. according to cuc and vidovic (2011) and holm (2013), reuse and recycling have environmental, social and economic benefits. the closed-loop approach, also known as the “circular economy”, refers to the treatment within the clothing factory of fabric offcuts, waste fabrics and merchandise once the garment is no longer useful to the client (niinimäki, 2013; pervez, 2017). given that the closed-loop approach seeks to reduce landfill and extend the life cycle of fabrics (norwich university, 2020), it is important to note that this approach can be applied both to fabrics that are considered sustainable and those that are not considered sustainable. reusing and recycling are approaches conceived to reduce waste and require fashion design entrepreneurs to re-think their entire manufacturing processes and practices. reuse approaches also involve reselling, renting and swapping (hendriksz, 2016). in some cases, before garments can be reused, they need to be repaired, which means providing a repair service to customers. renting clothes enables companies to increase their profit (hendriksz, 2016). recycling means modifying the original attributes of fabrics to make new items (ho & choi, 2012). one of the ways fashion design entrepreneurs can implement a closed-loop system is by encouraging customers to bring back their used and unwanted clothes. in addition, south african fashion design entrepreneurs can also practise product-centric recycling. product-centric recycling means that clothing manufacturers recycle their own textile waste (sherburne, 2009); this approach is intended to generate profit. in sa, the rising cost and limited access to landfill sites indicate the need for the satci to strengthen its reusing and recycling systems (enviroserv, n.d). according to hendriksz (2016), many overseas businesses and manufacturers join forces with their local governments to reduce carbon emissions, energy and water consumption, waste and their general environmental impacts. it is crucial that the south african government aids the satci in obtaining technologically advanced equipment to improve the industry’s recycling capacity. a few fashion design entrepreneurs identify themselves as sustainable. furthermore, the current climate challenges facing the world and the state of the satci denote the need for more fashion design entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable supply chain operations. 6 methodology in this study, qualitative methods were used to explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and their current sustainable fashion supply chain practices. the six participants for this study were selected purposively based on the following four criteria: 1. must produce clothes for men or women. 2. must have been in business for at least three years. 3. must have an online and a physical store 4. must not be primarily producing sustainable clothes. the data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation found on the participants’ websites or social media pages and was conducted in 2020. due to financial constraints, telephone interviews were conducted. the participants were informed ahead of time that the interview would be recorded. the interviews were recorded using the another call recorder application. the semistructured interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised and arranged for analysis (babbie, 2016). credibility, dependability and confirmability were the categories used to maintain the trustworthiness of this study. credibility was maintained by transcribing the recorded interviews, submitting the transcribed interviews to another researcher and by data triangulation. evaluation of the data collection, data analysis, and interpretation was maintained through continual consultation and discussion with supervisors. this ensured that the dependability and confirmability of the data were maintained. the results and discussion are provided below. results and discussion the findings of this study are discussed based on the sub-aims as shown in table 1. fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods regarding awareness of sustainable practices at the fabric sourcing stage, participant c was the only participant who indicated that she is not aware of sustainable fabrics, stating, “i’m not clued up about sustainable fabrics, and i’ll need to be educated more on their benefits. smal (2016) pointed out that the local tci is in the early stages of addressing sustainable practices, so there is not widespread awareness in the local tci. this may explain why participant c is not knowledgeable about sustainable fabrics. participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that their knowledge on sustainable fabrics and their benefits was based on personal research. these participants revealed that they found sustainable fabrics to be more expensive than other fabrics. may (2019) and kawana (2017) report that sustainable fabrics are indeed expensive. to make sustainable fabrics affordable to micro and small businesses, large retailers must continue to source these fabrics. regarding awareness of sustainable operations at the design stage, all the participants showed minimal awareness of various sustainable design methods. participants b, d and f indicated they are conscious that reducing fabric offcuts is environmentally sustainable. although participants a, c and e save fabric offcuts, they were not aware that this is a sustainable design method, and their motivation for saving fabric offcuts was economic. participant b indicated that he experiments with draping, and this is motivated by the plethora of style options that this method offers. participant is the only participant who uses the design for emotional durability method. however, this participant is unaware of this terminology and that this 7 is a sustainable design method. this participant’s motive for using this method is to increase sales. all the participants were unaware of the other three remaining sustainable design methods: zero-waste pattern layout, subtraction pattern cutting and multifunctional garment design. fashion design entrepreneurs balance economic sustainability and socio-environmental sustainability in sourcing, design and manufacturing regarding balancing environmental sustainability and profitability, participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are connected. participant a indicated that making a profit while disregarding environmental sustainability is counterproductive. according to brubaker (2015), entrepreneurs can fix catastrophes by innovating sustainable business models that can influence customers and increase profit. participant d indicated that a designer must be able to solve problems and produce garments that bring in profit. some of the participants concurred that balancing environmental sustainability and economic sustainability is a process that requires intentional development and time. some of the methods that participants use to balance environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are reducing fabric waste, using waste for sellable products and producing garments based on orders only. participant b stated that profit and environmental sustainability is a process that involves both research and collaboration with other professionals who are knowledgeable about environmental sustainability. with regards to balancing social sustainability and economic sustainability, all the participants indicated that it is possible to balance these. some of the methods that the participants use to balance social sustainability and economic sustainability are as follows: • intentionally producing garments that are affordable to the target market; • developing employees’ skills through training workshops; • providing rent-free space in the retail store for emerging designers’ products; and • providing factory space for employees’ private clients on weekends. regarding balancing employees’ salaries and social sustainability, three participants indicated that they pay their employees based on existing systems such as the basic employment act, the bargaining council, the companies intellectual property commission (cipc) and union regulations. one participant indicated that his employees are paid above the existing minimum wage standard. two participants indicated that they use their standard based on the current cost of living in sa, the daily operational cost of the business, the level of employee work experience and overtime. overall, the various avenues that the participants use to empower their employees demonstrate a value for human life and the services rendered by their employees. fashion design entrepreneurs’ current socio-environmentally sustainable practices at the sourcing and manufacturing stages participants b, d and f source sustainable fabrics such as linen, sustainable cotton and wool on a small scale. these participants manufacture sustainable clothes on a small scale for their upper-class customers because most of their customers cannot afford the clothes. all the participants revealed that they manufacture their garments in-house. as mentioned, all participants in this study save their fabric offcuts. participants a and c reuse their fabric offcuts to make accessories. the remaining four participants indicated that they donate their fabric offcuts to their employees, charity organisations and local 8 communities. participants d and f indicated that there should be better systems to manage fabric offcuts. the participants are not always able to donate their fabric offcuts, which results in unused fabric offcuts filling up their studios, and these may end up in landfills. participant f pointed out that as a small business, it is difficult to prepare fabric offcuts and garments for recycling due to a lack of recycling services in the area they operate in. this may suggest that there is a need for more accessible recycling services to streamline recycling for fashion design entrepreneurs. this study found that garment reuse and renting are not common practice among the participants. participant a reports redesigning and reusing garments that do not sell. participant d reported that they occasionally rented runway garments and found that there is no market for renting clothes. this may suggest that fashion design entrepreneurs can initiate and build a renting culture among customers. fashion design entrepreneurs' current economically sustainable practices at the sourcing, design and manufacturing stages exploring participants’ various economically sustainable practices in fashion supply-chain operations was the fourth sub-aim of this study. economically sustainable practices in this study were threefold, namely sourcing locally manufactured fabrics, businesses making profit consecutively and overall economic contribution to the tci. several international authors cadigan (2014), ho and choi (2012), sprague (n.d.) and fontes (2016) acknowledge that sourcing fabrics in the country where your business is situated is one way of improving the local economy. participant a indicated that they source locally manufactured conventional cotton. participant b indicated that the socio-environmentally friendly cotton and hemp they source are manufactured locally. based on participant c’s website, some of their african print fabrics are produced by south african fabric manufacturers. participant f sources linen and conventional cotton in sa. participants d and f pointed out that the industry needs more textile mills to increase local production. in addition, participant d indicated that they source wool fibres locally, and the fibres are then sent overseas to be woven and finally imported back to sa. thus, more wool and leather mills are needed in sa to increase the local tci production capacity, reduce pollution incurred in shipping and alleviate poverty by providing jobs. participants b, c, d, e and f source their synthetic fabrics from south african wholesalers who stock imported fabrics. these findings suggest that imported fabrics are readily available in sa and that there are not enough fabric factories to cater to local demand. importation of fabrics is not economically friendly because it does not benefit the local tci and the country and impedes the growth of textile and clothing factories. given that the satci has few textile factories, it is understandable that the fabrics that participants source are often imported. although south african fabric wholesalers may employ a few people, the countries that produce these fabrics have greater economic benefits (in terms of fabric production), good production capacity for their tci and employment opportunities for their local communities. with regards to consistently making a profit, participants a, b, c and f revealed that they have been consistently making a profit, and this has allowed them to remain in business. participant f indicated that having multiple businesses in one location is one of the ways he manages financially. this may suggest that for some small and medium enterprises, it may be necessary for them to expand their services to deal with tougher business seasons. participants d and e indicated that they were only able to make a profit after three years, and this was due to assistance from a business rescue specialist. both participants highlighted 9 the importance of business skills in managing a business. this suggests that without the right sets of business skills, it is difficult to remain sustainable and make a positive contribution to the local tci and the country. regarding economic contributions to the tci, all the participants in this study indicated they are making an economic contribution to the tci because they manufacture their garments locally. conclusion and recommendations this study has revealed that fashion design entrepreneurs incorporate minimal sustainable practices in one to two stages of their supply chain operations. the minimal sustainable practices are not solely motivated by the desire to contribute to a sustainable tci and reduce socio-environmental harm. regarding sourcing, the study revealed that there is a need to educate fashion design entrepreneurs on sustainable fabrics and where to source them. sustainable fabric manufacturers and stockists need to be visible in the marketplace, as this will further increase awareness and purchases of the fabrics. the data uncovered the knowledge and skills gap at the garment design stage. it is crucial to empower fashion design entrepreneurs with sustainable garment design knowledge and skills training in the advancement of a sustainable satci. sustainable design methods may increase the quantity and variety of sustainable clothes in the south african retail environment and provide customers with more options. the participants in this study have shown that saving fabric offcuts for reuse and donation is a widespread practice while renting and redesigning garments is rare. garment renting, repair and redesigning are sustainable manufacturing methods that can decrease clothing consumption and the production of new fabric and reduce landfills. the findings of this study reveal that there is a need to promote garment renting and repair among fashion design entrepreneurs and customers. additionally, fashion design entrepreneurs can practise sustainable manufacturing by redesigning garments that do not sell or by donating them to charitable organisations. incorporating minimal sustainable practices and processes in one or two stages of the supply chain operations is a starting point towards building a sustainable tci. for fashion design entrepreneurs to increase their sustainable contribution to the industry, moderate to maximum sustainable practices and processes need to be implemented at every stage of supply chain operations. this study had a limited criterion. first, we suggest that future research should include clear target market criteria (upper class, middle class and lower class). second, future studies should have an equal number of participants who have been operating for the same number of years. participant b stated that sustainability is a journey that takes years to implement. it can be deduced that as a business progresses, there are unique supply-chain operations that must be modified, adapted and preserved accordingly. third, a longitudinal study will provide in-depth insight into methods that fashion design entrepreneurs can use to transform their businesses in a sustainable manner. in conclusion, this study is not representative of the entire south african tci. this study offers valuable insight into the current practice of microto-small businesses of mainstream fashion design entrepreneurs’ sourcing, designing and manufacturing operations. acknowledgements this paper is based on a thesis from tshwane university of technology, south africa. the financial assistance of the national research foundation (nrf) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. references anson, r. 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(2023). south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. discern: international journal of design for ... south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzia, anne mastamet masonb, nalini moodley-diarc afaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. nailamollel@gmail.com. bfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. masona@tut.ac.za cfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. moodleydiarn@tut.ac.za abstract the textile and clothing industry intensifies pollution through the production of fast fashion clothes. the increase in fast fashion clothes imports in south africa has led to the closure of textile factories and consequent loss of jobs. sustainable ... keywords: fashion design entrepreneurs, sustainable supply chain operations, sustainable fabric sourcing, sustainable garment design, sustainable garment manufacturing introduction entrepreneurship is linked to sustainable development because entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, generates employment, influences economic development, betters social issues and assists in dealing with environmental issues (un, 2015). sustain... within this research context, this study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. table 1 presents the objectives of this study. table 1: sub-aims of the study. literature review the emergence of sustainability has led numerous fashion businesses into altering their organisational approaches in their supply chain (choi & li, 2015; shen, 2014). it is worth bearing in mind that altering supply chain operations is a gradual proce... sustainable fabric sourcing sustainable sourcing firstly involves sourcing sustainable fabrics and secondly sourcing locally manufactured fabrics. it is important to note that every fabric has its individual socio-environmental threats (fletcher, 2014). sustainable fabrics inclu... sourcing locally is reasonably costed and sustainable because it benefits the country’s economy through job creation, reduces shipping costs and reduces carbon emissions (cadigan, 2014; fontes, 2016; ho & choi, 2012; sprague, 2015). over previous year... to date, leading retailers have committed to sourcing locally produced fabrics (daniel, 2022). when large businesses boost the demand of sustainable fabrics, it will help boost production demand from smaller manufacturers and will make sustainable pro... sustainable garment design sustainable garment design involves careful consideration of the type of fabric and its effects, the manufacturing, the customer-use phase and disposal of garments to reduce harmful global socio-environmental impacts (zoltkowski, 2022). sustainable ga... zero-waste design methods do not separate the design stage from the manufacturing stage. zero-waste design is a method of reducing fabric waste at the design stage by considering the cost of the fabric, balancing garment aesthetics, fit and cost and p... multifunctional garment design – also known as transformable design and convertible design – involves designing a garment that can be reversible, consisting of various elements that can be added or removed by the wearer depending on the occasion or se... emotional durability is a design concept that intends to create a long-lasting emotional connection between the garments and the users (chapman, 2015). involving customers at the garment design stage can contribute to creating an emotional bond with t... sustainable manufacturing in this study, sustainable manufacturing refers to the treatment of fabrics at the pre-consumer phase and of garments at the post-consumer use phase. fashion design entrepreneurs can employ various methods in the treatment of both fabrics and garment... reusing and recycling are approaches conceived to reduce waste and require fashion design entrepreneurs to re-think their entire manufacturing processes and practices. reuse approaches also involve reselling, renting and swapping (hendriksz, 2016). in... a few fashion design entrepreneurs identify themselves as sustainable. furthermore, the current climate challenges facing the world and the state of the satci denote the need for more fashion design entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable supply chain oper... methodology in this study, qualitative methods were used to explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and their current sustainable fashion supply chain practices. the six participants for this study were selected purposively based on the follo... 1. must produce clothes for men or women. 2. must have been in business for at least three years. 3. must have an online and a physical store 4. must not be primarily producing sustainable clothes. the data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation found on the participants’ websites or social media pages and was conducted in 2020. due to financial constraints, telephone interviews were conducted. the parti... credibility, dependability and confirmability were the categories used to maintain the trustworthiness of this study. credibility was maintained by transcribing the recorded interviews, submitting the transcribed interviews to another researcher and b... results and discussion the findings of this study are discussed based on the sub-aims as shown in table 1. fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods regarding awareness of sustainable practices at the fabric sourcing stage, participant c was the only participant who indicated that she is not aware of sustainable fabrics, stating, “i’m not clued up about sustainable fabrics, and i’ll need to be edu... regarding awareness of sustainable operations at the design stage, all the participants showed minimal awareness of various sustainable design methods. participants b, d and f indicated they are conscious that reducing fabric offcuts is environmentall... fashion design entrepreneurs balance economic sustainability and socio-environmental sustainability in sourcing, design and manufacturing regarding balancing environmental sustainability and profitability, participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are connected. participant a indicated that making a profit while disregarding en... with regards to balancing social sustainability and economic sustainability, all the participants indicated that it is possible to balance these. some of the methods that the participants use to balance social sustainability and economic sustainabilit... • intentionally producing garments that are affordable to the target market; • developing employees’ skills through training workshops; • providing rent-free space in the retail store for emerging designers’ products; and • providing factory space for employees’ private clients on weekends. regarding balancing employees’ salaries and social sustainability, three participants indicated that they pay their employees based on existing systems such as the basic employment act, the bargaining council, the companies intellectual property commi... fashion design entrepreneurs’ current socio-environmentally sustainable practices at the sourcing and manufacturing stages participants b, d and f source sustainable fabrics such as linen, sustainable cotton and wool on a small scale. these participants manufacture sustainable clothes on a small scale for their upper-class customers because most of their customers cannot ... this study found that garment reuse and renting are not common practice among the participants. participant a reports redesigning and reusing garments that do not sell. participant d reported that they occasionally rented runway garments and found tha... fashion design entrepreneurs' current economically sustainable practices at the sourcing, design and manufacturing stages exploring participants’ various economically sustainable practices in fashion supply-chain operations was the fourth sub-aim of this study. economically sustainable practices in this study were threefold, namely sourcing locally manufactured fabrics, ... participants b, c, d, e and f source their synthetic fabrics from south african wholesalers who stock imported fabrics. these findings suggest that imported fabrics are readily available in sa and that there are not enough fabric factories to cater to... with regards to consistently making a profit, participants a, b, c and f revealed that they have been consistently making a profit, and this has allowed them to remain in business. participant f indicated that having multiple businesses in one locatio... conclusion and recommendations this study has revealed that fashion design entrepreneurs incorporate minimal sustainable practices in one to two stages of their supply chain operations. the minimal sustainable practices are not solely motivated by the desire to contribute to a sust... this study had a limited criterion. first, we suggest that future research should include clear target market criteria (upper class, middle class and lower class). second, future studies should have an equal number of participants who have been operat... acknowledgements this paper is based on a thesis from tshwane university of technology, south africa. the financial assistance of the national research foundation (nrf) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. references anson, r. 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(2016, march 10). cotton is making a comeback. https://tinyurl.com/32rvyvbs cuc, s., & vidovic, m. (2011). environmental sustainability through clothing recycling, operations and supply chain management. operations and supply chain management, 4(2), 108-115. http://doi.org/10.31387/oscm0100064 the cutting class. (2013, october 25). subtraction pattern cutting with julian roberts. https://tinyurl.com/yexakyxk daniel, l. (2022, september 1). pick n pay clothing aims for 60% local by 2028 – years of cheap chinese imports make that tough. business insider. https://tinyurl.com/4425y4zd dehaan, e. (2016, july 01). fast fashion: environmental and social impact. the eco guide. https://theecoguide.org/fast-fashion-environmentaland-social-impact durrani, m., ravnløkke, l., & niinimäki, k. 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(2010). people, planet, profit: how to embrace sustainability for innovation and business growth. kogan page publishers. fletcher, k. (2014). sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys (2nd ed.). routledge. fontes, j, (2016, january 25). sourcing locally is better: myth or not? pré sustainability. https://tinyurl.com/36xwm2tv gwilt, a. (2014). a practical guide to sustainable fashion. bloomsbury publishing. hendriksz, v. (2016, may 25). (re) defining sustainability: repair, recycle, reuse and reduce. fashion united. https://tinyurl.com/4um9a6xe hill, r. p. (2017, september 5). did you know? non-biodegradable clothes take 20 to 200 years to biodegrade. edge. https://tinyurl.com/5xxs9fez ho, h. p. y., & choi, t. m. (2012). a five-r analysis for sustainable fashion supply chain management in hong kong: a case analysis. journal of fashion marketing and management, 16(2), 161–175. holm, l. s. 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(2015). universal declaration of human rights. http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ zoltkowski, a. (2022, january 27). what on earth is a clothing supply chain? good on you. https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-a-clothing-supply-chain/ zu, l. (2014). international perspective on sustainable entrepreneurship. in c. weidinger, f. fischler, & r. schmidpeter, (eds.), sustainable entrepreneurship: business success through sustainability (pp. 67-100). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38... 54 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. emancipation and creativity atlas: participatory art and design, the societal image antónio gorgel pinto published online: april 2021. to cite this article: gorgel pinto, a. (2021). emancipation and creativity atlas: participatory art and design—societal image. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 54-68. 55 emancipation and creativity atlas: participatory art and design, the societal image antónio gorgel pintoa aiade—faculty of design, technology and communication, european university, lisbon, portugal. antonio.gorgel@universidadeeuropeia.pt abstract participatory art and design is an eclectic domain and an increasingly relevant trend. we have been witnessing the profusion of projects of an activist nature, simultaneously informed by ethics, aesthetics and politics, which aim to benefit society. encouraging the social and cultural sustainability of citizens living in disenfranchised residential areas by developing their creativity in a systematised way is the scope of the present research. through an experimental methodology focused on project development, three case studies are presented—netskola, kowork and more south—all of which took place in socially and culturally disenfranchised neighbourhoods of the wider lisbon area, specifically in the cities of amadora and oeiras. then follows a case study evaluation conducted using the delphi method. the research concluded that participatory art and design is a holistic territory that can be understood as interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary and that this understanding can foster the development of alternative and innovative solutions that contribute to the sociocultural sustainability of vulnerable urban areas. recognising the advantage of this expanded field and enhancing the socially engaged art domains is not only important for these areas of knowledge, which can thus develop further, but also for the many situations in society that can benefit from systematic creativity. keywords: participation, co-design, social innovation, societal image, transmedia practice common ground the research starting point is based on the recognition of weak common ground between the various practices of social art and the fact that this shared knowledge is the result of an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary dialectic that could be further developed for the benefit of art, design and society in general. there is also the perception that the development of socially useful hybrid art initiatives is a means of intervention in society, with great potential for the development of social and cultural sustainability. the finding of common social objectives and the use of similar methodologies and methods by different art practices is a phenomenon that touches upon all fields of the arts and has an ethical and political aspect in confronting social concerns. as far as research is concerned, visual arts and design practices take on particular importance. in certain cases, in addition to promoting reflection, representation or the presentation of some answers to a set of problems in society, these practices seek to intervene directly with concrete solutions. contemporary social art practices that are developed within certain communities have as their main goal the emancipation of the people involved so that they feel stimulated by the experience in which they participate (helguera, 2011). in bishop’s (2012) view, this is an expanded field of post-studio practices that have taken over several designations, such as socially engaged art, community-based art, dialogic art, participatory art, collaborative art, activist art and new genre public art, amongst others. mailto:antonio.gorgel@universidadeeuropeia.pt 56 on the other hand, through the creation of services, systems and digital products, design is increasingly interactive and participatory, as well as characterised by a dynamic and co-creative aesthetic, increasingly based on knowledge networks and participants’ qualifications, then restricted to commercial products. these features sometimes result in more ephemeral or immaterial design approaches. within this logic, many artists no longer make a clear distinction between their practice and a user-centred design approach, which is dramatically more political and speculative (holt, 2015). similarly, certain designers are experimenting with methodologies informed by participatory and dialogical aesthetics (kester, as cited in holt, 2015). these are ambivalent art forms, which on the one hand give continuity to their disciplinary language, and on the other hand play a role in social intervention. when focusing on social issues, both disciplinary fields tend to be characterised by a higher degree of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. the question is the extent to which there is a mutual exchange of concepts, methods and methodologies in a complementary process, or even the existence of a disciplinarily more autonomous approach, but which goes beyond conventional limits whenever experimentation in other fields is necessary. parallel to this question, it is important to mention the problem of the means of expression in the development of participatory art and design practices. this overcoming of borders is a sensitive concept because it contributes to the transformation of each discipline, thus surpassing the conventional approaches of each territory. this takes into account that in visual arts one of the most used expressions is participatory art—as well as in design the denomination of participatory design—which is increasingly recurrent. regarding the three case studies discussed further, the designation used to define the developed practice is participatory art and design. regarding the artists and/or designers involved in the process, they are seen as conductors of a participatory project who seek to keep participants during the outlined activities so that they autonomously go ahead exploring knowledge. this is a way of promoting equality in which artists and designers in participatory projects have a role as conductors. according to rancière (2002), this is a necessary quality for social sustainability, which needs agents for its promotion and permanent confirmation. the social axis of the arts historically, the notion of holistic territory is a phenomenon that has its roots in the western classic period, since the use of the teknè concept, in which there were present the notions of art and technique that served as the basis for the varied evolutions of art disciplines. at the end of the twentieth century, galeyev (1991) created an open system to include art practices based on new techniques and technologies. the objective was to demonstrate the unity and systematisation of the existing art forms and to understand how they position themselves within an artistic culture. from this conceptual framework, an approach is made to the system of differentiation between the different arts to further propose the existence of a social axis with two distinct poles, namely the pole of social arts and the pole of self-centred arts (figure 1). this is a way of classifying all the existing art forms, which, regardless of whether they are framed by a particular art discipline, such as painting, sculpture, design, architecture, music, theatre, amongst others, have a greater or lesser degree of social action. according to this understanding, zero degrees of social meaning indicate art forms exclusively focused on questions of expression and technique, from which, according to the position in the referred axis, they may reveal greater social focus. one of the precursors of social art forms that most influenced the territory in question is the artist suzanne lacy through the concept of a new genre of public art that she developed to characterise and deepen the 57 socially engaged art field. according to lacy (1995), the artist imbued with an ethical sense articulates his/her thought and intentions with the ideas manifested by the social body in the public domain. in this sense, lacy analyses different behaviours that an artist can have according to a scale between the public and private, such as the artist as the experimenter, as a reporter, as an analyst and as an activist. parallel to this, lacy develops the issue of public participation in the work of art, which is understood according to different degrees of responsibility, collaboration, proximity and involvement with the work of art. figure 1: social axis z with two poles: the pole of social arts and the pole of self-centred arts. this particular notion of activism is also followed in the sphere of design. authors such as fuad-luke (2009) and disalvo (2012), amongst others, explore a notion of design based on civic reflection and political action with the influence of several areas of knowledge, as well as involving protagonists with different characteristics, such as designers and other professional or non-professional creative agents. this line of thought is a consequence of the criticism that was first offered by papanek (1971) to the design discipline, which he considered to be linked to the consumerist culture that has propelled design culture since the first industrial revolution. within the scope of art and design practices that developed a culture based not just on techniques, technologies and aesthetics, but also underpinned by ethics, other authors were alerted to a set of social and environmental problems since the 1960s. a common feature is a relational and dialogical issue, which is transversal to all forms of social art and design. in the sphere of visual arts, the concept of participation and collaboration led artists to a different understanding of the logic of authorship centred on the artist or on a collective of artists to assume they are authors of events shared with other participants who, with different degrees of commitment, may also be considered as creative agents. in the scope of design, this relationship between various creative sources and protagonists is a situation of diffuse design and expert design, which is fundamental cooperation for the future development of society. a coalition not only focuses on the resolution of concrete problems but also the construction of social values and qualities (manzini, 2015). 58 according to manzini (2019), despite the neoliberal logic in various spheres of society, as well as in human thinking and behaviour, transformative social innovation processes occur in the opposite direction. these modes of action result from creative initiatives from citizens, which are characterised by being both individual and social, driving the creation or rehabilitation of links between people, as well as between people and the places they live in and, consequently, promoting the development of new communities. in this sense, participatory art and design is a significant way to systematise social and cultural innovation and strengthen democracy. social innovation through creative practices and dialogic collaboration, in general, are ways of imagining and experimenting with social alternatives towards sustainability, where local initiatives are particularly meaningful, whose repercussions can generate other forms of development at a global level (escobar, 2018). emancipation through participation in the field of participatory design, a significant aspect is the array of different possibilities, specifically in terms of innovation, collaboration, emancipation and motivation, as well as concerning forms of public or community participation. these determine how the relationship between designer and user occur (lee, 2006). according to manzini (2015), there is now a relatively strong consensus around the idea that design is an activity shared by different players whose initiatives are based on the same principles of creativity and reinvention of forms of interaction with the environment. some designers with scientific knowledge who are more sensitive to this problem have been looking for ways to relate with empirical designers and to collaboratively participate in the creation of products and services that better contribute to society. there are also increasingly design initiatives for social innovation that arise spontaneously and are promoted without the participation of design specialists, by citizens who act in isolation or organised groups, as well as by professionals from other art fields and related areas. in tandem with creating coalitions between people with different forms of knowledge or finding solutions exclusively for human problems, it is important to mention the need for conductors of participatory art and design projects to establish other collaborations with non-human agents. considering that there is active and continuous participation with more-than-human worlds (escobar 2018), holt (2015) argues that the environment should be considered a user and not just something to be explored as a theme or an aesthetic form. in escobar’s (2018) view, this is an understanding based on the effort to reconnect the domains of culture and nature, namely human and non-human agents, through theoretical and practical proposals, such as “visualising networks, assemblages, nature cultures, or socio-natures, or through and analysing the composition of the more-than-human worlds always in the process of being created by all kinds of actors and processes”. the critical issue for understanding participatory art and design lies in the way the respective conductors interact with people and the environment, in the relationship that is established between each art and design area with society in general, as well as the integration of new experiences and concepts within the scope of participation. therefore, it is important to expand the field of participatory art and design to other fields of artistic collaboration and to benefit from the resultant synergies. in the scope of design, lee (2006) argues that the way the designer-user relationship occurs is decisive for the different participatory design manifestations, such as in the cases of innovation, collaboration and emancipation. in the sphere of innovation and collaboration, the interaction is centred around the user. regarding motivation, the difference lies in the fact that design methods are influenced by people's initiative. in the case of emancipation, the main issue lies in the fact that both the designer and the user play an active role 59 in a collaborative design process aimed at finding and implementing better solutions for the valorisation of a given social context. participatory art and design through emancipation, which was the methodology used in the case studies analysed hereafter, is a more user-focused model often sought by users. the relationship between the conductor and the user in this domain occurs horizontally in a creative equitable group, with the common goal of promoting its development. it is a way of encouraging and supporting people through co-creativity, and this usually occurs in small initiatives where the outreach and follow-up work between the conductor and the user is constant. it is from the opinions and experiences of each partner that the whole process is built. an important aspect of this concept is the fact of disseminating the transfer of design knowledge that can be freely used by the user (lee, 2006). according to fuad-luke (2009), the co-design methodology is another significant designation that brings together several practices of contemporary design that are determinants for the development of social innovation. the dynamic of knowledge based on co-design processes is open to the participation of different users, even if the contribution made by the empirical designers is not always helpful. the dialogical relation in which listening is as important as speaking is decisive for the development of participatory art and design. in this context, parallel to critical capacity and creativity, the artist-designer expert must develop his/her relational capacity to interact and enhance the co-design process. the dialogical method should not be used as an instrument to control the co-design process but to stimulate its development and keep it open. mechanism of co-design and societal image also important for the understanding of this common field of participatory art and design and the notion of transdisciplinarity among both territories is the idea of a transmedia practice, which is a concept created by the fluxus artist shiomi mieko. the importance of transdisciplinary logic for understanding this hybrid art domain is related to the fact that it allows a better comprehension of the existing knowledge between disciplines whose boundaries are in constant dynamism as well as concerning spaces between them. this interstitial space is considered to be of greater relevance for the development of each disciplinary field (nicolescu, 2010). the transmedia concept that was introduced by mieko (2013) is a way of demonstrating the nature of her conceptual art projects, which were initially conceived for one specific medium and later assumed other interpretations and art forms by the artist and other fluxus members. according to mieko (2013, pp. 1–2), “… just as people continue their journeys by transferring from one type of transportation to another, an artwork can continue its creative evolution by transferring from one medium to the next”. like mieko’s practice, the participatory art and design projects developed in disenfranchised neighbourhoods of amadora begin by using design as a medium, namely through participation and codesign, to later become signifying objects through the reproduction of the communities involved in creative activities (gorgel pinto, 2017). the representation of communities is what constitutes the emancipation and creativity atlas, which is an archive of photographs and videos produced during each of the projects, namely netskola, kowork and more south. art and design practice is informed by aesthetic and civic questions whose purpose is the development of citizenship and sociocultural sustainability with the disenfranchised target populations. this atlas of images is the last stage of the systematisation of processes involving partners and participants in a continuum. the images and videos cannot be restricted to their form and appearance or as the outcome of only one author. they are also part of the participatory process whose main objective is to question and explore the common space between participatory art and design 60 and simultaneously demonstrate the potential of the arts for the development of social and cultural sustainability (gorgel pinto, 2019). the whole process of participatory art and design—the societal image that was experimented with through the research case studies—is defined by specific objectives and by the systematisation of processes. within the methodology of the three projects, it is important to note the idea of a mechanism for the coordination of all actors and constraints, as well as for system operation and the consequent production of specific contents. this mechanism is titled a co-design machine and has as a starting point the identification of a set of factors, such as the training needs required in the context, the participants' willingness to learn, the material conditions and the experience of the local participants with which the interactions occurred for the development of the project, as well as the perceived latent potentialities. the co-design machine, inspired by meadows and wright’s (2009) systems thinking, is a mechanism to boost, reinforce and generate the growth of existing creativity in individuals and the community, and in turn contributes to the regulation of creativity capital (figure 2). this means that it is a way of promoting the resilience and sustainable development of certain social groups as regards the ability to find different and original solutions to situations of inequality and social vulnerability. figure 2: co-design machine systematisation: a process to boost creativity in the individual and the community. the co-design machine’s main goal is to create a small-scale dynamic that seeks to influence the sociocultural structure of the larger-scale system, which is characterised by slow and stabilising development. it is a socio-technical system (manzini, 2019) focused on developing solutions to real problems, as well as fostering the common good. in wahl's (2016) understanding, this type of smaller system has the advantage of being faster and thus affecting larger systems with more efficiency, either through a chain reaction or through a “transformative (r)evolutionary” development. in this sense, the co-design machine, operating in the local sphere through a practice of participatory art and design with citizens in vulnerable situations, aims foremost at emancipating them, as well as rehabilitating the sociocultural fabric creativity in a broader sense. 61 case studies in disenfranchised neighbourhoods the three participatory art and design projects developed and reproduced in the emancipation and creativity atlas are entitled netskola (image 1), kowork (image 2) and more south (image 3). these case studies took place in the amadora and oeiras municipalities. amongst the most significant phases that are present in all projects are the interaction with local associations with roots in the territories, the existence of facilities and equipment that these organisations have and made available for carrying out each workshop, the voluntary collaboration of residents participating in the activities, the fact that these occurred in places where people live, the choice of themes and educational activities, as well as the definition of purposes related to the people's interests and willingness to participate in learning and creative processes, and the dissemination through an archive of video and photography. image 1: netskola project: ict workshop with adults. the netskola (2013–2015) project was the first intervention to take place. this initiative was developed in disenfranchised neighbourhoods of the city of amadora in partnership with local private social solidarity institutions. in this case, an educational service was created in the field of computer literacy and photography, and it was open to participation by locals, mostly african or afro-descendant. the activities took place in two local associations that people often use for social and educational support. the kowork (2015–2017) project resulted from a collaboration platform between the faculty of architecture of the university of lisbon and the local association moinho da juventude (youth mill in portuguese) in the cova da moura neighbourhood, amadora. the main objective was the creation of a training course focused on the development of skills in design to promote the institution's carpentry. in the context of creative stimulation and critical thinking, the participants of african descent were led 62 to survey latent problems in the neighbourhood and to propose possible solutions. in this sense, pieces of urban furniture were produced and installed in various areas of the neighbourhood, such as garden benches and litter bins built with reused wooden pallets. the more south (2017–2018) project was based on a proposal made by the aga khan foundation in portugal. a collaboration was initiated to implement a socially engaged art project with a group of african immigrants living in different neighbourhoods in a creative and participatory project in which design outcomes were developed. based on the participants’ knowledge, the production of cloth bags with capulana (printed fabric used in some african countries) applications was carried out. visual poems, also created in a participatory manner, appeared on bags. the idea was to develop a survey of expressions from various african languages and creoles informed by the knowledge of those involved and further elaborated through graphic compositions. a common characteristic of the three case studies is the fact that they initially worked through the organisation of workshops and other educational activities and then unfolded into significant objects through the reproduction of the initiatives. this kind of societal image constitutes a photographic testimony through which the spectator metaphorically participates in the project. the observation of these societal reproductions requires a critical perspective of the sociocultural context in question, shaping a political attitude towards public life (azoulay, 2015). through the emancipation and creativity atlas, the viewer becomes a witness of the evidence produced as well as the subject of a reflection around the permanent need for support and requalification of communities living in disenfranchised neighbourhoods (gorgel pinto, 2019). image 2: kowork project: design workshop. 63 a negative aspect was the participants' precarious condition, which generally makes it impossible for them to be more involved in the initiatives. this is something that can be minimised through alternative forms of interaction and by valuing empirical knowledge that can contribute to a greater commitment of the participants and reduce existing inertia. on the other hand, it is possible to promote group cohesion through an involvement adapted to each situation and through the accountability of participants to certain tasks. another concern was the possible lack of interest from the community in the participatory actions, and these can be minimised through the creation of collaborative educational contexts of their interest and by the perseverance of some participants in the project who are more autonomous and proactive. amongst the qualities that can strengthen the experimented participatory art and design practice, what stands out are a) the valorisation of the aesthetic dimension of ethics, b) the use of a transdisciplinary methodology based on several means of expression for the benefit of social objectives to be achieved and c) the level of the relationship between art and social innovation. image 3: more south project: engraving and sewing workshop. the possibility of the adoption of the projects by the communities or by partner institutions is another advantage that can be leveraged, given the evident improvement that these actions bring to the communities in question. through the experimented systematisation of the processes, it was proven to the partners that this kind of collaborative work is a benefit that can be continued and deepened. also, it was demonstrated to the participants that with their will and creativity and these kinds of collaborations, it is possible to aspire to more sustainable sociocultural conditions. establishing consensus through the delphi method the application of the delphi method focused on a set of questions with relevance for the study. the reflection on the issues and topics considered was crucial and resulted from the analysis and exploration of information collected through a questionnaire to reach a consensus. another decisive aspect for 64 common understanding is the fact that there was an eclectic group of experts whose territory of origin corresponds to the various areas that inform the research. designers, artists, theorists in both areas and other experts with experience in public affairs were part of the panel that allowed the application of the delphi method. the delphi method was used because it is an effective way of organising a group communication process, which enabled interaction with a panel of specialists to function in the critical analysis of a complex and subjective problem (graham et al., 2003). in this context, judgements, opinions and convictions were systematically collected and structured, giving priority to the consensus creation, but also considering divergent points of view. among the invited personalities to participate were design theorists such as alastair fuad-luke and maria hellström reimer; artists with a practice marked by the involvement with communities and by participatory art forms, such as jane gilmor, virginia fróis and the wochenklausur collective; designers with an activity focused on participatory design and co-design, such as the collective fermenta; a professional photographer and designer, david van allen; and professionals in public functions, such as ricardo robles and ana isabel ribeiro from the lisbon municipality, as well as mário campos from the almada municipality. the panel was asked a series of questions, and they answered on the main aspects that inform the developed participatory art and design practice. the members of the panel also analysed and justified the resultant different perspectives. the main objective was to test the concepts and the experimented practice from a multitude of disciplinary perspectives. the inquiry process consisted of two multiple-choice questionnaires with several relevant questions for the research. in the first questionnaire, only five questions did not receive the intended result. subsequently, based on the five questions that did not obtain consensus, plus the set of answers that did not reach strong agreement, the study continued with the application of a second questionnaire. this last approach to the expert panel resulted in a consensus on all issues. amongst the expressed thoughts, the appreciation of cultural capital through an emphasis on art, heritage and plurality stands out, as well as the fact that the creative input of specific communities and citizens, in general, should be recognised and supported by professional artists and designers. thus, more and better conditions for artists and designers to develop initiatives to encourage creativity and social innovation are necessary to improve creativity amongst citizens living in vulnerable areas. regarding the methods and methodologies of participatory art and design, the panel highlighted the understanding of common aspects that are informed by both politics and aesthetics. depending on circumstances, this area of knowledge should be seen as a whole and as an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary phenomenon. considering the different targets and forms of expression produced during each project (participants, community, society, art and design specialists), another consensual view was the understanding of different possibilities of interpretation derived from the participatory interventions. the proliferation of participatory art and design initiatives of an activist nature is a relevant way to boost sociocultural transformation, especially the promotion of citizenship issues in a sphere of sustainability, while reacting critically against the political agendas of certain organisations with social responsibility. this kind of practice is thus an artistic phenomenon, informed by ethics, aesthetics and politics and aiming at the involvement and collaboration with citizens for the experimentation and implementation of alternative sustainability models. 65 concerning the dialogue between artists and designers with participants to stimulate interaction and optimise the collaboration process, the panel agreed that this is a core value in the social innovation process for the emancipation of citizens living in disenfranchised neighbourhoods. in this context, the use of participatory creation methodologies, particularly co-design, is a relevant medium for systematising methods of participatory art and design. finally, the expert panel acknowledged that the representation of citizens residing in disenfranchised areas through images of their engagement in creative initiatives for social innovation is a proactive form of representation that goes against the usual reproduction of stigmas. these and other consensual opinions can be better analysed in the questionnaires (appendix 1). conclusions the results obtained in the present research can be verified in several ways. on the one hand, through what was achieved with each social group, and on the other, through the generated intersubjectivity between the areas of knowledge in the fields of design, visual arts, culture, education and social action. regarding the developed initiatives in the disenfranchised neighbourhoods, the outcomes were not only recognised by the participants, but it was also possible to confirm through their interest and constant presence in the development of activities that these types of actions are significant and contribute to the residential areas that engaged. the projects’ implications in society are also revealed by the fact that they lead participants to the production of contents and objects with public interest and utility. also, the outcomes are a testimony of creativity and civic participation in community life. in the netskola case, these aspects were less evident because the project participants produced only small, illustrated texts about cultural references with which they identify themselves. however, both in kowork and more south, through the creation of urban furniture and fabric bags with stamped visual poetry, value and impact were more evident for the local community, society in general and the activists of the established platforms. regarding the intersubjectivity generated in the territories of art and design, as well as in the areas of culture, education and social action, this was measured not only through the involvement with each of these contexts but also through their overlap. within the scope of the design discipline, the understanding of the participatory and transmedia practices in question and the theoretical implicit issues were predominant since the study started from the design discipline. this research characteristic is a relevant aspect that demonstrates the openness of design and the ability to expand to other forms of knowledge. in the areas of culture, education and social action, the generated knowledge resulted from involvement with different organisations within the scope of the completed projects. these associations of social solidarity and non-governmental organisations, with which the intervention platforms have been created, have in general professionals with qualifications in areas such as psychology, sociology, economics and social assistance with whom the knowledge exchange was enriching. it should also be noted that these types of institutions are promoters of educational and cultural activities with experience in using public funding, as well as experience dealing with different local entities. in this context, in the development of the projects, through collaboration with local organisations and established contacts with the heads of public entities in these territories, it was possible to demonstrate the relevance and usefulness of this type of participatory art and design project, as well as discuss and disseminate among those experts some of the main concepts and the modus operandi. 66 among the objectives achieved, it is important to highlight the production of a photography and video archive that represents the developed practice. regardless of the citizenship status of all the case studies, the existence of another form of citizenship emerges, made possible through the imagery in question. this is an archive with images showing a disenfranchised community that lacks social support to unveil the presence of a rich culture. however, what is worth noting is that despite the many adversities in these marginalised places of our society, there are creative citizens full of knowledge and ready to pursue life opportunities (gorgel pinto, 2019). for further research in the same field, the lessons include fostering pluralism, eclecticism and a transdisciplinary approach. considering that this type of socially engaged art initiative is characterised by multiplicity, the coexistence of different aspects and is constituted by elements from several origins, it is pertinent that different artistic approaches of social character seek other possibilities of intervention with similar objectives and without the loss of identity. if the initiative comes from the visual arts or design, for example, and within these with different means of expression and specificities, it is constructive to maintain an attitude that assumes itself by its characteristics and disciplinary context, at the same time that it is informed by other methods and methodologies, whether for their use or simply to better reflect on their condition. references azoulay, a. (2015). the spectator is called do take part. in w. beshty (ed.), ethics: documents of contemporary art (pp. 160–163). london, cambridge, massachusetts: whitechapel gallery, mit press. bishop, c. (2012). artificial hells participatory art and the politics of spectatorship. london: verso books. disalvo, c. (2012). adversarial design. cambridge, massachusetts, london: mit press. escobar, a. (2018). designs for the pluriverse. radical interdependence, autonomy, and the making of worlds. durham, london: duke university press. fuad-luke, a. (2009). design activism beautiful strangeness for a sustainable world. london: earthscan. galeyev, b. m. (1991). the new ‘laokoon’: a periodic system of the arts. leonardo, 24(4), 453–456. gorgel pinto, a. (2017). socially engaged transmedia practice: co-design machine in amadora neighbourhoods. ud16 proceedings 5th phd in design research meeting. http://ud16.web.ua.pt/atas_ud16.pdf gorgel pinto, a. (2019). emancipation and creativity atlas: the societal image of three disenfranchised neighbourhoods in lisbon. the international journal of the image, 10(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8560/cgp/v10i03/1-9. graham, b., regehr, g., & wright, j. g. (2003). delphi as a method to establish consensus for diagnostic criteria. journal of clinical epidemiology, 56(12), 1150–1156. helguera, p. (2011). education for socially engaged art: a materials and techniques handbook. new york: jorge pinto books. holt, m. (2015). transformation of the aesthetic: art as participatory design. design and culture, 7(2), 143-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2015.1051781 67 lacy, s. (1995). cultural pilgrimages and metaphoric journeys. in s. lacy (ed.), mapping the terrain. new genre public art (pp. 19-47). washington: bay press. lee, y. (2006). design participation tactics: redefining user participation in design. wonderground. design research society international conference 2006. retrieved from http://unidcom.iade.pt/drs2006/wonderground/proceedings/fullpapers/drs2006_0174.pdf manzini, e. (2015). design, when everybody designs. an introduction to design for social innovation. cambridge, london: mit press. manzini, e. (2019). politics of the everyday. london, new york: bloomsbury visual arts. meadows, d., & wright, d. (2009). thinking in systems. london, new york: earthscan. mieko, s. (2013, july 13). intermedia/transmedia. moma. retrieved from https://post.moma.org/intermedia-transmedia/ nicolescu, b. (2010). methodology of transdisciplinarity: levels of reality, logic of the included middle and complexity. transdisciplinary journal of engineering & science, 1(1), 19–38. papanek, v. (1971). design for the real world: human ecology and social change. new york: pantheon books. rancière, j. (2002). o mestre ignorante: cinco lições sobre a emancipação intelectual. belo horizonte, são paulo: autêntica. wahl, d. c. (2016). designing regenerative cultures. axminster: triarchy press. appendix selection of questions from the first and second questionnaires: given the existence of several participatory art practices with social groups and communities, namely in the sphere of visual arts and design, how relevant is the fact that these disciplines inform each other concerning the methodologies, methods and means of expression? [75% very relevant] how do you consider social art and social design as disciplinary practices? [75% depending on the project circumstances, an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary phenomenon] how important do you consider the proliferation of social art and design initiatives of an activist nature, whose objective is to boost sociocultural transformation, especially the promotion of citizenship issues and their respective interests and ambitions in a sphere of sustainability, while reacting critically against the political agendas of certain organisations with social responsibility? [75% important] in parallel with the critical and creative sense, how relevant is dialogue between artists and designers with participants to stimulate interaction and improve the collaboration process? [90% very relevant] how important is the use of art and design for social innovation focused on the emancipation of participant citizens? [80% very important] how important do you consider the use of participatory creation methodologies, namely co-design, by other disciplines in the field of social art? [88% relevant] http://unidcom.iade.pt/drs2006/wonderground/proceedings/fullpapers/drs2006_0174.pdf https://post.moma.org/intermedia-transmedia/ 68 do you agree that the representation of groups of citizens living in disenfranchised areas through images of their engagement in creative initiatives for social innovation is a proactive form of representation which goes against the usual reproduction of stigmas? [80% agree] 31 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. twelve potluck principles for social design christian nold, patrycja kaszynska, jocelyn bailey, lucy kimbell published online: may 2022 to cite this article: nold, c., kaszynska, p., bailey, j., & kimbell, l. (2022). twleve potluck principles for social design. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 31-43. 32 twelve potluck principles for social design christian nold a, patrycja kaszynska b, jocelyn bailey c, lucy kimbell d a school of engineering & innovation, the open university, milton keynes, uk. christian.nold@open.ac.uk b social design institute, university of the arts london, london, uk. p.kaszynska@arts.ac.uk c social design institute, university of the arts london, london, uk. j.a.bailey@arts.ac.uk d social design institute, university of the arts london, london, uk. l.kimbell@arts.ac.uk abstract the term ‘social design’ is used in a variety of contexts, but—or maybe because of this—it is far from clear what it means. the starting point for this paper is that there is a need for stronger and more critical community discourse to understand and clarify what social design is and what it does. by analyzing key texts, the paper identifies commonalities, disagreements and unresolved questions in relation to social design. drawing on the example of citizen science, the paper argues for a need to develop principles for social design for further inquiry and discipline-building for social design. the paper offers twelve principles that focus on the notion of the social in social design, its methods and practices and its normative intent, as well as its critical reflexivity. these principles are intended as a ‘potluck’ boundary object to kickstart a stronger social design community. the paper reports feedback from two workshops where these principles were discussed and tested with design academics suggesting how the principles can be applied. keywords: social design, design principles, manifesto, boundary objects, design research introduction design skills and knowledge are today used in higher education, business, the public sector and civil society to address social and public policy issues, such as the climate emergency, migration, air pollution and community inequalities. these many instances are being described as social design. indeed, the term has been applied to encompass a diverse range of design work: creating community food projects, gathering pollution data, designing circular textiles, supporting charities and companies, and creating governmental strategies to reduce energy consumption or childhood obesity. contemporary social design spans a gamut of practices, scales and political affinities from proto anti-capitalist, bureaucratic to anarchist, objectto systemand communityto governance-focused (armstrong et al., 2014). what do these practices have in common? this paper provides a short literature review to highlight the contradictory ways ‘the social’ is invoked within the literature that has (markussen, 2017, p. 162) led researchers to question whether there is such a thing as social design (tonkinwise, 2019). markussen (2017) notes that “social design has become a murky concept” (p. 161) and that “the field of social design has become so multifaceted in theory and practice that it seems to deter anyone from trying to say exactly what social design is” (p. 162). we argue that forging social design as a single discipline and field of practice requires a stronger and more critical discourse around the concept of social design, resulting in a more critical, reflective and reflexive social design community. based on observing parallel work that has taken place within citizen science around the creation of a set of shared principles (robinson et al., 2018), we propose that social design should follow a similar collective articulation process. we thus offer twelve potluck principles of social design to kickstart the development of more informed discourse. a ‘potluck’ is a collective meal where people bring dishes in an unplanned way—resulting in surprising combinations. together, these twelve principles offer a broad characterization that both acknowledges the irreducible diversity of social design while aiming to 33 consolidate and simplify commonalities to advance practice and research. what is our motivation? we do not want to discipline practitioners and researchers to adhere to the ‘right’ way of doing and thinking about social design nor do we want to force conformity. we are interested in facilitating sense-making among different and conflicting worldviews to create a transition in social design. we are not proposing a new paradigm for social design but instead aim to facilitate examination of the existing claims about social design. in doing that, we are supporting transition by taking on the role of ‘boundary spanners’ (klerkx et al., 2010) that create principles as a boundary object to drive change, but do so without imposing top-down solutions. these twelve principles are intended as a provocation to practitioners and researchers involved in social design and a contribution towards consolidating a community of practice and inquiry. key texts on social design: commonalities, disagreements and questions what is social design, and how has it been defined in the literature? below, we review a sample of texts to highlight some commonalities, disagreements and unresolved questions in key texts on social design. we identified contributions that were specifically attempting definitional work and that capture the current academic discourse on social design, rather than its long history. these are a mixture of papers, books and blogs. some of these contributions used the term ‘social design’, whereas others used related terms like ‘socially responsive design’ or ‘design for social innovation’. while some authors like manzini attempt to establish a difference between social innovation as focused on social forms and social design as focused on social problems, manzini acknowledges that in practice they are hard to differentiate (2014). we include the range of these texts based on their engagement with the broader social design discourse. commonalities it is widely agreed that social design is done with people as “a social activity” (tonkinwise, 2019, p. 10). chen and colleagues observe that all the social design papers they examined involved situated social activity with people (2016, p. 3). markussen argues that social design is “a collaborative design process where designers involve a specific group of citizens, public and private partners to achieve social change” (2017, p. 169). for manzini, (2015) the participatory nature of social design, where designing is distributed across multiple social actors, raises questions about the specialist role of the designer. thorpe and gamman identify three modes of collaboration within social design: a paternalistic mode where the designer assumes responsibility, a maternalistic one that involves the designer enabling others, and a fraternalistic approach where the designer is one among many in a collaborative process (thorpe & gamman, 2011, p. 221). these discussions show that social design has developed a sensitivity toward the dynamics and power relations involved in participatory processes and infrastructure practices (björgvinsson et al., 2012; hillgren et al., 2011). the literature is also in agreement that design, including social design, operates with and through objects as a material or materializing aesthetic practice. this attention to materiality makes social design different from other disciplinary communities operating on the social: “designers bring to the social a focus on materiality, how things can promote, sustain or obstruct certain types of social life” (tonkinwise, 2019, p. 11). some authors suggest that social design involves socio-material things rather than inert objects (binder et al., 2011, 2015). these discussions highlight the way social design exists as a meeting point between a variety of social and material concepts and practices. 34 disagreements some argue that social design involves regular design skills and practices that are applied to specific kinds of social problems instead of commercial interests (thorpe & gamman, 2011). in this framing, social is a synonym for “particularly problematic situations (such as extreme poverty, illness, or social exclusion, and circumstances after catastrophic events)” (manzini, 2015, p. 64). this framing encompasses graphic designers making public health posters and architects building public housing. in contrast, other authors argue that social design is unique because it involves a distinctive way of designing (chen et al., 2016; kimbell, 2020). what these specificities amount to is, however, disputed. another source of disagreement is whether social design does or does not aim to improve social realities. some authors claim social design is “design with a conscience,” (resnick, 2019, p. xiii) has “a noble ethical nature” (manzini, 2015, p. 65) and has the intention to “improve people’s lives” (del gaudio et al., 2016, p. 53). papanek’s foundational text, design for the real world (1973) is in this tradition, as well as contributions such as victor margolin, who claims: “the ultimate purpose of design is to contribute to the creation of a good society” (2019, p. 19). yet other authors are not convinced by such claims, labelling them as “utopian” (koskinen & hush, 2016), highlighting the inability of designers to control change and protect good intentions from co-option (chen et al., 2016; thorpe & gamman, 2011). koskinen and hush note that sociologically-informed social design struggles to create designed outcomes “equal to its critical ambitions” (2016, p. 68). in practice, the design proposals created by social designers are often not implemented (bailey, 2021) or are intended as speculative future-making (catoir-brisson & watkin, 2021). this presents an issue for people who want to make a strong claim for the positive outcomes of social design and forces us to distinguish between intentions and impacts. controversies persist regarding the actual outcomes versus expectations placed on social design. questions the overview of key social design texts surfaced several questions which spotlight future avenues for inquiry. these include questions of scale, the role of social theory and the significance of politics. some authors distinguish between different kinds of social benefits and scales of impact (markussen, 2017, p. 161). koskinen and hush identify ‘molecular’ social design, which aims to intervene in small-scale social worlds to “do good design work, humbly, close the door and go home” (2016, p. 67) and “sociological social design”, which integrates sociological and critical theory into the design. these discussions highlight that social design has unresolved issues around how to address different scales of social structures and the need for new methods and concepts that can expand beyond the village. some authors suggest that the solution involves a more substantive engagement with social theory, sociology and other disciplines dealing with ideas of the social (kimbell & julier, 2019). tonkinwise emphasizes the need for all designers to be aware of the systems within which their designs exist, and since these are social (not just technical) or even socio-technical, a specific set of concepts is required to grapple with them (tonkinwise, 2019). koskinen and hush speculate that the difference between social design and other kinds of design may be “not so much in the actual design work, but in the conceptual and motivational scaffolding of the work” (2016, p. 65) and suggest that sociology can provide useful conceptual and reflexive tools. similarly, kimbell suggests that what matters more than methods is the conceptual positioning of social design: its “purposes, assumptions, reflexivity, forms of analysis and modes of organization” (2020, p. 5). these observations indicate that social design may be more complex than other domains of design practice, leading several authors to highlight the political ambiguity of social design. markussen points out that social design arose in the middle of “an ongoing ideological debate about democracy, empowerment and civic 35 resistance against systems of power and control” (2017, p. 165). chen and colleagues (2016) identify a variety of political positions and ideas in social design practices and projects: scandinavian marxism, critiques of unsustainable economic and political structures, social and industrial psychology, and – in ‘user-centeredness’ – a rejection of the political content of participatory design. the implication is that social designers “…cannot choose their sides in the manner of early participatory designers. whatever commitments they make, the implications of their choices are not in their control. social design projects have ambiguous ends and articulate several agendas and visions, and their outcomes are ambiguous and unforeseeable.” (chen et al., 2016, p. 3) what emerges from this overview is a plurality of understandings, positions, and practices of social design. while there are commonalities, the discourse around social design encompasses fundamental disagreements and questions about its core objective of the social, with a lack of a shared language and common definition. methodology to develop a framework within which the different approaches to social design can co-exist and support self-definition, we examined some parallel domains. citizen science has some similarities with social design. it involves members of the public working with scientific experts and creating their research (haklay, 2013). in the last decade, it has gained prominence and institutional support and funding and yet lacks a stable theoretical foundation. the role of the citizen has proved difficult to define and has parallels with the elusive quality of the social in social design, while the concept of citizen science is contested between the natural and social sciences as well as activist practitioners. so, while citizen science has taken place for more than a hundred years, the lack of a shared definition has made interdisciplinary collaboration difficult. however, in the last decade citizen science has undergone a significant process of community selfdefinition that offers a useful guide on how to proceed with social design. in the period 2013 to 2015, an independent body called the european citizen science association started a consultative process that led to a document entitled the ten principles of citizen science (robinson et al., 2018). this document was generated by a working group as a long list of potential principles, followed by an iterative two-year public consultation. the resulting principles are written in straightforward language that tried to synthesize academic and practitioner discussions. for example, principle 3 states that: “both the professional scientists and the citizen scientists benefit from taking part” (robinson et al., 2018, p. 29), noting a recurring issue within citizen science around who benefits from the activity. the ten principles document has now been translated into 26 languages and proved useful in reaching out to people who have not been in contact with citizen science before. from the start, another goal had also been to use them as a “common set of core principles to consider when funding, developing or assessing citizen science projects” (robinson et al., 2018, p. 27). the principles thus acquired a coordinating and disciplining function of delimiting what can be considered citizen science. this function has been very successful with the principles being used by funding bodies such as uk research and innovation to adjudicate what should be funded as citizen science (uk research and innovation, 2020). yet within the broader citizen science community, there has been some concern about how well the ten principles function to adjudicate what is citizen science and arguments for curtailing their purpose. in a follow-up piece of work, a group of academics developed a process of community characterization rather than a definition—the difference being a focus on the description of empirical citizen science practice rather than axiomatic concepts (haklay et al., 2020). the process involved generating more than a hundred vignette descriptions of citizen science practice as well as edge cases. the broad community of citizen 36 science was then asked to rank these vignettes in terms of how closely they represent citizen science (haklay et al., 2021). significantly, the result of this effort was a characterization of citizen science that is broader and more diverse than that which was captured by the initial ten principles. other follow-up research analyzed the impact of definitional labelling on the citizen science domain (cooper et al., 2021). in summary, these definitional and anti-definitional efforts are a powerful example of a community of practice working together to articulate and contest the boundaries of its domain. we believe that translating such a process to social design could reap similar community-building benefits and raise critical discussion about the effect such definitions might create for social design. as in citizen science, we propose kickstarting such an effort by creating the twelve principles of social design and then opening them up to the wider community to rewrite and improve them. we consider that the social design principles could function in these ways: • as a series of axiomatic truths, attempting to capture the fundamental nature of social design. while conceptually neat, we are not convinced that such ‘truths’ exist or would be useful for the social design community. • as regulative ideas. in contrast to constitutive ideas which capture how reality is, regulative ideas make proposals for regulating human conduct. rather than expressing truths, regulative ideas do not define notions such as social justice but set attitudes and expectations. this way of understanding principles bridges the axiomatic and the boundary object way of thinking about principles. • as a design prototype to be iterated before reaching a revised or even final set of social design principles that are agreed upon by the whole social design community. given the variety of locations, intersectional positions and perspectives within social design, we question whether such community agreement could ever be achieved and believe it might be more useful to see the principles as a transient process for supporting community building. • as a potluck meal where each guest contributes a different dish to be shared with others without there being a central plan. rather than aiming at creating consistency and uniformity, the goal is for the principles to function as a coordinating mechanism for bringing the community together. social scientists have referred to this as a “boundary object” (star & griesemer, 1989), a device that is adaptable enough to encompass different viewpoints while being robust enough to maintain its identity across them. this means individual principles can use different theoretical and practical assumptions of the social if they can remain distinctive as a whole. while this is a balancing act, we suggest that aiming at social design potluck principles is achievable and helpful for bringing together the traditions of social design that exist in different silos. the principles we offer in this paper were created via team discussions adopting a potluck approach that integrates the different perspectives of the authors. they combine concepts of “the social” from actornetwork theory (latour, 2005), which focuses on including non-humans, as well as humanist ideas of social inclusion and normative change. this fusion represents what the philosopher andrzej nowak has called a “fire and water” synthesis that brings together humanist ethical-political sensitivity with post-humanist ontological insights (2013). nowak suggests it is only by creating such unlikely combinations that it is possible to acquire an ontological imagination for transforming the world. nevertheless, developing this ontological imagination is difficult (nold, 2021a) and the principles are an experimental chimaera that 37 is receptive to further input from other traditions and approaches. the principles have been shared with the social design community since late 2020 in the form of a publicly editable online document, and two participatory workshops in 2021 and 2022 with 20 and 45 participants respectively. the participants included design students, senior design educators running their own social design courses as well as neighborhood design activists, commercial designers and academic design researchers. these events offered up the draft principles for collective discussion and evaluated them against a series of empirical case studies of social design contributed by the workshop participants. principle 1: social design claims that the ‘social’ is made through and with things this principle suggests it is not enough to design for human users and social groups—social designers must wrestle with collectives where people and nonhuman “things” are intermingled (brassett, 2018). this notion of the social is made up of combinations of human and nonhuman entities. arguing that social design can redesign “the social” is a powerful claim because the theoretical literature merely offers tools for analysis, rather than design, of post-human socials. principle 2: social design operates on the relational practice between human and technical systems where human-centred design is inadequate this principle highlights that social design must tackle technical and human problems together and at the same time. dualistic separations between technologies and people such as “human-centred design” have made it hard to engage with notions such as systems in design (nold, 2021b). drawing on postand morethan-human relational perspectives, (bennet, 2010) social design has to recognize the diverse embodied beings, living forms, ecologies and materialities that participate in configuring the social. principle 3: social design extends across an object and planetary scales, domains and sites a socio-material approach demonstrates that social design is not confined to obvious sites of social activity such as community organizations or social services. instead “the social” permeates and extends across scales—even to the planetary scale of climate change (hunt, 2020). this approach allows social design to engage with multi-scalar issues, such as the deployment of artificial intelligence into society and disasterrelated displacement of people. principle 4: social design acknowledges that there are many ways of operating in the social this principle acknowledges that social design takes place in many ways and sites from interpersonal relations to formal institutions, informal organizations and projects. professional communities beyond traditional design such as managers and policymakers have long been “designing” social things. the principle recognizes the diverse logics of acting on the social, which include methods, tools and skills as well as bundles of resources existing within institutional logics (armstrong et al., 2014; kimbell, 2021). principle 5: social design is an anticipatory materializing practice that proceeds through inquiring into and reconfiguring narratives, sites and worlds building on studies that emphasize the situated practices of those involved in designing and using designed things, this principle points to the inventive, generative and creative character of designing. the concept of “anticipation” (miller et al., 2018) highlights the capacity of designing to exceed current possibilities and reconfigure ways of knowing, being and doing in and through social worlds. 38 principle 6: social design engages multiple kinds of knowledge — no single discipline has a privileged methodology for operating on the social this principle emphasizes the synthetic, interdisciplinary character of social design as an assemblage of many epistemic claims and methodologies. one of the key encounters is between actor-network theory and humanist ideas of normativity and reason. social design is thus a place where ethical-political sensitivities and post-humanist ontological insights can meet (nowak, 2013). principle 7: social design is underpinned by normative intent, whether or not deliberate or explicit this principle highlights that the effects of social design can be for good as well as ill; it means that the forms of social designing need to be justified and critiqued. being engaged in social design means participating in an activity that is subject to personal and collective judgement as well as public evaluation. principle 8: social design forms issue-publics by creating collaborative endeavours with communities through discussion about purposes, needs, values, agency and consequences this principle captures the nature of social design as not just socially embedded but also capable of generating new social formations. the point emphasizes that collectively constituted design processes can create issue-publics that are (re)formed in and through the process of social design (marres, 2012). this raises questions about what binds those communities of inquiry and practice together and how long those collectives last. principle 9: social design builds new democratic relations between places, living beings and things this principle attends to the political character of social design and its consequences and implications. it outlines an intention to achieve equitable relations between living beings, things and ecologies that can be represented and have agency. here design expertise and traditions are in dialogue with understandings of co-production and democracy (durose & richardson, 2015; saward, 2021). principle 10: social design is critically aware of its political, systemic, institutional, and environmental situatedness this principle builds on observations about the socio-technical embeddedness of designing but recognizes that, in the case of social design, the systemic context is more-than-technical. this means asking critical and reflexive questions (alvesson & skoldburg, 2000) about design practice: “whose interests does this serve?” and “is this the appropriate scale for intervention?”, as well as about the designer as a person: “how is my understanding influenced by my standpoint?” and “what other perspectives might help me?” principle 11: social design problematizes the history and modes of professional design, its inequalities, absences and exclusions, such as its eurocentric assumption, and racialized and gendered outcomes this principle builds on the history of social design as a critique of the mainstream and proposes social design as an ongoing critical practice (mazé, 2008). this means understanding the problematic histories of both the mainstream and social design itself, recognizing the epistemic regimes within which they have arisen and excavating the complex power dynamics inherent in designing and designs (abdulla et al., 2019; schultz et al., 2018). 39 principle 12: social design tries to mitigate against the unintended and damaging outcomes of designing. the world is littered with the damaging effects of design, both intended and unintended (monteiro, 2019). this principle, responding to social design’s humanist tendencies, proposes that what is needed to realize well-meaning ambitions is an additional loop of critical reflection. if design typically asks about the possibilities with an inherently optimistic slant, social design must also ask “what’s the worst that could happen?”, “do we risk exacerbating a problem rather than helping it?” and “is design the appropriate response?” discussion whenever one sees principles or a manifesto, it is easy to have a knee-jerk reaction: “this is wrong!” and “that doesn't make sense!” even amongst the authors of the paper, we do not agree on all the principles, and yet we believe that they are meaningful and productive when seen as a collective potluck gathering. we see our role as offering the principles as a boundary object that can be used “to drive transitions through bridging conflicting logics without constraining their diversity” (franco-torres et al., 2020, p. 34). boundary objects work to support sense-making not despite but because they “hold different meanings for those involved” (tharchen et al., 2020, p. 9). it is thus the blend of differences in the principles that are intended to kickstart a community and help support the social design discourse. when we presented these principles to researchers and practioners working in social design via the online document and the two participatory workshops, we received constructive as well as challenging feedback. some of the requested changes were minor, but other feedback was more substantial, such as the need to emphasize the participatory nature of social design, the impossibility of applying all the principles at the same time and the difficulty of picking which ones to apply. the most oppositional comments were made anonymously to the online document, and they challenged our assumption that social design is normative by suggesting, “it can just be a pleasure, not a cause”. this range of feedback has informed the present principles by forcing us to further clarify them and to explore how they can be applied within real-world contexts. the participants suggested that the principles function as a diagnostic device for designers to reflect on their practice. they also emphasized the use of the principles with external partners and stakeholders to articulate what is involved in social design and to establish a common set of reference points to enable better collaborations. one interesting observation was that the participants argued that the principles permit designers to be more normative—social design does not mean having to be disinterested and impartial and that the principles encourage designers to pick which stakeholder agendas they want to support. finally, the participants argued that the principles can assist the broader design discipline by promoting transparency and analysis of what takes place within social design projects. one challenge identified was the academic language in which the principles are expressed, which might not be suitable for a practitioner community. reflecting on this point, we note that social design currently has to borrow theoretical concepts to talk about ‘the social’ as socio-material. despite research emphasizing its relationality, much design practice is still framed as ‘human-centred’, and practitioners do not have a way of talking about the entanglement of people and technologies. in addition, we believe that retaining the multiple phrasings of social design might be beneficial for generating more robust and honest soulsearching about the goals and assumptions within practice and research. this is in line with the way boundary objects have been used to develop “pluralistic tolerance” (stirling, 2011) and cooperation without consensus. so, for now, we retain the mix of academic and plain, emotive language in the principles to represent the multiple nature of social design itself. 40 the other challenge we received was that there is a benefit to the current ambiguity around social design. participants worried that the principles might end up as a regulatory—and exclusionary—checklist. our response is to point to citizen science where the creation of principles also triggered other definitional processes that contested the principles. we argue that this kind of dialogue is productive and can contribute to building a base for conceptual and methodological formation necessary for a field of inquiry to be established. as academics researching and practising social design, we hope the potluck principles are a step in building social design into a distinctive discipline in the same way other areas such as service design and cultural studies have managed to achieve. these disciplines have created enough ‘gravitational pull’ for practitioners and researchers to coalesce around a common language and to establish concepts, methods, and approaches. our concluding thought—perhaps a call to action—is that the social design community needs to come together to better articulate its concepts and approaches in order to take ownership of its central object of the social. references abdulla, d., ansari, a., canlı, e., keshavarz, m., kiem, m., oliveira, p., prado, l., & schultz, t. 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(2022). designing a value object for perpetrators of domestic violence. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 1-14. 2 designing a value object for perpetrators of domestic violence inge andrewa aschool of design, otago polytechnic, dunedin, new zealand. inge.andrew@op.ac.nz abstract this article focuses on a group of people who do not have a voice in everyday discourse – perpetrators of domestic violence. by engaging with qualitative design methods, including the double diamond design process, and looking at the system of interactions and experiences at stopping violence dunedin (svd), this research identified a series of themes and milestones for men who are perpetrators of domestic violence, leading to the development of a value object. a value object can refer to that which creates value for the user. in this case, the object is a key that created a value proposition, working to celebrate the milestones that these men reach in their journey of change, supporting the possibility of an alternative future for them – a future without violence. keywords: human-centred design, user journey mapping, double diamond, value object, perpetrators of domestic violence introduction the author’s master of design research started in 2019 and continued through to 2021 while the world experienced the coronavirus pandemic. during the pandemic, there was evidence of increased domestic violence in our communities. the new zealand family violence clearinghouse found that 9% of new zealanders who completed an online survey reported that they had experienced some form of family harm during lockdown (new zealand family violence clearinghouse, 2020). the united nations described the worldwide increase in domestic violence as a ‘shadow pandemic’ alongside covid-19 (mohan, 2020). the statistics for domestic violence are high in new zealand. according to the new zealand family violence clearinghouse’s 2017 statistics, 35% of new zealand women have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (ipv) in their lifetime. this statistic reaches 55% when psychological abuse is included. research indicates that domestic violence affects every ethnicity in new zealand, although some groups are at higher risk than others. a survey of women found that the lifetime prevalence of physical and/or ipv was 1 in 2 for māori (indigenous people of new zealand) women (58%) and 1 in 3 for european/other women (34%) and pacific women (32%) (new zealand family violence clearinghouse, n.d.). from 2009 to 2017, 230 family violence deaths were recorded in new zealand, of which 48% were a result of ipv (family violence death review committee, 2020). family violence and perpetration of domestic violence are complicated issues. research on perpetrators of domestic violence indicates that primary preventative measures, long-term investment and the need to develop a holistic approach that incorporates support from more than just the justice system are considered critical for reducing the incidence of domestic violence (polaschek, 2016). it is also well known that perpetrators of domestic violence are often victims themselves, having experienced domestic and/or sexual abuse or other types of traumas in their own lives (baker, 2013; campbell, 2012; roguski & gregory, 2014; snegirev, 2017). https://library.nzfvc.org.nz/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=3603 3 stopping violence dunedin (svd) is a not-for-profit community group that works with men by offering individual and group therapy that offers positive change. svd works with about 800 men per year who have a history of violence and supports them by listening to personal narratives and building trust and connections within group sessions. the svd manager explained that the support developed in these sessions is a vital component in the men’s journey as well as the opportunity for change and hope for a life without violence. the manager was concerned about the drop-off rates of the men and expressed an interest in seeing if this support could be extended to them in some way during the week when they are away from svd. this support, and the skills they learn at svd, are critical while the men deal with the everyday stresses of life. methodology human-centred design (hcd) and qualitative design methods underpinned by the double diamond design process were used to determine whether design could support the transformation of violent male offenders within svd. the double diamond process is a non-linear design method which explores needs, ideas and opportunities by using a discover, define, develop and deliver approach. the two-diamond approach works through a process of deep discovery using divergent thinking, followed by focused action (ideo, n.d.). the four cores of the double diamond principles are research, insight, ideation and prototyping. the very nature of hcd is to generate an understanding of a user group or community and reach a variety of solutions for an issue using specific qualitative design methodologies. according to crouch and pearce (2012), the key intention of qualitative research is to provide a vehicle through which participants’ voices can be heard. as a generative process, it keeps the user firmly in scope, seeking to arrive at solutions to a particular issue that are both feasible and desirable, with a bias towards action (clarkson, 2015). it is only by engaging in a thorough process of hcd that a researcher can fully understand the community within which they are working and strive to create an innovative solution which is specific and contextual. in this research, hcd methods which originated from sociological practice (expert interviews and focus groups) were used alongside design methods such as user journey mapping, sketching and reflection to develop a design intervention point and prototype ideas. semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis the 14 interview questions for the four svd facilitators were based on a face-to-face, open-ended, semistructured method, which worked as a framing device to open up new possibilities during the conversations with the interviewees (crouch and pearce, 2012). the interview questions in this study covered both how the facilitators see their role in the svd group sessions and what they think is important for the men as they begin to face the process of change. this method was employed by roguski and gregory (2014), who completed semi-structured interviews with former violent perpetrators to ensure that their voices and stories were the central focus of the study. the data from the interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, which can highlight similarities and differences resulting in unanticipated insights (nowell et al., 2017). metzger and woodley (2010), in their report about family violence and seeking help, also used iterative data analysis, which allowed themes and patterns to emerge. user journey mapping user journey mapping is a common practice in design, allowing the creation of a visual timeline of the user’s thoughts and emotions when using a new object or design and creating a visualisation of the process that a person goes through (gibbons, 2018). journey mapping can also isolate any moments of destabilization in the process and lead to a design intervention point that can introduce an improvement 4 or a new design idea. in this research, the journey of change for the men at svd was visualised using the monomyth of the hero’s journey (campbell, 1949). this draws from joseph campbell’s extensive analysis of human mythology, identifying a series of archetypal stages that are common across cultures in myths, fairy tales, dreams, books and films (yuille, 2017). campbell’s narrative structure can be applied to design to ensure that the user has an experience (or a journey), if not an actual hero’s experience. in this instance, the themes identified as part of the interviews and thematic analysis and information from a literature review were mapped onto campbell’s hero’s journey to visualise a design intervention point. focus groups two sets of focus groups were completed. the first with the svd facilitators was undertaken to gain feedback about the identified themes, milestones and the prototype idea. the focus group with two svd group members was conducted to gain insight into the milestones and the design prototype. results double diamond design process discover phase the open-ended, semi-structured interview questions allowed the svd facilitators (#1 to #4) to reflect on their experience with men who may be initially reticent to the idea of a life without violence but who, over time, develop new skills and an understanding that allow them to make positive choices. in this coconstruction of knowledge between interviewer and interviewee, a shared understanding was developed throughout the interactions (hollingsworth and dybdahl, 2007). the constructed narratives gained from the interview transcripts were analysed by comparing each interviewee’s answers to establish themes and patterns through iterative thematic content analysis. these themes were added to a table under the interviewee’s name, and if a common theme surfaced, this was considered relevant and given a number. these themes were then compared with other academic research (including research by the svd facilitators themselves) and details of these were also added to the tables. when the data from the themes were tallied, any theme that had a total of 10 or more references was considered relevant to this study (table 1). overall, seven common themes were identified by the facilitators and from research on men who undertake the journey towards a life of non-violence. table 1: seven common themes for perpetrators of domestic violence. themes 1. men share, listen and tell stories 2. the group process helps to develop authentic relationships and connections 3. mentors offer model behaviour and hope for the new men 4. the men develop self-awareness, which in turn raises consciousness 5. children are an important motivation for change 6. cultural connectiveness is important to support positive transformation 7. there is an overall journey of transformation that occurs for men at svd men share, listen and tell stories telling personal stories during group sessions is an essential element in the journey of change for perpetrators of domestic violence. this can be an emotionally painful experience but ultimately leads to an awareness that other men share the same or related stories. facilitator #1 acknowledged the pain that the 5 men bring to svd but also the bravery. she sees this in the men when they tell their stories but also in the courage of other men who can be present with that emotional pain in the room. facilitator #3 also referred to stories told during group sessions. he said: “they learn from each other. they will hear each other’s stories. they will get a better hearing in general. they’ll get a better understanding of the world. their horizons will broaden. their sense of who they are in the world will change, and, as a consequence, their behaviour and their approach to many situations will change”. this sharing of stories is only possible by relationship building which led to the second theme. the group process helps to develop authentic relationships and connections in the interview with facilitator #3, he remarked that the group works to challenge several ideas, including those that support violence as well as a hopeless view of the world. the group works by connecting and developing hope that change is possible. the facilitators reported that men who tell the group that they had failed in some way during the week (e.g. shouted at a partner, child or workmate) usually speak with some relief, rather than a sense of fear. this is due in part to the empathy that is modelled in the group situation and the new ability to think outside just yourself. facilitator #4 also highlighted the men’s need to be seen. the facilitators make sure that everyone is seen for who they are in the group, even if that is initially uncomfortable. peers or mentors, men who have been through similar experiences, are crucial to this process which led to the third theme. mentors offer model behaviour and hope for the new men facilitator #1 spoke about the importance of mentors and their presence in the group. these are men who have attended svd for several months and are familiar with the process. their presence indicates that the process at svd works if you stick to it. facilitator #1 said: “so, i think the mentor’s role is to offer hope. change is possible. just by existing and being there and being able to say, ‘i used to be this and now i’m this’. and that this works”. facilitator #3 said that he believes that the men who have been going to svd for some time model good behaviour in terms of dealing with the many situations that the world throws at them. this model behaviour is eventually enfolded by the new men, helping to shape a new identity. he said, “what changes is the identity of the people we’re talking with. people change who they believe themselves to be”. this change of identity can also occur with self-awareness and the fourth theme in this research. the men develop self-awareness, which in turn raises consciousness facilitator #4 mentioned that men can undergo change and let go of their current violent identity, which she referred to as a raising of consciousness. the men notice their feelings in a situation but also notice other peoples’ reactions. facilitator #2 also talked about group members who are constantly disappointed by their behaviour, which can send them into a cycle of old unpleasant habits. the facilitators constantly tend to those behaviours during the group and work on developing new, positive ones. she said: 6 “they are disappointed with themselves, and they can sit with the discomfort of that because that then becomes the new motivator to try harder, while at the same time not beat themselves up about it because that just goes back to the old punitive model”. making changes to one’s personality is complicated, but there can be many motivators for change, including children, which led to theme five. children are an important motivation for change facilitator #3 pointed out that the men who come to svd essentially just want peaceful lives. they want to be able to work, save some money, get some assets and look after their children. their motives for change are ordinary, but believing that change is an option can be challenging. facilitator #4 pointed out in her interview that although children were a good motivator for change, change for the individual first was more important. she said: “often there comes a shift somewhere along the line and it becomes something they realise – actually it’s not about anybody else. ‘it’s nice that i’m doing this for my kid but i have to do it for me first’. but that’s a process”. a way of supporting positive transformation can also be guided by cultural connectiveness. cultural connectiveness is important to support positive transformation all the facilitators spoke of the importance of connections (whakawhanaungatanga) in the group. whakawhanaungatanga is a māori word that loosely translates as relationship building and family connections. facilitator #1 said that it is continually about connecting and treating everyone who comes through the door like a long-lost family member. in response to a question about this connectiveness, facilitator #2 also said: “we value those differences instead of insisting that we have the same understanding or the same set of values or whatever. we show a willingness to understand, be open to, be curious and have an openness to the cultural values and the cultural norms that other people have grown up with. that’s important”. it may be that connection to one’s own culture is a new experience, and this is part of a journey of change that leads to the last theme identified in this research. there is an overall journey of transformation that occurs for men at svdfacilitators #1, 2 and 4 all reiterated the idea in the groups that “we are all in this together” and “we are all a work in progress”, highlighting to the men that change is possible with support. there is a lot of vulnerability and pain in the group that is so important for the process. facilitator #1 remarked that some of the men have experienced unbelievable trauma in their lives, and in many ways they are only duplicating what they have learnt growing up. the transformation that the men undergo was also a reason that facilitator #2 came to work every day. she said: “i think it is the magic of transformation. when you see changes happening […]. you know when someone turns up and they’ve been hiding under a hoody for months and the hoody comes down. what might look like a surface change […] represents something much bigger. there is something very persuasive about that level of change”. 7 double diamond – define phase user journey mapping with the identification of themes, it was then possible to complete a journey map for the svd men, specifically using the monomyth of the hero’s journey (campbell, 1949). lupton (2017) in her book design is storytelling discusses campbell’s ubiquitous concept of the circular journey where the hero gets a call to adventure, initially refuses the call, but, with the help of a sidekick, embarks on a journey of tests and rewards, resulting in returning home with a hero’s story. although the hero’s journey is not typically found in hcd, it made sense here to relate the hero to men at svd and the sidekick to their potential mentor. the importance of the relationship between mentors and new men at svd has already been identified in the themes above. as lupton (2017) also identified, the circular pattern of the hero’s journey is useful in design, as the user goes through a series of highs and lows and their relationship with an object changes over time. the mapping of experiences of new clients at svd identified a point of design intervention where the men go through trials and failures in their journey of change (figure 1). through trials and failures, this part of the journey prompts personal growth by developing new skills and raising consciousness and selfawareness, and the hero can accept help from their mentor along the way. in the seven themes identified above, the mentor at svd proved to be fundamental to the journey of change, as they display a ‘been there done that’ narrative and are visible proof that the svd group process works if you stick to it. the hero in this instance can cross the threshold with the mentor’s help and move through the rest of the journey towards change. this can include revelation (reviewing old behaviours that do not work anymore), change (being more compassionate with oneself), atonement and return with a changed identity. figure 1: the hero’s journey for perpetrators of domestic violence (adapted from campbell, 2008). milestones upon further reflection and consideration of the journey metaphor, as well as the idea of transformation, seven milestones were identified, which were later approved by the svd facilitators during the focus group 8 session (figure 2). milestones can form an essential element of the journey mapping process, in which a series of actions drives the customer on a particular journey. “action drives stories and it also drives the design process” (lupton, 2017, p. 21). what lupton means by this is that good design creates an unfolding story which works to create connections and memories for the user. figure 2: milestones for stopping violence dunedin (svd) men. storytelling continues to be a strong focus from the research, the interview data andthe stories that come from the men at svd. authentic storytelling was also important in the analysis of responses to new zealand it’s not ok campaign, a recent multi-year campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence. point research ltd. (2010) found that the use of ‘real people telling real stories of domestic violence’ reverberated more with viewers than using actors in advertising. in this instance, the story of the new client at svd, now that it is translated into actions (or milestones), could be further explored towards an engaging and accessible design solution. double diamond – develop phase prototype development the design of an object that the men could carry with them could act as a reminder of their journey of transformation towards non-violence as well as a particular milestone that they might have overcome. initially thinking about what men carry in their pockets – a wallet, cell phone and keys, the key as an object is a useful metaphor for a journey but also carries many other meanings. for example, a key: opens and closes doors (both physical and metaphorical) is often lost and found again initiates new beginnings opens hearts solves mysteries unlocks potential 9 keys are familiar items that protect safe spaces but can also metaphorically offer new experiences and hope. the familiarity aspect opens possibilities for the user and its potential to introduce a new and better future. in this case, the key could remind the men of the journey they were on, as well as their support network at svd. therefore, a further concept was to make a pattern on the key (relating to a particular milestone) that was tactile in some way. this idea fitted with the concept of the value object but required feedback from the facilitators at svd. focus group (svd facilitators) a focus group with three facilitators was held to gain feedback about the design process to date the themes, milestones and key idea as a value object. during the discussion with the facilitators, the idea of the key was attractive. however, in their opinion, not every group member should be given a gift of this kind, as some attended svd merely to fulfil a court order. it was common for some men to attend the group sessions, not engage in the process and leave when the 26 weeks were completed. they also thought that seven milestone keys were too many and that it would be difficult to pinpoint when those turning points might be reached. facilitator #1 felt that a key would be better presented when the facilitators see a ‘shift’ in a group member. this engagement (shift), where an understanding develops of the consequences of their violent actions, usually happens around the 4–6-week mark. it was also suggested that a second key could be presented to any of the men who become mentors. this is currently a casual process at svd, but it is a considerable achievement when men in the groups start to show leadership and help new men to find their way. key design once the value object was determined, the process began with the design of the key and its associated pattern. the pattern on the key was important as both a memory enabler and a reminder of the milestones that the user had achieved, as well as the support of the group. humans rely on both sight and touch to evoke memory, but this rumination can also work to develop new understandings of past mistakes. designed objects, although seemingly inauthentic, can work to change behaviour in the holder, or at least induce a cognitive process. the men could reach for the key in their pocket during times of stress. the idea for the pattern of the first key came specifically from the word ‘shift’, which facilitator #1 had identified in the focus group. the car shift diagram was a natural fit in terms of the metaphoric value of journeys as well as its connection with a ‘shift’ in behaviour. the shift diagram also indicates a succession of stages, going from first to second to third, etc. the second mentor key was based around the adjectives for the word ‘key’ (main, major, crucial etc) and the word ‘mentor’, which led to ‘protector’, in turn leading to ‘manhole cover’. the idea of the manhole cover is that it protects without being visible and is both strong and secure, as well as being inconspicuous (much like a mentor). there were a series of designs for creating the key, but the final prototype was created by developing a medium density fibreboard (mdf) mould, which was cast in brass by a local casting foundry. the mould was created by designing a key shape and the patterns in adobe illustrator and cutting these out using a laserjet. the ‘shift’ and ‘manhole cover’ patterns on the mould were also raised by rasterising (removing) the surface of the pattern, ensuring a 3d-like tactile effect. image 1 shows the mdf mould of the mentor key with its associated ‘manhole cover’ pattern, and image 2 shows the final prototype of the shift key, cast in brass. 10 image 1: mdf prototype manhole cover key. image 2: final prototype shift key, cast from brass. double diamond – deliver phase focus group (svd group members) the purpose of the focus group with two svd members (#a and #b) was to gain their perspective on the seven milestones identified from the research, as well as feedback on the key concept as incentives for men at svd. this session was based on the premise that these men were familiar with each other, as they had been in a group for several months. this level of comfort was important for the results of the focus group, which the researcher saw as a simulation of a social occasion rather than a formal interview (lunt, 1996). the plan for this focus group was to keep it as open-ended as possible for the participants to feel comfortable interjecting as much as they wanted. the following is a summary of the conversation, including some key statements from the two participants. the two group members generally agreed with the milestones that had been developed but had differing views about the order in which they occurred. they also acknowledged that the milestones could come at different times and in different orders depending on the person. it also became clear during the conversation that people might revisit the milestones at different points of the journey. they were not necessarily a ‘one-time’ thing. there were many layers to the speak (tell your story) milestone. #a said that he heard his own story told by someone else at the first group session he attended, which affected him deeply. it was not his story, but he realised then that other people had similar stories to him. it had, however, taken him longer to learn to listen to other peoples’ stories. for him, the ‘return to svd’ milestone was determined by that initial experience, and he returned the next week without question. #b, however, said that it took years before he was able to return to svd, as he was emotionally triggered by other group members in the first session he attended and did not go back. he also acknowledged that ‘telling your story’ is one thing but taking responsibility for it is another process altogether. when we discussed the milestone ‘accepting hope’, they both agreed that it takes varying amounts of time depending on the person, and it can be triggered with 11 certain realisations. these could be, for example, recognizing that you have the power to change, becoming self-aware and identifying what your issues are. another theme, ‘playing the long game’, came up during the conversation, which is important to raise here. as mentioned previously, certain men attend svd for the court-ordered 26 weeks and do not return (having not engaged in the process). both participants had been attending svd group sessions for more than two years and were adamant that the journey of change was lifelong. #b explained that many of the guys are very impatient, want instant gratification and find it hard to see the big picture. he echoed later that coming to svd “is a lifelong thing and it’s a lifestyle change. it’s not a change of behaviour as such”. #a also said about the group sessions, “that’s what i do on a wednesday. these are my guys. i’m a lifer”. the concept of the key was initiated by talking about what people have in their pockets. what do they carry with them that is part of their identity? when #a and #b were asked about what a key could represent for them, the discussion focused on opportunities, keeping and unlocking secrets, as well as safety. losing your key can also create a source of anxiety. when they saw the shift key with the gearshift pattern, the overall response was positive, with #b even comparing it to alcoholics anonymous sobriety chips. he also commented that the ‘reverse’ of the gearshift pattern was realistic, since the journey towards non-violence frequently consisted of ‘two steps forward, one step back’. he also commented that there was a lot of ‘neutral’ or procrastinating in the process. they both agreed that a good time to give out the key was when a group member started to show a shift in attitude. #b mentioned that this can be a huge turning point when someone takes ownership of their violent behaviour. the manhole cover key was also well received, with the concept of this key being for a mentor who had moved into a space where he could start to show leadership to the other, newer members of the group. #a agreed that you do not notice manhole covers until they’re missing. they also concurred with the supposition that the key was suitable in the way that it is not obvious to anyone but the owner (#b mentioned early in the conversation that there is a lot of stigma and shame around attending svd). #b also said that the manhole cover was like safety, and by the time you received, it you knew that there were a few people who definitely “had your back”. he reiterated that at svd, it is about pain management, not anger management, alluding to the support that is built within the group. discussion frascara (2006) believes that we must stop thinking about design as the construction of graphics, products or services but as a means for people to act. in this research, a design solution was sought to remind men of the process and the support they receive at svd. qualitative design methods and the double diamond design process were applied to investigate processes at svd and explore concepts and opportunities which resulted in ideas about journeys and change. this translated to the development of a value object, the key. a value object is that which can influence possible or definite change, and a design artefact can create a shared language and understanding as well as imagine a new future (zino et al., 2021). through the development of themes and milestones at svd, the value object displayed a message, defined by either the shift or the manhole cover patterns. the idea of the value object was to ensure that the user experiences something and ultimately, has an emotion induced that might evoke a change (in this case, a response to a situation with something other than violence). this builds on fuad-luke's (2009) definition of design exploration where we can explore possibilities outside current paradigms. a value object can present a proposition and reveal a positive alternative. 12 we all navigate our world according to our context and our identity (which changes over time), and we keep, carry and wear objects with us that either represent our identity or someone we might hope to be. according to lupton (2002), we rely on the world of things, using objects to survive and conquer, merging our identities with the objects we carry. most of us, for example, carry a mobile phone with us, which helps us to access and share information (which evokes certain emotions), and we can feel lost without it. objects that we keep at home either have a functional or emotive value (or both), and we are affected in some way if they are lost or broken. these objects sometimes tell a story and can communicate to us in certain ways. the keys, in this case, are a recognition of the work that has been put in but also a reminder of the support that has grown around the men at svd. just as a key is a metaphor for opening new doors, these keys are a start to a transformation – an alternative future where men can be in charge of their destiny. acknowledgements i would like to acknowledge the staff at stopping violence dunedin (svd), particularly the manager, for helping me with this research. i am grateful for their time and expertise in helping me to understand the process and journeys of men at svd. i would also like to thank the two men who attended the focus group. i will never forget their openness and honesty about their lives. references baker, g. 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(2021). things for thought – a creative toolkit to explore belonging. design for health, 5(1), 82–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/24735132.2021.1883822 99 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. designers as change agents in the circular economy katja fleischmann published online: november 2020 to cite this article: fleischmann, k. (2020). designers as change agents in the circular economy. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 99-118. 100 designers as change agents in the circular economy katja fleischmann griffith university, queensland college of art, southport, qld, australia. k.fleischmann@griffith.edu.au abstract several global reports have concluded that natural resource extraction at its current levels is unsustainable and will lead to the rapid erosion of the environment and tax global economic growth. one of the alternative paradigms to conserve those resources is the circular economy, a system driven by innovation that extends the utility of products as long as possible through a series of strategies that re-use resources. design can act as a bridging tool and a catalyst for the innovation demanded by the circular economy because of its flexibility as a problem-solving discipline. the intermediary role of design can adapt to the complex requirements of circular economy stakeholders who want to shift their way of doing business to a more sustainable model, despite formidable policies, economic, cultural and political obstacles. the author explores the evolution and utility of design from a discipline that shapes objects to one that constructs and facilitates complex systems of interactions among collaborators, which in the circular economy includes consumers, manufacturers, logistics companies, governments, business and science entrepreneurs. several examples of design’s role in this facilitative process are presented that showcase the power of design to drive social and cultural transformations and re-cast industrial and business processes. sustainable innovation is the centrepiece of the circular economy and design has a significant role to play in its adoption, particularly from a human-centred perspective that can address formidable constraints to its implementation. keywords: circular economy, design-led innovation, service design, citizen designer, sustainable innovation, democratisation of design, co-creation introduction – why the circular economy? the strain on natural resources in the world is borne out by alarming trends in unsustainable and accelerating resource extraction. the unwelcome by-products of these practices, which are predicted to double by 2050 (un environment international resource panel, 2019) have been global warming, air and water pollution and a throwaway consumer culture based on cheap credit and products with limited life cycles. the united nations (un) environment international resource panel (2019) paints a dire picture of a global resource collapse unless circular economy practices are employed. other reports such as the circularity gap report (circle economy, 2019) and the finnish innovation fund report (mead, 2018) also conclude that circular economy practices can help halve greenhouse gases by 2050 to meet targets agreed to by signatories to the paris climate accord (united nations, 2015). the 2030 agenda for sustainable development (sdg, 2015) adopted by all united nations member states in 2015, lists responsible consumption and production and climate action as global priorities. circular economy principles are also becoming more imperative during the covid19 pandemic where global supply chain disruptions are slowing down manufacturing, food production, and forcing companies to re-think and reorganise their way of doing business. circular economy advocates see the pandemic fostering opportunities to help local communities source scarce resources like medical equipment, drinking water, and face masks through re-tooling of industrial production lines. sustainability during the pandemic 101 requires re-thinking of whole systems of delivering goods and services given social distancing and supply chain disruptions (blériot, 2020; haigh & bäunker, 2020). the circular economy is part of a sustainable innovation paradigm which is seen as the “next generation of economic development thinking” in which the protection of the environment is coupled with the notion of business innovation (saylor academy, 2012). reversing destructive natural resource consumption trends is the principle aim of the circular economy, a systematic re-framing of resource use based on biomimicry within closed-loop systems. the circular economy model draws on natural cycles where the re-uptake of decaying matter feeds the entire ecosystem (ellen macarthur foundation, 2013); in a balanced ecosystem, nothing goes to waste. in the circular economy, waste in all its forms becomes a feedstock for new industrial processes, product development and energy production. the circular economy extends this idea to products and services through improved product design and moving waste to the top of the supply chain where it can be re-purposed and not dumped in landfills. the circular economy economic system shifts responsibility to achieve its goals to a diverse network of key players: end-users, manufactures, logistics companies, governments, and business and science entrepreneurs–who are interconnected and need to engage jointly in the complex undertaking to drive systemic change. designers have a key role to play in the system-wide economic changes driving the circular economy (wastling, charnley & moreno, 2018) by facilitating the necessary transformations in human interactions, mindsets and relationships. joore and brezet (2015) argue that “change actors like designers play a strategic role in innovation and transition processes towards a sustainable society” (p. 92). designers are already solving complex problems using human-centred approaches that are evidence-based and rely on various forms of user participation when designing for social change (souleles, 2017). robinson (2017) makes a strong case for a social circular economy, where responsibility to help the socially disenfranchised, such as the homeless and unemployed, is part of the business landscape. robinson (2017) sees design uniting “the circular economy and social enterprise concepts to deliver benefits for people, planet and profit” (p. 4). haigh and bäunker (2020) agree that designers can help a circular economy shape “a more resilient, socially just and environmentally safe world” (p. 1), however, the building of a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable economic system faces well known and formidable obstacles. the roadblocks stopping the circular economy: vision versus practicalities for many years, researchers have explored circular economy concepts, such as cradle-to-cradle design, regenerative design, laws of ecology, industrial ecology, biomimicry and the blue economy. since 2010, the ellen macarthur foundation (2013; https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/) has played a leading global role in unifying these concepts and promoting the circular economy model, designed to preserve the inherent value of products as long as is feasible (lewandowski, 2016). the central concept of the circular economy is re-using what is already there and exhausting its utility – a process that by necessity is driven by innovative thinking. design acts as conceptual bridge between the exigencies of business and the drive to minimise waste using innovative methods. the circular economy’s vocabulary reflects this paradigm shift with such terms as ‘reverse logistics’, ‘reuse’, ‘remanufacture’, ‘extraction of biochemical feedstock, ‘regeneration’. all of these terms derive their inspiration from the natural world, where creation and decay form part of a biological cycle that is balanced when healthy and generates waste that is re-incorporated into the ecosystem. 102 productive use of waste in all its forms often requires disruptive, innovative practices throughout the value chain (ritzéna & sandström, 2017). however, there are substantial impediments to making this vision of an ‘ecologically’ balanced economy a reality, chief among them are financial incentives for companies, particularly in manufacturing, to change their way of doing business to fit a circular model. operational logistics have to be restructured in the circular economy and attitudes have to shift to accept that investing in circular practices will help companies maintain a profit. technological barriers also have to be overcome as well as policy challenges prompted by shifts in global politics (imsa amsterdam, 2013; ritzéna & sandström, 2017; van eijk, 2015). there are also significant policy framework barriers experienced by all countries in which governments are not incentivizing businesses and scientist entrepreneurs through tax breaks, grants and significant seed money investment (de jesus & mendonça, 2018; kirchherr et al., 2018; van eijk, 2015). existing policies may inhibit businesses that want to adopt circular economy practices (r2π, 2018). current events amply demonstrate this reality, particularly with developed nations offshoring mixed recycling for processing which is no longer a viable option. china has initiated a new policy rejecting shipments of mixed recycled waste from overseas that does not meet its stringent contamination thresholds. the crackdown has created an economic crisis among the developed world’s recycling businesses (cole, 2017; parker, 2018). countries such as the philippines and malaysia have also rejected overseas shipments of recycled waste from canada and australia (denyer, 2019). some forward-thinking waste managers are now actively searching for industrial processes that can, for example, convert recycled glass into sand for use in roadbeds (fleischmann, 2019). the attitude barrier in a wide-ranging survey among stakeholders and sustainable development experts in the european union (eu), respondents identified ‘cultural barriers’ as the major impediment to circular economy implementation (kirchherr et al., 2018). ‘cultural barriers’ were identified as low consumer interest and awareness of circular economy practices and companies hesitant to collaborate in the value chain because of low virgin material prices, high upfront investment, and regulatory obstructions and limited funding. a lack of urgency and strategic company planning using hard data about the circular economy’s benefits were also cited as obstacles. the authors also suggest that further research and development (r&d) funding will not guarantee the circular economy’s success in the eu. this finding is supported by boer (2005), who predicted it is risky to invest in environmental technologies that customers do not want and which governments are unwilling to support. other authors acknowledge that shifting to a circular economy is as much about the shifting mindset of people, as it is about technological innovation (adrodegari, pashou & saccani, 2017; prendeville & bocken, 2017; teso & walters, 2016). geographic barriers also impede circular economy practices (fleischmann, 2019). many circular economy initiatives are centred in metropolitan areas with high population densities and high innovation indices which attract government funding. regional areas are often geographically isolated, have smaller populations and lower innovation indices. in these areas, circular economy initiatives face a lack of funding and expertise (fleischmann, 2019) and an often ‘risk-averse’ attitude by businesses and regional governments (coronado, acosta & ferñandez, 2008). ironically, according to van eijk (2015), local governments can drive policy changes much faster. van eijk estimates the period for the implementation of regulatory changes on an international level takes about a decade; in the eu policy changes happen in five years and on the local level it takes about a year. 103 with all these formidable obstacles it would seem the prospects for widespread adoption of the circular economy is ultimately unachievable. it is at this point where design can prove its efficacy by helping shift cultural resistance to engagement with the circular economy and by providing the innovative business framework for making it a reality. there are ample examples of how designers can drive these critical transitions to a circular economy which follows the trajectory of how design has evolved to meet social needs. from product to service design: the changing role of design in servitisation and business model innovation design as a discipline has undergone tremendous changes over the past 30 years from being a mere form giving or styling activity to “being able to influence a company’s entire business strategy” (gardien & gilsing, 2013, p. 56). design’s aesthetic function has evolved into a tool to focus on people and technology (user-experience design); as a differentiation tool to support branding; as a business tool for fuelling innovation; and finally as a cultural tool enabling transformation (gardien & gilsing, 2013; hernández, cooper, tether & murphy, 2018). activist designers have also been early adopters of the sustainability discourse initiated through the seminal work of victor papanek with his book “design for the real world: human ecology and social change” published in 1971. since the 1980s, these environmental designers have been instrumental thinkers and practitioners in the green design and eco-design movements. although designers have been involved in a systematic approach to reducing environmental impact through green product design, the emotional or behavioural dimension such as user-product attachment has largely been ignored by manufacturers (ceschin & gaziulusoy, 2016) – a finding which has a direct bearing on ‘cultural resistance’ to the circular economy. years before the circular economy gained currency as a systematic model, van nes and cramer (2005) found that 78% of products still function when they are replaced, evidence of the throwaway economy. products are often discarded due to changing user preference and change in fashion (cooper, 2006). the current so-called ‘linear economy’ is producing products with a limited shelf life often achieved through built-in obsolescence. a prominent example is the electronic waste created by the purchase of new versions of the same product like mobile phones or smart appliances made obsolete by software upgrades that do not work on older products. despite growing secondary markets for purchasing used mobile phones such as the iphone, the consumer-driven economy demands product life spans that are limited and have been decreasing (european environment agency, 2017). van nes and cramer (2005) summed up the disposable product problem this way: “this requires the development of dynamic and flexible products, which implies designing for variability and product attachment and preparing the product for future repair or upgrading”. lewandowski (2016) describes this way forward as a holistic approach where products are designed within an ecosystem of carefully managed and re-used resources where product afterlife is part of the equation. in this system, waste is minimized through extended product lifespans in a closed material loop of multiple users rather than individual consumers. as a result, toxic and polluting materials are better controlled (de los rios & charnley, 2017). there are many examples where product designers are already taking a more holistic approach and designing out waste by increasingly using modular design to lengthen product lifespans (european environment agency, 2017). a good example of modular production is fairphone (https://www.fairphone.com/en/), an entrepreneurial european company employing modular product design to break the cycle of consumers buying new mobile phones every time a new model comes out 104 (figure 1). the amsterdam-based mobile phone manufacturer subscribes to the idea that consumers will opt for mobile phones that are designed to last up to five years, are virtually unbreakable, and can be updated with simple modular replacements that consumers can do themselves. fairphone employs circular economy principles of creating smartphones that can be maintained, repaired and upgraded by end-users, are more robust and last much longer than the average smartphone. next to the modular design, the systems thinking approach extends to ethically sourced materials and supply chains. the self-repair and maintenance of the phone through owners using basic tools and online available repair tutorials (mestre & cooper, 2017) are one of the main drivers for increasing product longevity. fairphone advertises, “if you cannot open it you do not own it”. figure 1: modular design fairphone 3, source (creative commons 4.0). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:fairphone_3_modules_on_display.jpg. as fairphone illustrates, business models are no longer following a linear path. disruption and digital technology are re-inventing the way consumers participate in economic activities. designers are also helping businesses re-define new models of ownership and use. several authors have suggested that designers can influence business and consumer behaviour and thus meet circular economy goals. this is clearly illustrated in the concept of servitisation or product service systems (pss), where a product is not bought but essentially leased from a producer who maintains it. the pss concept can apply to anything from office space, to clothing to lighting systems and vehicles. rather than re-design an entire production and distribution system, servitisation allows smaller businesses to take the first steps toward engaging the circular economy without having to make significant financial investments (michelini, et al., 2017; spring & araujo, 2017). in particular, the internet of things (iot) has lowered the barriers of engagement in circular business model innovation by using technology such as sensors, apps and integrated logistics to redefine the relationship between consumers, products and manufacturers (spring & araujo, 2017). various circular business models are making use of the iot, especially services as part of the sharing economy like car and bike-sharing (e.g. bycyclen in copenhagen, 105 citibike in new york, mobike in china). companies such as lime, which advertises “micromobility for all” offers electric scooters in congested urban environments and has essentially monetised transportation using phone apps linked to credit cards. designers are now involved in developing such service ideas around products which include a “network of actors who produce, deliver and manage the pss [product service system]” (ceschin & gaziulusoy, 2016, p. 131). one well-known example of this innovative business model is pay-per-lux, where phillips offers light as a service (arup, 2016). the way it works is that companies receive a state-of-the-art smart lighting system with no upfront investment. the customer then pays only for the light that is used. phillips will update the light system when out of date and will retrieve the original system for secondary use elsewhere. the automotive industry is also experimenting with innovative, circular business models. electric car manufacturer riversimple (https://www.riversimple.com/) is pioneering 'next-generation' electric vehicles by basing its company pricing on an expansive leasing model which includes insurance, repair and maintenance (ceschin & gaziulusoy, 2016). in these comprehensive leasing models, the consumer does not ‘own’ the vehicle; riversimple pays for all the ancillary services motivating the company to design an electric vehicle with minimal energy usage requiring fewer repairs and thus increasing the car’s lifespan. this comprehensive leasing model is an alternative to manufacturers’ dependence on consumers purchasing new model vehicles. many other well-known companies are trialling the ‘access economy’ or socalled ‘on-demand economy’. for example, ikea has just announced plans to rent out furniture instead of selling its do-it-yourself flat box products (pownall, 2019). smaller businesses like rype office has moved beyond the trialling phase and offers three furniture options for customers for lease or purchase that include new, re-made or refreshed furniture with buy-back guarantees (ellen macarthur foundation, 2017b; rype office furniture, n.d.). designers are also creating more circular electronic products by creating a service based on user behaviour. gerrad street (https://gerrardst.nl/), a dutch company, is combining a modular design with servitisation. two alumni from delft university in the netherlands, started the company using the concept of servistising a modular design of headphones which they provide to customers on a subscription basis (looijs, 2017). the business model theoretically creates a cheaper and more sustainable product. in this model, customers pay to use the headphones on a monthly or yearly basis, which entitles them to upgrades and repairs. “the design of their products is modular and no glue is used so they are easy to disassemble, repair or add new hardware” (ellen macarthur foundation, 2017c). gerrard street leases its headphones for less than 10£ per month, which for many users is an attractive financial alternative to buying expensive headphones on the open market. these examples of applying circular economy principles to product design clearly illustrate ideas of holistic innovation by creating mass consumer products as a service rather than an owned object with limited utility. modular design with interchangeable parts that consumers can swap out creates a closed resource loop product system that maximises resources rather than limiting their use. designers are now engaging in extending product lifetime through durable design and design for maintenance as well as increasing utilisation through sharing schemes or pss. 106 human-centred design for a circular economy: the critical role of design-led innovation the manufacturing process is being re-defined by smart product design, which is one aspect of the circular economy. it is an example of design’s innovative capacity. the cox review commissioned in 2005 in the united kingdom (uk) was the first to articulate clearly that design is what links creativity and innovation in industry (hm treasury, 2005). “design has many different definitions, but at its heart, it is about the process of translating ideas into reality, making abstract thoughts tangible and concrete” (hm treasury, 2005, p. 3). the international council societies of industrial design (icsid) describes design as: “…a creative activity whose aim is to establish the multifaceted qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole life cycles. therefore, design is the central factor of innovative humanization of technologies and the crucial factor of cultural and economic exchange.” (drp, 2013) the transformational role of design has not been lost on policymakers in many countries. having identified design and designers as major influential contributors to economies (e.g. design council, 2011; dmi, 2015; designsingapore council, 2009) has led to an increase in government-funded support for design-driven innovation programs in countries such as the uk, denmark and finland. countries like singapore went even further and developed a structured design culture through policy-driven design-led innovation to tackle innovation challenges and economic development. government driven design support programmes have also powered regional innovation and introduced design-led research methods to non-designers, researchers, businesses and educators (gulari, melioranski, er & fremantle, 2017). design-led innovation: the nuts and bolts at its heart, design-led innovation is a human-centred process which makes use of real-time research through user engagement, collaboration and co-creation. design-led innovation is “generally considered whole systems approach providing the ability to combine empathy for the context of a problem, creativity in the generation of insights and solutions, and rationality to analyse and fit solutions to the context” (alexander, 2013). the core principle of design-led innovation as a solutions-based system starts by investigating and tracking the end-users, their motivations and requirements. designers spend time with users of products or services to gauge what they want and to discover unarticulated needs through observation, interviewing, video or photo-ethnography, and customer journey mapping. the findings and developed insights are shared with the stakeholders offering the product or service. the creative process of generating new ideas is done collaboratively by integrating various stakeholder perspectives and then prototyping and trialling ideas in an iterative process to come up with the most effective solutions. “designled innovation offers methods to drive required business model transformation and is recognized as one of the key enablers in the transition to a circular economy” (fleischmann, 2019, p. 382). a well-known application of design-led innovation is design thinking which has been globally adopted in the business world to drive radical innovation, create competitive advantage and change business culture and behaviour (brown, 2009; vianna, et al., 2014). design thinking and other design-led innovation methods can be applied at a strategic, service, product or on an organisational level by facilitating a designdriven culture to change the mindsets of employees and customers (kilian, sarrazin & yeon, 2015; matthews, townsen & wrigley, 2016). designers offer an organic process that allows ideas to rapidly bubble up to the surface, be tested, and then moulded. in very important ways, design-led innovation is a catalyst for ideation between stakeholders along the value chain. 107 as aminoff, valkokari and kettunen (2016) argue, the transition to a circular economy “cannot be achieved if individual organizations advance their own interest independently...[it] requires new value chain partners, or new roles of existing partners and a new kind of collaboration between the participating partners” (p. 629). designers can help to approach problems from a human-centred perspective and design methods are being used to better understand customers through a collaborative process (fraser, 2010; storvang, jensen, christensen & storgaard, 2013). examples of design-led innovation are starting to appear in the old economy, state-run businesses such as the postal service in australia. collaboration is at the heart of an australia post initiative that has identified the circular economy as a way to become a better corporate citizen and implement circular economy strategies. more importantly, australia post (2017) is recognising the role design plays in the process: “…you cannot be at arm’s-length in the circular economy. it is a co-designed system based on synergies and building connections” (p. 4). concretely, australia post cites its collaboration with nespresso, the coffee capsule company and a recycling plant in nowra, new south wales, australia to illustrate the reuse/recycling loop in the circular economy. nespresso customers can order a pre-paid australia post satchel online or at a nespresso store and mail up to 130 capsules to the recycling plant where the coffee grounds are composted and the aluminium capsules are made into other products – part of the ‘re-use’ closed loop system advocated by the circular economy. while australia post illustrates the technical loop of circular economy logistics, the eu is incorporating design-led innovation into the value chain of the circular economy by fostering multidisciplinary scientific collaboration – part of the biological loop. the eu has been at the forefront of making scientific advancements, particularly in chemistry, an integral part of ‘upcycling’ in the circular economy. upcycling is a concept where used materials are converted into something of greater or equal value (loopedworks, 2015). central to this effort is catalysis, a chemical process that has widespread industrial applications in reducing waste on a large scale. examples of the use of ‘green’ catalytic processes in the circular economy context are plentiful in a laboratory setting but there has been little large-scale commercialisation of the processes that are reducing waste and creating new value. as discussed, the reasons for impediments to commercialisation have largely revolved around business scepticism. while the pathways to commercial success are not as straightforward as chemical conversions, the commercialisation phase of catalytic development is benefitting from design-led collaboration, ideation, prototyping and scalability which can map various approaches involving all stakeholders in the process. a company already practicing design-led innovation as a path to large scale commercialisation and moving circular economy practices beyond the prototype stages is bolt threads (2019), a bio-design company in the u.s. the bioeconomy company unifies science with business and design when using biotechnology to develop and promote consumer goods. the company bases its consumer products on engineered yeast to produce a spider silk protein which is spun into yarn and marketed as fast fashion. bolt thread focuses “on the consumer in the messaging and design of its products” (ginsberg & chieza, 2019, p. 4) and is a good example of a start-up with the potential to scale up its production while having a reduced environmental footprint, a primary circular economy goal. designers also help the company to overcome “a widespread public aversion to genetically modified organisms” (ginsberg & chieza, 2019, p. 4) through a design-led innovation process that brings science and business interests together. this unifying characteristic of the design process is clearly producing results in business innovation. 108 helping stakeholders to move forward: circular economy toolkits understanding the circular economy and how to make it work within a business or governmental context presents formidable challenges. bringing so many diverse groups together is being facilitated by circular economy ‘toolkits’ which designers use to help stakeholders map the processes involved in designing circular economy initiatives. toolkits, like those offered by the ellen macarthur foundation and the design consultancy ideo, reveal the key steps needed to implement circular economy principles (ellen macarthur foundation, 2015, 2017a; the circular design guide, 2017). the circular economy toolkits are a relatively new way to address social and economic complexities using a process of interviewing, mapping, iterating solutions, and tools for recording results. toolkits have a variety of ways of translating the circular economy’s new vocabulary into meaningful metrics and graphics that illuminate critical components of the circular economy closed loop value-chain of product design and service innovation. toolkits also employ step-by-step methods for selecting stakeholders and increasing their participation in ideation. some toolkits focus on generating data that helps companies decide on the most sustainable way to source raw materials by comparing 'circularity' of individual products as well as evaluating company-level circularity. still, others suggest financial models encourage entrepreneurial circular economy start-ups (e.g. evans, et al., 2013; zero waste, 2016). there are currently various open-source circular economy toolkits available for companies and policymakers wanting to learn more about how to implement circular economy practices. however, there is limited research into the effectiveness of the design and use of these toolkits. simonchick et al. (2015) highlight that “the choice of a specific toolkit (both visual representation tools and user-research techniques) is highly situation-dependent (e.g. level of access to customer’s organization, level of initial insight, time limitations and the needed level of detail etc.)” (p. 8) hence selecting the appropriate toolkit can already influence the level of success. reigado et al. (2017) explored the circular design guide developed by ellen macarthur foundation and ideo as an alternative to improve the application of product-service-systems methodologies; the researchers reported the toolkit’s strength lies in the process of understanding the problem context and stakeholder engagement, however, the circular design guide lacks practical aspects such as identifying the competitors. as more toolkits are offered to help implement the circular economy, a key question remains underexplored: how effective are the tools inside the toolkit when compared to standard business practices such as due diligence, benchmarking and market scans? it is difficult to measure design’s innovation outcomes and quantify how a company’s design culture contributes to innovation, including circular economy toolkits. work needs to be done to analyse the effectiveness of these toolkits from a design-led innovation standpoint. the citizen designer: co-creating a sustainable future consumers are key stakeholders in achieving the circular economy vision. the role of the citizen designer was foreshadowed by lipson and kurman (2010) who wrote “we will witness a growing amount of consumer-led product development and modification across a wide range of industries that manufacture physical objects” (p. 55). opportunities for user-customized products have increasingly emerged over the past decade. shoe and sportswear manufacturers such as converse, nike, adidas and puma allow their customers to customize products through the use of online services. customers can influence the final design of their shoes by selecting colours for the outsole, sole or laces and can further personalise their 109 product by adding a name or a flag (in case of adidas). some car manufacturers such as toyota or vw leave the final stages of design to their customers through an online configuration tool. customers can configure their car to their needs and unique tastes and ultimately can buy a more satisfying product. this kind of participation in the creation process has seen its latest manifestation in crowdsourcing innovations (howe, 2006; lipson & kurman, 2010). companies or organisations post creative briefs or challenges on the internet seeking input or solutions from their customers, employees, partners or the wider community (hammon, & hippner, 2012; libert, spector & tapscott, 2008; maher, paulini & murty, 2010). this “opensource dialogue” invites the wisdom of crowds to “collective design” and the customer/citizen being able to influence the outcome and drive change (duffy & partners, 2008; maher, paulini & murty, 2010). participatory design as a strategic business tool to develop better products, improve brand communication or services has been utilized in the business world for many years. it is best known for involving customers to participate in value-creating activities, such as user-testing products or prototypes to develop new or improved products. crowdsourcing and co-creation are two newer participatory practices which give a voice to the user and wider public who can add valuable feedback to circular economy practices from a public angle. on a large scale, the city of glasgow, for example, aims to globally crowdsource circular economy innovations and wants to implement the winning solutions that the online challenge generates (university of strathclyde, 2019). co-creation, broadly defined as “any act of collective creativity, i.e. creativity that is shared by two or more people” (sanders & stappers, 2008, p. 6), differs from crowdsourcing as it allows the end-user or customer to become actively involved and an equal partner in the creation process (bason, 2010; sanders & stappers, 2008). therefore, the people who benefit from a service, product or process to be developed or improved are actively participating in the creation process and receive expert status in the creative team (sanders & stappers, 2008). co-creation “is the difference between people creating a great idea for you and people working with you to make a good idea great” (williams, 2013). co-creation has become increasingly popular in the social and public innovation sectors to address complex, global problems from a sustainable perspective (bason, 2010; european commission, 2013; mahy & zahedi, 2010). co-creation is seen by many as a central factor of a circular economy (leube & walcher, 2017) because the “social value of co-creation is fuelled by aspirations for the longer term, humanistic, and more sustainable ways of living” (sanders & simons, 2009). fablabs, for example, provide fruitful ground for shifting the responsibility of creation to the citizen or community groups (fleischmann, hielscher & merritt, 2016). the community-based digital fabrication workshops are often run voluntarily and can generally be freely accessed by the wider public. ideas and initiatives for change can therefore emerge from the bottom-up and can lead to grassroots innovations – thus being more aligned with the needs of the community (chilvers & longhurst, 2013; seyfang & smith, 2013). fablabs can facilitate a creation process that is opposed to the usual top-down approach leading to what hippel (2005) sees as democratizing innovation. although fablabs have been criticised for non-sustainable practices (brown, 2015; fleischmann, hielscher & merritt, 2016) – as part of community-based production such as repair cafes and hacker and maker spaces – they are perceived as convergent with the circular economy (ede, 2016). for example, the great recovery (2016) project which looked at the circular economy from a designer’s perspective (2012-2016) used a fablab to encourage re-use by fixing objects like a broken handle with 3d printing technology 110 instead of buying a new product. here the community-based production challenges the planned obsolescence of products through the ‘right to repair’ credo. fablabs are also seen as “hotspots for arduino and sensor technology development, and circular thinking needs this to help unlock the data flows that accompany our products” (the great recovery, 2016, p. 29). the fab city in barcelona which is seen as “building bridges for circular networks of fabrication” (sicar, 2018, p. 18) recently opened up a fab market to promote distributed manufacturing “where designers can fabricate for low cost and sell their open-source designs globally” (ede, 2016, p. 10). this new way of production follows a paradigm of ‘design global, manufacture local’ which “means the ‘light’ things (bits, information, shared/open source design) travel, but the ‘heavy’ things (atoms, the physical, manufacturing) stay local” (ede, 2016, p. 10). distributed manufacturing systems, such as fab labs, are one way to challenge the mass manufacturing system in a linear economy. these new disruptive business models shorten manufacturing supply chains and are based on low volume, on-demand and bespoke manufacturing. these disruptive models incorporate new modes of interactions via customer-led designs. one such company is disrupt sports (2018) which offers bespoke designed sports gear. customers design their surfboard, skateboard or snowboard. the motto of disrupt sports is: “you design, we create, you shred”. as a result, instead of producing hundreds of similar surfboards, that may or may not sell, disrupt sports produces on-demand, customized products aligned to customer's specifications which guarantee sales and at the same time saves resources instead of manufacturing solely based on marketing. the democratisation of design (fleischmann, 2015), is an important agent in the transition to a circular economy. the rise of the prosumer (proactive consumer) and citizen designer is central to the collaborative design process in the circular economy. the democratisation of design gives people an agency in making the circular economy work. critics of this process, however, fear “the blurring of the boundaries between amateur and professional design practice” (massanari, 2012). advocates see the advantages in co-creation or the user-centred design participation process and welcome the “‘open-source’ dialogue that invites the audience into the creative process” (duffy & partners, 2008). tim brown, ceo of ideo has famously declared “design is everywhere, inevitably everyone is a designer…” (brown, 2014). not everyone agrees; treder (2015), for example, defines the citizen designer more concretely as a “design participant” – he argues, perhaps everyone is a designer… but not everyone should design. conclusion: future trends as a discipline, design is a catalyst for change. designers have always used a flexible, iterative approach to problem-solving, which is an instrumental process in re-imagining the future. the circular economy posits a paradigm of a more sustainable world that saves natural resources using nature’s ecosystems as a roadmap. the circular economy envisions a complete re-ordering of economic and social priorities designed to preserve the world’s dwindling natural resources, increase product longevity, reduce waste and phase out the endless cycle of cheap consumer credit fuelling non-stop consumption. there are still formidable policy and economic obstacles blocking the path of this radical transition to a circular way of doing business. designers and citizen designers as change agents can help remove those obstacles and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. however, it is often difficult to communicate the value of design to stakeholders because of intangible qualities such as facilitating collaboration and strategic planning (bletcher, 2017). there is a lack of understanding about the expansive role designers can take in the transformation to the circular economy (bletcher, 2017). 111 tonkinwise (2015) argues that designers are futurists because they deal in fiction, speculation, provocation and discourse — all elements of successful design practices. it is these disruptive traits that allow designers to shape the way we live and how we act, fundamental to the changes the circular economy demands of its stakeholders. new design disciplines, such as transition design, incorporate these futurist qualities demanded by the circular economy. as an emergent way of addressing large-scale problems, practitioners of transition design play a key role in re-framing global problems (irwin, 2015). the social impact of largescale changes, such as reducing reliance on fossil fuels for energy, is part of the transitional designers’ toolkit. irwin (2015) argues that transitional design is dynamic and by its very nature open-ended and speculative which results in a circular, iterative problem-solving approach. designers have taken on a variety of crucial roles which are demanded by the circular economy: product designers encourage collaboration and co-creation between experts and amateurs to re-define product life cycles and respond to end-user needs; transition designers are facilitators between key stakeholders; fiction designers re-imagine our future and its possibilities; designers marry technology with logistics; and graphic designers help the world visualise the way to a sustainable future by mapping relationships, information and data. all these design roles use systems thinking that lies at the heart of the circular economy where current patterns of consumption and production are supplanted by sustainable business models such as servitisation and modular products that are leased instead of owned. time in this leased world becomes a commodity while manufacturers can focus on sustainable product production. these transitions do not happen in a vacuum but require consumers to take ownership of changes with designers leading the discourse. in the circular economy, designers become co-creators in designing with the people. designers adapt their roles to encompass citizen participation in the iterative process. as fleischmann (2015) predicted, “the democratisation of design will not go away but will allow more ‘nondesigners’ to become involved in idea generation, development and production of products, services or processes” (p. 103). in the circular economy, non-designers are crucial to its large-scale adoption. approaching social challenges and complex problems such as creating a sustainable future has seen the empowerment of the end-user, citizen or community group by engaging them in the problem-solving process. designers can unify stakeholders, including the public, governmental agencies, and the business and scientific communities in a common vision that can realise the goals of the circular economy. educators must also adopt a leading role in training the new generation of designers who will have the future tools, creativity and vision to construct the circular economy. references adrodegari, f., pashou, t., & saccani, n. 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(2016). circular economy business toolkit. retrieved from http://www.nzwc.ca/focus/circulareconomy/toolkit/pages/default.aspx doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.491 http://www.theguardian.com/best-awards/co-creation-is-the-new-crowdsourcing http://www.nzwc.ca/focus/circular-economy/toolkit/pages/default.aspx http://www.nzwc.ca/focus/circular-economy/toolkit/pages/default.aspx designers have a key role to play in the system-wide economic changes driving the circular economy (wastling, charnley & moreno, 2018) by facilitating the necessary transformations in human interactions, mindsets and relationships. joore and brezet (2... the roadblocks stopping the circular economy: vision versus practicalities designers are now involved in developing such service ideas around products which include a “network of actors who produce, deliver and manage the pss [product service system]” (ceschin & gaziulusoy, 2016, p. 131). one well-known example of this innov... human-centred design for a circular economy: the critical role of design-led innovation 64 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. enabling co-creation for social innovation: the parada do sol project juliana bittencourta, luzia menegotto frick de mourab, ana bergerc, pedro boeckel mendesd published online: october 2021 to cite this article: bittencourt, j., moura, l. m. f. de, berger, a., & mendes, p.b. (2021). enabling co-creation for social innovation: the parada do sol project. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(2), 64-78. 65 enabling co-creation for social innovation: the parada do sol project juliana bittencourta, luzia menegotto frick de mourab, ana bergerc, pedro boeckel mendesd apontifícia universidade católica do rio grande do sul, brazil. juliana.bittencourt@pucrs.br bpontifícia universidade católica do rio grande do sul, brazil. luzia.moura@edu.pucrs.br cpontifícia universidade católica do rio grande do sul, brazil. ana.berger@pucrs.br dpontifícia universidade católica do rio grande do sul, brazil. pedro.boeckel@pucrs.br abstract this article describes a social innovation project coordinated by the tecnopuc creativity laboratory (crialab) from the pontifical catholic university of rio grande do sul (pucrs) that impacted morro da cruz, a neighbourhood in the peripheral region of the city of porto alegre, capital of the state of rio grande do sul in southern brazil. the main objective of the project was to positively impact the environment and the residents of the neighbourhood in question, which led to the development of a technological installation using renewable energy. the method combined the stages of the process for social innovation (murray et al., 2010) with tecnopuc crialab’s authorial user-centred exploratory research approach. using the quadruple helix model for innovation as a framework, a group of diverse stakeholders was involved. the execution of the project followed a participatory process based on co-creation, which is one of the important characteristics of designing for social innovation. the participatory aspect was fundamental to creating an outcome capable of impacting and bringing real benefits to the territory and its community. in addition to the development of a technological installation, the project had a significant impact on the lives of young people, as an opportunity to train and educate the young participants was identified, providing practical learning opportunities that amplified the results and assured the project’s continuity. this article reports the parada do sol as a case study, the results of which show the relevance of involving stakeholders in a participatory design process to create an innovative solution. keywords: social innovation, co-creation, participatory process introduction based on the concept of social innovation (si) as a means of transforming reality, responding to the unmet needs of a group, usually in a socially vulnerable situation, and giving new meaning to processes and flows of authority to generate value for people impacted by innovations (sinclair & baglioni, 2014), the goal of the parada do sol project was to positively impact the environment and the residents of the neighbourhood in question. by relying on partnerships and inputs from multiple stakeholders while adhering to co-creative design methods, it led to the development of a technological installation using renewable energy. historically, peripheral urban regions are spaces seldom covered by formal innovation initiatives, which are usually launched in central regions, thus contributing to strengthening a sense of segregation between social strata. the project’s hypothesis was that a technological installation could transform the neighbourhood environment. for that, the residents’ participation in the definitions regarding the solution was fundamental. innovative and technological initiatives are usually conceived and implemented in topdown procedures, in which external and outsider stakeholders assume what should be done in a specific territory. therefore, the project method and its participatory co-creative approach, which put residents in the spotlight, became very important. 66 the project’s methodology was drawn from references that, amongst other characteristics, put forth three premises: user-centricity, experimentation and co-creation. co-creation is also an important feature of design for si (cipolla, 2017), as involving users in the process of creating a product results in a much more relevant and innovative solution, built through the diversity of views and the real needs of users. furthermore, for young people, participating in a project such as the parada do sol project can influence their choices for the future. most young people born to poor families grow up in an environment that reinforces this situation and tend to follow the same path as their parents (lareau, 2014). when coming into contact with new incentive structures they envision new possibilities and can be inspired to choose a path not previously imagined. the parada do sol project was characterized by environmental sustainability, since its outcome was related to renewable energy by 1) educational activities which arose from its implementation through training opportunities for young people in the community, 2) the understanding that all people have a right to obtain relevant knowledge for their personal growth and, finally, 3) the notion that si should contribute to social-environmental issues. thus, the parada do sol project is aligned with two un sustainable development goals (sdgs): the promotion of clean and accessible energy (sdg 7) and quality education (sdg 4). in addition to the direct involvement of community representatives from morro da cruz, several stakeholders interacted over a period of two years, inspired by the quadruple helix model (carayannis and campbell, 2009), an internationally recognized model for innovation, in which the relationship between the university, business, government and organized civil society is considered. one of the goals of this model is social development. it acknowledges that it is of great importance to bring society and its cultural aspects into the process of innovation and construction (galvão et al., 2017). since the 1990s, the application of the body of knowledge of design and its method has been extended to projects focused on social and environmental problems (oliveira & curtis, 2018). si is inherently multidisciplinary, and the design contribution is of high relevance due to its people-centred and co-creative methods and mindset. this paper aims to discuss the contributions of a design-based method in si projects. the parada do sol case study is presented below as a way to demonstrate aspects of co-creation, si, multidisciplinarity and user-centricity. initially, the theoretical framework that guided the work is presented. afterwards, the method and the achieved results are reported, followed by a brief discussion. design for social innovation a fundamental starting point to situate this case study is to understand the concept of si. si has three features: 1) the content/product, which is generally oriented towards unmet needs; 2) the process, which transforms social relationships so that the logic of the process is changed, bringing greater social participation and hierarchical change and 3) the empowerment of the people involved, strengthening social assets and relationships (sinclair & baglioni, 2014). therefore, si projects need to have a practical impact and generate value for the people affected by the promoted change. si is a collective and creative process that happens in partnership with users, non-users, social movements and organizations (joão-roland & granados, 2020). one aspect to be observed in projects that use a design approach for si is that design must be adapted to reflect participation and co-creation, avoiding superficial approaches or just being a discourse that does not reflect practice (hillgren et al., 2011). according to manzini (2014), design and si have an affinity. while si creatively recombines existing processes and things leading to change, design has the characteristics of creating processes and developing 67 solutions to existing problems. there has been an increasing recognition of users as potential sources of value and as innovators in innovation processes (von hippel, 2005). thus, si seeks to solve social problems by working together with society, and it is complemented by design as a discipline to create projects and solutions focused on people. in this process, there are top-down projects, in which the solution has a large impact on social transformation but lacks in co-participation; bottom-up projects, which are usually initiated by local groups and that result in a more specific or territorialized solution; and hybrid projects, in which there is a mixture of these two modalities (manzini, 2014). what differentiates hybrid projects is that they can start with a territorial focus (bottom-up) and be replicated based on top-down decisions. within the different applications of design within si projects, its particularities stand out when working in a specific geographic territory, such as a neighbourhood or a small town. some important aspects are: 1) valuing products and processes from the territory; 2) promoting the political and aesthetic potential of the territory; 3) dealing with convergences and divergences in the environment; and 4) creating spaces for experimentation (krucken, 2017). in this scope, the designer needs to connect with the people from the territory and its context to be able to propose a solution that will have greater chances of sustainability and continuity. moreover, their work should respect local traditions or the "cultural heritage, that is the practices, representations, knowledge and techniques, associated with the instruments, objects, artifacts and places recognized by local inhabitants as part of their culture” (krucken, 2017, p. 328). thus, si is achieved by respecting the territory’s particularities. another important concept is user-centred design, as si projects focus on people and the resolution of social problems, believing that the problems are solvable. according to ideo (2015), "[…] human-centred design offers problem solvers of any stripe the chance to design with communities, to deeply understand the people they’re looking to serve, to dream up scores of ideas, and to create innovative new solutions rooted in people’s current needs” (p. 9). in user-centred design, one method used is co-creation, which despite being a concept still under debate, is understood in this article as a process of creation in collaboration with the end-user (schuch & hoffmann, 2021). articulating stakeholders for innovation in design for si, it is important to understand and strengthen the interaction between different actors who are somehow involved in the processes (cipolla, 2017). the quadruple helix is the model that best represents the interaction between actors that occurred in the presented case study, as it indicates an evolution in innovation ecosystems, a respect for social and environmental issues, mainly by acknowledging society’s role and interests (galvão et al., 2017). figure 1 shows the correlation of the actors involved in the quadruple helix. 68 figure 1: quadruple helix model (adapted by the authors). in projects focused on specific territories, it is important to take into consideration the interactions between the different stakeholders involved, since these interactions might alter during the project, creating new dynamics in their relationships. thus, it is possible to sum up the aspects that manzini (2014) highlighted about hybrid projects in design for si, as they can start with a territorial focus and be replicated with their widespread performance from top-level decisions. in the context of the case study, it is possible to situate tecnopuc crialab as responsible for managing the co-creation approach and the diverse stakeholders involved in a user-centred hybrid project modality, due to its ability to connect university, business, society and government. the top-down perspective relates mostly to the definition and application of the method used and to the management of the stakeholders involved. the bottom-up perspective relates mostly to the community leader, who envisioned the opportunity to contribute to the development of the territory and reached out to tecnopuc crialab for help. the social innovation process in general, si methods foresee community engagement, stakeholder articulation and co-creation. based on the understanding that innovation is not a matter of luck nor is it restricted to brilliant individuals but that it can and should be shared and managed, the ‘open book of social innovation’ (murray et al., 2010) provides a description of the process for social innovation (psi) which was elaborated on based on various methods and tools for si used around the world and in different sectors. aligned with manzini’s (2014) concept of the hybrid project modality, the parada do sol project highlighted that most social changes do not happen as a result of just one direction, that is, they do not result only from bottom-up or top-down interactions, but they involve the relationship in both directions, bringing together individuals who bring ideas and energy and large organizations with the power to develop and scale ideas. in this sense, tecnopuc crialab’s work as a manager in a hybrid si project indicates that design can fulfil this role by bringing multidisciplinarity, inclusion and social impact towards a cohesive, measurable and applicable result. the psi (murray et al., 2010) comprises six stages to promote social impact, from the conception of the idea to systemic change. the stages are visually represented in a spiral that indicates magnification, shown in the graph below (fig. 2). importantly, this process does not necessarily need to follow the spiral sequence, and the stages can even overlap. the six stages are described in the illustration below. 69 figure 2: the psi (murray et al., 2010 cc by-nc-sa 3.0). combining methods in the parada do sol project combined with the psi by murray et al. (2010), the user-centred exploratory research method (ucer), developed and tested by tecnopuc crialab, was partially applied in the parada do sol project. this method is “directed – but not restricted – to the initial steps of a process of development of a technological product and/or service, from the perspective of user-centred design” (szabluk et al., 2019, p. 4). a unique aspect of this method is the use of low-resolution prototyping (which uses simple materials such as cardboard, pens and adhesive tape) to build the first prototype of a product with low cost and reduced time. this type of prototyping contributes to creating and analyzing a first experience with the product or service, allowing the evaluation of the product ideation, in addition to facilitating changes and alterations to the project, without causing great financial expense (szabluk et al., 2019). figure 3 is the visual representation of the method and its four phases: context, plan, action and analysis. figure 3: user-centred exploratory research method. reprinted with permission from szabluk et al. (2019). the context phase seeks to define the main objectives of the research, in addition to understanding the end-user through different tools. in this method, the user’s understanding is fundamental for defining the hypotheses that will guide the next steps. the plan phase consists of prototyping the scenario and the product or service that will be tested in the next phase. to guide this construction, a narrative of the user’s https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ 70 interaction with the product/service is made and a script for the research is formulated, considering the hypotheses raised in the previous phase. in the action phase, users are prompted to test the product or service that was prototyped. the test is characterized by analyzing the user’s complete experience from their arrival on the scene to their interaction with the product or service under research. finally, the analysis phase is dedicated to analyzing the data collected in the testing experience and compiling the results in the form of design principles that will define the development of the desired solution. although the method presents the phases sequentially and foresees actions that fit from the beginning to the end of the process, the authors highlight that “the method has an iterative character and each step can be revisited, whenever necessary” (szabluk et al., 2019, p. 5). a relevant feature of the method is the intentional and well-planned interaction with the user. it highlights the importance of removing the designer from the role of sole responsibility in the creation process and shows the relevance of co-creating with users. in the following section, we explain how the parada do sol project was developed by combining the si process and the ucer. the case study is described, pointing out its main results along with the method and theoretical framework used and the researchers’ perceptions. case study: the parada do sol project initially without a specific name, the parada do sol project was born from the will of a community leader from morro da cruz to impact the community. this community stands in the são josé neighbourhood located in the peripheral region of porto alegre. the neighbourhood has more than 30,000 inhabitants (observatório poa, 2010), with heterogeneous characteristics in its socioeconomic constitution, but hosts mostly a low-income population and people in a socially vulnerable situation. worried about the environmental issues caused by the lack of education in this community, the community leader thought the neighbourhood could benefit from getting closer to knowledge and innovation generation. he approached the closest university (pucrs) and its science and technology park (tecnopuc) to get help to conceive an installation related to renewable energy that could make a positive impact on the community and its territory. tecnopuc mobilized its creativity and design laboratory (the aforementioned tecnopuc crialab) to participate in this initiative. benefiting from an ecosystem that comprises over 180 companies of several sizes and 7 schools with an academic body of over 3000 professors and researchers, tecnopuc crialab started its involvement by mapping the actors whose activities were related to the topic of renewable energy. thus, the first companies and startups were mobilized to participate in the project. also, based on its regular practice of the user-centred design process, tecnopuc crialab proposed that young people from the community be invited to participate in the project. it was up to the community leader to invite young people between 16 and 25 years old who live in the community to be part of the workgroup. the process was oriented to the co-creation approach and bottom-up modality to capture the community’s needs and wishes. seeking to make the presence of these young people viable during the project, a grant was provided for the duration of the project, sponsored by one of the companies involved. in addition, lessons about basic electricity, photovoltaic installation and curriculum development sought to expand the participants’ skills. this later proved to result in a feeling of belonging to the project amongst the young participants, according to feedback sessions with the participants. 71 therefore, an ecosystem for creating the means for si was articulated. using the quadruple helix model, tecnopuc crialab mapped the stakeholders that were involved in the project (fig. 4). the ‘university’ dimension was represented by pucrs science and technology park (tecnopuc) as host of the project, by the university career office (pucrs) as the support for curriculum development and by the tecnopuc crialab, the laboratory whose team was responsible for coordinating the execution of the project, mobilizing the necessary actors and conducting the co-creation process with everyone involved. the representatives from the ‘society’ dimension of the model were the community leader, the project participants and the morro da cruz community. the community leader recruited and organized the participants, and the community got involved in the in situ co-creation activities. regarding the ‘private sector’ dimension, the representatives were clube watt (a startup that develops photovoltaic panels), sevenia (a company that sells renewable energy solutions), nae (an architecture firm) and metalco (an urban furniture manufacturer). the startup, clube watt, was responsible for filming and photographing the activities, and the sevenia company financed the grants and provided lessons on basic electricity and photovoltaic installation. nae and metalco were responsible for generating technical drawings and for building the structure that was the project outcome. as representatives of the ‘government’ dimension, the public transport and circulation company (eptc) and city hall were contacted to ensure public authorization and licences for the implementation of the project. figure 4: stakeholders of the parada do sol project. from the initial objective of impacting morro da cruz’s community with a technological installation, specific goals were drawn and the method was established. with the guidance of tecnopuc crialab’s team, the group found an opportunity to work on a co-creation process to identify relevant possibilities to benefit the community through the use of this renewable energy. as a project preamble, a series of meetings took place at the tecnopuc and the community centre at morro da cruz. all stakeholders were involved in some or all the meetings, according to the method used and its activities. 72 since the project arose from the preconceived idea ‘to impact morro da cruz with a technological installation’, the stages of identifying problems came together with the effort to think how this idea would be. therefore, regarding the method used in the parada do sol project, stages 1 (commands, inspirations and diagnostics) and 2 (proposals and ideas) of the psi were developed concurrently. the stage 1 activities were aimed at group formation, visiting and exploring the territory in field visits to know the habits of the morro da cruz community and identifying problems that could be minimized or needs that could be addressed with a technological installation using renewable energy a suggestion from the community leader motivated by observing the lack of public lighting in the area. during field visits to morro da cruz, user-centred research techniques were used, such as interviews, observations and field notes. as a result of this stage, it was highlighted that the young identified the area near the community centre as the place the installation would be made, since it is a central area of the neighbourhood where the community and external people meet and also the definition of using solar panels as a visual way of instigating people about the theme of sustainability and renewable energy. it was important to have representatives of the community (the young) in the field exploration to gain the community’s trust. also, the representatives of the university and the companies could not think about the problems of the community with the same gaze as those who live there. young participants visited the sites of the startup and the companies who partnered in the project to learn about their work and meet the professionals. due to the basic level of education of the young participants, the companies got together to offer ways to help them gain knowledge about renewable energy and the realities of the labour market in the technology sector. those initiatives are described below. figure 5: exploratory field visits at morro da cruz and the place defined for the installation. at stage 2, activities aimed at identifying the best place to make the installation and generating ideas in co-creation sessions were undertaken. brainstorming techniques were used in a co-creation session between the community participants and the representatives of the companies and the university involved. from the narrative and previous experiences of the community, it was defined that the best place for the installation of the technological installation would be the bus stop near the community centre (fig. 5). besides generating ideas and designing the installation format in more detail, during co-creation sessions the community named the project. parada do sol is a play on words in portuguese that means ‘sun stop’. the group then brainstormed about its inherent problems and how electricity generated by the solar panels could help. the problems identified were the lack of public lighting (which resulted in insecurity for the population), the small shelter available for the number of people who wait for buses daily and the lack of entertainment possibilities since people spend a lot of time at the bus stop. ideas like having cell phone chargers, plants and seating could improve the space. each participant drew how they envisioned the 73 installation and presented their idea. then, combining ideas and converging them into a single concept, the ideal model of the bus stop was defined (fig. 6). figure 6: co-creation sessions and conceptual drawings of the installation. the stage 3 activities concentrated on conceiving and making the group ideas tangible. tecnopuc crialab’s team (the university representatives) saw the opportunity of using the ucer method, concentrating on the ‘plan’ and ‘action’ phases, as highlighted in figure 7. figure 7: diagram of the ucer method adapted to the psi. adapted with permission from szabluk et al. (2019). in a field visit, the location where the installation developed by the participants of the project would be implemented was studied in detail. therefore, new co-creation sessions at the university premises were facilitated to prototype the ideal installation. once again, the young representatives of the community and the representatives of the companies and the university worked together prototyping in a reflection-inaction process (goldsmith, 1991). from that, a true scale prototype was built. this approach to prototyping allowed the group to keep reflecting on the users’ needs (in the parada do sol project, the users were the community itself) which meets one of the characteristics of the method, that is “constant interactions throughout its application” (szabluk et al., 2019, p. 7). following the proposed ucer method combined with the psi, the technique used was low-resolution prototyping: the installation model was built using cardboard, brown paper, adhesive tape, crepe paper, pens and other simple materials available on site. 74 figure 8: co-creative prototyping process. at stage 4, the stage the project is currently on, the results of the co-creation sessions and prototype were turned into a technical project, led by one of the companies participating in the project. during this stage, the young participants from morro da cruz were not as involved as in previous stages, due to the technical aspect of the activity. until this stage, the participants attended six different training courses given by one of the companies involved in the project, in which the following topics were taught: basic electricity, basic photovoltaic project and installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems. the training took place in different locations at the university campus, providing opportunities for young people to have contact with the university’s undergraduate environment. at the end of the training, a workshop conducted by pucrs careers (an area of the university that provides career development orientation) provided guidelines for the development of a curriculum and information about the current labour market. figure 9: training courses in basic electricity, photovoltaic projects and installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems at the university’s premises. still at stage 4 and in preparation for stage 5, a retrospective dynamic session was held with all participants to consolidate group learning. this discussed issues about the project, seeking to understand how participants felt during the process, positive and negative points they identified and what could be improved in the next effort. regarding the positive points, the young participants from morro da cruz mentioned that they were grateful for the opportunity of knowing the innovation ecosystem of the nearest university to their home and that they felt like they had learned a lot about topics their regular school does not cover. they were also enthusiastic about the prototype they built. regarding negative points, they mentioned feeling frustrated with the time it will take to build and install the bus stop they designed and that they wished the project was better communicated to society to inspire other initiatives. the will to keep in touch with the stakeholders involved was also highlighted to find new project opportunities. the results of the parada do sol project until stage 4 and the preparation for stage 5 of the process were presented to the morro da cruz community in a traditional christmas event in december 2020. the young 75 participants received certificates for the training they had attended, and a video about the project was shown to the community. the tecnopuc crialab team is currently in touch and working with the companies who are manufacturing the co-created solution. this aroused in the community high expectations of what could result in their neighbourhood from this project. in the next section of this paper, considerations regarding the method used and the main results achieved so far in the parada do sol project are discussed. discussion this article presented a case study that used the process of social innovation (murray, 2010) as a methodological framework. from the standpoint of co-creation, the quadruple helix (carayannis and campbell, 2009; galvão et al., 2017) helped to understand stakeholder involvement. the steps of the ucer method (szabluk et al., 2019) were indicated as a guide in specific stages of the process, specifically the prompts, proposals and prototype stages. in this process, co-creation was facilitated and its method was proposed by a design team. it was important to have people trained in design to manage the process, the information and the people involved. the facilitation was important not only in the prototyping sessions but also in the field visits and ideations. the user-centredness mindset of the designer was important to ensure that the community perspective was always in focus during the process, despite other stakeholders’ interests. co-creation had an important impact on the stakeholders involved. in relation to the community members involved in the project, treating them as co-designers is a way to promote the culture of innovation (eckhardt et al., 2021), and it also generates a sense of belonging when they are involved in the process of developing solutions in tandem with organizations (academic, private sector and governmental). the community valued having other actors involved in creating something to impact their territory, and the con-creation sessions led to greater integration between the participants. therefore, it is possible to highlight the design and its inherent multidisciplinary, horizontal and co-creative approach as a locus for merging and managing different methods and tools to drive purpose and push through difficulties, encircling expectations and desires to generate measurable, positive outcomes. a real-scale prototype of the bus stop was rapidly developed using the exploratory method of user-centred research. the approach used differs from existing ones due to the low-fidelity experience prototyping procedure and the hybrid modality adopted to convey and engage the multiple actors of the quadruple helix involved in the project. the build of a real scale low-fidelity prototype of the intervention helped participants to perceive the outcome of the co-creative process and also to visualize how their idea could impact their territory. the prototype also brought tangibility to the process the community had gone through along with the other stakeholders who were already more familiar with innovation and product development processes. from an external person’s standpoint, a simple bus stop might not be the choice to start a process of si, but it emerged as a point of reference for the community, where every day many people meet and stop by to go to work, featuring a space of the territory’s identity. this highlights the importance of respecting the cultural heritage of each location (krucken, 2017). this was possible because by bringing the standpoint of the members of the community into the spotlight, it was possible to capture problems, wishes and needs specific to their neighbourhood and the idiosyncratic interactions that happen within it. these grievances might be addressed in future projects complementary to parada do sol, eventually resulting in a virtuous circle of spontaneous improvements in the environment. 76 the government acknowledged the need for improvements in the public security of the area and accompanied and authorized the work to be done. the university and its science and technology park acted with the articulation of the actors and conducted the co-creation sessions, mobilizing knowledge and human resources to spread innovation beyond its campus. the project’s young participants and the community actively participated in efforts to understand their own needs as a community and generate alternatives to overcome difficulties. the parada do sol project is in stage 4 of the psi, and stakeholders are currently fundraising for the construction and installation of the bus stop. an unexpected outcome of the project was the relevance given by the young participants to the training and certificates that they were awarded. in the reality in which they live, education usually presents itself as something distant and difficult (lareau, 2014). reaching a peripheral urban region with innovation initiatives and providing training broke the ‘glass ceiling’ of a socially and educationally segregated community. these are elements that might be explored in a knowledge-based society, creating a path forward to help discontinue the disbelief in the educational system towards the insertion of skilled people in the labour market. these aspects corroborate the concept of si, as the young people have experienced another dynamic of education, accessing relevant knowledge and professionals, developing relevant skills and improving their placement in the current labour market. furthermore, it contributed to objective 4.4 of the sdgs, which is to “substantially increase the number of young people and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and professional skills, for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship” (united nations, 2021). brazil lacks human resources in the information technology labour market due to basic educational gaps. in this sense, the parada do sol project shows a way to insert a socially vulnerable audience into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem) area, which is so important for a knowledgebased society. assessing the collaboration between stakeholders based on the quadruple helix model, it was identified that the partnership between universities and companies is extremely relevant for promoting long-term change. the mixing of the academic environment with members of society who do not have access to formal education proved to be a very rich learning experience for the group. however, it is noted that diverse interests from each group of stakeholders could have been better taken into consideration. from the real scale prototype on, the progress of the project was somewhat impaired due to difficulties in the interaction between the companies, the university and government. these difficulties can be exemplified by the protraction and bureaucracy regarding municipal authorizations for the installation and the deprioritization by the companies of the pro bono project due to labour market demands. thus, it is possible to say that from the quadruple helix model perspective, mobilizing stakeholders and creating an innovation ecosystem for the project built from the interaction of these actors brings great results, but it faces some difficulties, especially regarding project management, considering the time it takes for each institution involved to conduct its external and internal processes. it is important to mention the inherent complexity in developing and implementing a project with the characteristics of parada do sol. the expectations generated in the participants, especially in the community involved, needed to be carefully managed. people tend to become emotionally involved with the idea or concept they are creating and prototyping and naturally tend to find it hard to understand the slowness of implementation. another limitation identified relates to the participation and support of the government in medium-term projects such as parada do sol. the periodic election and renewal of the government body needs to be considered in the project timeline due to the fragility of combined agreements. 77 in addition to the practical issues of the parada do sol project, the overlaying of the ucer method to the psi should also be highlighted. its main tools are low-resolution prototyping and the use of narratives to elicit opportunities and to run tests with users, which fit the psi. as indicated, the process’s stages 1 and 2 (respectively, prompts and proposals), correspond to the ‘context’ phase of the ucer method created by tecnopuc crialab, as they are the stages of problem identification, research and raising hypotheses and of generating ideas to solve the identified issue. stage 3 of the psi (prototyping) can be correlated with the ‘plan’ and ‘action’ phases of the ucer method. tecnopuc crialab’s method offers the tools of structured low-resolution prototyping and the use of narratives to build an effective and low-cost prototype. the last overlap identified is between stage 4 of the psi (sustaining) and the ‘analysis’ stage of the ucer method. in both situations, the aim is to identify the feasibility of the created product/process. the main difference between them is that the psi foresees in its process the reproduction and expansion of the carried out initiative, while the ucer method does not foresee this step, although it is not an impediment. thus, the ucer method can support projects focused on si providing tools and process flows. it was noticed that in the parada do sol project, the diagram of the ucer method was not applied to the research of a product to be marketed but to the elaboration of an artefact in a specific social context, which was conceived through and reflects the needs of a community and the territory in question. this demonstrated its viability in contexts other than a market-oriented one. also, the young and the community from morro da cruz represented the end-users, whose collaboration in the creation of the product/installation was essential. this meets the characteristics of si projects. thereby, the viability of applying this method in the design-driven si field was identified. it is believed that the project had a positive impact on the participants. it has already transformed the community by the transfer of knowledge it made possible. even if the solution is not implemented, a spark for a fruitful path has been started, in which the community felt included with the ability to insert themselves in contexts that would not otherwise feel adequate (e.g. the technology area). this way, this case can inspire other initiatives that seek respect for the environment and society, understanding that sustainable development is a reflection of the balance between technology, well-being and respect for differences. as a contribution to the body of knowledge in the area of design, this paper emphasizes the importance of the role of the designer as a facilitator and manager of an si process, the possibilities and limitations of mobilizing different actors to achieve a design goal (society, government, organizations and the university) and the value of using design methods and techniques with non-designers in the pursuit of relevant innovative solutions. references carayannis, e. g., & campbell, d. f. j. 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(2005). democratizing innovation. the mit press. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419109534381 https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/livros/liv101629.pdf https://doi.org/10.1162/desi_a_00248 https://youngfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/the-open-book-of-social-innovationg.pdf https://youngfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/the-open-book-of-social-innovationg.pdf https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/tpa/article/view/57191/33401 https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746414000086 https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 5, no. 2 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. andi setiawan, universitas sebelas maret, indonesia aoni zhang, university of lisbon, portugal beatriz itzel cruz megchun, university of portland, united states emine kοca, ankara hacı bayram veli üniversity, turkey evgenia symboulidou, university of macedonia, university of piraeus, greece gayle cantrell, northumbria university, united kingdom gloria gomez, oceanbrowser & university of sydney, new zealand & australia ioana moldovan, technical university of cluj-napoca utcn, romania kirsten scott, istituto marangoni london, united kingdom laura nino, technology university of eindhoven, netherlands marios samdanis, brunel university, united kingdom nailejileji mollel-matodzi, tshwane university of technology, south afrika sarah elsie baker, media design school, new zealand sterre lidwine de jager, tu delft, netherlands subinay malhotra, iowa state university, united states https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 2 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. deniz ekmekçioğlu, ondokuz mayıs üniversitesi, turkey sarah baker, media design school, new zealand asa wikberg, luleå university of technology, sweden emine koca, ankara hacı bayram veli university, turkey aicha nairi, university of monastir, tunisia georgina twamley, university of the arts london, uk claire pillar, art+design: elearning lab, cyprus melanie levick-parkin, sheffield hallam university, uk reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 2 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 4, no. 2 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. beatrice villari, politecnico di milano, italy claire pillar, art+design: elearning lab, cyprus university of technology, cyprus elena caratti, politecnico di milano, italy estelle berger, strate school of design, france zoran markovic, archi research and design institute, botswana nailejileji mollel-matodzi, tshwane university of technology, south afrika shriya malhotra, independent researcher and artist, india reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 4, no. 2 16 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. far-sighted communities: design meets future studies to boost visioning and participatory foresight elena enrica giunta, maria chiara cattaneo, rocco scolozzi published online: april 2021. to cite this article: giunta, e., cattaneo, m. c., & scolozzi, r. (2021). far-sighted communities: design meets future studies to boost visioning and participatory foresight. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 16-28. 17 far-sighted communities: design meets future studies to boost visioning and participatory foresight elena enrica giuntaa, maria chiara cattaneob, rocco scolozzic adesign department, politecnico di milano, italy; società economica valtellinese (sev) scientific board. elena.giunta@polimi.it bcranec, università cattolica del sacro cuore, italy; sev scientific board. mariachiara.cattaneo2@unicatt.it cdepartment of sociology and social research, university of trento, italy. rocco.scolozzi@unitn.it abstract the increasing uncertainties of all contemporary communities require future literacy, and strengthening the participatory dimension of foresight practice is part of the solution. the “montagna 4.0 futurealps'” project involved high school students, teachers, businesses and stakeholders of valtellina, northern italy, in local laboratories of participatory foresight through a codesign approach. this article briefly reports the project framework and the visioning exercises undertaken to build meaningful images of the future (2040). such images should be able to question and broaden the current development visions of the alpine valley and inspire a collective design of its development trajectories by raising the community’s awareness of current and future changes. the activities took place over six workshops with three meetings each from september to december 2020, involving students (“@scuola”), local stakeholders (“community lab”) and the general public and experts (“open talk”). each workshop focused on a specific topic, such as the mountain of tomorrow, sustainable innovation, social innovation and sustainable communities, protection, production and promotion, sustainable mobility and events for alpine tourism. the outputs consisted of uncertainty scenarios, postcards from different futures and indications to make development strategies future-proof, which are all elaborated on in this article. keywords: codesign, design thinking, foresight scenarios, future literacy, envisioning, commons, social innovation, local development introduction all our decisions are based on some images of the future, from daily individual choices to an ambitious personal career project and from a local administration’s daily decisions to longer-term projects and programmes for the local area or the country. design thinking naturally involves sharing images of an imagined future service or artefact to develop or materialise. when the object of visualisation and development is a larger system such as a territory or its subsystems, such as tourism, housing policies, mobility and accessibility, the level of complexity increases. future studies’ paradigms and tools can help to untangle this complexity and integrate the design process to be more explicitly future-oriented. being future(s)-oriented means considering some critical questions for the design process, leading to future(s)proof solutions. these questions concern the possible changes in the specific design context and the extent of the uncertainties that could make solutions effective today but non-functional in the future. in this article, we elaborate on an experimental codesign project that involved an entire community and different social groups. we present the premises and the educational vision first, followed by the case study and the wider context of the experimentation. in addition, we describe the stages and the approaches, thus representing a potential toolkit for participatory foresight. 18 premises: the indifferent citizen and the far-sighted citizen the school’s mission as a social institution is to educate proactive citizens, responsible for their choices and their community’s qualities, providing tools and facilitating the learning of skills. the expected result of every effort and investment in this direction is to create open futures of personal and collective fulfilment with the ideal outcome of bridging personal futures, collective or even global futures (think about climate change as connected to choices of individuals and entire countries), overcoming the dichotomy between optimism and pessimism through a proactive attitude based on long-term views and critical thinking (bodinet, 2016; miller, 2015). these goals are made more difficult in times of great uncertainty where society and individuals are tempted or invited to lock themselves into a “bubble of the present”. living in such a “bubble of the present” means being less and less related to the past and to the future, with increasing concern or even fear about an uncertain future and real or imagined risks, at the same time without meaningful references from the past. the condition of living in a “bubble of the present” could be associated with “shorttermism”m an attitude in which individuals primarily prefer short-term values (marginson and mcaulay, 2008). it can also be related to an extreme philosophical interpretation called “presentism”, according to which “only currently existing objects are real. computers, but not dinosaurs or mars outposts, exist” (sider, 2001). at the other extreme of living in a present bubble is “futures consciousness”, which, according to the futurist anita rubin (2002, p. 906), is an “active and action-oriented perspective on the future, present and past and the relations between these. [it is] an internalised form of the development of thinking [and] a specific effort to form a conception about the meanings and consequences of issues and our daily actions”. rubin thus highlights the notions of agency, internalised future thinking and the links between the past, present and future. inspired by these ideas, we distinguished two opposite fictitious types of citizens: the “indifferent citizen” and the “far-sighted citizen”. the first represents the citizen as a self-centred individual, essentially a consumer of services and products who is interested in satisfying their primary or induced needs soon, without a perspective from which to assess the consequences in the medium and long term. when not satisfied, their urgency easily creates frustration and apathy. in any case, the same limited horizon leads them to a reactive attitude towards events and in the face of undesirable changes (“surprises”) to seek others’ faults and responsibilities. the “far-sighted citizen” is interested in their own history and the history of their community or of those who share their time. their horizon of perception, observation and action is broad enough that it necessarily intersects and interacts with that of other citizens, so they easily see their fulfilment as connected to that of their own community. this attention trains them to better understand changes and distinguish between those that are uncontrollable and those that can be influenced by their own actions (compared to the former they prepare to adapt; compared to the latter they prepare strategies). through all this, the far-sighted citizen somehow owns their time, recognising their responsibilities. the “montagna 4.0” project described below starts from these premises with the ambition not only to educate "far-sighted citizens" but also to facilitate "far-sighted communities". the design approach and the futures studies tools seem to ground effective synergies towards this objective. nowadays, it is increasingly essential to think in a cohesive, community-based logic capable of reflecting on the changes underway as 19 well as co-constructing new opportunities. this also applies to mountain regions experiencing profound and increasingly rapid changes, impacting both the global and local levels. montagna 4.0 futurealps framework and background (sev) has operated since 1993 as a think tank to promote sustainable and quality-oriented local development in valtellina, recovering fundamental values and pursuing strategic orientation for the future from a global perspective (quadrio curzio, 2008). since 2017, through its scientific committee, sev has offered a series of workshops in bormio to strengthen the local community through participation and co-responsibility. investing in people with interactive workshops is deemed critical, as future choices are to be made as a community. "montagna 4.0, building the future together", with ten meetings for each edition, has registered broad participation, open to the whole community, and with the integration of different skills. by calling it "montagna (mountain) 4.0, building the future together", a legitimate question that arises is "what about mountain 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0"? montagna 1.0 may refer to the "subsistence" age. “2.0” concerns the industrial revolution’s effects, with the first industrial activities and factories. “3.0” relates to the intensive exploitation of natural resources and a strong relationship with the city. “mountain 4.0” thus opens up new scenarios for the potential of the green economy, digitalisation and innovation that can unlock regions. it is a question of being aware of what effects change brings about and recalling the need for conscious and coherent policy choices at a community level. it represents a process of laying the foundations for a new awareness in the face of change, aiming to curb depopulation risks by showing opportunities for growth and sustainable development can be built together. year after year, it has envisaged an open competition of ideas, since there are no top-down recipes but only bottom-up solutions. the second edition of the competition extended its focus to high school students so that they could explore the relationship between mountain identity and innovation. it was named "the mountain i would like" in a growing focus of young people to envision the(ir) future(s), as the future is to be seen as plural, given multiple possibilities for the futures to happen. building on "montagna 4.0", "montagna 4.0 futurealps" represents an example of how community selftraining and participation methods can be experimented, beyond the mere consultative dimension. this leads to new dimensions of taking care of the community that grows itself through forms of awarenessraising in order to contribute and actively operate in the co-definition of their development scenarios. therefore, the adopted approach from the start aimed to focus on the local identity’s fundamental values, a precious starting point to confront challenges and build opportunities, in order not to be overwhelmed by change. "montagna 4.0" involved university professors and representatives of the alps as witnesses of specific practices on topical issues with a mix combining an academic-scientific approach with practical examples and ideas. the main topics discussed included circular economy and sustainability, business innovation, tourism models, destination management for the enhancement of local assets and effects on tourism, biodiversity and alpine development, identity and values, social change and welfare, climate change, finance, resources, alpine culture and communities and mobility. the workshops represented a valuable tool for community growth, highlighting that an innovation culture is critical for local development. for this reason, proceeding with the experimentation has been fundamental by making “montagna 4.0” – labelled futurealps—move around in the various valtellina districts and through a network with other alpine areas. 20 the process was structured into six workshops taking place throughout the area, with mornings explicitly dedicated to schools, afternoons to community labs and evenings for the whole community with discussions aimed at enlarging the vision of the whole alpine area. the keywords of futurealps have become community, innovation, territory, sustainability and tourism. the opening in bormio focused on the future of mountains, choices to be made and strategies, with particular attention to the future of tourism looking at the demand side. subsequently, the focus shifted to companies and the area in which they are based, considering the potential of digitalisation, corporate responsibility and the creation of shared value. furthermore, futurealps focused on what strengthens and disrupts communities and helps them be more aware of their resources. another central theme has been environmental protection, production and promotion and scenarios for the appropriate enhancement of tangible and intangible heritage. the following workshop focused on mobility and how critical it is to network today for tomorrow’s mobility and the close relationship between mobility and tourism. here, too, the operators confronted the students’ visions of the theme of sustainable, shared and smart mobility. in the "montagna 4.0 futurealps" final workshop, students and then stakeholders concentrated on the future perspectives of tourism and events in the alps and how communities could be proactively involved. there was also reference to the winter olympics of 2026, a unique opportunity for the valley and an extraordinary tool within a longer-term (2040) plan. “montagna 4.0 futurealps” developed according to both a horizontal and a vertical dimension: horizontal as moving both in space throughout the territory and in time since looking at 2040, a journey often described as taking place through space and time. the vertical aspect entailed each day’s structure with three consequential moments feeding one another, morning postcards from the future labs with students, intergenerational afternoon community labs and evening open talks looking at the alpine dimension. a design toolkit for participatory foresight the future alps process embraces a codesign approach and tools to nurture participation and answer the specific need to include significant non-expert viewpoints, especially concerning the young generation. we can take the example of the most common and acknowledged design creative processes, the double diamond conceptualised by the design council (2014), arguing that all the steps of the divergent and convergent phases could be developed collaboratively. considering this sequence of phases as a linear process, we can create a two-pole axis that summarises the subject matter behind the design. the topicdriven activities refer to the problem/situation that must be investigated (first diamond); the conceptdriven activities refer to an orientation defined through the problem-solving brief (second diamond). the futurealps process mainly goes through the first topic-driven phase. with its expertise in facilitating and activating communities, how could design support such participation in developing future imagined scenarios? in massive codesign, as meroni et al. (2018) said, a crucial issue is how to conduct the practice of “joint inquiry and imagination” of codesign. it is described as a process «in which diverse people jointly explore and define a problem and collectively develop and evaluate solutions. it is a process in which participants can express and share their experiences, to discuss and negotiate their roles and interests, and to jointly bring about positive change» (steen, 2013, pp. 27–28). in each workshop, specific labs dedicated to students helped them think creatively about future scenarios by looking at the most uncertain factors and their impact. each student (of about 150, from 6 schools) was 21 invited to make personal reflections, to discuss in small groups of peers from the same class and face to face, to interact with working groups from other schools (connected online) and finally to produce postcards from the future. alongside this, the community labs triggered intergenerational dialogue between students and stakeholders through a backcasting approach, moving from possible futures twenty years from now to roadmaps to undertake today. scientific studies and experiences from all over the alps were presented in the evenings, with best practices shared. this structure allowed us to foster participation and make co-creation accessible. there is not full consensus about the definitions and reciprocal boundaries of the terms participation, collaboration, codesign, co-creation and co-production. this is perhaps because some academics include “use” itself as one of the last phases of the design process, thus calling all the activities “co-design” (for example, pre-design, discover, design, make, distribute and use are the phases according to sanders and stappers, 2012). at the same time, other scholars distinguish design activities, which happen at project time, from consumption moments, which happen at use time (project/use time distinction can be found in ehn, 2008). the term co-creation will be used as a hypernym of both codesign and co-production, as freire and sangiorgi (2010) do. what co-design does is simulate use before actual use happens by involving potential final users as sources of ideas and experiences. of course, during the futurealps format, we can just practise co-design, reflecting on co-production only thanks to other colleagues’ examples (the contents evening talks). we could see how other alpine communities look at their possible futures by adopting similar or different tools. besides, the shared aim is to strengthen local communities to extend and consolidate their networks of relationships through a continuous learning process, thus reshaping futures in times of pandemics. designers and tutors played the facilitators’ role, encouraging interactions amongst participants and raising awareness of the process. they also facilitated participants’ interaction, critical thinking, self-criticism and their capacity to think out of the box and beyond their own comfort zone. specifically, looking at the guidance approach, we can argue that it ranges between two positions, "active listening" (sclavi, 2003) and thought-provoking, reflecting a difference in purpose and situation. a scenario workshop facilitator does not tell people what to do or think, nor do they forecast anything, but they “draw out (e-ducare) the concerns of others” through leading questions and exploring the uncertainties relevant for the strategic issue. the facilitator then needs to know quite a lot about the subject under discussion to ask those questions that lead in the most productive direction (ogilvy, 2002). a thought-provoking style, on the other hand, leads the participants’ thoughts towards some critical aspects or opportunities of a given topic or concept. this guidance is likely to lead the participants on the thought process and speculative journeys aiming to generate reactions and, in general, responsiveness to a set of expected plausible scenarios. this is undertaken to anticipate and possibly manage the consequences. this position is, normally, congenial and familiar for a designer whose role in a debate or creative session is generally considered a contribution of ideas and input to be shared with the participants (manzini, 2015; meroni et al., 2018). in a thought-provoking approach, we can recognise the basis of what psychologists, as well as other practitioners, call “strategic conversations” (nardone & salvini, 2004; ratcliffe, 2002). 22 image 1: the collaborative design framework (meroni et al., 2018). by polarising these two guidance styles, we can create an axis that visualises diverse ways to facilitate and run co-design activities. on one side, there is (designerly) facilitation, which mainly draws and builds on active listening techniques. on the other side there is (designerly) steering, which mainly adopts a thoughtprovoking posture of designers as experts in envisioning the future. the second axis focuses on the abovementioned duality between topicand concept-driven issues. the two created axes generate a framework of four alternative intentions of (designerly) facilitation, which can be used within a comprehensive design process, the collaborative design framework (see image 1). within this theoretical framework, the futurealps process focused on the left side of the axis. the student groups could start by using a first tool, the “strategic scenarios” matrix (image 2), as a coherent representation of possible futures and plausible conditions relevant to strategies to build together. the workshop did not propose pre-established solutions. it was designed in an exploratory way with a set of variables and factors of change (steep: social, technological, environmental, economic, political factors) to select. in practice, the students were asked to identify the most uncertain and most impactful factors relevant to the workshop theme. the steps have been as follows: • analysing the factors of change, • reflecting on those that could have the most significant impact on the dimension of possible uncertainty and • ordering them and placing the two most uncertain and relevant on the axes of the scenarios matrix, in the combination of their plausible extreme 2040 conditions. to make an impact and uncertainty more understandable, those pillars were described as the legs of a coffee table. if the leg of the table is removed and everything collapses, then the impact is high. the uncertainty is instead linked to the probability that one of the legs supporting the table could collapse. so, the least impacting factors are those that, even if failing, the business continues as if nothing had happened. these are not of particular interest to us. on the contrary, we are interested in the ones that 23 would put everything into play if failing. as for uncertainty, it is about understanding what might happen with a focus on the most unlikely events. image 2: an example of the strategic scenarios matrix, by students. each quadrant of the strategic scenarios matrix was briefly described as a future world. then, students were invited to engage with exercises of visioning one of these futures, assuming a specific viewpoint. we assigned a personas profile to each group to help students reflect on the liveability of these “worlds” and wrote about the potential lives of the inhabitants of valtellina 2040. community organiser, mountain guide 4.0, alpine blogger/influencer, sabbatical climber were just a few selections of the 70+ personas we used in the futurealps process. as belonging to students’ different future worlds, these characters became 70+ senders of as many postcards from the future. the results of the six workshops were various and articulated: here we report an extract of the results of the first one (25th september 2020) focusing on tourism. in that event, 93 students participated in the morning session, divided into 14 working groups. in their opinion, the most relevant and impactful uncertainties for local development are summarised in the following table. 24 uncertainty factors 2040 plausible extremes climate increasing damage from climate change limited damage in prepared communities connections and transport the furthest areas are the most isolated all the areas of valtellina are well connected computer skills at the community level spread from the tobacconist to the mayor few can benefit from digital innovation for their own economic activity relations between innovation and tradition synergies conflicts and competition pandemic the next is “managed” and not problematic other waves will surprise us unprepared table 1. sample of uncertainty factors identified by the students. the operators in the community lab, stimulated by the “postcards from the future” have identified some “intermediate goals” necessary to prepare the favourable conditions for the desirable 2040 scenarios, excerpted here: • in 2030, tailor-made training for public administrators is periodically organised to work on longterm strategies; • in 2030, positive outcomes of the 2026 winter olympics remain on the territory, enhancing local identity. this codesign tool could be considered within the topic-driven/steering quadrant. this area of the collaborative design framework is about imagining and considering options beyond the world as it is. the collaboration aims at stimulating participants’ capacity to envision options beyond the usual way of doing things, thus challenging behaviours and conventions. the objective of the material used was to challenge and provoke the participants with unusual viewpoints, mind mapping or other creative practices, helping to steer imagination towards a “wow effect”. functional or fictional role-playing activities help make all participants actively contribute to giving voice to weaker people, stepping into the others’ shoes, representing all viewpoints and leveraging expertise. each postcard, with its brief storytelling, has led to a challenge for 2040. topic by topic, during the six workshops in the community labs, local representatives moved from these challenges to reflect on and develop a collective roadmap. referring, once more, to the collaborative design framework, we underline that the community labs with citizens belong to the quadrant topic-driven/facilitating. this area is about discovering and exploring options. collaboration is aimed at taking into account the needs and experiences of relevant stakeholders and users in order to capture their knowledge and/or engage them in the process (of visioning). materials used in this context could be a series of tools to extract the experience, knowledge, desires and needs of users and stakeholders or to investigate the project and frame its fundamental assumptions. in the futurealps process, a specific radar scheme was the tool we chose for selection and decision making. 25 image 3: overview of the codesign toolkit for participatory foresight. as the final step of each workshop, the evening open talk broadened both community vision and understanding to an alpine framework with expert and academic contributions, thus acknowledging the ongoing process and bringing in social innovation practices from elsewhere. the added value of this final step consisted of both involving the general public as well as sharing participatory results with experts’ views and perspectives. conclusions the experiment is meant to continue with developments in different sectors (local communities and local schools) and geographies, also producing intangible results. these are about learning in terms of reframing the visions for local development and understanding the coming changes, not yet in terms of different decisions. in terms of overall impact, it may be underlined that such a participatory process has been experimental in the area with such a considerable number of students and high schools involved. teachers from the schools involved acknowledged that students really committed themselves, in such a particular and for many of them also complex moment due to the pandemic. it was meaningful to see that many groups of young people from the valley dared to think of a future that adults too often are afraid to envision and towards which they often look more disenchanted than hopeful. intergenerational dialogue represented a tool to be structured more thoroughly after this experimentation, with a call to ensure that what youngsters do not know depends on how adults communicate to effectively intercept them. among the stakeholders, after the six workshops, it was mentioned that a community of intentions was created, with strong conviction that everyone shares the intent to proceed with planning in an open and glocal perspective; with a critical vision of how to design what awaits us by 2040, not linked to habits or “it has always been like that” but trustful and inclusive of everyone's interests. among the facilitating elements within the experimentation of “montagna 4.0 future alps” lie the following: 26 1. the school has shown a formidable resilience in welcoming and actively participating in the process by strengthening the school’s presence in the community, with enthusiasm on the part of the students involved, even in a time of great stress for schools. 2. the dimension of listening and focusing on young people as actors with a vision that interests the community about the future remains fundamental and has received interest to continue shortly to make it more structural in the area. 3. looking at the stakeholders, the backcasting laboratories’ effectiveness is closely related to the extent the actors involved are willing to play the game, thus being open to thinking about future scenarios ten or twenty years from now. this requires openness and willingness to question consolidated paradigms of local economic development and management. we can take co-design as a paradigm of orientation, using its tools to "navigate" in a structured way: promoting ideas and visions on the one hand and enabling synthesis on the other. this endowment facilitates to “go beyond the present” as skills we focus on: the primary capability of forward-thinking communities. their competence of future consciousness is substantiated in five key dimensions: temporal perspective, systemic perception in systems, attitudes behind each action, values and concern for others and openness to alternatives. community-centred design, mixed with a futures studies mindset, therefore nurtured our experience to boost alpine far-sighted communities. community-centred design requires that facilitators develop two areas of competence: the ability to learn about the community and its habitat and the power of creatively collaborating with non-designers. civic engagement also helps to foster stronger relationships and trust across a local system, strengthening a society’s ability to work together to achieve shared goals for the future. we refer to this collaborative design approach as community-centred design (meroni & manzini, 2014), which can prompt or feed the service design mindset (meroni & selloni, 2018) that is increasingly characteristic of today's creative communities (meroni, 2007). additionally, participatory practices allow alpine territories to go beyond rhetorical or generic objectives of liveability and competitiveness and develop futures with a deeper awareness of local assets. the project revealed timely insights with the possible futures to draw specific actions to shape preferable outcomes. as the global pandemics challenged traditional paradigms, any change appeared to be possible, moving beyond centre-periphery in a polycentric approach calling for collective action to open up exciting futures to build. references bodinet, j. c. 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(2013). codesign as a process of joint inquiry and imagination. design issues, 29(2), 29-40. https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 5, no. 1 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. cory rodgers, university of oxford claire pillar (art + design: elearning lab), cyprus university of technology danah abdulla (decolonising arts institute), university of the arts london francesco mazzarella, university of the arts london kirsten scott, istituto marangoni london laura santamaria, royal college of art lucy orta (centre for sustainable fashion), university of the arts london paul micklethwaite, manchester metropolitan university reina lewis (london college of fashion), university of the arts london seher mirza, university of the arts london serkan delice (london college of fashion), university of the arts london spyros bofylatos, royal college of art tanveer ahmed (central saint martins), university of the arts london tim stephens, university of the arts london reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 5, no. 1 69 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. co-creation in circular cities: a design perspective li-ting huang, beatrice villari published online: april 2021. to cite this article: huang, l.t., & villari, b. (2020). co-creation in circular cities: a design perspective. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 2(1), 69-88. 70 co-creation in circular cities: a design perspective li-ting huanga, beatrice villarib apolitecnico di milano, milan, 20156, italy. liting.huang@polimi.it bpolitecnico di milano, milan, 20156, italy. beatrice.villari@polimi.it abstract the release of the european green deal for the circular economy has made more and more municipal authorities embed circular economy principles into their visions and strategies, fostering the transitions towards a “circular city”. collaborative practices are becoming familiar, and concepts such as co-creation are entering the policymaking vocabulary, indicating that citizens and other actors are being asked to work collaboratively towards a sustainable future. this also means re-designing systems and services in cities with the aim of tackling emerging social and environmental issues and co-creating innovation paths. however, co-creation as an approach for implementing a circular economy at the city level has not yet been thoroughly investigated. the aim of this paper is to outline a framework that can be used by cities to identify new opportunities for co-creation initiatives from a design perspective. using a three-step research process: (i) literature review, (ii) case study analysis and (iii) results interpretation, this paper delineates nine co-creation categories for sustainable development and identifies stakeholders and tools to be adopted by seeing circular economy principles as the ultimate goal. keywords: circular economy, circular city, co-creation framework introduction after the release of the european green deal for the circular economy, more and more municipal authorities are embedding circular economy principles into their visions and strategies, fostering transitions towards a “circular city”. the circular economy concept —popularised by the ellen macarthur foundation (emf) – is not limited to businesses but entails a wide transformation that affects all the systems in which we live and act. in this scenario, cities can play a crucial role in fostering sustainability at all levels, from policies to a single person’s behaviours. many cities, especially in europe, are embedding circular economy principles in their visions and strategies with promotion by the eu. increasingly, the concept of a circular city is becoming familiar. the transition from a linear to a circular connection requires various stakeholders’ participation, discussion and action. the municipal authority is no longer the only body that takes the lead and needs to work with other parties to realise a sustainable urban future. although the concepts of cocreation and co-production are well explored in the literature, particularly in the field of management and service science, co-creation at the city level has not yet been thoroughly investigated. by examining how co-creation activities operate in the current circular city from a design perspective, this paper aims to explore the opportunity of collaborative practices in circular cities. hinging upon qualitative analysis, this research proceeds as follows: (i) literature review, (ii) case study analysis, (iii) results interpretation in a co-creation framework. first, the literature review examines the definition of a circular city and explores the concepts and forms of co-creation. second, by examining six european urban contexts, forms of co-creation activities in frontrunner circular cities are analysed, and remarkable cocreation activities are highlighted. in particular, the research builds upon the “co-creation design framework” proposed by frow, payne and storbacka (2011) and the resolve framework (emf, 2015). the result is an integrative co-creation design framework, proposing nine co-creation initiatives that 71 summarise state-of-the-art circular city operations, including the stakeholders involved and the tools adopted. the research outcomes underline the importance of embedding co-creation practices in a circular city to support strategies, plans and concrete outcomes. also, the research reveals the lack of a widely shared approach in such a transformation process to attain a circular city. overview of the circular economy in cities the concept of the circular economy is introduced by emf (2015): “restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles” (p. 19). the notion and principles of the circular economy have been around for a long time. it can be seen as an umbrella concept encompassing various principles (i.e. industrial ecology, biomimicry and cradle to cradle). the circular economy relies on three fundamental principles (emf, 2015): (1) preserve and enhance natural capital; (2) optimise resource yields; and (3) foster system effectiveness. in addition, the circular economy contributes to the delivery of at least 12 sustainable development goals (sdgs) (united nations, 2015) at both the local and global levels. in particular, a circular city relates to goals 11, 12 and 13, which are about making cities safe, resilient and sustainable, as well as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. for example, helsinki is the first city in the european context to integrate its circular economy strategy into sdgs, representing their ambition to achieve a permanent positive change (city of helsinki, 2019). however, although the definition of a circular city is weak, the objective of the circular economy strategy is clear. “a circular city aims to generate prosperity and economic resilience for itself and its citizens while decoupling value creation from the consumption of finite resources” (emf, 2017, p. 7). a circular city embeds the circular economy’s principles across all its functions, establishing an urban system that is “regenerative and restorative by design” (emf, 2015). prendeville, cherim and bocken (2018) interpret a circular city as an element in the larger goal of developing a future-proof city that practises circular economy principles to close resource loops in partnership with the city's stakeholders. girard and nocca (2019) see a circular city as a metaphor for an ideal space where ecological crises and social inequalities are eliminated. the circular economy provides cities with an excellent opportunity to face tough challenges, as specified by activities that may occur at various scales. considering this, the circular economy should be adopted into policy development and implementation at different scales (emf, 2015; eu, 2020; oecd, 2020). the resolve framework (emf, 2015) turns three key circular economy principles into six practical actions to generate circular strategies and initiatives. however, the resolve framework is outlined from a business perspective and is not entirely suitable when applied to the urban context. the circular city framework (ccf), which is based on the resolve framework delivered by prendeville, cherim and bocken (2018), combined with bottom-up and top-down interventions (krauz, 2016; ghisellini et al., 2016; lieder & rashid, 2016), expands the ways in which the circular economy could be put into practice in an urban environment. inside a circular city, hybrid spaces (panzar & willig, 1981) are needed that connect diversity and create a bridge between different actors as they occur within the arena of public-interest services (selloni, 2017). usually, such hybrid spaces are enabling platforms (jegou & manzini, 2008), namely, virtual or physical spaces where inspiration, exploration and discussion arise. involving a group of citizens and other actors in collaborative processes is crucial to facilitating decision-making and developing solutions. apart from digital platforms, part virtual and part physical spaces provide social and spatial areas for learning and experimenting, which are seen as being convergent with the circular economy (ede, 2016). enabling platforms like urban living labs and fab labs allow stakeholders to team up and build up a strong network that is tightly connected to the city administration. a prominent example is the industrial area in 72 amsterdam, buiksloterham, where the whole district runs as a large-scale living lab, aiming at achieving total self-sufficiency and circularity (steen & van bueren, 2017). a few challenges have arisen in previous research regarding the implementation of the circular economy in cities. one of the barriers claimed by prendeville, cherim and bocken (2018) is that there is an unbalanced way to involve stakeholders. authorities place too much emphasis on leading businesses to guide the civic society. conversely, the term “smart” frequently appears in circular cities’ literature about the use of new technologies such as sensors or digital platforms (girard & nocca, 2019). although digitalisation is crucial for the urban transformation of the great metropolis (i.e. economic restoration and social cohesion), the benefit is maximised only when the social context is considered. even though the implementation of the circular economy in cities is proliferating, research shows that many municipalities identify themselves as a circular city without comprehensive knowledge about it (prendeville et al., 2018). consequently, there is a need to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable urban future with a clear framework. progress towards the future-proof city needs greater participation for sharing the responsibility. human-centred approaches are crucial for such cultural shifts across various government and stakeholder levels. the design’s nature provides positive directionality about the future and proactively contributes to what will come about next (fuad-luke, 2012). from design’s contribution, it is important that best practices, processes and tools can be developed and spread in various contexts. in this scenario, services and systems need to be transformed to meet the main current challenges, and practical methods are required to co-create with different stakeholders. designing co-initiatives in circular cities recently, municipalities have adopted new strategies to involve people in policymaking and public services for people-centred solutions (oecd, 2019). there is an increasing need to develop collaborative knowledge that supports a whole-of-system view and transformational change at multiple scales. this reveals an emerging focus on co-creation in actor networks (åkesson et al., 2016; pinho et al., 2014), where the municipality has a leading role, consisting of coordinating researchers, practitioners, citizens, designers and other stakeholders in the co-creation process. although interest in collaborative practices is gaining momentum, the specific means of co-creation in circular cities remain underexplored. the academic discussion of co-creation is extensive. in design research, sanders and stappers (2008) define co-creation as “any act of collective creativity, i.e. creativity that is shared by two or more people” (p. 6). when applied to varied contexts, the concept of co-creation can underline the systematic principle for business and customers (prahalad & ramaswamy, 2004; grönroos, 2012), the partnerships between public service and citizens (voorberg, bekkers, & tummers, 2015), or the shared responsibility (lelieveldt, 2019). frow, payne and storbacka (2011) argue that the advantage of subdividing co-creation into precise forms is centring innovative co-creation opportunities. with this aim, they put forward 12 forms to improve firms’ capabilities for co-creation. in addition, in their later research, managing co-creation design: a strategic approach to innovation, frow, nenonen, payne and storbacka (2015) propose a framework to help firms identify new co-creation possibilities. on the other hand, oertzen et al. (2018) developed an integrative framework, and a detailed process was formulated to describe the specific forms of co-creating services, containing the five “co-” phases. moreover, from the viewpoints of ramaswamy and ozcan (2018), “co-creation is the enactment of interactional creation across interactive system-environments (afforded by interactive platforms), entailing agency engagements and structuring organisations” (p. 5). the “interactional co-creation framework” developed by ramaswamy and ozcan (2018) stimulates thinking on both the means and the ends of interactive value creation in a broader way. interactive platforms are 73 means where the potential value of participation will be generated in value co-creation, ranging from the perspective of the ends of experienced actors to empower actor networks with resourced capabilities. above all, we witness the growing dynamics of co-creation accompanied in an increasingly interactive way. in the private sector, co-creation influences customer satisfaction and loyalty and helps firms achieve a competitive advantage (grissemann & stokburger-sauer, 2012). in this scenario, users are seen as an interesting source of product and service innovation (prahalad & ramaswamy, 2000; vargo and lusch, 2004). however, when discussing public services, these end users are citizens, namely a more comprehensive community with a wide variety of needs and characteristics. as one of the crucial actors, citizens become increasingly crucial in the public decision-making process (voorberg, bekkers & tummers, 2015). more and more policymakers and decision makers are trying to adopt strategies to involve them as active players for growth and prosperity. voorberg, bekkers and tummers (2015) identify three degrees of citizens’ involvement in the co-creation process (which will be discussed in the upcoming section): (a) citizens as co-implementers (involvement in services, which refers to the transfer of implementing activities previously carried out by the government); (b) citizens as co-designers (involvement regarding the content and process of service delivery); and (c) citizens as initiators (citizens who take up the initiative to formulate specific services). they point out that since both efficiency and satisfaction are raised during the process, the goal of co-creation is the value produced in itself. therefore, policymakers must enhance stakeholders’ trust and acceptance. even though the municipality, businesses and civil society have varying objectives in moving towards the circular economy, it is essential to encompass various levels of stakeholders, build synergies at the correct scale and minimise the future burden for society. for example, the netherlands regards citizens as a major stakeholder in its revised circular economy roadmap due to the considerable contribution that they make in relation to sustainable consumption habits and behaviours (oecd, 2020). hence, design activities embody co-creation that are “typically carried out in groups, with roles involved in complex relationships” (nelson & stolterman, 2012, p. 290) for strengthening creativity, developing innovative solutions, and generating value. while there is a significant difference considering the extent of involvement and actors’ role, value is created collaboratively with people (akoglu, 2015). the adoption of co-creation activities in circular cities can bring different benefits, such as enhancing the awareness of environmental issues and encouraging new habits among a variety of stakeholders (bačová et al., 2016; jonker et al., 2018; paiho et al., 2020). based on these premises, this paper aims to explore the various forms of co-creation that can be adopted to foster circularity at the city level. research process and the first results previous research has already recognised the advantages that co-creation can bring about (barczak, 2012; frow et al., 2011, 2015). however, to better understand how co-creation is adopted in circular cities from a design perspective, a three-step research process has been undertaken: (i) a literature review, (ii) a case study analysis and (iii) results interpretation within the co-creation framework. first, a systematic literature review was carried out to explore the role of design in supporting the transition to a circular economy at the urban level and the increasingly active and interactive role that co-creation plays in the public sector. the objective is to understand the most noticeable co-creation forms inside circular cities and the practices used to support the transition towards circularity. second, we carried out a case study analysis. the aim was to identify co-creation practices in circular cities and understand the explicit or potential contribution of the design in the processes of co-creation to have a wider view towards circular cities implementations. focusing on the european context, the criteria for determining cities to be examined were: (a) defining themselves explicitly as a circular city; (b) implementing a systematised circular city strategy (circular 74 programmes/agendas at city/regional level instead of a single project); (c) engagement, involvement or participation are emphasised in a co-creation process with citizens; and (d) availability of information. according to the oecd (2020), four distinct levels of advancement towards the circular economy transition of cities are labelled, which are advanced, in progress, newcomers and not in place. advanced means cities and regions establishing clear strategies or roadmaps and engaging diverse stakeholders. in progress are those cities and regions that have already applied for specific programmes and/or are starting their implementation towards the circular economy, following impromptu activities. in the cluster of newcomers, cities or regions explore options for implementation by recognising the circular economy’s relevance and potential. the cluster of not in place was excluded in this research because of insufficient data and restricted documents. to increase diversity within these three categories, we selected two cities for each group. eventually, six cases were selected, including (alphabetical order) (1) amsterdam (advanced), (2) brussels (advanced), (3) glasgow (in progress), (4) gothenburg (newcomers), (5) helsinki (newcomers) and (6) ljubljana (in progress). the municipalities mentioned stress the collaborative manner of working with stakeholders to achieve the desired results. these contexts are then examined through the co-creation lenses to better understand how and in which part of the process the collaborative approach has been adopted. the third step consisted of interpreting the data collected through the literature review and case studies. the interpretation led to the development of a descriptive framework for listing co-creation initiatives in circular cities. in particular, this research built on the co-creation design framework defined by frow, payne and storbacka (2011). by examining the evolving co-creation framework against existing literaturebased theory and case studies, we identified nine specific co-creation practices in circular cities. furthermore, this research outlines three additional categories that are not included in previous studies relevant to co-creation in circular cities: co-vision, co-prototyping and co-sense, mainly related to the strategic aspects of the co-creation process. finally, the circular economy actions (i.e. regenerate, share, optimise, loop, virtualise and exchange) and the co-creation practices with actors and tools are integrated into the framework we propose. co-vision, co-prototyping and co-sense as co-creation activity categories: the first research result the case study analysis was carried out first to understand how the co-creation categories that emerged from the literature review are being adopted in circular cities. second, it contributes to understanding how co-creation supports the transition towards circularity at different stages, from the strategic level to the execution level. based on frow, payne and storbacka's framework, we initially considered the following co-creation practices: (1) co-conception of ideas, (2) co-design, (3) co-production, (4) co-promotion, (5) co-maintenance, (6) co-experience, (7) co-pricing, (8) co-distribution, (9) co-outsourcing, (10) co-disposal, (11) co-meaning creation and (12) co-consumption. by analysing the initiatives carried out in these six circular cities, some of the categories proved to be consistent with the urban level, whereas others were limited to business activities. consequently, we streamlined the list of co-creation practices to the following: (1) co-conception of ideas, (2) co-design, (3) co-production, (4) co-promotion, (5) comaintenance and (6) co-consumption. also, another three practices were introduced to describe essential aspects that emerged from the research: co-vision, co-prototyping and co-sense. while they are not explicitly mentioned in the cases that we investigated, we consider them as strategic practices (see table 1) as far as the realisation of a future-proof city is concerned. 75 co-vision initiative in the movement to achieve a future-proof city, co-creating a shared vision becomes crucial. methods include enabling collaborative processes, creating awareness and, at the same time, raising hope amongst people. building on previous research and case studies, it is evident that developing circular economy guidance systems and making the circular economy concepts knowable for citizens and other stakeholders is fundamental. such practices may include showcasing the city’s circular projects online, hosting awareness-boosting green events/festivals and running campaigns to encourage new habits. likewise, creating a collaborative vision means supporting future actions and culture, e.g. reinforcing education and training for future generations to equip them with the necessary skills to act in a circular city (jonker et al., 2018; russell et al., 2020). with consistent goals shared by stakeholders, co-vision is the core of a city’s entire transformational process. moreover, co-vision can activate collective optimism, especially in the co-design process, and visualisation is a powerful means used by designers in this stage. as sangiorgi (2011) points out, designers can work from the outside in, providing future visions and intervening more systematically from a higher level so they are considered essential resources. thus, this research interprets co-vision as a shared vision among civic society and main stakeholders, which can vary from municipality to municipality, depending on the local context. co-prototyping initiative participatory prototyping is one of the main activities carried out through collective co-designing. such a way of prototyping, no matter whether rapid or slow, can stimulate situations and create community awareness (selloni, 2017). when applied to services, prototyping activity is about making services visible, to learn and communicate about services and identify them as a collaborative effort (blomkvist & holmlid, 2010). prototyping is led by designers who possess the capability to design and develop mock-ups, physically or digitally, and can ensure a certain level of aesthetic and/or authentic quality (selloni, 2017). these prototypes can be seen as an artistic intervention (selloni, 2017), allowing people to experiment and communicate efficiently through physical or virtual mock-ups. working as a team for brainstorming and taking decisions together is the typical design intervention type. as selloni (2017) puts it, “creating service prototypes is necessary not only to test solutions but also to reinforce the idea of making services together within a community” (p. 153). co-prototyping initiatives are mainly carried out in a real-world setting. for example, urban living labs, fab labs, and maker spaces gather multiple stakeholders of multiple specialities, interacting as co-innovators for experimenting, creating and prototyping (westerlund & leminen, 2011). building on the research of selloni (2017), co-prototyping in this research is understood as two or more actors jointly collaborating to propose innovative solutions (products or services) and run them in a flexible and co-creative way with mock-ups or service rehearsals (selloni, 2017). co-sense initiative from the case studies, we found that co-sense activity is happening in “advanced” cities, where resources are concentrated, and economic and technology development are relatively thriving. the so-called co-sense activity, built on participatory sensing, has been promoted in recent years because of the widespread use of affordable digital equipment. because of the advancement of information and communication technology and global social networks, participatory sensing has become popular. in the past, institutions benefited from the data collected by citizens by providing them with technological equipment. nonetheless, nowadays, local problems are presented by grassroots initiatives in the community where civic groups actively take solutions and action. considering this, practical skills are required to solve shared problems. these emerging challenges have led to rising interest in using design in participatory sensing technologies and cooperation programmes (tangmunarunkit et al., 2015; lukyanenko et al., 2016). design, in this respect, allows the local community to participate in such a process with little top-down legislation and 76 informal bottom-up initiatives. in addition, knowledge exchange and co-creation are two crucial elements regarding environmental awareness enhancement and action adoption (coulson et al., 2018), which can be done by conducting workshops and meetups to encourage participation and develop learning and knowledge in areas such as sensors, data visualisation and interpretation. as labelled by the authors, co-sense activity refers to two or more actors collaborating on using daily and readily accessible technology to detect and collect data for tackling common issues. co-creation initiatives in circular cities in total, nine types of co-creation practices were identified, which can be divided into two main groups. first, regenerative co-creation (oertzen et al., 2018) relates to new measures and co-creation forms in the early stages (i.e. in the strategic phrase) of the service development process. in this study, regenerative co-creation practices promote circular economy actions and trigger innovation within the circular city. to be specific, regenerative co-creation practices comprise co-vision, co-conception of ideas, co-design, co-prototyping, co-production and co-promotion, and they can foster new cooperation channels among different actors. second, operative co-creation (oertzen et al., 2018) refers to user-specific and servicerelated events that may occur several times, leading to incremental innovation. operative co-creation practices encompass co-maintenance, co-consumption and co-sense. the following section describes the nine types of co-creation practices about the initiatives mapped in the six case studies mentioned above. 1. co-vision depending on regional conditions, co-vision is a vision of the desired future shared by the municipality, civic society and related stakeholders. usually, the city-level roadmap follows its national guideline. taking a leading role in the circular economy transformation movement, the netherlands’ national goal is to be fully circular by 2050 and to cut down half of raw materials by 2030. many community-owned circular economy initiatives in amsterdam adhere to the national strategy. brussels aims at resource efficiency to help stimulate the economy to boost entrepreneurship and create new employment opportunities. the city of glasgow’s vision is to become one of the world’s first circular cities, creating a movement to inspire businesses of all sizes to innovate and become future-proof by adopting circular strategies (eit, 2018). all six cities under investigation show their efforts to support co-vision activity. it is worth mentioning that ljubljana has involved multiple stakeholders facilitating circular economy practices. for instance, open forums, green events and stakeholder engagement conferences are the main media in which municipalities can rely on communicating and sharing the same vision with other stakeholders for a sustainable lifestyle. 2. co-conception of ideas co-conception of ideas refers to two or more actors collaborating on concept innovation. one large-scale crowdsourcing example is circular glasgow, launched by the glasgow chamber of commerce. circular glasgow aims to engage local businesses involved in the production of major city events and conferences. this ongoing project promotes circular economy ideas related to global challenges by inviting individuals and businesses to contribute circular ideas within the events sector online. in the end, the challenge received 60 ideas from 13 countries, and these works are in progress to support the implementation of resultant ideas and solutions. correspondingly, the call from “be circular—be brussels” launched by brussels-capital region aims to support self-employed people and businesses in their creativity and develop economic activities that benefit the environment and local jobs. innovative ideas have been collected from this call, and more than 40 companies and start-ups have been awarded financial and service support. 77 3. co-design co-design refers to two or more actors/designers sharing their design perspectives, respectively, especially in the “fuzzy front-end” phrase. co-design activities take place in all cities examined at various levels of involvement. citizens explore possibilities and gain inspiration by co-design practices related particularly to collaborative workshops. remarkably, the city of helsinki appeared very active in co-design activities focusing on intelligent transportation. in the district of jätkäsaari, designers engaged residents in solving local mobility challenges. jätkäsaari offers a living lab and urban testbed for innovative mobility development in helsinki. numerous pilots, experiments and projects have been conducted in the lab, focusing on innovative mobility services, traffic safety, mobility data, and behaviour change. residents are actively involved in living lab activities and a web-based survey concerning mobility challenges and people’s opinions about the services. the results were elaborated on in four open workshops with the residents and traffic planners involved (forum virium helsinki, 2020). a dedicated website (jatkakokeilee) was created to inform the ongoing process for residents and encourage their participation. 4. co-prototyping building on the research of selloni (2017), co-prototyping in this research means that two or more actors collaborate in proposing innovative solutions and running them in a flexible and co-creative way with mockups or service rehearsals (selloni, 2017). for example, a model in the smart kalasatama district of helsinki—the agile piloting programme—has been developed to experiment with new services and technologies in a co-creative way. this programme engages companies, residents, the public sector and other stakeholders to experiment with new solutions responding to environmental issues in a real-life environment (e.g. city districts, schools, hospitals, etc.). the piloting teams prepared and co-developed their agile pilot within the urban lab. agile pilots are fast experiments of early prototypes running for a maximum of six months. moreover, a facilitated platform is available for collaboration with the whole ecosystem, aiming to learn as much as possible (forum virium helsinki, 2020). 5. co-production co-production emphasises an equal and reciprocal partnership (boyle & harris, 2009) between users while delivering public services. co-production activity occurs in digital or physical spaces (e.g. urban living labs, fab labs, maker spaces, incubators, innovation hubs, etc.), and distributed urban production systems, enabled by new technologies, are necessary to explore the potential for a new dynamic of the city. in the city of amsterdam (the buiksloterham district, where the circular neighbourhood action plan is implemented), a set of resources is available for local residents and developers to translate higher-level goals into everyday activities. here, an entirely circular community called de ceuvel is situated in the city. it is a participatory urban living lab of a self-sufficient community, where designers, enthusiastic citizens and other actors generate synergies and partnerships. 6. co-promotion co-promotion is described as two or more actors collaborating on promotional activities related to a specific product, brand or entity. examples include the municipality of the gothenburg, which aims to strengthen its ability to push, co-operate, communicate and support the transformational work required to achieve the desired results with many stakeholders. on the other hand, helsinki works towards finding, co-creating and demonstrating innovative, practical solutions that are climate-positive, smart with resources and improve people’s wellbeing (eit, 2018). unlike the other five northern european cities in the case study, ljubljana uses a different strategy to achieve a circular city. the title of european green capital has significantly strengthened ljubljana’s recognition worldwide and upgraded the city’s brand. twentyfour ambassadors were appointed to raise awareness among citizens, involving them in the process 78 of making ljubljana more environmentally friendly (city of ljubljana, 2016). it is clear from this case that forming and sharing ideas of the future is crucial for a successful and smooth process of co-creation. 7. co-maintenance in circular cities, co-maintenance is related to two or more actors sharing either the maintenance service or a core product or service. co-maintenance stems from the concept of the repair café, operating within the framework of the reuse centre, which entails the involvement of experts in different professions (e.g. electricians, sewists, carpenters, etc.) and volunteers to help repair and refurbish products. although repair café can be commonly seen in these circular cities, the large-scale alelyckan recycling park in gothenburg provides residents with a platform where they can sell their unwanted items and pick up some bargains amongst things that are judged to be useless or unnecessary by others. 8. co-consumption co-consumption involves collaboration during usage, as actors employ their resources (physical, social or cultural) individually or collectively, when co-consumers determine and enhance their own consumption experiences. it is implemented widely in these six cities to reduce mobility demand by releasing developers from the high parking requirements currently in the area and investing in additional alternatives and shared mobility. to give an example, the city of gothenburg consists of an exciting mix of sharing services (part of the smart map project) initiated by companies and civil society. such services were created as part of an innovative civil-public partnership, which is a tool that maps the sharing economy in gothenburg, including over 100 sharing initiatives, such as bike kitchens, co-working spaces, digital services, a toy library, mobility pools, clothes swapping days, etc. 9. co-sense co-sense activity, as labelled by the authors, refers to two or more actors collaborating on using daily and readily accessible technology to detect and collect data. these types of activities are widespread in the cities of amsterdam, helsinki and glasgow. impressively, in amsterdam, the smart kids lab allows children to observe the environment (e.g. soil, liquid and air) by using small-scale tests and self-made sensors enjoyably. an online platform assists these young citizens to perform tests and helps them compare the results with downloadable materials. on the other hand, over the last few years, glasgow— together with innovate uk—has been developing several initiatives to demonstrate the technology potentiality offered by intelligent technology. in glasgow, open data is utilised from various sources across the city; citizens can create or update their open dashboard from hands-on digital widgets (glasgow city council, 2021). amsterdam brussels glasgow gothenburg helsinki ljubljana co-vision x x x x x x co-conception of ideas x x x x x x co-design x x x x x x co-prototyping x x x x co-production x x x x x x co-promotion x x x x x x co-maintenance x x x x x x co-consumption x x x x x x 79 co-sense x x x x table 1: co-creation activities examined in circular cities. stakeholders and tools as described above, all forms of co-creation initiatives rely on the active participation of two or more actors (frow et al., 2015). it is crucial to have distinct roles, competencies and engaging platforms that make cocreation work effectively (ramaswamy & gouillart, 2010). based on the literature and case studies, seven relevant actors and three leading engagement platforms were identified in the mutually beneficial cocreation practices. seven actor groups were classified, including: (1) municipalities: the authorities act as promoters of integrated initiatives and interconnect resources with other actors. following the scope of their circular economy strategy, government engages the broader society in circular economy activities. it tries to communicate with the public about its activities and environmental impacts (oecd, 2020). (2) business sector: businesses as enablers of new business models for implementing circular economy concepts to advance more inclusive evaluation of their supply chains (world economic forum, 2018); as content providers that foster sharing, reusing or recycling; and provide repair, maintenance and remanufacturing services. (3) knowledge institutes: academia and research centres with specialists are key partners contributing to creating circular economic knowledge to promote educational purposes. (4) non-governmental organisations (ngos): ngos deliver on capacity-building projects and raise awareness of circular economy practices (oecd, 2020), e.g. creating an online circular observatory to share information on the circular economy and monitor citizens’ level of engagement to promote reuse behaviour and raise awareness. (5) citizens: citizens are co-implementers involved in services that used to be carried out by the government; citizens behave as co-designers of the content and process of service delivery; citizens also act as initiators, taking up the initiative to formulate specific services (voorberg, bekkers & tummers, 2015), e.g. residents provide repair, maintenance and remanufacturing services in their community. (6) local experts: accessible experts who are familiar with the local situation can help other actors by providing appropriate information and advice. (7) designers: designers contribute in several ways, from advocating cultural/organisational change to supporting specific collaborative processes, aiming at human-centred solutions. designers’ contributions are crucial for inspiring people and enhancing people’s imagination and visions of a better future (selloni, 2014). on the other hand, the analysis of co-creation practices showed how the initiatives are supported and enabled by different engaging platforms. effective co-creation typically requires an engagement platform (ramaswamy & gouillart, 2010), enabling actors to share their resources and adapt their processes. platform is often used to refer to a complex network that enables innovation (zahra & nambisan, 2011). in some cases, the circular economy co-creation platforms are part of the municipal website itself. for example, the think sustainably digital service of helsinki resembles a regular city guide but puts environmental sustainability as the primary factor (aouf, 2019). in this study, an engagement platform is considered a tool for enabling productive co-creation, intentionally brought to the co-creation context by the leading actor. three clusters of engagement platforms can be identified: 80 (1) digital resources: refers to a digital application for interactions with diverse actors (sawhney, verona, & prandelli, 2005) and coordination of strategies for promoting collaboration between different actors; sharing economy platforms, enabling a new form of co-creation for facilitating economic transaction and creating mutual benefits (e.g. car sharing software); and platforms provided by critical circular economy networks (e.g. emf, c40, iclei, etc.) for co-producing and translating relevant knowledge. (2) physical resources: refers to spaces where collaborators can be brought together to contribute to co-design or co-prototyping activities. physical spaces (e.g. urban living labs, fab labs, maker spaces, incubators, innovation hubs, etc.) play an essential role in stimulating co-creation practices, including the municipality transforming iconic buildings into attractive platforms to facilitate cocreation culture in the metropolitan area. (3) events and festivals: green events and festivals are staged to encourage visitors to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and behaviours, usually financed and organised by local authorities (mair & laing, 2013). green events are defined as a type of event characterised by the integration of sustainability guidelines into their planning, organisation and management processes (tölkes & butzmann, 2018). in conclusion, leading municipalities collaborate with ngos, knowledge institutes, local experts and designers to promote citizens’ and businesses’ acceptance and awareness of the circular economy through proper tools to refine the whole process and boost innovation. additionally, designers can intervene to reduce the gap between top-down and bottom-up actions, playing the role of cultural operators (manzini, 2015) that foster systemic and cultural changes. when involved in participatory projects, the character of designers is shifting from facilitators, translators, interpreters, guides and visualisers to provokers, triggers, change makers and actionists (selloni, 2017). on the other hand, city stakeholders’ concrete interventions need the support of engaging platforms, which are important for gaining insight and proposing ideas to make things come true eventually. engaging platforms work as both physical/digital resources and goaloriented events/festivals dedicated to co-creation activities and prototypying circular solutions in the cities. based on the case studies, it is beneficial to apply co-creation to transformational practices for integrating people and resources. a circular city co-creation design framework this research provides insight from case studies and the literature, coming up with an actionable method to propose a shared co-creation framework for future circular cities. municipalities have acknowledged the importance of cross-chain and cross-sector collaboration and have started to adopt co-creation processes based on regional differences (emf, 2015). however, municipalities lack a shared approach—in terms of process and tools—to systematise the current knowledge. to fill this gap, we propose the circular city cocreation design framework (see figure 1), which includes nine co-creation categories for sustainable development with the stakeholders involved, seeing circular economy principles as the goal. the elements constituting the framework are listed according to the emerging practices revealed from the case studies. the resolve model labelled by the ellen macarthur foundation is regarded as the principle of carrying out a circular city in the circular city co-creation design framework. the resolve framework aims to transfer the circular economy principles (preserve and enhance natural capital, optimise resource yields and foster system effectiveness) into six concrete actions, i.e. regenerate, share, optimise, loop, virtualise and exchange. the framework proposed by the authors includes seven 81 categories of potential actors (i.e. the municipality, businesses, knowledge institutes, ngos, citizens, local experts and designers) that may engage in co-creation practices. additionally, three main engagement platforms are identified and added to the framework—considered as engaging platforms—with the purpose of providing virtual resources, physical resources and green events/festivals for communication, participation, experimentation and further innovation. in the framework we propose (see figure 1), nine practices are included and clustered into two major groups: regenerative co-creation practices (i.e. co-vision, co-conception of ideas, co-design, co-prototyping, co-production and co-promotion) intensify the strategic part of innovation to facilitate the implementation of the resolve framework (emf, 2015); and operative co-creation practices (i.e. co-maintenance, co-consumption, and co-sense) provide implementation strategies, balancing top-down municipal power and bottom-up efforts from the private and public sectors within the regional area. figure 1: circular city co-creation design framework, adapted from the resolve framework (emf, 2015). this framework generates potential circular economy activities, drawing co-creation design methods to inspire further innovation and boost circular economy imaginaries in cities. while previous research and municipal reports stress the importance of a collaborative manner and partnership, a feasible and thorough examination that can be adapted to different geographical scales is overlooked. nine co-creation practices were grouped into two categories. to intensify the strategic part for further implementation, six regenerative co-creation practices were discerned. co-vision refers to a clear vision shared by stakeholders in line with the city’s comprehensive future strategy. as with ljubljana’s experience, multiple stakeholders 82 have been involved in realising a sustainable urban future. co-conception of ideas refers to two or more actors collaborating on concept innovation; two typical examples can be seen from glasgow and brussels. co-design is a creative process that refers to two or more actors sharing their respective design visions when co-creating solutions. an iconic example of large-scale co-design is the district of jätkäsaari in helsinki. co-prototyping describes how two or more actors jointly collaborate to propose innovative solutions (services or technologies) and run in a flexible and co-creative way with physical mock-ups or service rehearsals (selloni, 2017), such as helsinki’s agile piloting programme. co-production describes how two or more actors collaborate jointly in public service delivery. for instance, in the buiksloterham district in amsterdam, where the circular neighbourhood action plan is implemented, a set of resources is available for residents and developers to translate higher-level goals into everyday activities. co-promotion is described as two or more actors collaborating on a specific product or brand’s promotional activities. as a unique example, the title of european green capital has significantly strengthened ljubljana’s recognition worldwide and upgraded the city’s brand. furthermore, three operative co-creation practices provide implementation strategies, balancing top-down municipal and bottom-up efforts from the private and public sector. co-maintenance indicates two or more actors sharing either the maintenance service or a core product or service. repair cafés and other maintenance centres are the most common examples in the cases examined. co-consumption involves collaboration during usage, as actors employ their resources (physical, social or cultural), individually or collectively, when co-consumers determine and enhance their own consumption experiences. for instance, the city of gothenburg consists of an inspiring mix of sharing services (part of the smart map project) initiated by companies and civil society. co-sense practices, which are widespread in amsterdam, helsinki and glasgow, denote two or more actors collaborating on using daily and readily accessible technology to detect and collect data. since these three co-creation practices depend heavily on the contextual resources’ characteristics, it is essential that actors who have deep knowledge and understanding of local resources are included in the discussion. overall, grounded on tangible examples, the circular city co-creation design framework (figure 1) provides city stakeholders (mainly the municipality) with a concrete method of performing co-creation initiatives. concluding remarks this paper describes co-creation as a practical approach in circular cities, focusing on different co-creation initiatives. case studies allow the identification of the implementation of recommended circular economy co-creation practices in urban systems and a selection of actors and tools to take into consideration. the circular city co-creation design framework provides a design approach to apply co-creation activities in circular cities. regenerative co-creation practices (i.e. co-vision, co-conception of ideas, co-design, coprototype, co-production and co-promotion) intensify the strategic part of generating ideas to facilitate the implementation of the resolve framework inside cities. conversely, operative co-creation practices (i.e. co-maintenance, co-consumption and co-sense) provide implementation strategies and balance topdown municipal efforts and bottom-up trials from the private and public sectors. a growing body of research shows the contribution of design towards the implementation of circular economy strategies. frameworks, tools and strategies are developed from the design field to scale up these circular economy initiatives (fleischmann, 2020; mcaloone & pigosso, 2017; wastling et al., 2018) from the local level to regional and national ones. part of the design nature emphasises a participatory manner, since it has widened its practice from co-design with staff and users to collective design by all actors (vink et al., 2020). design approaches, such as systemic design, transformation design and transition design, embed futurist qualities, including transformative capacity (burns et al., 2006; irwin, 2015; jones, 2018; sangiorgi, 83 2011), which are required in the transformation process to realise a future-proof city. this also means that co-creation processes that involve multiple stakeholders at various levels and with diverse competencies are part of such a transformation. in this perspective, designers can contribute to advancing such processes more than facilitating, envisioning and supporting. the framework we proposed provides detailed cocreation forms based on actual initiatives; it helps this transformation process in realising a future-proof city. nevertheless, it could encounter practical issues when applied to various cities. previous research has already pinpointed the difficulty and limitation of collective co-creation work, considering the time and effort devoted. furthermore, when projects are transferred from designers to local communities, it is difficult to maintain the same quality and aesthetics of the artefacts or services. all the above issues reflect the obstacles to putting co-creation into practice. this co-creation circular city framework has been developed to inform what variables and alternatives can be chosen and implemented when applying co-creation methods at the municipality level. however, a few restrictions were identified in this research. first, this co-creation circular city framework remains exploratory, as further validation from policymakers and participants in a broad circular economy discussion is needed. second, the effectiveness of this framework is hard to assess, as the degree of urban sustainability cannot be evaluated. third, the circular economy is still in the developing phase, and the resolve framework that we used as a reference model in this framework does not entirely fit the urban context. it is also unknown whether the circular cities we analysed will become genuinely circular, although they had proven outstanding achievements and grounded long-term plans. besides, while we evenly choose samples from the clusters of advanced, in progress and newcomers cities, these municipal samples are not dynamic enough. they are limited within the european context, including relatively prosperous cities concerning educational, financial and social development. this framework outlines an open scenario in which each of the phases and co-creation categories accompanying the transformation towards circularity needs to be further explored in practice from a design perspective. further research may be conducted on this issue from a systemic view and at the international level. to generate systemic change globally, improved coordination across multiple levels of government is required. innovation in the circular economy requires a systemic approach where authorities must act as key facilitators, stimulating co-creation initiatives with key actors. it is essential to promote new models and integrate alternative sources where people can actively participate in the path towards a sustainable urban future. both capacity building and knowledge sharing are crucial for fostering systemic innovation processes. while there is much work to be done, there is also a clear need to build on existing knowledge developed from design fields. references åkesson, m., skålén, p., edvardsson, b., & stålhammar, a. 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(2011). entrepreneurship in global innovation ecosystems. ams review, 1(1), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-011-0004-3 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061743 https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/489 http://www3.weforum.org/docs/white_paper_circular_economy_in_cities_report_2018.pdf https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-011-0004-3 12 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. connecting female migrants to healthcare systems through smartphone apps: an asset-based design case study translating social capital of community organisations into sociotechnical systems laura niño cáceres, dana valentina rodriguez, diana alarcón, daisy yoo, caroline hummels published online: may 2023 to cite this article: cáceres, n., rodriguez, d.v., alarcón , d., yoo, d. & hummels, c. (2023) discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 12-26. 13 connecting female migrants to healthcare systems through smartphone apps: an asset-based design case study translating social capital of community organisations into sociotechnical systems laura niño cáceresa, dana valentina rodrigueza, diana alarcónb, daisy yooa, caroline hummelsa aeindhoven technology university, eindhoven, 5612 ae, the netherlands. l.nino@tue.nl, valenticr98@gmail.com, d.yoo@tue.nl, c.c.m.hummels@tue.nl bmedecins sans frontiers (msf), stockholm se 100 74, sweden. alarcondiana@gmail.com abstract workers in community organisations in amsterdam and bogota daily use smartphones for personal reasons. however, smartphone apps have been outside their organisational reach. thus, our paper explores sociotechnical systems’ opportunities to bridge community organisations and female migrants to macrosystems such as healthcare systems. our selected community organisations, casa migrante in amsterdam and kilombo yumma in bogota, were born out of serving peer migrants from latin american and afro-colombian backgrounds. their services provide support to female migrants who suffer abuse and poverty. built on cultural practices and social structures of their own, these organisations live on the periphery of macrosystems. they struggle to be appreciated and integrated into macrosystems and digital networks. thus, our paper highlights the core of their services, using asset-based design, and translates their social capital into sociotechnical systems such as smartphone apps. this is intended to reveal, consolidate and integrate their efforts into wider systems. keywords: community organisations, female migrants, smartphone apps, asset-based design, sociotechnical systems, sociotechnical capital introduction supporting the harsh realities of newly arrived low-income migrants are community organisations. migrants carry a heavy burden, as they tend to be seen as people taking advantage of opportunities offered by the host countries or cities or as a threat since their presence downgrades the quality of life in neighbourhoods where they settle or brings petty crime to an area (ryu & tuvilla, 2018). this creates a general unwelcoming narrative around low-income migrants. additional burdens include the expectation from hosting systems that these migrants will be able to stand on their own feet with some limited support, such as language courses or subsidies (ryu & tuvilla, 2018). migrants’ abilities to thrive depend on multiple factors, such as strong ties to local networks, institutional entities, labour skills or legal immigration status (biswas et al., 2012). due to these internal and external barriers, migrants suffer from significant vulnerabilities, isolation and mental health issues (hou et al, 2020; standing, 2011; syed, 2016). in the case of female migrants, they fall into the category of ‘inferior’ workers, involving low-skilled and low-wage labour (phizacklea, 1983). their labour conditions impede them from looking for health services in a timely manner. in the netherlands, migrants avoid seeking healthcare services due to fear of deportation or high financial costs (van walsum, 2016). in colombia, although all citizens are entitled to free access to care, the amount of paperwork and complexity of the public healthcare system make women withdraw from using it. in both cases, the lack of timely access to healthcare services increases health inequity. 14 allowing migrants to navigate unfamiliar places occurs with smartphones. these are a lifeline to lowincome migrants in the netherlands, as they help them to stay connected to their loved ones and find their way in new cities. they also allow safety and connectivity, plus sending money to their loved ones in other countries (alencar et al., 2019; mazzucato et al., 2008). the pervasiveness of smartphones, even in low-income populations, has enabled apps such as tarjimly (https://www.tarjimly.org/) and shifra (https://shifra.app/en) to provide healthcare information to migrants and translation services. however, limited smartphone apps exist that connect community organisations, migrants and healthcare systems. this phenomenon can be partially explained as small and underfunded organisations suffering from the “organisational digital divide” (mcnutt, 2008). this phenomenon refers to the lack of limited organisational information communication tools, which hampers their ability to connect to wider systems and to prove their effectiveness in working with migrants in macrosystems (riza et al., 2020). thus, we ask, how are the services and related challenges of our selected community organisations in bogota and amsterdam? how do they establish connections to macrosystems such as the healthcare system? how can smartphones support community organisations in connecting female migrants and healthcare systems? what are the distilled principles for guiding the development of smartphone apps for these community organisations? our main contribution is to characterise the services of our selected community organisations. next, we explore the role of smartphone apps in enhancing those services towards healthcare systems, by distilling principles that respect the sensitivity of female migrants’ situations and the social capital and possibilities of community organisations. theoretical lenses we selected sociotechnical systems, sociotechnical capital and collaborative services theories to support our study. sociotechnical systems the term sociotechnical system alludes to the human–machine intricate components found in small-scale devices such as smartphones or large objects and infrastructure such as public transport, the internet or any other technology-based product. the socio part involves people and users, and the technical part is the machine or technologically based aspects (ropohl, 1999). sociotechnical systems are highly embedded in modern life, and society cannot function any longer without them (edwards, 2003; ropohl, 1999). digital sociotechnical systems have achieved high pervasiveness; thus their absence or failure in functioning creates a significant disruption in work and personal life (amir & kant, 2018). although sociotechnical systems are modelled out of human activities, they impact human relations and interactions permanently. this is because, at the core of sociotechnical systems, the premise is to socialise technology, as well as technical social interactions (ropohl, 1999). thus, the human and societal aspects of sociotechnical systems are to be closely considered. taking sociotechnical systems’ implications into consideration is sociotechnical capital. this concept takes the social capital of communities, understood as social interactions, relations, and motivation to connect https://www.tarjimly.org/ https://shifra.app/en 15 and act together, as the base to transform them into sociotechnical relations. therefore, sociotechnical systems substitute social structures and interactions of users, intending to enhance their social fabric through technology/machine possibilities (robison & siles, 2002). furthermore, sociotechnical capital explicitly challenges the assumption that sociotechnical systems such as information communication technologies (ict) increase people’s abilities to act together by simply having them. instead, sociotechnical capital proposes to use social capital to promote adoption and expected benefits (resnick, 2001). building further on social capital are collaborative services (baek, et al., 2018). where services are built out of the capital of human relations. they address social issues and build on social capital by increasing trust among communities, support and care. this capital contributes not only to the resilience of societies but also to social innovations (manzini, 2007; meroni & sangiorgi, 2011). collaborative services create not only services but collaborative networks (baek & manzini, 2012). these collaborative networks can be explained since capital is something usually implied for high-income segments and yields. however, capital within social capital is the ability of groups to cooperate in horizontal ways within their networks, without hierarchical structures to stop them while creating improved outcomes for them, despite scarce resources (robison & siles, 2002). these collaborative services are usually circumscribed in the culture and social institutions of communities, which makes them invisible to outsiders (blomberg & darrah, 2015). thus, the role of service designers is to carve out those imperceptible services that are ingrained in community discourses and translate them into something new, yet highly recognisable to the community studied, respecting the central human condition, social capital and organicity of their interactions (sangiorgi & prendiville, 2014). to summarise: • opportunities are created by digital sociotechnical systems such as smartphones and apps, which are widely used by migrants and community organisations. • the imperative human and social capital requirements in designing sociotechnical systems, referred to as sociotechnical capital, enhance the capabilities of users such as migrants and community organisations. • the potential of smartphone apps is to increase integration into macrosystems such as healthcare systems. • our role as service designers and design researchers is to carve out those invisible services, coined as collaborative services and next to translate them into smartphone apps to increase appreciation and clarity concerning their contributions to macrosystems and society at large. method we selected three complementary methods for our study. the first is a literature review, which we used to introduce the selected community organisations and frame the problems around them (creswell, 2014). the second is asset-based design (abd), which is used for community design and builds on the cultural and social capital of communities (pei et al., 2022). it differs in particular from human-centred design (hcd), which focuses on mitigating negative aspects of interactions with a focus on momentary functional requirements. hcd is argued to overlook social structures, leading to social and cultural exclusion (vink & oertzen, 2018; wong-villacres et al., 2020). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0142694x17300017?casa_token=kzge2vecja4aaaaa:6ahckpj1f7yq4zk9sqeyzq1urabdfdrknvzsad-yh_htilrsij8pqh8gu4q9zv9i4jarxlfvzq#bib39 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0142694x17300017?casa_token=kzge2vecja4aaaaa:6ahckpj1f7yq4zk9sqeyzq1urabdfdrknvzsad-yh_htilrsij8pqh8gu4q9zv9i4jarxlfvzq#bib41 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0142694x17300017?casa_token=kzge2vecja4aaaaa:6ahckpj1f7yq4zk9sqeyzq1urabdfdrknvzsad-yh_htilrsij8pqh8gu4q9zv9i4jarxlfvzq#bib2 16 particularly in designing digital sociotechnical systems, the focus should be on leveraging existing assets such as social capital and cultural practices, which are crucial assets for effective community digital interventions (pei et al., 2022). thus, abd aligns well with the concept of sociotechnical capital proposed by resnick (2001). moreover, abd seeks the identification of robust practices already developed by communities to be translated into interventions such as digital sociotechnical systems that fully represent those communities (cho et al., 2019). abd proposes focusing on assets such as care, solidarity, social networks and local expertise (wongvillacres et al., 2020), variables selected for answering through our study. the approach is intrinsically participatory, as it intends to work with communities in co-creating their futures and mitigating social and technological inequalities (wong-villacres et al., 2021). in the co-creation of those asset-based futures, we selected paper prototyping techniques as means to represent a service, where its usage and technical aspects become more apparent. paper prototypes are seen as a means to illustrate smartphone app services and to crystallise the capital from community organisations (sanders & stappers, 2014). thus, paper prototypes are a means of inquiry to shape the social technical capital of such community organisations (koskinen et al., 2011). for our data analysis, we selected inductive content analysis (ica). this method abstracts data into groups to answer the research questions using concepts, categories or themes. ica is used when the data collection process is open and follows loosely defined themes (kyngäs 2020). for our inductive analysis, we used the asset variables introduced earlier by abd of care, trust, solidarity and sharing resources to guide us. results responding to the vulnerabilities of female migrants are casa migrante in amsterdam and kilombos in bogota. kilombos were founded by afro-colombian women trained in african ancestral medicine. their midwifery roles came along with leadership traits, which made them community leaders. after being displaced from their territory of origin, they founded ethnomedical organisations called kilombos in bogota. these provide safe health spaces for afro-colombian women and children. reclaiming their bodily traditions through ancestral midwifery became a form of reclaiming their dignity (gutiérrez páez et al., 2017). casa migrante was created by a christian pastor aiming to support spanish-speaking migrants mostly of latin american heritage in amsterdam, who were affected by language and cultural barriers. in brief, women working in prostitution suffered from significant abuse, and societal stigma knocked on their doors. regrettably, female migrants working in prostitution are mostly unaccounted for in migration and diaspora studies (agustín, 2006). the christian tradition encourages people to treat neighbours and foreigners with kindness and generosity, to look after the sick, feed the hungry, etc and devote oneself to the service of people in need (kirillova et al., 2014; laba, 1991) afro-colombian beliefs have two roots: catholic christian tradition, imposed by the spanish colonisers and sub-saharan western african heritage. the latter has as its central premise the “ubuntu spirit”, which means “i am because we are” (hamedani et al., 2012) and is expressed through the ideals of compassion, reciprocity and dignity to build and maintain a community with justice and mutual caring relations. this 17 strong level of collectivism is also perceived in their identity, which mostly comes from kinship and family ties such as “who i know”, and “what family and community i belong to” (nussbaum, 2003). these beliefs are in opposition to protestant ones embedded in dutch society and capitalist systems, in which the sooner a person is removed from the support of a mother, a community and religion, the more independent and self-reliant this person will become (laba, 1991). these beliefs have transcended religion and become part of neoliberal economic and political models in colombia and the netherlands, creating significant contrasts with our selected community organisations, whose beliefs and culture of collective support, care and sacrifice guide their existence, as our next method’s findings illustrate. asset-based design findings in the next paragraphs, we present our findings per organisation, following the selected abd variables of care, trust, solidarity and sharing resources. first, we present in table 1 the summary of the description of co-creation sessions and include two photo collages. table 1: description of the co-creation sessions. casa migrante kilombo yumma number of co-creation sessions 1 1 attendants 7 6 profile female migrants, volunteers and personnel personnel: nurse, community health worker, healer, ancestral midwife, environmental technician and matrona duration 120 minutes 90 minutes consent forms signed by all attendees signed by all attendees raw data post-its, notes, audio recordings, paper prototypes and photographs. all data stored in a secure server of eindhoven university of technology. notes, audio recordings, paper prototypes and photographs. all data stored in a secure server of eindhoven university of technology. attendees’ recruitment carried out by community organisation via social media and whatsapp. carried out by community organisation face-to-face and via whatsapp. casa migrante care: care happens at various levels: 1. pragmatic 2. personal 18 3. emotional 4. healing 1. pragmatic care: language, cultural and process translation personnel and volunteers help female migrants access the healthcare system by making appointments for them, accompanying them to their appointments, translating from spanish to dutch and mediating during the appointment to ensure that the female migrant’s articulation of her health needs is clearly understood by the physician and vice versa. the nurse volunteer mentioned that the translating services that casa migrante provides go beyond language and involve cultural aspects as well. when she joins someone at a healthcare appointment, she supports the migrant to define and voice her needs to the physician in question. physicians in the netherlands tend to ask people “what can i do for you?” which is a foreign concept to latin american communities, who are not used to articulating their health needs assertively. thus, for a female migrant having to do this on the spot with a stranger such as a physician is a difficult task where cultural guidance is required. 2. personal care: own health last latin american female migrants tend to neglect their health. this is because they put the needs of others above theirs or because they lack health education and information or enabling conditions to seek healthcare services, such as flexibility at work or fear of deportation. furthermore, some suffer from emotional and/or physical abuse, which diminishes their selfesteem and agency to act. in supporting these women to understand that they need to put themselves first, look after themselves and seek care, this self-awareness is a significant task of casa migrante. workshops throughout the year take place to provide spaces to speak and discuss these abuse topics. women are usually recruited via a whatsapp message, and announcements are made via facebook. one participant argued that she did not know that she had health issues. she went to the doctor since her boyfriend told her that she was gaining too much weight. it turned out she had thyroid issues. now she takes medicine and supplements to manage it. despite not being with that partner anymore, she has learned to look after herself, especially now that she is by herself in the netherlands. 3. emotional care: overcoming barriers to find own strength psychological, social services and doulas are offered to migrants at casa migrante. these services are provided during weekends and evenings to accommodate the working life of female migrants. however, the notion of mental health is also diluted for these women. it takes time and pondering for them to engage in therapy. domestic violence and general abuse are prevalent subjects addressed by these services. the vulnerability of these women makes it hard for them to act on it. the doula volunteer at casa migrante argued that latin american women that she sees at casa migrante have a lot of trauma and that pregnancy brings significant cultural clashes between dutch and latin american healthcare approaches, which ultimately make women not trust their bodies and themselves. in addition, the baby may not be intentionally conceived, creating greater anxiety in women. thus, a large part of her work is to help these women trust themselves and their bodies. 19 4. healing care: cohabiting together as a repairing act some of these migrants do not have stable homes to live in. this can be due to eviction, because women decide to leave their abusive partners or simply because they cannot find a home. casa migrante provides an open living room six days a week. after their opening time, 2 pm, people and women flock to the living room and lounge of casa migrante. here they find peers in the same situation, they feel safe, and they have a warm place to be and food to eat. the open living room is the place where all the above care forms connect and cement and where warmth is experienced at an emotional repair level. care, therefore, is defined as a journey on which the personnel and volunteers of casa migrante embark with female migrants to teach them self-care. this means identifying their health needs, finding a voice within the healthcare system and larger systems, understanding their rights, meeting peers and acting upon their inner strengths. one female migrant argued that she has learned about the benefits of being part of a macrosystem. currently, she pays for her healthcare insurance, which makes her feel good about herself and secure. trust: next to language support and cultural translation, there is indefinite time and availability to accompany and listen to female migrants. indefinite time is necessary to understand what they need and to build trust. solidarity, sharing resources sharing resources is a natural and embedded activity of casa migrante. these can be information, time, guidance, food, a living room, etc. in the open living room, people can easily connect and extend their network, acquaintances and peers, which leads to more emotional support and living opportunities for them. image 1: photo collage from casa migrante co-creation session. kilombo yumma care: care at kilombo yumma happens at 1. pragmatic 2. physiological and emotional and 3. spiritual levels 1. pragmatic care: accessing health insurance, removing bureaucratic obstacles kilombo yumma helps female migrants realise the services of the national healthcare system for this population. the nurse and community health workers are trained to know how to manoeuvre the bureaucracy to issue health insurance for their population. 20 pragmatic care involves removing the bureaucratic barriers to accessing the national healthcare services in bogota. the personnel also create referrals, book appointments with health units and hospitals and, if necessary, join them in these appointments. 2. physiological and emotional care: complementing western medicine with ancestral midwifery to kilombos yumma’s personnel, western medicine is limited in supporting health since it is only approached from the physiological aspects. in their communities, when a woman gets pregnant, her role within the community varies. having a baby is following an important milestone in the personal and emotional development of a woman, such as getting their period. these milestones also involve an emotional and communal transition that needs to be addressed, which is ignored by western healthcare systems. when women suspect they are pregnant, they consult matrons, midwives or healers to guide them in their process. this process is a journey where chants, massages, and tailor-made pregnancy advice are provided. all of it is aimed at making the woman feel safe, prepared and supported by her community in her transition. however, ancestral midwifery also involves physiological aspects carried out by midwives. they ask questions and examine the pregnant woman. to be sure, they go through a list of risky conditions in pregnancy such as palpitations, beeping ears, headaches etc. through their hands, the size of the belly and the position of the baby are checked. if they notice the baby is breech, they have different techniques to reposition him/her. all these practices provide comfort and safety to the population. as midwives know their limitations, they are very comfortable leaning on nurses’ expertise to complement their examination and to refer women with high-risk conditions in pregnancy to the national healthcare system. women referred by kilombos to the healthcare systems are closely followed up to ensure they are seen and understand the necessary treatment to be followed. they insist that their work goes beyond the symptoms. it is to guide and accompany women at a deeper level. 3. spiritual care: piercing through the soul of everyone in need the matrona from yumma is very explicit about the spiritual care they provide to their population. she describes kilombo’s service as seeing through the eyes of people into their soul to fully understand the person in front of them to best support him/her. spiritual care is understood as taking the time to assess the family situation of that person by asking “who do you live with, who works in the house or earns money, who do you look after, who looks after you and who is your support network?” in this process sometimes, the female migrant is given a plant to look after. kilombo’s personnel intend to assess the well-being and ability of that person to look after herself and others. thus, spiritual care is defined as picking through the soul of the person, revealing and assessing her emotional needs. solidarity: connected to spiritual care is solidarity. a core part of their tradition is to heal through group rituals called “sanación”, which translates as healing. many female migrants who visit kilombo yumma are victims of war, which means they have been displaced by force and terror from their homes. they may have been raped by armed men. they have witnessed and lost relatives in the war. thus, kilombo yumma is a place where literal and figurative healing takes place. kilombo yumma personnel get together around the woman who has been through a very difficult experience. they encircle her and through chants and calling out the inner strength of the person and collective support, they aim to help her to move on. this is accompanied also by active listening, which is a daily activity they carry out at kilombo yumma. 21 the matrona expressed offence at the fact that the secretary of health does not understand nor distinguish between their ritual practices. some are aimed at healing the person and others are aimed at getting the community in sync by holding hands and sharing their collective good intentions, good health and support. sharing of resources: donations or other goods are something found at yumma. this is because they are a central resources hub for the community for information, guidance, medicine and support. many people tend to arrive by lunchtime since they know that the food will be shared. they say: “where one eats, many can eat also”. paper prototype findings casa migrante the participants recognise their daily use of smartphones and selected apps such as uber, maps, whatsapp and calendars. however, they dislike apps with extensive data and complex navigation formats. the main challenge casa migrante identified was the lack of digital tools to connect and coordinate female migrants to volunteers who want to support them. currently, there is much back and forth between the personnel of casa migrante and female migrants before the volunteers get involved. thus, the idea of having an uber service-type app for volunteers and female migrants was defined as essential to increase coordination and the number of female migrants being helped by casa migrante. the app would allow the casa migrante personnel to do less coordination and provide more social, legal, emotional and practical guidance to other female migrants. furthermore, this app would fill upa gap in the dutch healthcare system: the nurse volunteer argued that in the past there were translators in hospitals to support people, which today do not exist anymore. thus, the work of the volunteers becomes even more important to culturally and personally support the female migrant be understood and helped properly. introducing the app would be done by the casa migrante personnel, since the coordinator argued that once the relationship is established with casa migrante, female migrants feel comfortable being helped by any volunteer female to go to the doctor, as long as this person can speak spanish. last but not least, the number of meetups between volunteers and female migrants is captured by the app and can be accessed by casa migrante. in this way, evidencing their effectiveness in connecting female migrants to dutch healthcare would be possible. kilombo yumma all personnel from yumma use smartphones daily. however, few of them are literate in using computers. they find the paper forms that they need to fill in from the secretary of health cumbersome and an extension of racial subordination from macrosystems to them. thus, they want to have an app on their smartphones. the purpose of the app is to support yumma to collect data in easier and more empowering ways. the data variables to be collected need to be defined since they currently see that the paper forms do not represent their ancestral practices in culturally appropriate ways, which subsequently means their lack of representation within the national healthcare system and national data systems. 22 thus, to yumma any sociotechnical app aims to streamline data collection while acknowledging and increasing the representation of their ancestral practices. thus, the opportunities identified are: a. swift data collection instead of cumbersome forms b. representation of medicine and combined approach c. “ubuntu” of health d. impact through referral data a. swift data collection instead of cumbersome forms currently, they use several forms to collect data from the population to characterise them, their living situation and their health issues. these tasks are done by the secretary of health; thus yumma is the data clerks moreover, the forms take a long time to fill in, interrupt their flow of practices and affect the human connection, which aims to establish a “spiritual” connection. b. representation of medicine and combined approach kilombo yumma has a western and ancestral medicine approach, provided by their multidisciplinary team including a senior nurse. regrettably, the secretary of health and its forms undermine their ancestral medicine practices. instead, there are general questions in the forms such as ancestral medicine next to acupuncture. in the eyes of kilombo yumma, this underrepresents them at the local and macrosystem levels. thus, the smartphone app aims to collect their combined ancestral and western medicine practice as presented in table 2 below. a limited selection of data fields was selected for this paper to illustrate the sociotechnical system opportunity. table 2: selection of data fields to be included in their sociotechnical system. ancestral medicine data western medicine data is the baby well positioned in the belly? has the pregnant mother experienced any unusual symptoms? is the baby “boxed” in the belly? does the pregnant mother have pain down under the belly? has the pregnant female received ancestral advice? does the pregnant female have a headache? did the healer advise the pregnant female? does the pregnant female have to bleed? does the pregnant female have beeping sounds in her ears? what is the pregnant female’s foetocardia? does the pregnant female have blurry vision? what is the pregnant female's blood pressure? are the ankles of the pregnant female swollen? what is the pregnant female heart rate? 23 a. ‘ubuntu’ of health to yumma, the support network and living situation of female migrants is essential to understand and capture. in their view, when these aspects are not in place and the woman is pregnant, the outcome of the pregnancy will not be good. lack of good nutrition leads to problems with the baby, to mention one thing. thus, the questions to be included in the app are: • who do you live with? • who is your support health network? • how many people earn an income in your family? • who takes care of you (financially and emotionally)? • who do you look after? b. referrals yumma creates many referrals to the healthcare system and other public instances. thus, they would like to capture the type and number of referrals done monthly, as follows: • national health insurance • subsidy claims • food • ambulance • birth at hospital one of the main takeaways from the prototypes was the significant interest in creating lists of activities or symptoms in a smartphone app to which they could answer yes or no to avoid interrupting their routines and rituals. since they are a large team, their preference is that only one person completes the app, instead of all of them having to enter data, as happens today. image 2: photo collage from kilombo yumma co-creation session. discussion mitigating structural gaps for female migrants to access the healthcare systems in amsterdam and bogota are casa migrante and kilombo yumma community organisations. despite their deep care and significant efforts to help female migrants, the lack of appropriate sociotechnical systems impedes them from being appreciated beyond their communities. due to their type of work and sociotechnical systems’ literacy, it was found important to introduce sociotechnical systems to these organisations and female migrants in smartphone apps. those apps also should follow the features and logic of whatsapp, uber, calendars or anylist, which are familiar to them. 24 however, to ensure that sociotechnical systems are fully adopted and meet the core values and practices of these organisations, they should also follow the sociotechnical capital identified and presented next. sociotechnical capital principles for community organisations 1. jointly defining health needs for appointments to happen: the identification of the health need is something that requires time and personal interaction with female migrants. once the health need has been identified, a series of administrative activities comes to make the appointments happen. these are enabled and registered in the apps. 2. extending relations: the more effectively the community organisations can do their work using the apps, the more relations and support are created for the female migrants. the natural horizontal navigation of their own and extended networks is enhanced through the apps. 3. feeling represented in large networks: naming and capturing their traditions in sociotechnical apps is crucial to create a better understanding and representation of these communities within the society they are part of but invisible to. 4. impact in numbers: finally, through the apps the select community organisations have immediate access to the activities and their total number is summarised. this can be displayed on their social media page, shared with macrosystems, etc. the sociotechnical capital principles distilled through our study are built upon several complementary aspects of the social capital and services of the community organisations selected. this capital involves soft and hard aspects, such as defining a health need through active listening and having data (total number of activities) from their efforts. it is clear that for female migrants and community organisations such soft qualities in place enabled the hard ones to happen. thus, this is replicated and visualised (image 3). without sociotechnical capital, the leap for these organisations to more digital and robust sociotechnical systems is questionable. image 3: sociotechnical capital pillars for community organisations. 25 through abd and paper prototyping, we carved out the imperceptible services of community organisations in amsterdam and bogota. these methods enabled the service designers and design researchers to articulate sociotechnical capital for these organisations. however, these methods have limitations as follow-up is required to assess and further these opportunities for these organisations, which is outside the scope of this paper. these methods created enthusiasm in the community organisations as they opened an invisible door to them. however, without the external support of design and engineering teams, the materialisation of these opportunities continues to be far-fetched to them. conclusion female migrants from latin american origin arriving in a new country such as the netherlands and its capital city, amsterdam or afro-colombian migrants from the pacific coast arriving in bogota experience significant social, cultural and bureaucratic barriers to accessing healthcare services. helping them in navigating this complexity are community organisations. these organisations, however, suffer from a lack of sociotechnical organisational systems to support them in connecting female migrants and the healthcare systems. these organisations also suffer from a lack of visibility and electronic ways to prove their impact on macrosystems. finally, their social capital and assets of care, solidarity and ability to support female migrants have not yet been captured in sociotechnical systems. thus, through abd and sociotechnical capital, we prototyped two digital apps for smartphones, aimed at cementing their core services of community organisations to amplify their services involving deep care for their communities while establishing bridges and ways to prove their efforts to macrosystems. to materialise these initial opportunities, further efforts within and beyond these community organisations are required. references agustín, l. 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(2023). the designer as an agent for promoting sustainability in the creative industries in zimbabwe. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(2), 14-22. 15 the designer as an agent for promoting sustainability in the creative industries in zimbabwe walter chipambwaa, kelvin dekesab, josiline mabutoc achinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe wchipambwa@cut.ac.zw bchinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe kdekesa@cut.ac.zw cchinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe jgwisai@cut.ac.zw abstract the scope of this study is to engage designers to evaluate the extent to which they act as agents of change towards achieving a greener world, as their outputs have a significant bearing on how communities consume products or services. the study provides an audit of how the three key pillars of sustainability, namely economic, environmental and social are promoted in the creative industries in zimbabwe. five distinct areas in the creative industries were selected for this study: fashion design, interior design, product design, graphic design and multimedia design. five in-depth interviews were conducted in each sector from which the design agent was purposively sampled. the interviewees were purposefully sampled using their present and past creative work as a key indicator for providing a meaningful contribution to the study. a huge gap with regards to knowledge on sustainability issues was identified amongst designers across the sectors, athough opportunities for improvement were also identified. the study highlights the need to improve sustainability education as a concept for both designers and consumers of products and services. the study concludes that creative industries in developing economies like zimbabwe have significant potential to contribute towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals (sdgs). keywords: sustainability, economy, creative, designer, education introduction sustainable design is one of the tenets of the sustainable development goals (sdgs), as it plays a key role in how humans seek to meet their current needs without upsetting the ability of future generations to also meet their respective needs. traditionally, manufacturers have employed the linear economy model in which products are made from natural resources and after their use are disposed of in an often unsustainable manner. however, the more favourable and sustainable pathway would be to adopt the circular economy model as proposed by pearce and turner (1990), wastling et al. (2018) and sumter et al. (2020). a circular economy model aims to re-introduce the used parts of product as new raw materials for another new product to improve resource efficiency. from the designer’s perspective, concepts such as biomimicry, minimalism, cradle-to-cradle and the 4rs (reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle) become key as they promote circular economy initiatives (chipambwa et al., 2023; geissdoerfer et al., 2017; hall et al., 2023). the concept of design for sustainability is made up of five key principles: biomimicry, cradle-to-cradle, renewability, minimalism and systems thinking. leerberg et al. (2010) state that design shapes the lives of all humans, and as such designers must consider the impact of their outputs. they go on to suggest that the designer should therefore consider the impact of their design on society, from the initial steps of the design process till the end of the product’s life. margolin (2007) also argues that designers have a crucial role to play in the economy as they determine how humans interact with their planet. the goal of sustainability is to use fewer resources and preferably mailto:wchipambwa@cut.ac.zw mailto:kdekesa@cut.ac.zw mailto:jgwisai@cut.ac.zw 16 eco-friendly options that may be available for the product to be realised. sustainability was first defined by the brundtland commission as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (keeble, 1988). sustainability in product design and development has therefore become a major research area over the years (ahmad et al., 2018). design for sustainability (d4s or dfs) is part of design for excellence (dfx), a concept that seeks to improve the quality of a product during the design stage. for a product to exist, it has to be designed, and it is during this stage that the materials to be used and the various processes to be carried out in terms of its manufacturing up to its disposal are determined (sild, 2022). this implies that the design stage is key in determining the effect of the product on sustainability. the development of sustainable products is an area that has gained popularity in the field of product development (fernandes & canciglieri, 2014). it has been established that 80% of sustainability is decided at the product design stage (ahmad et al., 2018). it then becomes apparent that the designer has a huge role to play in ensuring that sustainable products are launched onto the market. for designers to become active agents of change for sustainability, they should be prepared to move out of their comfort zone and be prepared for continuous learning (baldassarre et al., 2019). the industry is facing increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable approaches to product design and manufacturing to remain competitive. important issues that design and manufacturing companies should consider to retain their acquired market share are maintaining high-quality products, lowering production costs and protecting the environment (gupta & vegelin, 2016). expectations for sustainable manufacturing practices have become more stringent over the years considering increasing environmental degradation, climate change and air and water pollution (gupta & vegelin, 2016). this study sought to: • explore the sustainable design concepts that designers and other creatives use in their practice. • examine how the concept of sustainable design is embraced by the local designers and creatives. • suggest strategies to promote the adoption of sustainable design principles and practices within the design sector. literature review sustainable design is often linked to green design and ethical design. the motive of sustainable design is to reduce resource use in product creation and reduce emissions to the environment as well as improve its socio-economic performance throughout the product life cycle (ahmad et al., 2018). sustainability is made up of three main dimensions: economic, social, and environmental (gupta & vegelin, 2016), which are also referred to as the 3ps, namely profit, people and planet, respectively. economic viability is a critical factor for the survival of any organization, but it is not enough to sustain the organization in the long term if production causes damages to the ecosystem, emits toxic waste and depletes non-renewable resources. it has become important for any organization to act socially and environmentally responsibly while trying to achieve its economic goals (gupta & vegelin, 2016). munyai (2016) opines that, to increase the capabilities of design, one can look at using concepts such as design thinking, co-design service design and system design. even though they are not directly linked to sustainable design. they can help in solving design problems. 17 for sustainable design and thinking to have a positive impact, the designer must think beyond simple constraints by engaging consumers to understand consumer behaviour and expectations. this will in turn produce designs that are driven by value and create an opportunity for the designer to educate the consumer. according to harper (2018), there is also a need to look at the aesthetic value of the design, as this also in some way affects the user in terms of their habits as consumers. she further argues that it is the designer’s responsibility to educate users about the material and aesthetic quality dimensions of the product. ahmad et al. (2018) posit that sustainable product design should pay more attention to the product life cycle – from the raw material selected for use, the structural formation, manufacturing and usage to the end of life, reusability and recyclability of a product. success in sustainable design entails consideration of environmental issues at the inception of the product development process, effective use of tools and environmental design principles, rules and standards and the availability of information required for cross-functional teamwork (gupta & vegelin, 2016). eco-design or design for the environment (dfe) is an idea or concept that aims to improve the environmental performance of a product (hauschild, 2004). fitzgerald et al. (2007) define dfe as “the systematic consideration of design performance concerning environmental, health, and safety objectives over the full product and process life cycle. dfe integrates design-related concepts such as; design for disassembly, recycling, recovery, human health, and safety”. barsanti (2012) argues that the role of a designer has changed from being a creator to being a facilitator of change. this is done through designing products that consider the 3ps of sustainability. three main strategies can be used in the application of the dfe concept. these strategies are minimizing resources and processes, optimizing the product life and planning the end of life of a product. in the first strategy, minimum resource consumption and processes allow for minimum resource use. in optimization of the product life, the goal is to prolong a product’s useful life in the market. this can be achieved through designing for the appropriate duration, designing for reliability, facilitating updating and adaptation and facilitating maintenance, repair, reuse and re-manufacturing. planning the end-of-life strategy seeks to reclaim the primary material used in products after its useful life. the strategy can be achieved by designing for reuse, remanufacture and recycling (fernandes & canciglieri, 2014). methodology according to creswell (2012), the research design should explain the processes followed in the collection of data, the data analysis and how the results are presented. this study was qualitative, as it sought to understand how designers view the concept of sustainable design in the way they perform their duties. the study sought to understand more about the behaviour of designers and their views on sustainability and evaluate the role designers play in the creative economy. the study identified three areas of design: fashion design, product/industrial design and graphic design. the 15 selected participants provided indications of how the sector is embracing the concept of sustainability, although a more extensive sample that can warrant a generalizable result can be studied in future. these three design areas are more common in the local creative industries and have many players who are actively participating in the growth of this sector. due to the limited resources, the study used a purposive sampling technique to identify and select design participants who were deemed to be knowledgeable about the area and expected to be information rich, as argued by patton (2002). 18 the selection of the participants in the three design sectors was based on the assessment of various design products they have contributed as their outputs as well as their social media interactions. the participants were fully informed of the study and they consented to participate before the data collection was done. the interview questions were sent before the agreed interview date so that the participants could familiarize themselves with the trajectory of the study. the questions were both open-ended and closeended with an opportunity to probe further. data was analysed and themes were generated from the 15 interview cases. results and discussion table 1: respondents demographics and experience. table 1 presents the participants’ gender distribution, years of experience and employment status. the design industry is synonymous with self-start-ups, such that one can easily open up one’s own company. table 1 also shows that there was a fair distribution of both female and male participants in all the areas of design chosen for the study. the lowest academic qualification of all the designers was a higher national diploma, indicating a knowledgeable target population. zimbabwe has seen a steady growth in the number respondent gender position years of experience educational qualification employment p1 female supervisor 3 degree self-employed p2 female designer 14 degree formally employed p3 female designer 8 masters formally employed p4 female fashion designer 3 degree self-employed p5 male fashion house director 5 degree self-employed p6 male r&d furniture designer 4 degree formally employed p7 female designer 2 degree formally employed p8 male designer 3 degree self-employed p9 male r&d product designer 5 degree formally employed p10 female interior designer 4 degree self-employed p11 male designer 4 higher national diploma self-employed p12 female creative director 3 degree self-employed p13 male designer 5 degree formally employed p14 male graphic artist 6 master’s degree self-employed p15 male designer 3 diploma formally employed 19 of tertiary institutions offering a wide range of subjects taught from the lower levels up to degree level. one subject that has been introduced widely in high schools as part of the new curriculum is design and technology, which has resulted in more students taking up design-related degrees and diplomas at the tertiary level. in the design field, the entrepreneurship dimension is much more pronounced, as the skills exhibited can result in the formation of a business that can be grown into a larger operation. in this study, 53% of the respondents indicated that they were self-employed while the other 47% were formally employed. as stated by fernandes (2019), students who graduate from the creative or design-related disciplines tend to benefit more in terms of entrepreneurial orientation as innovation is part of their key learning outcomes. sustainable design knowledge and education all the respondents pointed out that they knew what sustainable design entails. one respondent said, “they are designs that are timeless and are produced using organic fabrics” (participant 4). the respondents showed that they had an appreciation of the issue of raw materials used in design and also the issue of durability as compared to fast fashion products. another respondent said, “sustainable design is a concept that emphasizes the utilization of the earth’s natural products without depleting them so that future generations can also benefit from them” (participant 6). overall, the appreciation of sustainability as a concept that is important in design was evident from all the respondents. though the respondents reflected knowledge of sustainability, it was evident that those who are self-employed tend to practise it more than the formally employed. this was attributed to formal ways enforced by companies on the design processes that are always rigid. self-employed creatives tend to explore without limits and thus quickly move with the economic trends. according to gwilt (2012), in the case of fashion designers conforming to sustainability, they are affected by the design brief which in turn is part of the fashion brand. thus they have very little to change as the manufacturer is keen to make as much profit as possible from the particular design. the issue of practising or implementing sustainable design becomes a difficult option as the designer has few options to employ. only one respondent stated that environmental sustainability is incorporated in their research and development activities and that is when they try to ensure that the design problem is solved. all the respondents in this study indicated they went through formal design education and they acquired knowledge on sustainability and sustainable design. about 75% of the respondents stated they attained knowledge in sustainability from the various design education qualifications they undertook. the respondents (66%) also cited personal study as their source of knowledge on sustainability. social media platforms were also highlighted as key sources of information on sustainability. one respondent acknowledged, “i got to know about sustainability through a facebook advert on sustainable fashion and started following it, and ever since i am now actively participating in some initiatives on sustainable design and eco-design in fashion” (participant 2). zimbabwe is a developing economy, and as such social media plays an active role in promoting sustainability, a view also supported by bruce et al. (2022), who conducted a similar study on smes in ghana. from this study, it was highlighted that very few companies are doing on-the-job training for their employees, especially on issues to do with sustainability, a finding also supported by chipambwa et al. (2023) and sumter et al. (2020). this could be attributed to economic challenges facing many companies 20 in the country in that they end up trying to cut costs by not conducting training, which businesses view as a financial burden to their operations. challenges faced by designers in sustainable design the respondents cited several challenges they faced as designers in promoting or implementing sustainable design. one respondent said, “the society as a whole is finding it difficult to practise sustainability as they are stuck with what they are used to/they are familiar with” (participant 10). the respondent further explained that people are usually not comfortable with new ways of doing things, hence as a designer it is risky to bring in new ideas that promote sustainable design. another respondent said, “there is a lack of time and commitment from designers themselves and also a lack of financial resources to effectively connect key stakeholders in raising awareness and contributing to the local pool of sustainably designed/made solutions” (participant 11). many players also cited the worsening economic situation as a key setback, as designers cannot expand their operations with ease. it was also highlighted that some sustainable design concepts are difficult to push onto the market. upcycling fashion products or industrial products for example can be a challenge as customers might view the products as trash. this then makes it difficult for the designer to actively promote issues of sustainability, as the market may not yet be ready for such products. the graphic designers highlighted the fact that the absence of sustainable organic inks and paper to print in the market is a challenge. another designer stated, “the concept of less is more (minimalism) can be mistaken for laziness” (participant 14), and this can hurt one’s business. the designer added that the consumers of designs also need to be made aware of sustainability issues so that they can appreciate the designer’s perspective in the design of new products. another respondent stated that there is a need for homegrown solutions that take all players in the industry aboard. she highlighted the fact that “there is a need for promoting the use of our abundant local raw materials like our own cotton that has to be spun, woven and dyed using environmentally friendly methods” (participant 12). the respondent further stated that there is a need to promote the go green concept with proper care labels on clothes so that consumers are constantly reminded of the role they also have to play in sustainability. another respondent, a graphic designer, affirmed that “consumers need to be made aware of the issues to do with the environment through billboards and also using paper bags that carry the message to promote responsible behaviour amongst the consumers” (participant 13). promoting sustainable practices educating designers was highlighted as key to promoting sustainable design. though the respondents explained that they acquired knowledge on sustainability through formal education systems, it was pointed out that many tend not to put it into practice. one respondent said, “yes, i learned about sustainability at college but the content was too basic compared to what i know now. it was more of an introductory nature and less about practice” (participant 4). a related response was, “there is a need to educate learners on sustainability from the primary level in the form of projects they can undertake so that they develop a better understanding and an appreciation of sustainability and hence become responsible citizens” (participant 9). from the responses above, one can conclude that there is a need to improve the way sustainability is taught so that there are environmentally conscious consumers and designers. another respondent also suggested that symposia or workshops could be held for specific industrial sectors so that designers 21 recognize how their operations affect the environment and have them suggest workable solutions specific to their sector. graphic illustrations that encourage users to recycle or reuse various packages can also be used as a way of communicating with users so that they play a role in promoting sustainability. designers can also use the eco-friendly design concept so that they produce durable products that are designed with the environment in mind. conclusion this study points out several key issues that affect the design industry in zimbabwe and how these could be solved. in the area of fashion and textiles, there is a need to promote the use of natural fibres like cotton as this promotes the local cotton farmers and at the same time supplys sustainable material for use in fashion design. in graphic design and printing, use of organic inks that are not harmful to the environment is also another alternative that can be adopted by users. social media can also be used to promote sustainability initiatives as it can easily reach out to a larger audience unlike workshops or symposiums that target specific groups. educating design consumers on sustainability also results in a knowledgeable community that can take initiatives in promoting sustainable behaviour and consumption. the educational curriculum can also be improved such that sustainability issues are imparted early in the educational journey of students and through tasks or projects that can make students learn from experience. workshops or symposia to upgrade skills for the informal sector in the creative design industry can result in positive reaction from these players as they play a key role in these economies. the designer must take an active role in promoting sustainability, as their design ideas result in products or services consumed by users. designers should be ready to explore new horizons and continuously learn new ways or strategies in design practice that conform to the continuously changing standards set for sustainability. manzini (2009) states that if designers are to be active agents of change for sustainability, they should move out of their comfort zone and continuously learn to perform their duties differently. the designer plays a crucial role in influencing the sustainable adoption, use and disposal of any product by fully embracing the design process of sustainable products. a generation of designers is needed who can work with the industry in promoting sustainable designs in zimbabwe. the higher education curriculum must be audited to establish if it responds to the expectations of sustainability. designers in today’s world need to change the way they approach their design projects by going beyond the aesthetic value of a product but rather looking at how the product is going to be made, used and discarded. as a developing economy, zimbabwe still has an opportunity to develop a more holistic approach towards the use of its natural resources, and designers or the creative industries sector can prove to be very useful in such national agendas. references ahmad, s., wong, k. y., tseng, m. l., & wong, w. p. (2018). sustainable product design and development: a review of tools, applications and research prospects. resources, conservation and recycling, 132, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.01.020 baldassarre, b., schepers, m., bocken, n., cuppen, e., korevaar, g. & calabretta, g. (2019) industrial symbiosis: towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating circular economy and industrial ecology perspectives. journal of cleaner production, 216, 446–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.091 barsanti, t. (2012). designers as facilitators of change. sheridan college. https://source.sheridancollege.ca/faad_mate_publ/7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.01.020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.091 https://source.sheridancollege.ca/faad_mate_publ/7 22 bruce, e., shurong, z., egala, s. b., amoah, j., ying, d., rui, h., & lyu, t. (2022). social media usage and sme firms’ sustainability: an introspective analysis from ghana. sustainability, 14(15), 9433. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159433 chipambwa, w., moalosi, r., rapitsenyane, y., & molwane, o. b. (2023). sustainable design orientation in furnituremanufacturing smes in zimbabwe. sustainability, 15(9), 7515. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097515 creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson education. fernandes, c. e. (2019). fashion design entrepreneurship: skills and solutions to create a fashion business. journal of textile science & fashion technology, 3(1), 1–10. fernandes, p. t., & canciglieri, o. (2014). sustainable product design: the development of a conceptual model. applied mechanics and materials, 518, 335–342. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.518.335 fitzgerald, d. p., herrmann, j. w., sandborn, p. a., schmidt, l. c., & gogoll, t. h. (2007). design for environment (dfe): strategies, practices, guidelines, methods, and tools. in m. kutz (ed.), environmentally conscious mechanical design (pp. 1–24). wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470168202.ch1 geissdoerfer, m., savaget, p., bocken, n. m., &hultink, e. j. (2017). the circular economy–a new sustainability paradigm? journal of cleaner production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048 gupta, j., & vegelin, c. (2016). sustainable development goals and inclusive development. international environmental agreements: politics, law and economics, 16, 433–448. gwilt, a. (2012). 2.1 producing sustainable fashion: the points for positive intervention by the fashion designer. in a. gwilt & t. rissanen, shaping sustainable fashion (pp. 59–74). routledge. hall, c. a., forst, l., goldsworthy, k., & earley, r. (2023). broken butterfly wings: exploring the role of textile blends in the circular economy for recycling and disassembly. journal of textile design research and practice, 11(1–2), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/20511787.2023.2208929(1zn harper, k. (2018). aesthetic sustainability: product design and sustainable usage. routledge. hauschild, m. z., jeswiet, j., & alting, l. (2004). design for environment—do we get the focus right? cirp annals, 53(1), 1–4. keeble, b. r. (1988). the brundtland report: ‘our common future’. medicine and war, 4(1), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/07488008808408783 leerberg, m., riisberg, v., & boutrup, j. (2010). design responsibility and sustainable design as reflective practice: an educational challenge. sustainable development, 18(5), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.481 manzini, e. (2009). new design knowledge. design studies, 30(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2008.10.001 margolin v. 2007. design and the future of the human spirit. design issues, 23(3), 4–15. munyai, k. (2016). design thinking: a methodology towards sustainable problem solving in higher education in south africa. international association for development of the information society, paper presented at the international conferences on internet technologies & society (its), education technologies (icedutech), and sustainability, technology and education (ste) (melbourne, australia, dec 6-8, 2016). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed571612.pdf patton, m. q. (2002). two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: a personal, experiential perspective. qualitative social work, 1(3), 261–283. pearce, d. w., & turner, r. k. (1990). economics of natural resources and the environment. johns hopkins university press. sild, s. (2022, march 9) design for sustainability. fractory. https://tinyurl.com/yvdxhyy9 sumter, d., de koning, j., bakker, c., & balkenende, r. (2020). circular economy competencies for design. sustainability, 12(4), 1561. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041561 wastling, t., charnley, f., & moreno, m. (2018). design for circular behaviour: considering users in a circular economy. sustainability, 10(6), 1743. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061743 https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159433 https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097515 https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.518.335 https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470168202.ch1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048 https://doi.org/10.1080/20511787.2023.2208929 https://doi.org/10.1080/07488008808408783 https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.481 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2008.10.001 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed571612.pdf https://tinyurl.com/yvdxhyy9 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041561 https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061743 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. the designer as an agent for promoting sustainability in the creative industries in zimbabwe walter chipambwa, kelvin dekesa, josiline mabuto published online: november 2023 to cite this article: chipambwa, w., dekesa, k., & mabuto, j. (2023). the designer as an agent for promoting sustainability in the creative industries in zimbabwe. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and... the designer as an agent for promoting sustainability in the creative industries in zimbabwe walter chipambwaa, kelvin dekesab, josiline mabutoc achinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe wchipambwa@cut.ac.zw bchinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe kdekesa@cut.ac.zw cchinhoyi university of technology, school of art and design, chinhoyi, zimbabwe jgwisai@cut.ac.zw abstract the scope of this study is to engage designers to evaluate the extent to which they act as agents of change towards achieving a greener world, as their outputs have a significant bearing on how communities consume products or services. the study provi... keywords: sustainability, economy, creative, designer, education introduction sustainable design is one of the tenets of the sustainable development goals (sdgs), as it plays a key role in how humans seek to meet their current needs without upsetting the ability of future generations to also meet their respective needs. traditi... from the designer’s perspective, concepts such as biomimicry, minimalism, cradle-to-cradle and the 4rs (reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle) become key as they promote circular economy initiatives (chipambwa et al., 2023; geissdoerfer et al., 2017; hal... the industry is facing increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable approaches to product design and manufacturing to remain competitive. important issues that design and manufacturing companies should consider to retain their acquired market share a... this study sought to: • explore the sustainable design concepts that designers and other creatives use in their practice. • examine how the concept of sustainable design is embraced by the local designers and creatives. • suggest strategies to promote the adoption of sustainable design principles and practices within the design sector. literature review sustainable design is often linked to green design and ethical design. the motive of sustainable design is to reduce resource use in product creation and reduce emissions to the environment as well as improve its socio-economic performance throughout... for sustainable design and thinking to have a positive impact, the designer must think beyond simple constraints by engaging consumers to understand consumer behaviour and expectations. this will in turn produce designs that are driven by value and cr... ahmad et al. (2018) posit that sustainable product design should pay more attention to the product life cycle – from the raw material selected for use, the structural formation, manufacturing and usage to the end of life, reusability and recyclability... eco-design or design for the environment (dfe) is an idea or concept that aims to improve the environmental performance of a product (hauschild, 2004). fitzgerald et al. (2007) define dfe as “the systematic consideration of design performance concerni... three main strategies can be used in the application of the dfe concept. these strategies are minimizing resources and processes, optimizing the product life and planning the end of life of a product. in the first strategy, minimum resource consumptio... methodology according to creswell (2012), the research design should explain the processes followed in the collection of data, the data analysis and how the results are presented. this study was qualitative, as it sought to understand how designers view the conc... the selection of the participants in the three design sectors was based on the assessment of various design products they have contributed as their outputs as well as their social media interactions. the participants were fully informed of the study a... results and discussion table 1: respondents demographics and experience. table 1 presents the participants’ gender distribution, years of experience and employment status. the design industry is synonymous with self-start-ups, such that one can easily open up one’s own company. table 1 also shows that there was a fair dis... in the design field, the entrepreneurship dimension is much more pronounced, as the skills exhibited can result in the formation of a business that can be grown into a larger operation. in this study, 53% of the respondents indicated that they were se... sustainable design knowledge and education all the respondents pointed out that they knew what sustainable design entails. one respondent said, “they are designs that are timeless and are produced using organic fabrics” (participant 4). the respondents showed that they had an appreciation of t... according to gwilt (2012), in the case of fashion designers conforming to sustainability, they are affected by the design brief which in turn is part of the fashion brand. thus they have very little to change as the manufacturer is keen to make as mu... all the respondents in this study indicated they went through formal design education and they acquired knowledge on sustainability and sustainable design. about 75% of the respondents stated they attained knowledge in sustainability from the various ... zimbabwe is a developing economy, and as such social media plays an active role in promoting sustainability, a view also supported by bruce et al. (2022), who conducted a similar study on smes in ghana. from this study, it was highlighted that very fe... challenges faced by designers in sustainable design the respondents cited several challenges they faced as designers in promoting or implementing sustainable design. one respondent said, “the society as a whole is finding it difficult to practise sustainability as they are stuck with what they are used... many players also cited the worsening economic situation as a key setback, as designers cannot expand their operations with ease. it was also highlighted that some sustainable design concepts are difficult to push onto the market. upcycling fashion pr... another respondent stated that there is a need for homegrown solutions that take all players in the industry aboard. she highlighted the fact that “there is a need for promoting the use of our abundant local raw materials like our own cotton that has ... promoting sustainable practices educating designers was highlighted as key to promoting sustainable design. though the respondents explained that they acquired knowledge on sustainability through formal education systems, it was pointed out that many tend not to put it into practice... from the responses above, one can conclude that there is a need to improve the way sustainability is taught so that there are environmentally conscious consumers and designers. another respondent also suggested that symposia or workshops could be held... conclusion this study points out several key issues that affect the design industry in zimbabwe and how these could be solved. in the area of fashion and textiles, there is a need to promote the use of natural fibres like cotton as this promotes the local cotton... the designer must take an active role in promoting sustainability, as their design ideas result in products or services consumed by users. designers should be ready to explore new horizons and continuously learn new ways or strategies in design practi... a generation of designers is needed who can work with the industry in promoting sustainable designs in zimbabwe. the higher education curriculum must be audited to establish if it responds to the expectations of sustainability. designers in today’s wo... references ahmad, s., wong, k. y., tseng, m. l., & wong, w. p. (2018). sustainable product design and development: a review of tools, applications and research prospects. resources, conservation and recycling, 132, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.201... baldassarre, b., schepers, m., bocken, n., cuppen, e., korevaar, g. & calabretta, g. (2019) industrial symbiosis: towards a design process for eco-industrial clusters by integrating circular economy and industrial ecology perspectives. journal of clea... barsanti, t. (2012). designers as facilitators of change. sheridan college. https://source.sheridancollege.ca/faad_mate_publ/7 bruce, e., shurong, z., egala, s. b., amoah, j., ying, d., rui, h., & lyu, t. (2022). social media usage and sme firms’ sustainability: an introspective analysis from ghana. sustainability, 14(15), 9433. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159433 chipambwa, w., moalosi, r., rapitsenyane, y., & molwane, o. b. (2023). sustainable design orientation in furniture-manufacturing smes in zimbabwe. sustainability, 15(9), 7515. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097515 creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson education. fernandes, c. e. (2019). fashion design entrepreneurship: skills and solutions to create a fashion business. journal of textile science & fashion technology, 3(1), 1–10. fernandes, p. t., & canciglieri, o. (2014). sustainable product design: the development of a conceptual model. applied mechanics and materials, 518, 335–342. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.518.335 fitzgerald, d. p., herrmann, j. w., sandborn, p. a., schmidt, l. c., & gogoll, t. h. (2007). design for environment (dfe): strategies, practices, guidelines, methods, and tools. in m. kutz (ed.), environmentally conscious mechanical design (pp. 1–24).... geissdoerfer, m., savaget, p., bocken, n. m., &hultink, e. j. (2017). the circular economy–a new sustainability paradigm? journal of cleaner production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048 gupta, j., & vegelin, c. (2016). sustainable development goals and inclusive development. international environmental agreements: politics, law and economics, 16, 433–448. gwilt, a. (2012). 2.1 producing sustainable fashion: the points for positive intervention by the fashion designer. in a. gwilt & t. rissanen, shaping sustainable fashion (pp. 59–74). routledge. hall, c. a., forst, l., goldsworthy, k., & earley, r. (2023). broken butterfly wings: exploring the role of textile blends in the circular economy for recycling and disassembly. journal of textile design research and practice, 11(1–2), 1–28. https://d... harper, k. (2018). aesthetic sustainability: product design and sustainable usage. routledge. hauschild, m. z., jeswiet, j., & alting, l. (2004). design for environment—do we get the focus right? cirp annals, 53(1), 1–4. keeble, b. r. (1988). the brundtland report: ‘our common future’. medicine and war, 4(1), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/07488008808408783 leerberg, m., riisberg, v., & boutrup, j. (2010). design responsibility and sustainable design as reflective practice: an educational challenge. sustainable development, 18(5), 306–317. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.481 manzini, e. (2009). new design knowledge. design studies, 30(1), 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2008.10.001 margolin v. 2007. design and the future of the human spirit. design issues, 23(3), 4–15. munyai, k. (2016). design thinking: a methodology towards sustainable problem solving in higher education in south africa. international association for development of the information society, paper presented at the international conferences on intern... patton, m. q. (2002). two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: a personal, experiential perspective. qualitative social work, 1(3), 261–283. pearce, d. w., & turner, r. k. (1990). economics of natural resources and the environment. johns hopkins university press. sild, s. (2022, march 9) design for sustainability. fractory. https://tinyurl.com/yvdxhyy9 sumter, d., de koning, j., bakker, c., & balkenende, r. (2020). circular economy competencies for design. sustainability, 12(4), 1561. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041561 wastling, t., charnley, f., & moreno, m. (2018). design for circular behaviour: considering users in a circular economy. sustainability, 10(6), 1743. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061743 40 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license.   kalamkari and chintz: a post-colonial reassessment of entangled textile histories pallavi chamarty published online: may 2024 to cite this article: chamarty, p. (2024). kalamkari and chintz: a post-colonial reassessment of entangled textile histories. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 40-53. 41 kalamkari and chintz: a post-colonial reassessment of entangled textile histories pallavi chamartya auniversity of the arts london, london, united kingdom. p.chamarty@fashion.arts.ac.uk abstract traditionally researched craft and textile histories have often been criticised for being uncritical. research in the field of indian crafts has been preoccupied with object-led studies of craft techniques. the popular imagination buys into the mythologies depicted and the ‘discourse of patronage, kings, empresses, saints and a “golden” age of craft work’. this paper reassesses a similarly uncritical history of the south indian textile craft kalamkari by foregrounding the artisan’s perspective in this craft’s narrative. keystone texts on kalamkari and chintz are read critically, using a postcolonial lens to reject the academic tradition of normalising colonial encroachments on traditional knowledge and underrepresenting the artisan’s capacity for artistry and creativity. while artisans have been denied learning resources and systemically excluded from all forms of discursive placemaking in cultural studies, such as in literature, galleries, museums and academia, findings from this critical reading are integrated with interview responses from contemporary kalamkari artisans. this enables the exploration of their material and cultural mediations and attitudes towards community, labour, creativity and ownership. by studying the impact of coloniality on indian craft and attempting to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of kalamkari, this paper hopes to encourage more craft narratives that are critical of craft’s place as a communal, creative practice and industry within today’s global capitalist fashion system. keywords: chintz, kalamkari, craft, artisan, colonialism, coloniality, decolonisation introduction the diversity of textile crafts in india has been internationally acclaimed for centuries, and indian artisans have ‘enjoyed pre-eminence’ since before the mediaeval era (irwin & brett, 1970). one such craft is a block printing craft known as kalamkari, which uses complicated and layered natural dyeing techniques to decorate fabrics. it has been practised since the early mediaeval era on the southeast indian coromandel coast. initially, it was made to aid religious and mythological storytelling (see image 1) (von wyss-giacosa, 2018, p. 35). cloth made on the coromandel coast was also exported to various southeast asian courts (guy, 2013, p. 13; guy, 2016) in the early mediaeval period. islamic art principles later heavily influenced this craft through patronage from the mughal courts of mediaeval india (see image 2) (divakala & muthian, 2017, p. 82). by the mid-17th and early 18th centuries, painted cotton from west india and the coromandel coast, including chintz, was being exported to europe and its various colonies. chintz is a textile pattern broadly referring to colourful florals painted or printed on lightly coloured cotton or linen fabric. the hybrid floral and faunal motifs characteristic of chintz were created on the coromandel coast to suit european sensibilities (see image 3). chintz’s many declines and resurgences in this period have been studied in traditional textile histories to track its aesthetic evolution, implications for the cotton trade and influence on 42 precolonial and colonial manufacturing policies (crill, 2008; guy, 2013; irwin & brett, 1970). this has created heavy discursive associations of chintz being an ‘english floral’ in contemporary imagination and design practice. on the other hand, the indigenous indian kalamkari has been studied by indian scholars as an ancient craft tradition or an entirely modern craft practice, weakening any discursive connections between its history and present. these written works, heavily influenced by eurocentric and modernist methodologies, display a preoccupation with newness in design (metcalf, 2007, p. 14). in the case of craft literature, this informs the notion that artisans are asynchronous with modernity (denicola and wilkinson-weber, 2016, p. 83). the bodily engagement and social conditions of craft-making are also under-researched in traditional craft literature. drawing upon postcolonial theory and contemporary craft research, this paper explores emic perspectives on how crafts and their histories can be understood, researched and preserved, which western paradigms have not considered thus far. by doing so, this paper ‘... is not an alternative account of this already historicised world, but a deliberate attempt to pulverise the matrix of history, to disavow what was historicised by making repressed potentialities present again ...’ (azoulay, 2019, p. 207). image 1: kalamkari hanging in the didactic hindu idiom, c. late-19th to early-20th century. © the trustees of the british museum. (trustees of the british museum, n.d.). 43 image 2: kalamkari cover, c. 1802-1803 under the islamic idiom. (victoria and albert museum, n.d., a). 44 image 3: chintz hanging, c. first quarter of the 18th century. (victoria and albert museum, n.d., b). literature review this research focuses on chintz, a colonial commodity with roots in the indian kalamkari craft tradition. seminal texts in chintz scholarship, such as irwin and brett’s origins of chintz (1970) and chishti, jain and singh’s tradition and beyond: handcrafted indian textiles (2000), among others, provide valuable historical context to chintz’s manufacture. however, as with other unpolitical craft histories, these texts do not thoroughly critique colonialism’s impact on artisans and craft production. they fail to account for ‘views “from below”’ (mignolo, 2002, as cited in sengupta, 2019, p. 13). this research challenges these limitations of traditionally narrated craft histories and highlights the power hierarchies embedded in them by engaging with postcolonial theory. 45 inspired by postcolonial theory from authors like azoulay, spivak and bhabha, this paper argues against the marginalisation of the artisan’s voice and knowledge in written craft histories. in considering other traditional knowledge in craft practice, spivak’s notion of subjugated knowledge and bhabha’s theory of stereotypes and mimicry highlight the positions from which these suppressed subjectivities may be articulated. azoulay’s methodology empowered me to reject existing writings’ colonial and imperial rhetoric, which depended on imperial tools to capture, measure, categorise and periodise the world. contemporary and interdisciplinary research into chintz and kalamkari offers more critical insights into the nature of chintz manufacture and trade before and during india’s colonisation by the british. some key works that informed this paper were rajarshi sengupta’s (2019) research into and methodologies for uncovering artisanal agency on the ancient coromandel coast and tirthankar roy’s (2021) investigation into the handloom industry in colonial india. other 21st-century enquiries into the nature of craftwork, such as works by mike press (2008) and richard sennett (2008), offer valuable perspectives on the embodied knowledge and cognitive aspects of craftwork. however, the postmodern positioning of these works and their emphasis on studying the impact of the industrial revolution on the craft sector are not directly relevant to this paper. this paper thus uses interdisciplinary scholarship to challenge the reductionist tendencies of eurocentric literature, especially regarding artisans from the global south. in doing so, i hope to explore: a. how might the historical record of kalamkari have changed if its makers had been considered subjects of knowledge in fashion-craft-textile literature? b. how have these shifted subject statuses impacted the conservation and perpetuation of craft in postcolonial contexts? methodology this research explored the implications of postcolonial theory for craft, textile and fashion literature and how these works treat producers and cultural ‘others’ in the fashion system. since postcolonial theory emphasises specificity in knowledge production (ashcroft et al., 1989; reiter, 2018; said, 1978), my positionality as a teluguspeaking south indian woman with experience of working with kalamkari artisans is relevant. the postcolonial lens as a cultural researcher further contextualised my experiential knowledge as a designer. here, ‘postcolonial’ is used as a ‘space-clearing gesture’ (appiah, 1992, pp. 240-241), and can be used to revisit and re-present cultural exchange during colonisation. qualitative research tools like critical discourse analysis were used to explore the power hierarchies inscribed in seminal texts about chintz and kalamkari. as jörgensen and phillips describe in discourse analysis as theory and method (2002), texts are produced and consumed through discursive practices. discourse analysis as a methodology helps explore how these texts enable the ‘constitution of the social world including social identities and social relations’ (jörgensen and phillips, 2002, p. 61). the impact of fashion-craft-textile literature on the space occupied by artisans and their ‘subjugated knowledge’ (spivak, 1993, p. 76) in the contemporary fashion system is explored in this paper. to emphasise artisanal subjectivity, findings from secondary research were contextualised with interviews conducted with contemporary kalamkari artisans. although academic contexts like colonialism and coloniality 46 seemed irrelevant or alien to the artisans interviewed, questions were framed in accessible ways to generate descriptive answers. these focused on ‘western’ or academic logic of categorisation, archiving and ascribing intellectual ownership, as well as eurocentric ways of researching design cognition and material sensitivity in the existing literature. three artisans were interviewed a block printer, a hand painter and one block maker each with decades of experience in kalamkari. they are each referred to by their first name, followed by the telugu honorific gaaru, which precedes emic craft literature (divakala & muthian, 2017; sengupta, 2019). i contacted one block printer through a professional and personal connection, and he referred my other participants. the interviews were conducted in telugu. i translated and transcribed exact quotes and noted down general discussions and emergent themes during the interview. these responses were encoded and thematically analysed within the methodological framework and postcolonial theories underpinning this paper. the difference in class and social positions between the researcher and artisans was mediated by familiarity with one of the artisans, the craft clusters and knowing the telugu language and culture to produce valid and reliable knowledge. reviewing kalamkari with artisanal subjectivity discourses about crafts and artisans have frequently upheld colonial epistemic frameworks that appropriated the artisan’s body, labour, knowledge and creative production. the historiography of these texts has also enforced a form of ‘epistemic violence’ (spivak, 1993, p. 82) on craft communities of previously colonised countries. the violence of these texts lies in the fact that they create a perspective of artisans being ‘unmodern’ (denicola and wilkinson-weber, 2016, p. 83) and ‘simple, weak, traditional and rural’ (roy, 2021, p. 157), subjugating their knowledge systems and ruling entire communities’ ways as unfit in the modern world. on the other hand, artisans do not speak of craft and tradition self-consciously (denicola and wilkinson-weber, 2016, p. 90). sengupta identifies through reading irwin and brett (1970) that ‘there are archival records on the techniques of cotton painting and dyeing from the early modern period; however, a critical assessment of the textile makers’ involvement in this history is lacking.’ (2019, p. 4). quoting archaeologist uzma rizvi, sengupta explains that the artisan’s subjectivity is inscribed in their psycho-somatic engagement with their craft (rizvi, 2015, cited in sengupta, 2019, p. 36). this section textualises the artisan’s material and cultural engagements while practising kalamkari and re-visions the history of kalamkari by attempting to bridge the gap between theory and practice. as azoulay says, quoting arendt, these engagements or activities can be considered ‘an archive of the vita activa’ (arendt, 1958, cited in azoulay, 2019, p. 218). by foregrounding these engagements, this section revises part of the history of this craft by looking beyond the imperial logic of its historiography. material mediation in kalamkari and chintz in existing written histories, the distinction between painted and printed cotton is seen as ‘an essential and radical one mainly to design students’ (irwin & brett, 1970, p.7). block-printed chintzes were considered less artistic or of lower quality in these works. however, the co-production of both on the coromandel coast, both historically and today, suggests that there was no fundamental ideological or geographical segregation of craft communities who hand painted and hand block printed their textiles. while contemporary artisans interviewed for this paper saw that hand-painting allows for more creativity, employs more artisans per piece and is a more intentional, effective process, block printing allows for more repeatability of designs, which is helpful for bulk production. 47 however, they emphasised the use of natural dyes over aniline and chemical dyes as central to the kalamkari process and identity. hence, if an ideological split in kalamkari textile-making were dictated from an artisanal subject position, it would more likely be between natural and chemical dyes. material sensitivity during the block printing process is another under-textualised aspect in written works. they all commend the skilled craftsmanship required to execute fine line work in even block-printed chintzes popular in the 1800s. however, these written works do not cover how this fineness is achieved or discuss artisanal sensitivity to material and embodied knowledge. to explain how outline, filling and background blocks are printed, nagendra gaaru elucidated the block printer’s technique of using multiple layers of cloth in the dye tray to control how much dye the block takes up. lesser amounts of dye are needed to print minute details, meaning more layers of cloth are used in the dye tray to intercept excess dye and vice versa. while the act of block printing can seem hypnotically repetitive, the printer, in fact, constantly displays kramasiksha or discipline while printing. this discipline is needed to engage with and mediate materials in the craft process. while the results of this labour, block print designs, have been widely imitated since the great exhibition of 1886 (dewan, 2019), this strenuous and disciplined bodily engagement in crafts was not profoundly studied in craft scholarship until recently. sennet, in his book the craftsman (2008), makes a compelling case for the deep and complicated relationship between physical movements of the body and the hand and the cognitive processes that drive and control it, as well as the reciprocity between body and mind, which creates successful artisanal decisions (sennett, 2008, p. 152). cultural mediations and artisanal decision-making in the lead-up to the popularity of chintz, artisans were producing textiles in religious contexts for hindus and muslims, as well as for trade with non-european markets. despite this demonstrable willingness to accept newness in kalamkari practice, leading to the popularisation of the anglicised chintz, traditional scholarship persists in believing that crafts are reluctant to change. this may be explained through bhabha’s theorisation of a ‘stereotype’. in bhabha’s postcolonial theory, stereotypes are a ‘discursive strategy’ (2004, p. 94) that seek to manage the image of the cultural other. to do so, they ‘exaggerate difference of the other, while nevertheless attempting to produce them as a stable, fully knowable object’ (hook, 2005, p. 1). bhabha informs us of the anxious repetition of the stereotype to achieve stability or ‘fixity’ (bhabha, 2004, p. 94). in the fashion industry and scholarship, artisans are considered cultural ‘others’, and this ideological position given to them is maintained through the anxious repetition of the rhetoric of the ‘“unmodern” maker’ always in need of protection, patronage and charity (denicola and wilkinson-weber, 2016, pp. 82-84). the interdependent relationship between them and designers ‘has to be continually dismissed as insignificant and pushed into invisibility’ to ensure ‘value creation, but also for reproduction of firm hierarchy’ (kuldova, 2016, p. 76). by activating stereotypical narrative tropes in speaking of artisans, historical and contemporary artisans’ ability to mimic european taste successfully enough to create the globally popular chintz is erased and buried in existing written literature (irwin & brett, 1970). ‘mimic’ here is used in bhabha’s sense of the word as a ‘sign of double articulation’ (bhabha, 2004, p. 122), wherein painting techniques and line qualities were informed by south indian and mughal artistic traditions to create motifs for a european market. following sengupta’s (2019) methodology, contemporary attitudes towards cultural newness can be understood and projected onto the past. therefore, the artisans were asked how they approach ‘new’ designs that kalamkari has not yet adopted. gangadhar gaaru, an eminent kalamkari block maker, echoed all the artisans’ sentiments on experimentation and called it his dharmam to attempt an adaptation, no matter how unfamiliar the source material may be. 48 dharmam translates to a religious or moral duty. mediating unfamiliar visual cultures by adapting new motifs is not as simple as drawing and making new blocks. it involves a series of conversations between the artisans, reference drawings, wood blocks, tools and clients. artisans must also consider the scale and proportions of the motif, as well as the colours to be used. these attitudes and strategies to mediate unfamiliarity were essential in negotiating between cultures, media and multifaceted material processes to produce chintz, the first global textile trend (guy, 2013, p. 27). though chintz is considered an english textile, kalamkari artisan bhaskar gaaru commented, “the british did not create anything. we already knew about natural dyes and got our ideas for designs from our temples. if anyone ever taught us anything, the mughals started block printing in machilipatnam. the british only came and said, ‘these designs are nice; can you print them on our cloth?’” artisanship and enterprise the discursive erasure of innovation and skill in the crafts and of enterprising, problem-solving artisans creates an oversimplified position for crafts in the fight against industrialisation and capitalism (denicola and wilkinsonweber, 2016; press, 2008). as metcalf (2007) observes, ‘most writing in the field [of craft] borrows ideas uncritically from painting and sculpture, without questioning how appropriate they are to a craft object’ (p. 7). this ‘paucity of thinking and writing on craft has led to a vacuum of both debate and standards’ (metcalf, 2007, p. 7). furthermore, the nascent craft industry of post-independence india was governed by a protectionist ideology which originated in the nationalist fight against the supposed decline of crafts due to colonialism and foreign trade (roy, 2021; tarlo, 1996). in contemporary india, this has massively impaired historical and contemporary artisans’ image and ability to be a community-based and enterprising capitalist. roy introduces the concept of an ‘artisan-capitalist’ (roy, 2021) who is defined by their ‘... rootedness in textiles, preference for the non-corporate organisation, reliance on informal finance, and reliance on the community in making contracts and arranging collaborations’ (p. 17). the artisan possesses tacit knowledge, which ‘holds the key to success’ (press, 2008, p. 263) in craft practice in preand post-industrial contexts. for instance, the commercial success of chintz was only brought on by artisans responding to countless ‘pattern books, designs, musters and sample cloths’ (guy, 2013, p. 23). as such, alternative reasons for the ‘sameness’ of chintzes across centuries, due to which authors like irwin and brett (1970) perceived artisans as lacking innovation, have not been adequately explored. from the perspective of an artisan entrepreneur, this may have been a function of the enormous order quantities and extended lead times of the global chintz trade rather than a shortcoming of the maker’s creative faculties. considering that these chintzes travelled long distances over months, and imagery was not commonly created or widely circulated, it is possible that artisans had to curb creative spontaneity and create chintz patterns that were predictable, with only minute innovations, to ensure that their clients were satisfied with the type and quality of fabrics they received from india. rather than approaching artisanship through rigid and politicised ideologies, emphasising their problem-solving and entrepreneurial tendencies can prompt a deeper study into the areas of progression available to artisans. avenues to empower self-employment, create democratic access to contemporary resources and technology and engage in a fulfilling manner with their crafts and communities can also be developed through such study. ownership and craft communities attitudes towards creative ownership also differ between western theory and praxis and kalamkari practice in south india. the ability and practice of signing an artwork to credit the piece back to the artist is a given in the eurocentric artistic sphere, but community-based artisans seldom sign their work. in the context of extant 49 chintzes, there are scholarly preoccupations with certain marks left on chintzes, including stamps, seals and other inscriptions (irwin & brett, 1970, p. 11-12), which might signify the maker's identity. however, there is no definitive evidence regarding who left these marks, why or if these were even meant to signify individual artistic ownership (irwin & brett, 1970). however, interviews with contemporary artisans signify that these practitioners do not share this preoccupation. artisans interviewed for this paper did not see a need to sign their works. when asked about creative ownership, owning their artworks readably seemed too alien a worldview even to be a comprehensible question. considering the collaborative nature of the work, involving designers, block-makers, dyers and printers, they acknowledged that there would be no fair way to credit everyone and did not feel any resentment or other negative feelings towards their artworks not being traceable directly back to them. they believed credit and further opportunities would accrue if the broader market liked their work. additionally, artisans who supply kalamkari to other businesses that make it into apparel or home furnishings are more restricted from leaving any ownership trace. signing the product itself would damage it in the eyes of buyers, who want pristine fabrics that they may put their own brand’s labels on. the lack of naming enables commodification and circulation of crafts as goods, unlike singular artworks defined by the artist’s name. this section has highlighted edits, omissions and revisions that could be made to the written histories of kalamkari, which centre on artisans as subjects in craft research instead of perpetually appropriating their productions. discussing alternative or subjugated forms of material, cultural and entrepreneurial engagements also textualises their ‘nonacademic’ and ‘nonprofessional’ (azoulay, 2019, p. 231) experiences as viable sources of knowledge in postcolonial craft literature. re-entering the preservation of craft history this section explores how broader craft histories can be more authentically preserved in a postcolonial context, furthering the previous section’s discussion of artisanal subjectivity in craft research. this involves considering more suitable ways of preserving craft history and recommending highlighting artisanal subjectivity in the preservation and communication of craft histories. empowering learning somatic and material involvement in craft suggests that in addition to the textualisation and archiving that craft scholars have relied on so far, the perpetual practice of craft or embodied preservation may be a pivotal way to preserve and propagate traditional knowledge (sengupta, 2019, p. 6). as intangible cultural assets, the craft can be ‘discovered and kept alive … not by academic study, but by being ‘lived’ and moulded through use’ (patankar, 1984, as cited in ashcroft et al., 1989, p. 119). considering the multitudes of aesthetically and functionally similar crafts that have been localised and practised in various regions in india, educator maulshree sinha proposed ‘artisan forums’ as a tool for inter-communal knowledge exchange. based on her observation of the technical improvements resulting from interactions between potters from distinct craft cultures in kutch (gujarat) and delhi, sinha further ideated these forums by drawing upon etienne wenger’s communities of practice (1999). citing wenger, sinha posits that inter-communal interactions could enable artisans with comparable histories and techniques to come together and create solutions for each other’s needs (sinha, 2019, p. 1). 50 my research shows that knowledge has already been lost from individual artisans and communities, which may be regained through interactive knowledge exchange between craft communities. for instance, irwin and brett (1970, p. 11) mention the gilding of chintz as a value-adding technique in the late 18th and 19th centuries. while this technique has since disappeared from chintz and kalamkari practice, one of my interviewees mentioned an interaction with an artisan from jaipur, from whom he learned that west indian artisans could print with gold by using a special gum on fabric. in today’s craft practice, this process could refer to gold-leaf printing or khari printing, which is still prevalent in west india. a more sustained and purposeful interaction between west and south indian artisans who practise these distinct crafts could help both communities recreate a technique and visual aesthetic that is considered lost. so far in contemporary history, these interactions have been brokered by administrative or institutional actors like state governments, ministries and design institutions. sinha (2019) urges the creation of collaborative platforms where artisans may interact with each other without the ‘interpretive and selective lens of organisations’ (p. 10). sinha also hypothesises that digital technology can be leveraged to enable these cross-cultural exchanges without intermediaries. digital technology also presents opportunities to preserve and build upon traditional techniques, provided it is applied thoughtfully. in his interview, bhaskar gaaru also concurred that technology may connect artisans and partially retrieve lost kalamkari-making processes. he said, “i cannot learn what was taught hundreds of years ago, but maybe i can copy it with technology. if i could still use natural dyes in that process, i would still feel like this is kalamkari, even if i made it with the help of technology.” craft knowledge can be preserved through research and literature, but it must also be perpetuated through embodied practice by artisans with democratic access to contemporary resources. this preservation mode also maintains artisanal subjectivity by putting artisans at the forefront of instituting artisanal knowledge exchange. textile archives and sampada in addition to emphasising the role of the artisan in the preservation and perpetuation of artisanal knowledge, it is also vital to reconsider how traditional approaches to the preservation and communication of history, such as by archives and museums, value, capture and communicate craft histories. proposing a universal systemic overhaul of the archival practices and processes goes against my postcolonial position by being prescriptive. however, in this section, i would like to expand on how artisans archive their histories. in doing so, i will also highlight some critical distinctions in how traditional academic archives, galleries and museums are conceived and realised by institutions, as opposed to the creation and use of a practitioner's or artisan’s archive. the archiving and exhibition of indian handicrafts have received scholarly attention since at least the mid-20th century (sengupta, 2019). as sengupta (2019, p. 25) highlights, landmark exhibitions like the textiles and ornamental art from india exhibition in new york’s museum of modern art (moma) and the establishment of museums like the calico museum of textiles in textile hubs like ahmedabad have made information about indian crafts available to researchers and the public. the wealthiest and most prestigious archives based in the west are often alienated from artisans and practitioners of the global south and do not consider artisanal subjectivity in their archiving or exhibiting procedures. in stark contrast is the archive that kalamkari makers maintain for themselves. for the block print kalamkari artisans i interviewed, the physical archival space is no more than scores of blocks stored along the walls in their work shed, each a composite of a larger design. this archival space’s history of the craft’s aesthetics is preserved 51 as decades-old blocks. however, only one or two artisans in the workshop know the specific layout of block storage, where allover trellis-like patterns, borders or standalone butti motifs are present. artisans refresh their memory of this crowded, confusing space by constantly engaging with the block store to retrieve blocks for use or cleaning them to prevent termite infestations. in other words, the knowledge from this space can only be accessed when the archive is activated through an artisan’s mind and body. however, the primary use of these blocks is textile printing, not meaning construction, and thus, none of the artisans interviewed considered exerting a ‘logic’ on this space to make it more commonly ‘readable’. one of the most interesting materialised artisan archives is what gangadhar gaaru calls his sampada in his interviews for sengupta’s (2019, p. 118) doctoral research and my study in this paper. sampada is a telugu word for material wealth. in this context, sampada is the name gangadhar gaaru gave to a book of collected prints he and his brother created over the last 40 years. as opposed to a material archive in an academic sense, this sampada serves the practical purpose of allowing printers in gangadhar gaaru’s workshop to access designs from the past, depending on the needs of a contemporary project. it also immortalises historical patterns, even after wooden blocks decay. beyond this, gangadhar gaaru sees his sampada as fulfilling a more significant purpose like academic archives ‘i work with the belief and conviction that handcrafts need to survive. we store a sampada because we believe these are good works, and we preserve these designs and details for future generations. if anyone wants to access it, they may.’ however, a critical difference between academic and artisanal archives, besides retrieving meaning from artefacts, is the question of ownership or whose voice controls the telling of this craft’s history. gangadhar gaaru explained that he once turned down an offer from an (undisclosed) museum in hyderabad that asked for his pattern archive to be displayed within their museum. contrary to established research which talks about the clannishness of craft communities, his refusal did not stem from wanting to protect or gatekeep the craft from outsiders indeed, as he said, ‘how would people learn about our craft and work if we just keep our pieces with ourselves?’ instead, it was the fact that his archive would be stored behind the museum’s closed doors, and his name would be associated with it only as a footnote in a more extensive exhibition. his sampada would be perceived as the museum’s property without benefitting him or his community. from the artisan’s perspective, the purpose of museums may not be primary education but the accumulation and gatekeeping of cultural wealth. expanding upon which circumstances he would consider for collaborating with a museum, gangadhar gaaru mentioned that he would welcome the opportunity to travel with his sampada to this museum and conduct participative learning sessions himself. his apprehension with the extractive tendencies of museums and institutional amnesia in supporting living craft cultures is not unfounded or isolated. it may be mitigated by treating artisans as ‘an archive of the vita activa’ (azoulay, 2019, p. 218) and creating academic, archival and curatorial cultures that amplify maker communities’ perspectives. by amplifying these subjugated and previously excluded voices, these cultural practices and institutions can exit the coloniality of their contexts and change the discursive conditions of lesser-known crafts like kalamkari. conclusion this paper has argued for a re-visioning of the history of kalamkari, which foregrounds the agency and knowledge of kalamkari artisans. by studying how contemporary artisans practise their craft and their stances on colonialism, creativity, ownership and preservation of crafts, it aims to create space and amplify the voices of artisans in the evolving historical record of kalamkari and craft. a critical analysis of seminal texts (irwin & brett, 1970) informed 52 by postcolonial theory has exposed the limitations of traditional scholarship on chintz and kalamkari, which often uncritically propagate eurocentric methodologies and orientalist assumptions. contemporary secondary research (denicola and wilkinson-weber, 2016; divakala & muthian, 2017; roy, 2021; sengupta, 2019) and interviews with artisans highlight the need for fashion-craft-textile literature to move beyond the discursive erasure of the creativity and enterprising nature of artisans in written histories. artisans’ decisions to mediate between materials and cultures and the artisan’s role in the success of a design process can represent the place artisans correctly hold in the global fashion, craft and textile industries. understanding the history and evolution of a craft from its maker’s perspective also helps scholars see artisans as problem-solving, creative entrepreneurs instead of perpetual victims in a capitalist market. this shift in the perception of artisans in popular discourse may also catalyse how the fashion and textile industries think of, use and value their cultures, people, vendors, supply chains and products. ideas of collaborative ownership from community-based artisans can also help the more significant fashion and textile industries rethink the unstable boundaries between copying, mimicking, learning and inspiration in the contemporary design industry. a more robust theorisation of collaborative production and ownership is also needed to create policies to safeguard community-based artisans’ cultural, social, and economic interests from appropriation by an industry where intellectual property is otherwise gatekept religiously. by considering how traditional cultural studies captured, recorded and preserved information about chintz and kalamkari and their makers, this paper also highlights the oriental, colonial positions we must ‘exit’ (azoulay, 2019, p. 211) to ensure the authentic representation and preservation of intangible heritage through craft. i have attempted this by highlighting how the writers of culture maintain differential archives – curators, researchers and academics – and the sources of that culture – the artisans themselves. this is intended to highlight the areas in cultural studies and praxis where artisanal voices can be amplified. to maintain the position of postcolonial research, this paper has focused on only a portion of one craft’s history, precisely its encounter with colonialism and coloniality. in doing so, i explored a few context-heavy ways in which cultural studies can effectively and ethically ‘re-enter’ (azoulay, 2019, p. 211) their relationships with maker communities in a postcolonial context. though the recommendations in my research are partial, the encroachments of colonialism and coloniality on traditional knowledge are, in my view, pervasive. more diverse case studies relating to coloniality and craft that reflect different global contexts could add depth to the arguments and suggestions laid out in this paper. this would retrieve new ways of material engagement, cultural mediation and artistic creation and reframe how we, as academics, practitioners and policymakers, think of labour, creativity and belonging in the design industries. references appiah, k.a. (1995). the postcolonial and the postmodern. in b. ashcroft, g. griffiths, & h. tiffin (eds.), the post-colonial studies reader (pp.119-124). routledge. ashcroft, b., griffiths, g., & tiffin, h. (1989). the empire writes back: theory and practice in post-colonial literatures. routledge. azoulay, a. a. (2019). potential history: not with the master’s tools, not with tools at all. in a. a. azoulay, potential history: unlearning imperialism (pp.205-267). verso. bhabha, h. k. (2004). the location of culture (2nd ed.). routledge. chishti, r. k., jain, r., singh, m. (2000). handcrafted indian textiles: tradition and beyond. lustre press. 53 crill, r. (2008). chintz: indian textiles for the west. v&a publishing. denicola, a. o., & wilkinson-weber, c. (2016) designs on craft: negotiating artisanal knowledge and identity in india. in c. wilkinson-weber and a. o. denicola (eds.), critical craft: technology, globalization and capitalism. (pp. 79-98). routledge. dewan, d. (2019). fashion: a future for printed and painted textiles? in s. fee (ed.), cloth that changed the world: the art and fashion of indian chintz. royal ontario museum. divakala, m., & muthian, v. (2017). temple cloth to textile craft: the progression of kalamkari (vraatapani) of srikalahasti. craft research, 8(1), 79-99. https://tinyurl.com/mr25cetp guy, j. (2013). “one thing leads to another”: indian textiles and the early globalization of style. in a. peck (ed.), interwoven globe: the worldwide textile trade 1500-1800 (pp.12 -27). metropolitan museum of art. guy, j. (2016). indian cotton textiles: seven centuries of chintz from the karun thakar collection. acc distribution. hook, d. (2005) the racial stereotype, colonial discourse, fetishism, and racism. psychoanalytic review, 92(5), 701-734. https://doi.org/10.1521/prev.2005.92.5.701 irwin, j., & brett, k. (1970). origins of chintz: with a catalogue of indo-european cotton-paintings in the victoria and albert museum, london, and the royal ontario museum, toronto. stationery office books. jörgensen, m., & phillips, l. (2002). discourse analysis as theory and method. sage. kuldova, t. (2016). luxury indian fashion: a social critique. bloomsbury. liebl, m., & roy, t. (2003). handmade in india: preliminary analysis of crafts producers and crafts production. economic and political weekly, 38(51/52), 5366-5376. https://tinyurl.com/4h535xv6 metcalf, b. (2007). replacing the myth of modernism. in s. alfoldy (ed.), neocraft: modernity and the crafts (pp. 4-32). press of the nova scotia college of art and design. press, m. (2008). handmade futures: the emerging role of craft knowledge in our digital culture in s. alfoldy (ed.) neocraft: modernity and the crafts. (pp. 249-266). press of the nova scotia college of art and design. reiter, b. (2018). constructing the pluriverse: the geopolitics of knowledge. duke university press. roy, t. (2021). the crafts and capitalism: handloom weaving industry in colonial india. routledge. said, e. (1978). orientalism. pantheon books. sengupta, r. (2019). making kalamkari textiles: artisans and agency in coromandel, india [doctoral dissertation, university of british columbia]. ubc theses and dissertations. https://tinyurl.com/hmkbrfxa sennett, r. (2008). the craftsman. allen lane. sinha, m. (2019). an assay of the indian craft communities an integral part of the indian fashion industry. in international foundation of fashion technology institutes, manchester, 8-12 april. https://tinyurl.com/4jhurmdh spivak, g. c. (1993). can the subaltern speak? in l. chrisman and p. williams (eds.), colonial discourse and post-colonial theory: a reader (pp. 66-111). routledge. tarlo, e. (1996). clothing matters: dress and identity in india. university of chicago press. von wyss-giacosa, p. (2018). myth and cloth from india: the kalamkari collection in the ethnographic museum of the university of zurich. h, 5(1), pp. 34-69. https://tinyurl.com/mp8n8w83 wenger, e. (1998). communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. cambridge university press image references the trustees of the british museum. (n.d.). hanging; painting [cotton]. british museum. https://tinyurl.com/mrxf9put victoria and albert museum. (n.d., a). kalamkari cover [cotton]. victoria and albert museum. https://tinyurl.com/nhctctk9 victoria and albert museum. (n.d., b). chintz hanging [cotton]. victoria and albert museum. https://tinyurl.com/45rwxm5c https://tinyurl.com/mr25cetp https://doi.org/10.1521/prev.2005.92.5.701 https://tinyurl.com/4h535xv6 https://tinyurl.com/hmkbrfxa https://tinyurl.com/4jhurmdh https://tinyurl.com/mp8n8w83 https://tinyurl.com/mrxf9put https://tinyurl.com/nhctctk9 https://tinyurl.com/45rwxm5c material mediation in kalamkari and chintz cultural mediations and artisanal decision-making empowering learning somatic and material involvement in craft suggests that in addition to the textualisation and archiving that craft scholars have relied on so far, the perpetual practice of craft or embodied preservation may be a pivotal way to preserve and propagate ... 11 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. exhibition review designed for life: fashioning emergent futures erica de greef published online: may 2024 to cite this article: de greef, e. (2024). designed for life: fashioning emergent futures. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 11-22. 12 exhibition review designed for life: fashioning emergent futures ual east, london 2 october 2023–19 january 2024 erica de greef african fashion research institute, cape town, 8005, south africa. erica@afri.digital designed for life: fashioning emergent futures a large, pink handstitched heart, an appliqued sun and earth and handwritten messages of hope occupy three large textile banners suspended in an imposing glass and concrete foyer. reminiscent of resistance flags of women’s suffrage, trade unions and queer activism, the co-created banners both announce and welcome the exhibition visitor with the words of the makers, confidently showcasing that ‘we have the strength to create change’, ‘we inspire and learn from each other’ and ‘we know we matter!’ (image 1). the colourful gestures, identity affirmations and tactile materialities resemble the dreams and aspirations that one would expect in an institution dedicated to art and design education. however, these messages calling for safety, social justice and belonging are not students’ outputs – or dreams. they are the hopes of the refugee communities in the london boroughs of newham, tower hamlets and waltham forest, contributing to the ongoing ahrc-funded participatory action research project, ‘decolonising fashion and textiles: design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities’ (2022-2024), led by the centre for sustainable fashion’s researcher dr francesco mazzarella. image 1: textile banners and manifestos for a compassionate future co-created in the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. 13 these words and textile gestures seem familiar and relatable, hinting at a world in common. the soft textile banners share the formidable space with its massive windows and concrete surfaces and the exhibition’s bright orange signage signalling emergency, danger, and precarity. suspended orange panels and oversized quotation marks amplify the words and stories that seem to be threatened with erasure, silencing or dismissal. ‘breaking barriers’, ‘shaping a just society’ and ‘together ‘echo the concerns stitched in the cloth works and the messages of hope in the glass-topped cabinets at the exhibition’s entrance. handwritten in arabic on scraps of tent fabric, the messages of hope (2016) convey the responses of 29 syrian girls at the zaatari refugee camp in jordan from the these inspiring girls enjoy reading (tiger) collective upon the completion of the collaborative ‘love coats’ project (image 2). image 2: ‘messages of hope’ (2016) from the these inspiring girls enjoy reading (tiger) collective, handwritten on scraps of tent fabric. photo by jack elliot edwards. the ‘designed for life’ exhibition coincided with the opening of the impressive new london college of fashion (lcf) campus at ual’s new east bank home on the queen elizabeth olympic park in october 2023. the exhibition celebrated the institution’s decades-long commitment to using fashion, design and creative practice as a force for positive social change and comprised diverse projects employing textiles, design, film, photography, artefacts, testimonies and community building, illustrating both the effect of witnessing and the transformative power of creative action. spread out across five immersive showcase areas, the ambitious inaugural exhibition presented material identities, migrant and refugee testimonies, stitched narratives and tactile touchpoints fashioned from living, fearing, moving, belonging, making, memory, pain, social (in)justices and so much more. ‘designed for life’ was simultaneously designed for life as it was designed from life. drawing on the histories of fashion and textile manufacturing in the east end of london and acknowledging the need for dialogue, inclusion and representation, various community engagement projects preceded the consolidated move of lcf to its new home. ‘traces: stories of migration ‘was one such project led by ual’s 14 centre for sustainable fashion researcher and visual artist professor lucy orta, resulting in the ‘portrait gallery’ (2022-2023) of 40 large handcrafted, appliqued and embroidered artworks (image 3). the collective tapestry of immigrant makers, their fashions, diversities and motifs from their migration stories was the culmination of a two-year collaborative project involving over 80 residents across the east london boroughs of newham and tower hamlets. it occupied two entire walls in the main gallery. image 3: forty immigrant makers and their portraits in collaboration with lucy orta for the ‘traces: stories of migration’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. the portraits manifested diverse cultural identities and brought their material expressions into the heart of ual. collaborator evenings and various opening events also welcomed the long-silenced, largely immigrant communities of east london into the institution. as an act towards diversity and inclusivity, towards an idea that can accommodate cross-cultural exchange and innovation, the textile portraits boldly confront fashion’s ongoing transnational inequalities. another series of textile-based artworks from the ‘traces: stories of migration’ project, ‘story cloths’ (2023), adorned the remaining gallery wall (image 4). delicately fashioned textile objects depicted the intimate and personal, physical and metaphorical migrant journeys of each maker involved in the creative research workshops. each carefully rendered object fashioned a unique and personal textile narrative. inspired by a migration journey from panama to london, project participant jc used a cyanotype printing technique on silk-organza, layering and holding the resulting four silk squares with a simple red stitch. jasmine karis used old family photographs and garments from her grandmother’s wardrobe to collage her fashion journeys from that time. in another story, shama’s stitched cloth ‘made in bangladesh’ in bengali used a kantha traditional heritage technique to connect with the artisans who ‘make our clothes’. 15 image 4: ‘story cloths’ created by the participants in the ‘traces: stories of migration’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. these intimate and personal invitations to listen and sit with the narratives in the ‘story cloths’ resonate with the exhibition’s centrepiece, the ‘living room project’, curated by dr leila nassereldein and inspired by a victorian terrace in leytonstone (image 5). the ‘living room project’ offered an immersive east london domestic setting, co-curated by community members pallavi chamarty, omolara obanishola, dave sohanpal and anh tran with the support of dr michael mcmillan. filled with lover's rock vinyl records, vintage wallpaper, avon cologne, parquet flooring, a pot plant, television and sewing corner, as well as a weathered leather sofa, its warm nostalgia afforded a distinctly different habitus from the university’s modernist, concrete interiors. 16 image 5: dr leila nassereldein curated the ‘living room project’. photo by jack elliot edwards. when barriers to home ownership, access to social housing and the constant threat of eviction are strikingly present in the lives of many east londoners, this display offered a poignant and powerful touchpoint of home, being and belonging. with a large proportion of international and diasporic students at ual, it would be interesting to note the affective impact of the ‘living room’ on their student journeys when thinking of home or finding their creative communities in london. the precarious lives of the east londoners, impacted by ongoing gentrification, biases and erasures, were absent from this homely display. what did the ‘living room’ offer in the face of design education when the ambivalence of nostalgia erases the ongoing realities of cultural othering and exclusion? reflections of home, journeys and placemaking and the realisation of diverse identities and minority experiences in a fashion world were materialised throughout ‘designed for life’ as one of the exhibition’s key threads. between bits of coloured cloth, close communal listening and connecting to tradition, complex questions of geopolitical belonging and racial and socio-cultural hierarchies were confronted, explored, expressed and repaired. addressing questions of diversity, decolonisation and access concerning current art and design curricula, the exhibition ambitiously threaded marginal cultural histories to sustainability discourses and stitched them into contexts where relations to heritage have been most ruptured. a second essential thread in the exhibition lay at the intersection of design and conflict – the meeting of art with the extreme scale of human suffering. whether the exhibition successfully bridged these polarities for the students and staff at lcf and its wider communities – to radically shift future design praxes for kinder, more ethical worlds to come – may not be measurable in the short term but may redirect some future praxis towards repairing the polarities of power that continue to produce the cultural and planetary violence that some of the exhibition’s more haunting contributions shared. syrian war refugee and ex-construction worker, tarek mohammed hamden, carved his life journey into the handle of a domestic broom over six weeks at the zaatari refugee camp. time haunts the intricately detailed ‘holding hands hammer’ (2019), ‘man on a pole hammer’ (2019), ‘chain hammer’ (2019) and ‘life broom’ (2020) (image 6). so, too, does the brutality of displacement and the sheer scale of pain that no longer having a home to sweep or fix or care for must entail. the wall text avoids this protracted trauma of stasis and suspended life and directs the reader to the economic opportunities that skilled craftsmanship such as hamden’s affords. 17 image 6: ‘holding hands hammer’ (2019), ‘man on a pole hammer’ (2019) and ‘chain hammer’ (2019) by tarek mohammed hamden. photo by jack elliot edwards. another gallery space – past the reception of lcf, a coffee shop, a students’ mingling area and more concrete and glass – offered a deeper exploration of these global traumas and displacements. drawing on the work of ual’s centre for sustainable fashion’s researcher and united nations high commission for refugees (unhcr) designer in residence professor helen storey’s long-term projects with syrian refugees in the zaatari refugee camp, the darkened gallery witnessed both enigmatic beauty and the traces of extreme suffering. the smell of jasmine and adhan (the call to prayer) filled the room. the unhcr gifted a decommissioned refugee tent to storey’s ongoing project. ‘dress for our time’ (2015) was made from this tent (image 7). the dress in the darkened room visualised real-time data of people's movements due to war, climate change or the ongoing impact of extractive economies. in collaboration with holition, pixels of light travel up from the hem of the dress, with each pixel representing 100 human beings fleeing for their lives. the lights flowed from six points representing the continents refugees had left before finding shelter in new locations. the dress mesmerises whilst simultaneously making visible the inconceivable scale of global displacement and unbelievable harm in the world. 18 image 7: ‘dress for our time’ designed by helen storey. photo by jack elliot edwards. ‘dress for our time’ joined two other projects in this gallery as responsive objects that made visible and tangible both the measurable and immeasurable impacts of violence and displacement. ‘jacket of wishes’ (2021), made from the leftover fabric of the unhcr tent, became a worn tablet upon which the voices and wishes of women in the zaatari camp were inscribed. ‘love coats’ (2017) followed another collaboration with helen storey and the tiger girls at the camp, transforming thermal refugee blankets into high-fashion coats. each girl kept one coat to battle the sub-zero winter temperatures in the camp and gifted another to a loved one. what conditions for rethinking the world could we nurture that would open up alternative routes of inhabiting the world, of living and being in common and of connecting with a planetary consciousness? mobilising fashion as a site of activism offered some empowerment for these refugee girls and women at the zaatari camp. however, the more profound questions of thinking about an open and fair future that moves beyond the deeply entangled histories of oppression, violence and war demand that institutions and their students grapple equally with the shared responsibilities towards repair and change and new understandings of sustainable and ethical life futures. seen as a constellation of crosses from above, ‘designed for life’ also occupied the mezzanine area at the base of the building’s central, swirling concrete stairway, announced with another large bright orange plinth secured to a concrete pillar with orange tape. 19 image 8: view of the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles: design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities’ project installation. photo by merhdad pakniyat. twenty-five textile autobiographies stitched on embroidery hoops were installed at eye-level on individual stems, prompting face-to-face engagement with a diverse community. rich in symbolism and featuring loose threads, meandering lines, colourful stitches and shy smiles, the portraits spilled out beyond the hooped frames with colours, trims and tales (images 8 & 9). reading as personal manifestos on the reverse of each visage, the makers shared their reflections on reciprocal learning, inclusion, co-creation and community building. instead of studying the refugee participants, the project team actively engaged in the co-creation process, sharing their own stories and producing ‘textile autobiographies’. the artwork of project lead dr francesco mazzarella looks like a patchwork of the diverse cultures which he absorbed in his migration journey in search of better education and employment opportunities. as he wrote, the piece is “a reminder of my role in life, seeking constant change, and crafting (my and other people’s) life journeys”. postdoctoral research fellow dr seher mirza wrote: “we are the sum of our experiences’ […]. i made a feature of imperfect stitches to show we all have flaws and weaknesses”. these artworks are in dialogue with those of the refugees participating in the project, like madusu, whose piece is a statement of “fighting for her freedom” or ghonche, who reminds us that we are all human and advocates for “women, life, freedom!” the pieces intend to shift negative narratives around refugees and showcase the skills and resilience of their makers whilst calling for love and safety and dreaming of a brighter future. 20 image 9: ‘textile autobiographies’ were created in the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. a short film by david betteridge peopled the room with a community of voices, aesthetics and faces often excluded from design institutions. making visible and working with the censored histories and creative practices of the many marginalised communities of east london was a vital element of the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. a map of colourful threads and colours re-imagined a world-making network of transient people who build resilience within themselves and in their new communities to fulfil their needs and aspirations. the map connected the dynamic and diverse makers and their rich folk histories with london’s boroughs and centres of global south conversations in imagining and decolonising fashion practices. the cultural networks and possibilities featured in the project point to other creative futures beyond the conventions of standard fashion curricula. the refugee’s fashioned portraits reflected the lived hybridities and practical negotiations between the local, global, past, present and future as necessary pathways to integrating, adjusting and becoming whole again. working with vulnerable communities through the lens of fashion does not reduce their marginality, but it can help shape languages and safe spaces for sharing. bringing these tacit explorations – expressions of self and pain – into sites of privilege requires care to deflect the often destructive power dynamics between privilege and precarity. using fashion as social repair also situates these crafting encounter workshops in contested terrains, as participants are hopeful. yet, their world realities remain uncertain and on hold. a striking benefit expressed in the words of many refugee participants is the power of community building through reciprocal learning and making, where the stitches and selections of colourful textiles are moments of care, hope and glimpses of a different and more compassionate future. projects celebrating 10 years of lcf, ual’s social responsibility work, now known as the portal centre for social impact, occupied the lower levels of the new east bank campus. first established by the ministry of justice and lcf in 2014, the portal centre for social impact convenes projects and training programmes that cultivate inclusive and collaborative learning experiences for students across different learning 21 pathways with diverse local communities, involving external creative practitioners, youth in rehabilitation centres, women in prison and other vulnerable individuals. each glass vitrine showcased a different portal centre collaboration, demonstrating various knowledge exchanges and artistic outputs from projects with fashion brands, designers, community centres, institutions and festivals. ‘radical weaving’ (2017, 2019) showcased handwoven textiles from industrial waste, such as paper and plastic wires (image 10). this was a co-creation project with lcf students from the ba (hons) fashion technology menswear course and ba (hons) cordwainers fashion bags and accessories courses, san patrignano (a rehabilitative centre for youth struggling with addiction) and hmp downview, a closed category prison for women. image 10: ‘radical weaving’ vitrine showcasing work from the portal centre for social impact. photo by jack elliot edwards. the ‘making for change’ vitrine – a curated cabinet filled with high-fashion collaborations with designer bethany williams, aprons for abel & cole using their lorry tarpaulin and a harris tweed off-cuts recycling project – showcased the outcomes of various training programmes run by the garment manufacturing unit that opened in 2019 at poplar works, a fashion hub in east london. building on the success of earlier work with hmp downview since 2014, the new making for change unit connects lcf graduates and marginalised communities to interact, engage and collaborate in pioneering projects. collectively, the different projects showcased in the ambitious ‘designed for life’ exhibition produced a patchwork quilt of underrepresented voices, global crises and diverse communities, bringing into view various pieces of knowledge, global emergencies and some fresh perspectives (image 11). these practitioners’ physical acknowledgement and ongoing commitment to using creativity to change the world enriched the students' exchanges and mutual learning. thinking from sites of suffering, survival and resistance, and conjured up by materials that connect and converse, the exhibition’s positioning of east london as home, a classroom and a realm of emergent futures situated the projects and participants as the 22 new teachers. resilient, strong, capable. making the self in a broken space. fashioning pathways to positive social change. finding home. healing. image 11: one of the public events, the collaborators’ celebration for ‘designed for life’, was held on 11 december 2023. photo by merhdad pakniyat. for any effective reframing of fashion education, transformative decolonisation and equitable sustainability work to happen, conventions need to change. many more ontological, philosophical, economic and political assumptions and logic must be replaced with research from contexts and perspectives that pose challenges, draw on diverse values and offer different pathways. research, where empathy and culture are activated and society’s well-being is a truly shared endeavour, demands to be undertaken through alternative forms and formats. it requires the tenacity to ask beyond the familiar. finding these brave spaces where socially engaged artistic practices and projects hold space for challenging issues, not just for the students and staff at ual, lcf, but for a future fashion system that will expand the possibilities for people to live well together in a more-than-human world, will shift the contemporary narratives of emergency to new narratives of emergence towards radically refashioning new ways of living. https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. exhibition review designed for life: fashioning emergent futures erica de greef published online: may 2024 to cite this article: de greef, e. (2024). designed for life: fashioning emergent futures. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 11-22. exhibition review designed for life: fashioning emergent futures ual east, london 2 october 2023–19 january 2024 erica de greef african fashion research institute, cape town, 8005, south africa. erica@afri.digital designed for life: fashioning emergent futures a large, pink handstitched heart, an appliqued sun and earth and handwritten messages of hope occupy three large textile banners suspended in an imposing glass and concrete foyer. reminiscent of resistance flags of women’s suffrage, trade unions and q... the colourful gestures, identity affirmations and tactile materialities resemble the dreams and aspirations that one would expect in an institution dedicated to art and design education. however, these messages calling for safety, social justice and b... image 1: textile banners and manifestos for a compassionate future co-created in the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. these words and textile gestures seem familiar and relatable, hinting at a world in common. the soft textile banners share the formidable space with its massive windows and concrete surfaces and the exhibition’s bright orange signage signalling emerge... image 2: ‘messages of hope’ (2016) from the these inspiring girls enjoy reading (tiger) collective, handwritten on scraps of tent fabric. photo by jack elliot edwards. the ‘designed for life’ exhibition coincided with the opening of the impressive new london college of fashion (lcf) campus at ual’s new east bank home on the queen elizabeth olympic park in october 2023. the exhibition celebrated the institution’s dec... drawing on the histories of fashion and textile manufacturing in the east end of london and acknowledging the need for dialogue, inclusion and representation, various community engagement projects preceded the consolidated move of lcf to its new home.... image 3: forty immigrant makers and their portraits in collaboration with lucy orta for the ‘traces: stories of migration’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. the portraits manifested diverse cultural identities and brought their material expressions into the heart of ual. collaborator evenings and various opening events also welcomed the long-silenced, largely immigrant communities of east london into the ... these intimate and personal invitations to listen and sit with the narratives in the ‘story cloths’ resonate with the exhibition’s centrepiece, the ‘living room project’, curated by dr leila nassereldein and inspired by a victorian terrace in leytonst... image 5: dr leila nassereldein curated the ‘living room project’. photo by jack elliot edwards. reflections of home, journeys and placemaking and the realisation of diverse identities and minority experiences in a fashion world were materialised throughout ‘designed for life’ as one of the exhibition’s key threads. between bits of coloured cloth... syrian war refugee and ex-construction worker, tarek mohammed hamden, carved his life journey into the handle of a domestic broom over six weeks at the zaatari refugee camp. time haunts the intricately detailed ‘holding hands hammer’ (2019), ‘man on a... image 6: ‘holding hands hammer’ (2019), ‘man on a pole hammer’ (2019) and ‘chain hammer’ (2019) by tarek mohammed hamden. photo by jack elliot edwards. another gallery space – past the reception of lcf, a coffee shop, a students’ mingling area and more concrete and glass – offered a deeper exploration of these global traumas and displacements. drawing on the work of ual’s centre for sustainable fashi... image 7: ‘dress for our time’ designed by helen storey. photo by jack elliot edwards. ‘dress for our time’ joined two other projects in this gallery as responsive objects that made visible and tangible both the measurable and immeasurable impacts of violence and displacement. ‘jacket of wishes’ (2021), made from the leftover fabric of ... what conditions for rethinking the world could we nurture that would open up alternative routes of inhabiting the world, of living and being in common and of connecting with a planetary consciousness? mobilising fashion as a site of activism offered s... seen as a constellation of crosses from above, ‘designed for life’ also occupied the mezzanine area at the base of the building’s central, swirling concrete stairway, announced with another large bright orange plinth secured to a concrete pillar with ... image 8: view of the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles: design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities’ project installation. photo by merhdad pakniyat. twenty-five textile autobiographies stitched on embroidery hoops were installed at eye-level on individual stems, prompting face-to-face engagement with a diverse community. rich in symbolism and featuring loose threads, meandering lines, colourful st... the artwork of project lead dr francesco mazzarella looks like a patchwork of the diverse cultures which he absorbed in his migration journey in search of better education and employment opportunities. as he wrote, the piece is “a reminder of my role ... image 9: ‘textile autobiographies’ were created in the ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. photo by jack elliot edwards. working with vulnerable communities through the lens of fashion does not reduce their marginality, but it can help shape languages and safe spaces for sharing. bringing these tacit explorations – expressions of self and pain – into sites of privilege ... projects celebrating 10 years of lcf, ual’s social responsibility work, now known as the portal centre for social impact, occupied the lower levels of the new east bank campus. first established by the ministry of justice and lcf in 2014, the portal c... each glass vitrine showcased a different portal centre collaboration, demonstrating various knowledge exchanges and artistic outputs from projects with fashion brands, designers, community centres, institutions and festivals. ‘radical weaving’ (2017, ... image 10: ‘radical weaving’ vitrine showcasing work from the portal centre for social impact. photo by jack elliot edwards. the ‘making for change’ vitrine – a curated cabinet filled with high-fashion collaborations with designer bethany williams, aprons for abel & cole using their lorry tarpaulin and a harris tweed off-cuts recycling project – showcased the outcomes of va... image 11: one of the public events, the collaborators’ celebration for ‘designed for life’, was held on 11 december 2023. photo by merhdad pakniyat. 38 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. the benevolent future of fashion: a framework for business partnerships with a social purpose georgina twamley, francesco mazzarella published online: november 2022 to cite this article: twamley, g., & mazzarella, f. (2022). the benevolent future of fashion – a framework for business partnerships with a social purpose, discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 38-57. 39 the benevolent future of fashion: a framework for business partnerships with a social purpose georgina twamleya, francesco mazzarellab a london college of fashion, london, w1g 0bj, united kingdom, g.twamley@fashion.arts.ac.uk blondon college of fashion, london, w1g 0bj, united kingdom, f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk abstract consumers are increasingly buying from brands they believe in, and, therefore, fashion businesses increasingly need to align their operations with their customers’ values. with this in mind, this paper reports on a research project aimed at demonstrating ways in which the fashion system can begin to benefit society, consumers and businesses more. recommendations are distilled from desk research and primary data collected through a consumer survey and interviews with fashion industry experts. the findings from the research reveal how collaborations can be used as a multidimensional tool and expose the tangible advantages of communicating ethics and engaging audiences by aligning with consumers’ desires. the research findings were used to inform the development of a framework which paves the way for a more socially conscious fashion industry by providing businesses with a checklist to follow to create partnerships and projects with a social purpose. to conclude, this paper advocates for how the fashion industry should begin to create more positive social impact and lays the foundations for further research on the benevolent future of fashion. keywords: fashion, strategic partnerships, activism, social impact, charity introduction the fashion industry causes a negative impact on society and the planet in many ways, including abuse of labour rights, compromise of workers’ health in a fast fashion production system, non-inclusive fashion media, anxiety related to over-consumption and a sort of ‘waste colonialism’ (i.e. communities in the global south face the impacts of fast fashion trends in the global north). within this context, there is a lack of insight into how the fashion industry can create positive social change. contemporary research on how businesses can be benevolent to society often refers to the concept of the ‘triple bottom line’ or the ‘three ps’ (i.e. people, profit and the planet) (stoddard, 2017). within the scope of this paper, this means that businesses can help wider society through new approaches like collaborations designed to have a social impact. building networks and business partnerships can be one way to address complex societal issues, develop a social purpose and therefore contribute to social justice. this paper addresses the rise in popularity of collaborations in the fashion sector and discusses how they can be harnessed to improve businesses’ actions and therefore reputations. the research presented in this paper intends to address a knowledge gap about how brands can take small steps towards being more socially inclusive and impactful. particularly in a post-covid world, many businesses may not be ready to make substantial changes, but smaller one-off projects and collaborations can act as a gateway towards new ways of doing business with a social purpose. collaborations in fashion have always existed, and in recent years their popularity has exploded, as they are used for marketing campaigns, new concept development and acquiring new markets, as well as developing more systemic responses to complex issues. aziz and jones (2018) track the increasingly benevolent trajectory of contemporary business and marketing strategy in their book series good is the new cool. their work has been influential in shaping a potential benevolent future of marketing, one in which “a great ceo should have the brain of a cfo, the heart of a storyteller, and the soul of an activist” (aziz & jones, 2021, p.7). 40 the theories reviewed in this paper were applied to a mental wellness platform called ‘helpingyourself’, set up by the first author of this paper. strategic partnerships are at the heart of ‘helpingyourself’, which aims to work with others to grow faster and benefit from collaborators in terms of credibility, authority and audience. this approach has been beneficial. similarly, other industries have been analysed for this project to find out if their approaches could inform benevolent fashion collaborations. however, there is limited literature that analyses the topics of business, society and consumer wellness together. with this in mind, the overall aim of the research project presented in this paper was to develop a framework for fashion-related collaborations enabling consumer wellness and social enterprise creation. the framework was then applied to ‘helpingyourself’ to validate its effectiveness. literature review the following sections discuss the key findings from the literature review concerning consumer wellness, business collaborations and social entrepreneurship – to identify a knowledge gap and inform the development of a framework. consumer wellness, values-led fashion and emotional bonds consumer wellness has become increasingly prominent as a marketing concept and business approach. discussing the make-up brand l’oréal, martin and shackleford (2021) state that the company is now focusing its marketing less on the product and more on the feelings that consumers wish to feel, saying the brand is now selling a “sense of belonging, self-realization and self-confidence” (para. 1). this builds on cartner-morley’s (2019) argument that wellness does what fashion used to do by selling consumers an ideal vision of themselves. vogue business (2021) uses the new term ‘comfort consumerism’ to reflect consumers’ new prioritisation of wellbeing alongside luxury. hilton (2007) suggests that consumerism was typically a cause of societal ills; however, now consumer culture moves towards catering to society’s needs. given the urgency to address sustainability challenges, brands face increasing pressures to show that they are not supporting relentless consumerism. gaffney (2020) points out that generation z (gen z) customers are facing unprecedented stress and that they expect brands to authentically engage with their needs and aspirations. businesses which show they care about societal challenges create for themselves the opportunity to bond with their customers as a consequence of a shared value system. according to chitrakorn (2021), consumers expect that brands have a purpose in society and are consistent in their messaging or they suffer the consequences of not following through on the values they espouse. on the other hand, companies may be reluctant to take a strong stance on societal issues due to fear of losing customers in case their positioning or messaging does not please everyone. however, brands that speak up about issues in a heartfelt honest way can develop an emotional bond with customers, resulting in increased brand loyalty. when customers develop an emotional connection with a brand’s purpose, they become brand advocates (moore, 2015). younger shoppers want to buy from brands that align with their values, including 33% of baby boomers and 60% of millennials surveyed as part of a study by deloitte (2020). brands that act on their values are not going ‘above and beyond’, but are merely meeting customers' expectations (thomas, 2020). according to aziz and jones (2021), a customer is 83.7% more likely to support a brand that they believe in. this change in consumer behaviour affects how fashion is perceived and purchased (hilton, 2007); this consumer agency contributes to shaping a more sustainable world in which we want to live. conscious fashion consumers now see shopping as a moral choice. accordingly, there is now a marketing need to think about people as citizens as well as consumers (hilton, 2007.). 41 collaborations, compatible values and catering vs. pandering to consumers collaborations across the fashion industry have become hugely popular, featuring multifaceted objectives. mondalek (2021) states that the best collaborations are financially beneficial, bridge audience gaps and ‘reinforce existing consumer bases’. they are proving a valuable contemporary instrument in resolving business challenges and allow organisations to co-create solutions. collaborations are so advantageous to brands that their future seems assured as a strategy within the fashion industry. table 1 summarises and categorises the applications and objectives of collaborative projects. table 1: objectives of collaborations. customer approaches marketing approaches bridging gaps cross-pollination of audiences. seeking media attention through novel content. harnessing design skills or technical expertise from another company. reinforcing the brands’ beliefs by partnering with an ethical organisation. receiving social media engagement. gaining credibility or authority in a new area. benefiting from another brand's influence and authority. for example, a brand considered new/cool/fresh or representing gen z ideals. using marketing & pr to create and contribute to a new brand narrative; can introduce a brand to new audiences and hopefully increase sales. strategising for gaining market share and customer acquisition. creating good ‘karma’/benefiting brands’ reputations. positioning a brand differently in the marketplace. reliable introduction of benevolent marketing that can avoid appearing self-serving. companies often adopt multidisciplinary approaches to address complex challenges; these can include partnerships with other organisations having different skill sets or audiences (aftab & bailey, 2013). moreover, companies often start with low-risk experimentation and small steps before developing large innovations. collaborations can be a way of experimenting by adding value for existing customers, while also opening up new markets. previously, companies’ marketing efforts aimed to interrupt customers. in contract, now the aim is for brands to become part of contemporary culture. increasingly marketing activations show a trend of including messaging with a community feel and social impact. for campaigns to have legitimacy, brands that collaborate need to ensure they have shared values. deeley and sergison (2021) suggest direct questions that a business can ask itself to ensure alignment with its collaborators: for instance, ‘is the collaboration going to damage or support the brand messaging?’ and ‘is the collaboration going to support change?’. collaborations involving people in the public sphere have been described as utilising ‘reliable idols’. however, without shared values or clear communication of the reason behind them, campaigns featuring reliable idols can appear vague or even inauthentic. for instance, h&m’s ‘role models’ marketing campaign (figure 1) highlights young people who are making progress on causes including social equality, sustainability, etc. yet the poster does not show a connection to the brand or charitable efforts the company is making; it lacks social impact. 42 figure 1: poster of role models campaign (source: h&m). gaffney (2021) advises that companies need to strike a balance between pandering to and catering to consumers by showing sensitivity and respect in order to build successful collaborations. benevolent campaigns in the right tone can ‘cater’ to consumers as well as benefit companies by increasing customer engagement and sales. within this context, paulins and hillery (2020) refer to the need for ‘socially responsible’ communication and advertising. approaches like donations and long-term plans help communicate that the brand intends to make a positive contribution to society and that the project has integrity. consumers’ expectations mean that companies must be careful in managing their collaborations and be considered in their approach to crafting a message that is going to be well received, otherwise they risk seeming ‘self-serving’. when communication is not received as intended, it can seem that companies lack sensitivity and are merely ‘pandering’ to a consumer trend. therefore, careful consideration of the correct approach to support a ‘good cause’ is crucial. the wrong tone can risk a company missing the mark, facing criticism or, in extreme cases, exposing the brand to ‘cancel culture’ -type conversations. 43 cancel culture began with observations of commercial communication missteps highlighted in the media. companies face the risk that the public sometimes ridicules brands that miscommunicate about important topics (meyer, 2021). the atmosphere of blame has been described by some critics as inflexible and stifling. others renounce the humiliating effect cancel culture can have, questioning its fairness. mishan (2020) points to the consumerist nature of cancel culture, which means that businesses must pay attention to this new critique of their products, services and people. an atmosphere of social responsibility for communicating in a politically correct way has become part of the business. romano (2021) describes how confusion about cancel culture has not prevented it from becoming ‘culturally and politically entrenched’. insensitive messaging is now usually noticed by society, and companies have to face the consequences of getting their communications wrong. careful messaging is important for consumers but also for a business’s reputation; it affects wh cichompanies will collaborate with them and even its future workforce. research shows that gen z employees want to work at companies that have a social purpose. figure 2 depicts apple's job advertisements based on working somewhere that aligns with employees’ values, which is good for both recruitment and pr. figure 2. apple’s advertisements to future employees (source: linkedin). from fashion as the ‘business of inequality’ to socially conscious companies benevolent collaborations help charities fundraise, build social credibility for brands and help brands offer aspirational allure while sharing inclusive messaging. d’agostino (as cited in girod, 2020) discusses the fine line between fashion’s aspirational, exclusive nature and the new trend of social inclusivity, highlighting the contemporary challenge of balancing community feel with aspirational allure. within this context, we are witnessing the rise of socially conscious companies that intend to activate positive social change and develop charitable projects as profitable business opportunities embedded in corporate culture (stoddard, 2017). pallotta (2013) discusses innovative ways in which social causes are tackled through business partnerships and charity projects instead of through donations. these contemporary approaches provide shared responsibility and generate larger financial contributions towards charitable causes, creating a social impact. aziz 44 (2018) echoes this, endorsing partnerships with non-profits as the new combination of commerce, conscience and culture. research shows that positive social impact also positively affects the bottom line. according to kantar (2020), brands with high perceived positive impact are outperforming value growth by more than double of those with low impact. another stark statistic is that 95% of millennials would switch brands if a company supports a good cause in an authentic and meaningful way (kantar, 2020). for businesses trying to increase market share, these data offer enough evidence for adopting new socially active approaches both for socially impactful campaigns and for developing a long-term social purpose. overall, the literature review shows that the market and cultural trend for doing ‘good’ is undeniable. however, there is scope for further research to better understand what incremental steps businesses can take to build collaborations that bring about positive social change. figure 3 illustrates the key learnings from the literature review, which informed the primary research discussed in the following sections of this paper. figure 3: key learnings emerging from the literature review. methodology the project presented in this paper was conducted by adopting grounded theory as the research strategy to create a framework that could be tested and used in the future. this implied the development of a theory through multiple stages of data collection and identifying interrelationships between categories of information to refine the theory (creswell, 2013). the project entailed a cross-sectional study investigating a phenomenon within a particular time. an inductive research approach was used, and multiple data collection methods and thematic analysis contributed to building from particulars to general themes (creswell, 2013.). figure 4 illustrates the research design, consisting of three main consecutive steps, incrementally contributing to addressing the aim and objectives of the project discussed in this paper. 45 figure 4: research design. considering the project’s timeline and scale, as well as the available resources, an online survey and semistructured interviews were chosen to collect the data and inform the development of the intended framework. based on insights from the literature review, the survey comprised 8 questions, mostly multiple-choice and likert scale questions. the survey was filled in by 100 participants from 14 countries, providing insight into the public’s perception of fashion brands and consumer wellness. the survey mostly provided quantitative data but also included one open question, which allowed for qualitative data collection too. qualitative research was fundamental in gathering opinions for this project. semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven fashion sector professionals, each sharing their specific knowledge, providing feedback and advice on the project and contributing to a rich in-depth understanding of how collaborations are built. the interviewees had diverse expertise, including fashion education, social enterprise development, multidisciplinary collaborations, charity and retail. the interviewees were selected on the basis of professional background. while no interviewee had exact expertise on this research, each had relevant knowledge and made a unique contribution to the body of research presented in this paper.table 2 details the varied perspectives of each interviewee and how each participant contributed to inform a multi-faceted body of knowledge. in the final interview, simone parchment reviewed the framework draft and reinforced its legitimacy, stating that she had seen all of the benefits of collaborations described in action in the industry. this began the evaluation process. 46 following this, a panel discussion on the topic allowed for evaluation of the research in an open unstructured way. the panel consisted of a fashion designer, a fashion psychologist, an entrepreneur and a researcher, who each contributed their experience of industry norms and innovations and consented to be quoted. table 2: industry interviewees, with their roles and perspectives. interviewee role perspective farah liz pallaro business advisor and lecturer. author of fashion, business and spirituality fashion business trends and change drivers shehan perera communications officer at social enterprise uk socially enterprising business development jonathan chippindale ceo of holition, cutting-edge luxury retail technology services company expert in multidisciplinary collaborative approach, knowledgeable about fashion collaborations and projects sarah burns mbe chair of operations for fashion charity smartworks knowledgeable about how charities work with fashion brands jo tutchener-sharp ceo of scamp&dude fashion brand that engages in charitable collaborations knowledgeable about how fashion brands work with charities ruby wight creative lead: campaigns and partnerships at burberry retailer running collaborations with the goal of brand marketing simone parchment head of strategic partnerships at matches fashion retailer running collaborations with the goal of customer acquisition thematic analysis (saunders et al., 2019) was conducted to extract themes and patterns and draw meaning from the raw data collected in the form of the survey responses and interview transcripts. the data analysis was iterative, with each stage informing the subsequent one. software (codepen, otter.ai and edwordle) was used to identify duplicate words and phrases from the data and to flag key concepts. quantitative data were categorised according to how they related to each key theme that emerged from the analysis. the themes were used to develop questions that were asked at the panel discussion, informing the development of the framework. findings the following sections discuss the thematically clustered findings from the data analysis, revealing where relationships and contradictions arose. the survey results evidenced consumers’ perceptions of fashion brands. figure 5 is a word cloud illustrating the values and qualities the survey respondents believe fashion brands should have for consumers to feel more emotionally connected to them. larger words indicate more popular concepts and consumers’ priorities. consumers communicated a general sense of disappointment, as evidenced through words like ‘disillusioned’, 47 as well as a call to action – ‘transparency’. figure 5: word cloud representing values consumers want to see embodied in fashion brands. the data collected through interviews with fashion industry professionals were analysed to identify recurring concepts and cross-checked to see which key points and perspectives were shared amongst the interviewees. a word cloud (figure 6) was developed to represent fashion industry professionals’ needs, aspirations, priorities and opinions about collaborations. subsequently, the framework was developed based on the common ground between the consumer and industry perspectives. figure 6: word cloud representing key concepts that emerged across all the industry professionals interviewed. overall themes were established using a variety of approaches to compare and contrast the data. figure 7 illustrates the key themes which emerged from the primary research (survey and interviews); this means concerns that were common to both consumers and fashion industry professionals. they are discussed in the following sections alongside the key themes emerging from the secondary research. these areas of common 48 ground formed the foundation of the framework. figure 7: key themes recurring in both the consumer survey and the interviews with fashion industry experts. the fashion industry needs to change both the consumers and the industry experts argued that the fashion system needs to change. the survey respondents criticised the myriad of negative effects that the fashion industry – underpinned by a capitalistic system – produces. they questioned the consumeristic culture that the fashion industry contributes to, as highlighted by the following quotes: ‘i'm interested in why the owners created the brand to begin with when there are so many brands out there. what is their clear and honest brand objective?’ and ‘it’s getting to the point where it is unacceptable for brands not to make any effort’. these qualitative insights from consumers were accompanied by quantitative data with stark results: 86% of the survey respondents said that they felt let down by a brand or felt it did something that does not align with their values. additionally, the interviewees expressed concerns about the industry’s negative impacts; for instance, jonathan chippindale argued the following: “the big piece of the pie is still toxic. i'm so sad to say that because i've worked for so many years to contribute to changing that. but it is what it is. so, the only way that you can change that industry is when we all – every one of us – take responsibility individually and, as a collective, we do things”. interviewee shehan perera said that employees want to work at companies that care about social issues and aim to make positive contributions to the world, stating ‘people expect their employers to give a damn about the planet […] like about changing how capitalism works and taking the steps to get to that point’. perera works for social enterprise uk and described how he has seen companies grow fiscally while also developing their connections with communities and making significant contributions to a fairer and more just world. this comment reflected the secondary research, which shows that the public wants to shop and work at companies that espouse values that align with their own. 49 putting the customer first another theme emerging from the survey was a sense amongst consumers that their needs and aspirations are currently not heard. two-thirds of the respondents said that they had participated in cancel culture in some way. based on the findings from the survey, figure 8 shows the values that consumers want to hear brands speak about. ethical employment practices and sustainability were the two most prominent values. this echoes the point from the literature review that emphasised the benefit of advertising company values to attract employees and establish a reputation as an ethical company. keywords like ‘transparency’, ‘community’, ‘accessible’ and ‘tone of voice’ came up in the survey responses. however, surprisingly, they did not come up in the interviews with thefashion industry professionals. interviewee sarah burns from the charity smartworks was the only professional who emphasised that brands need to listen to consumers more, making insightful comments about market gaps, such as the lack of workwear for transgender people. she advised that brands should focus on one clear message to begin to play a more supportive role in society. figure 8: brand values that consumers would choose to support. collaborations can be harnessed to ‘walk the talk’ one consumer described fashion as one of the most popular industries and therefore that fashion should use its power ‘to help improve the world we live in’. others expressed the need for brands to be less self-serving, stating that they want to see them ‘doing good for the world and not just for themselves giving back’. such comments reinforce aziz and jones’s (2021) argument that brands should think of their customers as citizens, following a trend in which future consumers (such as gen z) are merging their morals with their shopping habits. consumers are voting for socially impactful businesses with their purchasing power. in line with research showing that younger consumers want to know why a brand is doing a project, interviewee jonathan chippindale described how a ‘fight [is] going on inside consumers’ brains between the need to be a citizen of the planet and […] consumerism’. additionally, shehan perera argued that ‘responsible business’ is ‘the strongest kind of business model’. ruby wight discussed her work in building partnerships and collaborations at burberry (exemplified in figure 9) as contributing to creating a more benevolent fashion industry: “we’re always making sure our community, our campaigns and our content reflect both the truths and dreams of the world we live in and inspire people to imagine their possibility. because we create so much, so regularly, we have the opportunity to put our values and ambition for even greater diversity and inclusion at deeper levels, into practice and act on it”. 50 overall, the findings from the primary research indicate participants’ recognition that collaborations and charitable projects can provide a stepping stone for brands and organisations to work together to make benevolent work become an everyday part of the business. figure 9: burberry collaboration featuring footballer marcus rashford, who received racist abuse following missing a penalty in the european final and has since been defended and celebrated (source: wonderland magazine). importance of ethics and values the findings from the secondary research establish that it is important that collaborations are mindful and considerate of sensitive topics and avoid tokenistic attitudes. in line with this, one consumer participating in the survey explained that ’clear communication of ethos and practices is what we need most in the industry; anything else feels like pandering to a consumer looking for change’. several survey respondents mentioned that they prefer shopping from brands whose beliefs they ‘buy’ into. as interviewee shehan perera put it, ‘it's very easy for a brand to pretend to be doing the right things’. discussing the ethics of collaborations, jo tutchener-sharp highlighted the need for researching whether potential collaborators have the same ethics in all areas of their business, ensuring that nothing is hidden. she added that any bad press brands receive could have a knock-on effect on the company’s reputation. for instance, ruby wight mentioned burberry’s ‘brand guardians’, who help guide the partnership process and ensure that the content is in line with the brand’s character. on the other hand, when brands cannot find an alignment of values and vision, they should not be afraid to say no to potential collaborations. authenticity good ethics require integrity to feel authentic. a lack of alignment can risk compromising a brand’s reputation. consumers participating in the survey commented that they can ‘see through’ campaigns or communication that are greenwashing or ‘hopping on a bandwagon’. they want to know why a business is supporting a cause and require clear communication. brands need to build trust and meaningful connections with their customers; otherwise, efforts can appear tokenistic. this speaks to sinek’s well-known hypothesis that people 'don't buy what you do, but they buy why you do it’ (roi group, 2016). sharing a ‘why’ through a personal story can be authentic, which may be easier for small and medium enterprises (smes) in fashion. 51 value of collaborations for venturing into new sectors the value of collaborations was consistently mentioned in the interviews. jonathan chippindale stated that collaborations can help brands align themselves with ‘another cooler organisation’ or lean on it. he referred to some collaborations that connect similar brands such as ‘hermes x rolls royce’ versus other partnerships between two very different brands such as ‘dolce & gabbana x smeg’. interviewee ruby wight (working at burberry) highlighted that collaborations can be useful to ‘venture’ into new sectors. for instance, to create the first sneaker collection for the brand and make sure it reached its full potential, the brand ‘worked with hypebeast to bring their perspective to that collection, as they have a lot of authority in this streetwear field, so could bring this new era for us to their community in a credible way’. here, wight refers to collaborations activated by brands to benefit from another company’s credibility. cross-pollination of audiences or skill sets is a popular reason why brands decide to collaborate and bridge market gaps. new ideas through partnerships the foundation of a successful partnership involves celebrating individual perspectives while creating new content. interviewee jonathan chippindale argued that progress happens when two people collaborate and develop ‘a third idea that they wouldn't have had individually’. collaborations can be used in guiding creative content that gives both parties a chance to highlight their work as well as create opportunities for new combined perspectives. to exemplify this, ruby wight shared her experience in building collaborations at burberry: “through that process, our role is one of commissioners, as the brand guardians that guide the content, to make sure it feels connected to our broader brand narrative, and something that our audience can associate with. that is where the magic and mystery of the collaboration comes together, because you have to make space for both of you as creative teams to exercise your individual perspectives and find a way to spot the synergies, the frictions, the contrast and contradictions, and bring them together to make something that may not have existed otherwise”. such collaborative processes can create unique outcomes and innovative ideas and lead to customer acquisition through increased engagement. the hope for a successful collaboration is that it can increase sales and make a beneficial addition to the brand narrative which will last for the long term. a framework for business partnerships with a social purpose the findings from the primary and secondary research discussed in the previous sections informed the development of a framework for building business partnerships with a social purpose. the research findings informed the outline of questions which were used at the panel entitled ‘fashion and wellbeing’ that was held in september 2021 as a collaboration between ‘helpingyourself’ and ‘the fashion clinic’. the latter was created in conjunction with the ma fashion entrepreneurship and innovation course at london college of fashion, university of the arts london (ual) to be a hub connecting creatives in the fashion industry. this was deemed an appropriate audience for disseminating this research and its output, since members of the fashion clinic are interested in fashion entrepreneurship. in doing so, the collaboration between helpingyourself and the fashion clinic adopted principles drawn from the framework such as cross-pollination of audiences. the panel discussion was publicised on social media and then published as a podcast on spotify. the panel led to plans being made for two more collaborations. drawing from the findings from the primary and secondary research, the framework includes a checklist of things that brands could consider when creating collaborations and charitable projects. moreover, the framework so far 52 was presented by the first author of this paper to students in the bsc in psychology of fashion course at london college of fashion, ual to disseminate the research and begin to nurture the next generation of professionals who could create positive social change in and through fashion. figure 10 illustrates the key headings and insights from the ‘benevolent future of fashion framework’. the framework summarises the benefits of benevolent collaborations and provides a guide to using 8 key principles to create a successful benevolent collaboration. in this context, success is measured by longevity, as, ideally, socially impactful projects benefit everyone involved, leading businesses to commit to a social purpose. as more businesses discover the multifaceted benefits of these projects and adopt these practices, there is an opportunity for large-scale change in consumer culture as it moves towards benefiting businesses, consumers and society. to make the framework accessible, the content of the framework is written in an accessible ‘newspaper’ tone of voice. the framework is distributed as a ‘read-only’ website link which can be easily accessed by the public (https://rebrand.ly/ecwldzl). the online document is editable by the researcher and first author of this paper. embedded into the framework is a request for readers who have adopted the framework to contribute feedback and suggestions via email. the feedback will be evaluated and amendments made, fulfilling the intention of sustaining an ongoing project that can continue to develop and widen its scope, contribution, and impact. this resource constitutes a legacy of the project presented in this paper. 53 figure 10: key themes underpinning the ‘benevolent future of fashion collaboration framework’. 54 conclusions this paper discussed a research project aimed at demonstrating ways in which the fashion system can begin to benefit society, consumers and businesses more. this is driven by a desire to address the needs and aspirations of contemporary societies and to counter the lack of critical disclosure in the past of the negative impacts caused by the fashion industry. the research was fuelled by a desire to change the fashion system, and this was highlighted by the theme of disillusionment that recured across all the data collected (from the consumer survey to the interviews with industry experts). with this in mind, the project presented in this paper was developed at the intersection of fashion, collaborations/partnerships and non-profit development. perspectives from the public and fashion sector experts were collected and cross-referenced, providing valuable insights that point towards strategies to shape a benevolent future for fashion. findings from the research indicate that when businesses take action to help society, the benefits can also lead to commercial growth. fashion brands can contribute to addressing societal needs by partnering with charities and non-profit organisations and developing aspirational and benevolent projects. building on findings from primary and secondary research, a framework was developed to guide fashion brands and non-profits in creating collaborative ventures that provide societal and commercial advantages. following on from the successful launch of the framework at a panel discussion, the first author of this paper is gathering ongoing feedback and will continually amend this resource to actively contribute to shaping a benevolent future of fashion. building on the successful presentation of the framework to students from the london college of fashion, there is an opportunity to continue to use it not only in business settings but also as an educational resource to prime the next generation of professionals who could make a positive impact on consumerism and society. considering the limitations of the project presented in this paper in terms of the timeframe and sampling strategy, it is recommended to expand the research by including more global perspectives from international participants and involving people from a variety of socio-economic and educational backgrounds. a natural next stage of the project would be to further apply the framework and evaluate its effectiveness, for instance through interviews with the industry experts already involved in this project, as well as with other professionals to gather more feedback. other recommendations for the next steps include further developing the framework into a more comprehensive guidebook and developing business collaborations and charitable projects to scale up its impact. for instance, an opportunity was identified by the two authors of this paper to collaborate with rego, a project using fashion activism to address societal issues (such as youth violence) and offer educational and employment opportunities for young people in fashion. in conclusion, it is envisaged that thanks to an alignment of values and continued engagement in collaborative ventures and charitable projects, this paper can inspire readers in shaping a more collaborative and socially benevolent approach to business practices in the fashion industry, perhaps using and contributing to the framework here presented as a step in the right direction. references aftab m., bailey m., spencer, n., & jeffs, c. 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(2021, january 8). comfort and wellness set to define luxury in 2021. vogue business. https://tinyurl.com/mr3dynzw keywords: fashion, strategic partnerships, activism, social impact, charity consumer wellness, values-led fashion and emotional bonds table 1: objectives of collaborations. figure 1: poster of role models campaign (source: h&m). from fashion as the ‘business of inequality’ to socially conscious companies figure 3: key learnings emerging from the literature review. figure 4: research design. figure 7: key themes recurring in both the consumer survey and the interviews with fashion industry experts. the fashion industry needs to change figure 8: brand values that consumers would choose to support. figure 10: key themes underpinning the ‘benevolent future of fashion collaboration framework’. references honeyman, r. (2014). the b corp handbook: how to use business as a force for good. berrett-koehler. saldaña, j. (2021). the coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). sage. 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. consuming new narratives: second order design fictions as transition objects for planet-centric consumption habits anna bertmark published online: may 2022 to cite this article: bertmark, a. (2022). consuming new narratives: second-order design fictions as transition objects for planet-centric consumption habits. discern: international journal of design0 for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(1), 1-16. 2 consuming new narratives: second order design fictions as transition objects for planet-centric consumption habits anna bertmarka auniversity of brighton, uk. annamy.bertmark@gmail.com abstract the current dominant narratives of endless economic growth are contributing to unsustainable conditions that prevent humans from living within planetary boundaries. many present sustainable alternatives fall short of embodying regenerative and equitable principles, casting doubt on the human capacity for mitigating climate change. this highlights the need for options that redirect the future of consumption. second-order design fictions (sodfs) is a method for reframing our relationship with the entrenched fictions that are part of dominant narratives. these half-familiar, tangible artefacts allow for critical sensemaking that playfully provokes questions around the power structures, values and assumptions that uphold the consumption patterns that we engage in daily. sodfs seek to interfere with consensus and allow observation of observations on how to address tensions between structures of thinking and formulate complexity of reality and possibility. the project builds upon work by dulmini perera, ‘superflux, the liminal space’ and ‘do the green thing’. keywords: sustainable design, second-order design fictions, narratives, artefacts introduction my second-order design fictions (sodfs) relate to speculative planet-centric habits of consumption that both incorporate necessary basic needs (healthcare, energy, water, sanitation, clean air) and what can be deemed as luxuries (hot drinks, fashion, cosmetics). the dandelion latte suite (image 1) provides a potentially locally abundant alternative to the unsustainable and fast-declining supply of tea and coffee (kollipara, 2021). as a discursive artefact, dandelion latte integrates the familiar with the unusual, allowing the continuation of a comforting ritual and synthetic caffeine to provide stimulus, while rejecting threads to historical and modern-time extraction and exploitation of the global south. instead, it points to a local commons, culture and place. the spring-harvested taproots have a sweeter taste than fall-harvested ones, which taste more bitter. an accompanying café menu integrates the actual cost of items into the price, tapping into choice editing and nudging literature for voluntarily changing harmful consumption behaviours (vowles, 2019). the advanced interconnectedness meter (image 2) shows real-time data from your household (catapult energy systems, 2021) and compares it to the city resident average, highlighting the energy and co2e consumption, sequestration and production. an integrated cantril scale happiness meter used to measure citizens’ wellbeing (gallup, 2013), allows users to self-anchor themselves according to their mental state. it is inspired by mathilda tham’s work me to we to world to back again (2022) and her quote “here me is the person, we a unit of collaboration, and world our home, consisting of the ecological system and human-made systems”. the meter provides a wider perspective and sense of co-evolution through which a participant may contribute to and follow the collaborative progress to reduce energy and water use. national veterinary service card & council tax bill for co-evolving mutualism (image 3) imagines a future where the effects generated from inter-species symbiosis and co-evolution are granted greater value and 3 therefore converted into abstract financial metrics to possibly justify their decommodification and the existence of these artefacts. browser warning pop-up for added-friction consumption (image 4) is inspired by warning labels on cigarette packets, seatbelt alarms in cars, do the right thing’s amazero campaign, highlighted by popova (2009), and postcards from the future (postcard futurists, n.d.). this voluntarily installed browser pop-up activates when you enter websites that sell high-carbon services and products (such as easyjet, asos, amazon) and that may also harbour obscure traceability of supply chains, enabling agnotologic or unintentionally harmful consumption. adding friction to a sometimes otherwise frictionless transaction, it informs the customer of the potentially harmful repercussions of their purchase and queries whether they can meet their need for the product or service in an alternative way. to add emotion to an otherwise flat and detached experience, an image depicting the local effects of climate change (to the purchaser) is presented and a high-pitch alarm noise plays until you select your answer. the perceived added anxiety from this experience by the viewer (similarly induced by seatbelt alarms and cigarette packet warnings) can be put in context with the possible precarity and stress felt by the most vulnerable stakeholders in the advertised product’s lifecycle. image 1: dandelion latte suite. 4 image 2: advanced interconnectedness meter. image 3: national vet service card & council tax bill for co-evolving mutualism (derived from a brighton & hove city council tax bill). 5 context the project lies within the context of the urgent need to confront ecological overshoot caused by unsustainable consumption habits in the global north (economist intelligence unit, 2021). although the cause for this issue has been attributed to a growing world population attaining a higher quality of life, scientists believe that it is more pressingly caused by the ecological footprint intensity of inhabitants in high-consuming countries and the unequal distribution of resources, according to the global carbon project (our world in data, 2021). ian gough (2017) proposes three carbon-eliminating strategies to reach climate goals: 1) increasing the eco-efficiency of production and reducing energy demand and emissions, 2) by recomposing consumption using low-carbon services and products and 3) by going towards a steady-state economy through reducing and stabilising levels of consumer demand. recomposing consumption refers to a shift from highto low-carbon goods and services without decreasing general consumption expenditure. he states that the first strategy is currently dominating the climate discourse, as this aligns well with the neoliberal capitalist meme that the most desirable way to gain a better life and to save the planet is through “green” consumerism and sustainable business. this will however not be adequate on its own, due to the embedded emissions of carbon-intensive consumption. the other two strategies are yet to capture the imagination of society, although all three are required to meet the agreed-upon climate goals by 2050. according to lorek et al. (2021), each eu citizen emits 8.2 tco2eq on average per year, compared with the global average of 4.8 tco2eq. to keep within the paris agreement target of a 1.5°c average global temperature limit, individual emissions need to be reduced to 2.5 tco2eq by 2030 and 0.7 tco 2eq by 2050. effectively, each person’s greenhouse gas emissions will need to be halved each decade to keep global warming from having challenging effects on ecosystems and human wellbeing. although a carbon footprint is only one responsibility metric with which to quantify the image 4: browser warning pop-up for added-friction consumption. 6 effects of human impacts on ecosystems, it can mitigate the other pressures on the planet, according to engström et al. (2020). hubacek et al. (2017) argue that climate equity is vital for reaching climate neutrality because it will have the largest impact on the most vulnerable, while high-income groups contribute significantly more to climate change through carbon-intensive activities. the well-being of future generations act (future generations wales, 2022), implemented in wales in 2015, shows the possibility of design justice in public procurement and the notion of the “human right not to harm” through consumption. however, according to prys-hansen and klenke (2021), as the recent cop26 conference showed, the collaborative efforts to reach the goals set out at the recent climate summits are driven by the tensions between different countries’ priorities, capabilities and value systems, which in turn form expectations and responsibility acknowledgements. since the current patterns of production and consumption are unsustainable, as they are tied to short-term economic goals and the goal of perpetual gdp growth, alternative planet-centric paradigms are needed to initiate “1.5-degree lifestyles”. highlighting the role and responsibility that designers hold as creators and “experts” in this regard, peters (2019) states, “design creates culture. culture shapes values. values determine the future. design is therefore responsible for the world our children will live in”. artefacts for enhancing our powers and comforts have become increasingly accessible since the great acceleration, primarily for the nations that have benefitted from global extraction and exploitation, according to steffen et al. (2015). johar and raworth (design council, 2021) observe that living within the ecological carrying capacity will require a distinct set of values for governing transactional activities. the challenge then is to design a future that ensures well-being for all and fair allocation of resources. my drawing (image 5) shows a combination of voros’ futures cone and di giulio and fuchs’ consumption corridor model to illustrate the context and the speculative future “corridor space” where my designed artefacts belong. the futures cone provides a simplified model with which to facilitate exploring ideas about the future. the consumption corridor concept describes the space within which people may get their basic needs met and dwell as they wish within planetary boundaries; it is illustrated by lorek et al. (2021) as having the minimum consumption standards as the floor and the maximum ceiling to equally protect others’ ability to live well. while minimum basic consumption standards are present in many countries to mitigate poverty, tham and fletcher observe that the concept of “less” is the largest provocation associated with the transition to sustainability (cfs+, 2020). i believe this may be also true for implementing rather paternalistic consumption ceilings. while the consumption corridor concept provides opportunities for designing much-needed references for planet-centred consumption narratives, this provocation fosters temptations to veer into “techno-fixes”. the belief that we can consume ourselves out of unsustainable consumption is perhaps the greatest tension and cause of cognitive dissonance. in the present absence of consumption corridors and prevailing climate anxiety amongst young people, according to research by crandon et al. (2022), i believe that design plays a critical role in providing positive references for recomposed consumption. 7 the actual cost and agnotology of consumption despite an increasing awareness among citizens about unsustainable consumerism, scholars have identified several barriers to curbing over-consumption. these can be attributed to the increasingly frictionless nature of hyper-consumption by the perceived normalisation of affluent lifestyles and to the value-action gap, which is the contradiction between values and behaviour. anthropologist graeber (2001) defines values as “the way people represent the importance of their actions to themselves”, which highlights the complexity of human behaviour. also, the ideologically condoned social condition of affluenza, according to denniss (2017, p.10) can be increasingly recognised. it refers to socially and economically privileged citizens’ insatiable pursuit for more and their inability to perceive the consequences of their actions. the harmful impacts of our day-to-day activities can easily be ignored, either knowingly or unknowingly, according to anti-slavery international (n.d.) and true price (n.d.), as the concealment of the actual impact of our demands, considering factors such as social and environmental impacts, benefits the economic growth logic, illustrated by tham and fletcher (cfs+, 2020). agnotology describes the study of culturally generated deliberate ignorance. this framing can be applied to the obscurity with which the products and services that we consume daily are produced and disposed of (see image 6). modern consumption is upheld by obscure supply chains and complex geopolitical market forces which sustain considerable vagueness and knottiness around “who is responsible?”. betancourt (2010) argues that this agnotology allows for the prevention of the possibility of dissent to this system in society, where this question does not need to, nor can, be answered. he posits that agnotologic capitalism is a feature, not a bug, in that it “enables the economy to function as it allows the creation of a "bubble economy”. this poses the question: is it humanly possible to (even imperfectly) know through whom and how all the things we consume come to be? efforts to establish transparency within supply chains of products and services through technology are in their infancy and are yet unviable, as current blockchain technology requires all actors involved in a supply chain to have the means to interact with the system to achieve transparency, according to sunny et al. (2020). as the current discourse within sustainable business management now focuses efforts on shifting the narrative from shareholder capitalism to stakeholder capitalism, the possibilities, challenges and limitations that the dominant paradigm offers are being examined. as sustainability is not inherently valued image 5: author’s drawing derived from the futures cone by candy (2010) and hancock and bezold (1994), and the consumption corridor by di gulio and fuchs (2020). 8 in western culture, strategies to shift harmful production processes need to align with companies’ purposes and goals, which are predominantly revenue-based. considering this agnotology of production and consumption and the invisible threads that bind the tight knots that keep the sometimes ambiguous violations against human rights, dignity (slavery footprint, n.d.) and ecological collapse in place, according to pinto (2017), does the dominant narrative give consent to consumerism as an indirect act of violence and (eventual) self-harm? (carrington, 2021). the ontological aspects of everyday design objects and the importance of being a good ancestor come to mind. gough’s (2017) need theory helps us to differentiate between needs and wants. what we feel that we need and what we want are often blurred, as our needs are often contextual, and our wants frequently relate to whom we consider our “consumption peers” to be. deranty and breen (2021) link this “new consumerism” to the self-perpetuating work-spend cycle of precarious work lives and hyper-consumption driven by increased inequality, as summarised in a quote by juliet schor (1998): “the more people consume, the more people must work”. blowfield (2013, p.273) suggests three ways to meet future demand for products; “expanding supply, increasing productivity and altering the nature of demand itself”. johar (bristol+bath creative r+d, 2021) believes that the notion of “growth” requires careful handling and the singular word hides a lot of injustices and nuances. he posits that while some parts of the world will need to grow to meet the basic needs of their populations, together with our intangible economy, the richest 20% of the world population needs to “de-grow” and reach a state of regenerative homeostasis. i believe that citizens’ everyday tensions lie in the fact that, although there is an increased demand for sustainable consumption (economist intelligence unit, 2021), the current paradigm does not provide diverse alternatives, according to o’neill et al. (2018), nor many positive references for consuming differently. meeting the required level of dematerialisation of society requires the notion of less to be decoupled from the association with hardship and loss of social status. as kimmerer states (2013, p.111), “in a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires”. i believe that bearing the capacity to stay with, and work from, this understandable resistance, is critical when designing explorations for positive references and alternative ways of meeting our needs. krippendorff (2012, p. 74) suggests that “designers need to question prevailing ontological beliefs”, and that “designers need to explore what it takes to unfreeze cherished habits or convictions, or to get people to learn something new”. a change of narrative kuhnhenn et al. (2020) believe that it is possible to stay within the global carbon budget of 1.5°c warming if today’s consumption levels are reduced, but that this reduction in production and consumption requires figure 6: author’s sketch of the notion of the obscurity and lack of supply transparent information in chains, awareness and understanding, contributing to the agnotology of consumption. 9 a “democratically planned socio-economic transformation with the satisfaction of people’s needs at the centre”. the global carbon budget looks at all nations’ carbon emissions and the amount of reductions that is needed to reach the paris agreement goals (future earth, n.d.). however, riedy (2020) highlights the point that most historical discourse shifts were not planned but were the product of many ideas that aligned and knotted together over time, strengthened by adversity, and that resonated with and benefitted increasing numbers of people. research shows that social tipping points for overriding social norms happen when a minority group, dedicated to a specific cause, reaches a certain size (“critical mass”). this in turn gives rise to wider acceptance of the minority view across the broader population, as research by centola et al. shows (2018). the critical mass of the minority group required to reach the tipping point depends on the cause. in cases such as the uk smoking ban, the minority group grew after scientific papers were published that presented proposals for educating the public and offering options for voluntary shifts, eventually reaching legislation and compulsory compliance. soaring evidence of the negative effects, together with offering options for change, led to further growth of the initial minority group (institute for government, n.d.). mont et al. (2013) argue for a more considered framework for communicating, policymaking and prioritising and placing new ways of generating wellbeing as the primary strategy for recomposing consumption (image 7). could this model be a guide conducive to “consumption corridor” innovation and design? haidt’s (2006, p. 4) simplified model of the “elephant, driver and path” for behaviour change offers a snapshot of the conditions that designers can draw inspiration from. however, riedy (2020) argues that storytelling is recognised to be a powerful driver for social change and can “inspire and persuade people to adopt new practices”.. it is interesting to think about how riedy’s plural discourses and gough’s proposed strategies might affect society, work, leisure, business, production and which new stories we must now tell ourselves? as i believe our habits of consumption shape the narrative of our future(s), by enabling the coexistence of diverse economies, a larger number of alternatives may allow for equitable planet-centred living. putting different limits on the ways we meet our needs may allow us to discover new possibilities of entangled value flows within a planet-centred paradigm. capitalism has worked well for some of the world’s population over a relatively brief period in human history. however, it has proven to be an insufficient model for the pluralistic facets of humanity and life-giving systems that we share and need to consider going forward, taking inspiration from the mitigating impacts generated by the montreal protocol, the smoking ban and the plastic bag charge, to name a few policy changes that have saved lives and shifted narratives. i am interested in how design may renegotiate current values and change the discourse in tangible ways. examples where design has been used to intentionally shape societal shifts include the “acceptera!” manifesto, world expos and media campaigns where preferred future narratives have been curated, although they have often been inevitably paternalistic. some present radical shifts in the dominant work/consumption ontologies are emerging through initiatives such as the “4 day week campaign” (platform london, 2021), “tang ping” [lying flat] (bbc news, 2021) and the “buy nothing” movement, according to telford (2021). ecological economists such as kallis et al. (2012), believe that change cannot happen within the dominant economic model. i believe that rather than dismissing it, new discourses will have to work from the dominant ones to un-tame the wicked problem of overconsumption and shift societal and behavioural patterns of participation. a certain degree of compassion is needed to sit with these tensions. co-participatory storytelling through interaction with new artefacts may help generate previously unexplored possibilities. 10 in bergthaller and mortensen’s work (2018, p.6), the sustainable communications agency futerra states that “we must build a visual and compelling vision of low carbon heaven“. if positive references for dwelling well within planetary boundaries in the global north are lacking, a gentle shaking of the ideological tree may be the most ethical and effective way of shifting the story of our future. let us explore artefacts with which to tangibly play a new story into being. second order design fictions and wicked possibilities oxman (2016) declares that “good design, for example, is good exploration: it questions certain belief systems—physical and immaterial—about the world. then it releases some embodiments of these speculations into the world, contributing to the build-up of what we know as culture”. at the heart of design collective superflux’s (2021) practice lies critical sense-making and speculative storytelling to enable future uncertainty in choices in the present day. their conceptual film the intersection highlights the importance of co-future with humility, a wider consciousness paradigm, and acknowledging the potential and power of agency. i believe that this demonstrates qualities coincident with us as adults of a species, of a deeper way of knowing. however, their featured artefacts may feel far removed from most people’s contexts and other relatable objects, which may hamper their desired impact on their audience. according to tharp and tharp (2019, p. 217), discursive design artefacts “experiment with the relationship between objects and the stories they support and are supported by”. tomorrow's home exhibition by the liminal space (n.d.) showcases how embedding healthcare technology in household objects may shape homes of the future, through translating academic research into tangible and accessible interventions. this aligns with my fascination with how world expos and design manifestos have enabled societal change in the past. seeking to label my work within the design discourse, i would describe it as adversarial, since it concerns the political perspective of agonism, as described by di salvo (2015, p. 2), and highlights the potential positive outcomes of a conflict or tension. going beyond the questioning qualities that define critical design, agonism emphasises the importance of having compassion for the problem in design struggles; image 6: “a suggestion for a consumption hierarchy (in order of priority)” by mont et al. (2013). 11 to celebrate and acknowledge a productive and good struggle. this echoes haraway’s (2016) notion of staying with the trouble; not being paralysed by fear or eager for solutionism. i've designed these artefacts to help make sense of the present and articulate tangible alternatives for positive narratives about the future, both for myself and for others. we must remember that the future does not yet exist, but actively emerges from the basis of a society’s hopes, fears and images of the future. as mouffe states in benhabib’s work (2021, p.255), “conflicts and confrontations, far from being a sign of imperfection, indicate that democracy is alive and inhabited by pluralism”. i initially dubbed my designed artefacts “transition objects”, as they embody a liminal space in the necessary transition we need to make in our consumption habits, bridging the familiar present to an equitable and regenerative future of planet-centred consumption. upon learning about second order design fictions (sodfs) through perera’s (2021) work, i realised that my understanding of my “transition object” aligned better with this concept. perera (2021) sees the methodology of design fictions as a way of interfering and playing around with consensus, as “they go beyond the neo-liberal design logic notions of fact and fiction, blending the familiar and different, and offer a stimulating tactility to facilitate the questioning of complex tensions”. fry (2021, p. 3) states that second-order design fiction can contribute towards "redirective practices” and a renegotiation of values. he posits that second-order design fictions have appropriated “lessons of observations” from second order cybernetics and that “the conceptual essence of second-order design fiction is the observation of observation”. second order cybernetics is used here as a tool to generate the desired effect of change through interaction. these are more than mere artefacts for provoking dialogue but are objects of interrogation that “invite recursive re-engagement”. the household context provides additional context and meaning to the artefacts, and the tangible characteristic of the artefacts is an important aspect. this makes the observation “real” and gives the objects authority, as if this alternative narrative is established and these artefacts make sense in that parallel reality. interacting with these artefacts-as-conversation contributes to the effects of participatory design and puts the participant in the scenario to co-author a new story. krippendorff (2012, p.75) argues that “because design becomes real in communication with others, inquiries into what makes a proposal compelling are inquiries into how people understand and act on narratives pertaining to desirable worlds”. i would argue that this is the desired outcome of my design fictions: a new insight or shift in perspective, generated by the observation from the “conversation" between participant and artefact. the detritus that might be generated by the interaction with an artefact can be taken away and used to build upon existing culture. although these sodfs allow me to research through design, i have not yet developed the resources to measure the potential success of this research. sodfs play with both product semantics and the definition of design as a sense-making activity. inspired by donna haraway’s implosion method of analysis through various value dimensions as described by dumit (2014), i have considered using this methodology for designing artefacts to explore and ensure how these might belong in a planet-centric future. the implosion method highlights the messiness and knottiness of stories and worlds that artefacts hold, analysed through the following dimensions: symbolic, professional, labour, material, technological, political, economic, textual, bodily, educational and historical. this is not to attempt to design “crisis-management models” (perera, 2020) or utopian solutions for problematic everyday objects, nor to merely raise awareness of issues. it is important for the designer to make this implicit information apparent and contextual, as tonkinwise and lorber-kasunic (2006) remind us, “because the knowledge embedded within an artefact is rarely made explicit, it can only be accessed and communicated by those who can interpret it”. 12 the problem of recomposed and post-material consumption is a wicked problem, as it cannot be predicted, nor measured to be solved. by adding to, rather attempting to tame wickedness, designers acknowledge the uncertainty, plurality and diverse paradigms in which all stakeholders dwell and act. people’s needs, values and motivations are contextual, fluid and irrational. tham (2022) also highlights the importance of these tensions and cruxes, positing that “if we don’t encounter this friction, change is not taking place”. these may be a gentle provocation to imagine safe ways of living with both compulsory and voluntary demateriality, low-carbon and overall sufficiency in ways that are not primarily associated with hardship, precarity or loss of status by the participant. i am, however, aware of the subjective notions of these concepts and the ethical consequences of imposing my own beliefs about what is considered safe and precarious. as sodfs are artefacts that belong to a different narrative, encountering and interacting with these may generate new ways of seeing, knowing and valuing. it poses the question “if this object exists, where do i exist within this narrative?”. however, tonkinwise (2015) and tham (2022) remind us why discursive design artefacts need to remain unpolished and open to participation, to avoid merely normalising “a pretentious taste regime”. hence why i have focused on designing artefacts of the mundane. each of my exhibited objects presents a structure for playful exchanges, aiming to engage diverse participants in imagining and making sense of the changes needed to mitigate crises with a less precarious outcome. it suggests a “hopeful continuation” to counter the dominant defuturing (fry, 2021) narrative that has been generated within the cognitive dissonance of capitalism’s failure to provide. according to lorek et al. 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(2011). overshoot. https://tinyurl.com/jhujwd2m https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/s0360835220305829 http://slaveryfootprint.org/about/#methodology https://superflux.in/index.php/work/the-intersection/ https://medium.com/@camerontw/just-design-b1f97cb3996f https://trueprice.org/consumer/ https://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/48062 56 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world claire pillar published online: may 2023 to cite this article: pillar, c. (2023). book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 56-58. 57 book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world claire pillara aart + design: elearning lab, cyprus university of technology. claire.pillar@gmail.com amatullo, m., boyer, b., may, j., & shea, a., eds. (2022). design for social innovation: case studies from around the world. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003021360 418 pp. featuring 45 case studies from 6 continents, this book is a snapshot of design for social innovation. an extensive introduction from the editors considers the boundaries and difficulties in projects based on design for social innovation: “with countless pilot projects, startups, and labs that have come and gone, the question is how the sustainability of design for social innovation practices can be enhanced. if that’s a question you care about, this book is for you”, they note. the editors’ intention for this book was to understand how design for social innovation can be sustainable. the case studies included resulted from a global survey and include projects from africa, asia, europe, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003021360 58 north and south america, oceania and a few cross-continent projects. a key concern is measuring the impact of design for social innovation projects. the editors found 37 different methods of measuring the impact of design for social innovation work, and ask: is it reasonable to use the logics of yesterday to assess outcomes that represent elements of tomorrow? issues their panel discussion identified were that dsi takes place at the intersections of disciplines and sectors with the involvement of many stakeholders; consultancy-based work is mismatched to goals of dsi initiatives and many factors are worked through as such projects progress. while the projects presented in the book were mainly funded by government or the third sector, the editors were encouraged that a third of the cases were funded by fee for service. the volume is a useful combination of ‘how we did our design for social innovation’ with panel discussion on issues facing design for social innovation. https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world claire pillar published online: may 2023 to cite this article: pillar, c. (2023). book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 56-58. book review: design for social innovation: case studies from around the world claire pillara aart + design: elearning lab, cyprus university of technology. claire.pillar@gmail.com amatullo, m., boyer, b., may, j., & shea, a., eds. (2022). design for social innovation: case studies from around the world. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003021360 418 pp. featuring 45 case studies from 6 continents, this book is a snapshot of design for social innovation. an extensive introduction from the editors considers the boundaries and difficulties in projects based on design for social innovation: “with countle... the editors’ intention for this book was to understand how design for social innovation can be sustainable. the case studies included resulted from a global survey and include projects from africa, asia, europe, north and south america, oceania and a ... a key concern is measuring the impact of design for social innovation projects. the editors found 37 different methods of measuring the impact of design for social innovation work, and ask: is it reasonable to use the logics of yesterday to assess out... while the projects presented in the book were mainly funded by government or the third sector, the editors were encouraged that a third of the cases were funded by fee for service. the volume is a useful combination of ‘how we did our design for social innovation’ with panel discussion on issues facing design for social innovation. 27 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. place-making alternative social innovations in a rentier state beatriz itzel cruz megchun published online: may 2023 to cite this article: cruz megchun, b. i. (2023). place-making alternative social innovations in a rentier state. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 27-43. 28 place-making alternative social innovations in a rentier state beatriz itzel cruz megchuna auniversity of portland, pamplin school of business, portland, or, 97203, usa. megchun@up.edu abstract this work discusses place-making practices as a possible category of social innovation processes in a rentier state. we aim to document alternative processes that conceptualize different forms of participation and human agency. we want to provide a different discourse where individuals’ representations of their complex system of symbols, rules, and codifications of living in cities prevail. thus, we provide a theoretical framework of the city under capitalism to introduce place, space and practice later. we introduce wachsmuth’s (2014) postulation of the city as a “category of practice” to document one representation of urban processes via alternative visualizations in the emirate of sharjah, uae. we use a case study approach to record the complexity of happenings in place-making and its relation to social innovation processes. the results indicate that social innovations and place-making/practices processes encompass collective and collaborative actions of a specific social group toward satisfying a social need. however, the latter differs in intentions, actions and outcomes, as individuals concentrate on intervening places to deal with their longing for home while creating a sense of belonging through a series of rituals in an urban context. this work provides an opportunity to advance the understanding of social innovations in other contexts while offering frameworks that honour immigrants’ cultures and social realms and thus bring into being other worlds. thus, we require epistemological approaches, theoretical frameworks and a dialectic character that offer an alternative to prevent exclusionary conceptualizations of participation. keywords: social innovation, place-making, practice, city as a category of practice introduction cities display the material processes subsumed in the relationship between humans, the environment and the landscape under capitalism. their design sets urban hierarchies with restrictions and privileges that inhibit or facilitate individuals to struggle or succeed socially and economically. these urban compositions exhibit the fluid reality of material flows of commodities, money, capital and information, which can be transferred and shifted across the globe. capital accumulation and the locations of its division of labour have a distinctive material landscape (as fixed capital) that is produced as a “thing” in place. this spatiality is as integral to its structure and reproduction as its temporality (soja, 1989) and is imbued with meaning in everyday social practices. researchers regard place space as an integral component of social structure and action. they are reconsidering the spatiality of social life, specifically how people act and get attached to the environment (derr, 2002; vorkinn & riese, 2001) and how its changes affect their sensitivity. this reappraisal forces a reflection and reconciliation about how experiences are lived and acted out in place and how they relate to and embed in political and economic practices that are operative over broader spatial scales. for centuries, people have acted and embodied resilience through creativity and ingenuity, to deal with challenges imposed by nature and humans. communities have acquired the ability to reduce the impact of, cope with and recover from the effects of shocks and stresses of crises and disasters without compromising their long-term prospects. there is an increasing number of movements, among those social innovation, 29 across the world where citizens are setting spaces for people to learn a myriad of tools to create, build and devise solutions relevant to their community. social innovation is one of the most recognized disciplines, as ‘it applies new approaches, takes existing processes, and brings new tools to bear in solving the world’s most pressing societal challenges. social innovation seeks to achieve scale by harnessing the power of collaboration to address societal issues in a better and more efficient way’ (mckinsey & company, 2016, p. 1). citizens might have the aid of governments and/or the empowerment of private philanthropists to gain access to resources that give them agency. these resources might provide them with the means to communicate, collaborate, interact, exchange and co-create value in different types of social initiatives. however, this theoretical framework and conceptual approach might differ depending on the economic system where it is used and implemented and on the inhabitants’ migratory status living in that context. this work explores the complexity of place-making and practice as a locus of social innovation processes in a rentier state. this work has four sections. we start with the theoretical framework of the city as a category of practice to later move to the concepts of place, space and practice and social innovation. subsequently, we introduce the case study, where we document a practice, cricket, that is representative of the cultural identity and visual discourse of the urban landscape of the emirate of sharjah. this practice and the act of place-making exhibit the inner realities (interventions) that describe how things interact and coordinate in the micro-scale realm. the third section consists of the discussion between social innovation and place-making practice, specifically their commonalities and differences in their approaches, practices, processes and requirements. we offer a conclusion and a series of future research recommendations to advance the topic. literature review city as a category of practice contemporary urban studies appear to encounter the spectre of universalizing theory, which embodies an extensive line of eurocentric epistemologies that might perpetuate narratives of their embeddedness within social processes. those studies generally explore spatial arrangements and social patterns of particular urban places leading to an all-encompassing, acontextual and neocolonial metanarrative. thus, urban theorists are increasingly questioning and challenging the sites and biases upon which urban studies have been based (davis, 2004; robinson, 2002, 2003; roy, 2009; stren, 2001; wachsmuth, 2014). they argue that universalizing theory might ignore the power-laden realities of differences, place specificity, everyday life, struggles and experiences of inhabitants (brenner, 2018). researchers studying cities of the global south bring relevant, atypical and different analyses since their work manifests a closer consideration of how theory and site interact and how cities are informed. their research provides evidence that the so-called third-world urbanization or underdevelopment urban theory no longer fits the euro-american theoretical approach. they demonstrate that contemporary urban forms of analysis are ill-equipped to describe the conditions they aim to decipher (angelo & wachsmuth, 2015; roy, 2009). they argue that ‘methodological cityism’ projects fail to fully comprehend the varied impacts of urbanization processes because they assume a particular set of social, economic and power relationships endemic to the concept of the city that no longer hold. wachsmuth (2014) postulates that the city ought to be treated as a category of practice, an ideological representation of urban processes, rather than a category of analysis. this view offers the opportunity to observe people’s relationship to urbanization processes rather than a category of analysis adequate to describe these processes. it shifts the explanatory task away from abstracting complex urbanization 30 processes into objective city moments. it centres on mapping how these processes are experienced and interpreted by social actors in everyday life and formed into practical representations (wachsmuth, 2014). the city will look more like a cognitive map (lynch, 1960; mazer & rankin, 2011) that depicts spontaneous representations that arise directly from everyday urban spatial practice. for example, researchers studying the ambiguous and expanding borders of the globalized middle east explore traditionalism, cosmopolitanism and modernity. those examining modernity document the landscapes of malls, gated communities, islamicized public spaces and informal settlements (alawadi, 2014; elsheshtawy, 2010; rab, 2011; singermann & amar, 2006). we mapped objective city moments of spatial practices and representational spaces to observe people’s relationships to urbanization processes in the emirate of sharjah. the objective was to document how social actors experience and interpret these processes in everyday life and form them into practical representations of social action. we studied the united arab emirates (uae) because it is a rentier state, wherein the rental of oil prospects or their exports provides one of the primary incomes. we will attempt to define a rentier state. it is a challenging endeavour as each economy has some elements of rent, and the state of the oil phenomenon’s impact differs on the state’s nature in the arab region. first, a rentier state is thus an economy where wealth is created around a small fraction of the society (beblawi, 1987). the state, the principal rentier in the economy, plays a crucial role in moving economic activity. the rent held in the hands of the government is redistributed to the population. citizenship becomes a source of economic benefit. in 2020, the uae had a population of 9.282 million and 94,7997 were emirati citizens (uae governmental portal, 2021). in this context, noncitizens furnish the managerial and service labour for the country’s day-to-day functioning. nevertheless, the social and cultural aspects of migrant life lie outside emirati society, as migrants are temporary. hence, we researched locations in the emirate of sharjah where practices alter, bend or reflect a distinct way of life. we selected those practices that exhibit the mediation of everyday experiences through inhabitants’ interaction and coordination in the micro-scale realm. our objective is to offer different spatial narratives from the all-encompassing, acontextual and neocolonial metanarratives that might perpetuate narratives of their embeddedness within social processes. we focus on those narratives that unveil the realities of differences, place specificity, everyday life, struggles and experiences of inhabitants (brenner, 2018). place-making scholars have studied place from the viewpoints of anthropology, human geography, sociology, etc., as it is not an abstract entity and influences (and is influenced by) broader social, economic and political processes and developments. place interlinks with an assemblage of elements co-existing in a specific order (de certeau, 1984), has multiple dimensions (entrikin, 1991), qualities (relph, 1976; seamon & sower, 2008), and varying spatial and temporal scales (lefebvre, 1991; soja, 1991). it is the terrain where the consumption of space (capitalist utilizers) and the production of enjoyment (community users) clash, and basic social practices, like tradition, self-identification, solidarity, social support, reproduction, etc., are lived out. these social spaces become a force of production, representing a network of exchange and a flow of commodities, communication, energy and resources. in the opinion of lefebvre (1991), the production of space is the process and the outcome of the process that encompasses the totality of flow and things of the capitalist material geographical landscape. the interaction between place and space is crucial, as the 31 space of the whole takes on meaning through a place, and each part (each place), in its interconnection with other parts (places), engenders the space as a whole. a sophisticated body of theory has explored ‘place’ and the ‘production of space’. both concepts are structured dialectically in the human experience since the comprehension of space is related to the places we inhabit and derive from the meaning itself (relph, 1976). the concept of place is regarded as a location created through human experiences, which requires a space filled with meanings and goals. a place has an unlimited size as it refers to an event (has taken place), a myth (said to have taken place), or a history (authority) that happened in a location. space is more abstract as it is an assembly of coexistent elements in a particular order to spatially focus on human intentions, experiences and actions (seamon and sowers, 2008). lefebvre (1996) argues that the production of space also occurs through representations of the everyday, lived experience of space and the collective meanings of representational spaces (image 1). image 1: constellation of elements of place-making. people undertaking daily rituals – mundane/extraordinary, random/staged – are transforming urban processes and forms while creating places of belonging. in these places, individuals carry out different practices, which are an intrinsic part of the generation of space (lee & ingold, 2006; schatzki, 2001; 32 sheringham, 2006). practices reflect the total nexus of interconnected human practices, including knowledge, meaning, human activity, power, language, social institutions and historical transformation (schatzki, 2001). practices are not just individuals undertaking activities or actions dislocated from a bigger context but are fundamental for understanding the society they are part of (pink, 2012). they display rituals in which individuals repeat a series of actions involving gestures, words and objects performed in a place (aractingi & le pape, 2011). they are also media for individuals to attach cultural depth to their local realities by layering an attachment to a collective and accruing a sense of belonging. in the design of a city, professionals must distinguish between place and space since both are embodied in material processes. professionals need to understand their mode of determination and their mediation, the place construction and transformation and how they forge together in a dialectic unit. studying a place from a political stance could reconcile how experience is lived and acted out in a place and how this relates at different scales. we could question: whose place? what kind of place? which place? professionals are designing for inhabitants. lefebvre (1991) proposes the ‘conceptual triad’ to contemplate other modalities of space within a single theory. the aim is to expose, decode and read space by differentiating their dialectical character of interaction. (i) representation of space refers to the conceptualized space constructed through the discourse of professionals and technocrats. it comprises the various codifications and objectified representations used and produced by these agents. (ii) representational space is the directly lived space experienced through the complex symbols and images of the inhabitants and users. this space overlays the physical space and the symbolic use of its object, unveiling some underground, clandestine side of social life, while (iii) spatial practices are those secret society’s space. these practices are revealed by deciphering spaces through people’s perception of their daily reality concerning space usage. they structure everyday life and a broader urban reality ensuring societal cohesion, continuity and specific spatial competence. social innovation the term social innovation (si) is an active and evolving concept in praxis and theory, which raises debates about its approaches, practices, processes and requirements. its realm has extended from the public and policy level to international academic and scientific study, as its application cuts across all fields and sectors of society, such as civil society, educational institutions and the public/private sector. its theoretical underpinning draws inputs from economics, management, business and technology innovation, human organization, economic diversity, social anthropology, sociology, political studies and governance, among other fields of knowledge. the ecosystems for si actions can be found in socio-technical approaches, sociobehavioural fields and creative arts documented around the world (beham et al., 2009; goldenberg et al., 2009; howaldt & schwarz, 2010; nicholls & murdock, 2012). consequently, its discussion demands integrating the many different and even conflicting meanings of social practices offering a broadness that is crucial for understanding the concept. since the early 19th century, the term si has been associated with social reforms and revolutions in education and work. its meaning has evolved with the advent of new behaviours and practices encompassing all areas of society. recently, the term has served to label any social phenomenon or process of change (bernal & cecchini, 2017). this plethora of vastly divergent subject matter and problem dimensions subsumed under the same heading without making distinctions between meanings, conditions, genesis and diffusions, affect the development of a concept. distinctions are important because they help to understand the concept when it is implemented under specific living conditions experienced by 33 a population. in broad terms, si aims at activating, fostering and utilizing the innovation potential of the whole society to face the neglected, poorly served or unresolved services/actions organized by the state (andrew & klein, 2010; goldenberg, 2004; morales gutiérrez, 2009; mulgan, 2006; neamtan & downin, 2005). it is distinguished from other manifestations of social change, as certain factors drive its initiatives in an intentionally targeted manner to satisfy better or answer needs and problems than is possible based on established practices. si demands a collaborative effort in the learning journey toward developing a social innovation solution. this journey might have different facets depending on the socioeconomic and cultural environment and the institutions of a nation. however, the outcomes aim to satisfy human needs, raise awareness about and open access to human rights, reach a concrete achievement and improvement, create a long-lasting and broad impact and enhance institutional capacity to learn (table 1). its effects lead to the development of social capital, social cohesion, empowerment and democracy and cause necessary changes in the relationship and development of cross-sectoral partnerships. their realm extends from the public and policy level to academic and scientific study, as its application cuts across all fields and sectors of society. these cross-sectoral collaborations among the public sector, civil society and the private sector are crucial to reaping their full potential. table 1: social innovation common factors. have a collective and collaborative action contribute to satisfying human needs that have not been considered or satisfied raise awareness about and open access to human rights enhance human capabilities empower a particular social group reach a concrete achievement and improvement have a long-lasting and broad impact be social by both their means and their end require learning and institutional capacity to learn si relies on the interaction of many actors (civil society, public sector, private sector, government, financing bodies and academic institutions) to achieve different impacts or effects (local, national, global and glocal), using a specific governance model (centralized, multilevel or social network) to address needs. these actors are deemed to give analytical primacy to systems and processes of change that use communities’ knowledge and cultural resources to generate innovation. this type of innovation becomes social when it is accepted and diffused in society or certain societal sub-areas, and later it becomes institutionalized as a new social practice. image 2 conceptualizes the series of stages, stakeholders and actions involved in the si process. in each of the five stages, different actors interact and collaborate by exchanging information and cooperating to deal with the various milestones posed (domanski & monge-iriarte, 2017; murray et al., 2010). for example, citizens are suppliers of information about their needs and contributors to developing and improving the outcomes generated. they are committed to collaborating, learning and trusting others to exchange and gain knowledge that fosters dialogues that allow them to meet their needs. 34 the nature of this process raises questions about who is responsible for leading the efforts to generate, implement and evolve sis and how those who are accountable can contribute to its success. image 2: stages of social innovation. responsible innovation responsible innovation is an instrument that organizations can use to properly embed scientific and technological advances in society without causing more problems than they solve. managers require sophisticated approaches, frameworks and resources to identify and define how their organizations should innovate, where they could innovat, and how they should think about adapting or configuring their innovation process. this implementation calls for a commitment to being anticipatory of those intended and potential unintended impacts, reflective about the underlying purposes, motivation and potential impacts, inclusively deliberate to dialogue, engage and debate with the public and stakeholders and responsive in the inclusive, open and collective process of reflexivity (owen et al., 2013). therefore, managers have to be aware of understanding the norms, laws and standards within a specific society (context) to ensure the avoidance or prevention of impacts and behaviours during the implementation of innovations. above all, they must reflect on the dilemmas and unintended and undesirable economic and social impacts of innovation, such as the undercover value of cheap labour, labour reproduction and ecological externalities. in this case, we regard it to address sis. we used design thinking (dt) and anthropology to introduce responsible innovation to sensitize practitioners about the negative implications of neoliberal capitalism. we argue that anthropology can assist dt in bringing other types of knowledge and kinds of experiences and expertise to understand groups 35 from a cultural perspective (holism) and comprehend behaviour from the participant’s point of view (cultural relativism). postmodern anthropology and interpretative anthropology approaches enable individuals to explore the invisible, silenced others within the cultures and domains they are excluded from (said, 2014) and historically specific processes to express their challenges (coombe, 1991). they provide instruments to depict the social world in ways those in specific positions live, negotiate and define meaning and value in everyday life. this reflective process is relevant to address and inquire more significant systematic questions (image 3). therefore, dt and anthropology contribute to democratizing the si process by addressing power and vulnerability from a plural view. 36 image 3: engagement and participation stage. 37 case study our case study is located in the emirate of sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the uae, which shares a border with the sultanate of oman, the kingdom of saudi arabia, the gulf of oman and the persian gulf. sharjah is the third most populous emirate. its history dates back over 120,000 years since human settlements were found in the mleiha area. it has been a commercial and trade city, a political port and a cultural (identity) hub. in the past three decades, the ruler has invested heavily in regenerating the city’s old town section as a public art and culture site leading to being regarded as “the cultural capital of the arab world” by unesco in 1998 (foreign affairs, 2008). the uae has one of the most significant number of south asian immigrant populations (59.4%), including indian (38.2%), bangladeshi (9.5%), pakistani (9.4%) and others (2.3%). the uae experienced large-scale migration for construction involving mainly male migrants in the 1970s. this asian migration to the uae has become more differentiated over time. for example, many migrants from these nations remain low-skilled labourers, others have semi-skilled and skilled jobs, while others have professional or para-professional qualifications. these migrants are pushed to migrate due to economic and social issues, such as poverty or the incapacity of local economies to generate jobs for them. they are attracted to migrate because it represents an opportunity to send money back home and have better quality of life for their families. these groups have few places to create a sense of community. among those is the intervention of places to play cricket. there is a diaspora of migrants from south asian countries, india, pakistan, bangladesh and indonesia, among others, that intervene in empty spaces, alleys, parking lots and urban voids across the uae. they use these spaces to practise cricket (ritual) every friday from 5:00 am to 9:00 am. in this case, we will describe a synthesis of various groups intervening spaces in the emirate of sharjah. they repurpose the place into a temporary informal and regulated cricket pitch. they use any object available, such as bags with objects, bricks, rocks or lime, to make evident and alive their landmark of practice, the 22-yard cricket pitch. inhabitants bring their wickets, bats and balls to set imaginary geometric boundaries. in some cases, the external boundaries overlap when other groups practise nearby. the practice is masculine-centric, attracting blue-collar, construction and administrative employees. their weekly practices become rituals as members perform a social liturgy in a codified, repetitive and consistent way for decades – meeting in a specific location and bringing along objects, dressing behaviours, norms and rules. these practices show a communal negotiation, resolution and network of exchanges with clear signs of specific diasporas, ethnicity, status and experience. cricket unifies the space and places through the conscious process of structuring values, memories, goals, behaviours and skills relevant to this location. informal pitches exemplify the representational space via complex symbolic and lived experiences. in contrast, the spatial practices unveil the invisible side of immigrants’ social life, creating a collective memory of their identity (image 4). 38 image 4: cricket place-making. this practice-place represents an interesting case of transformative threshold and a locus of potential in si since there is a communal negotiation and resolution of an array of complexities. the place-making practices (cricket) share similarities in the rituals and how cricket is a medium to build trust, security and establish self-identity as a migrant. they use clothing and equipment that represents the visual identity of their team’s notions of craft, aesthetics and identity. it also exhibits clear signs of individuals' diaspora, status and experience. it is inferred that members of different diasporas create trust networks to maintain their practice since their immigrant status pushes them to forge trust. members might have different hierarchies and roles in organizing the games and inviting new members. however, these place-making practices vary depending on the nature of the spaces, as they have unique characteristics in their flexibility of use and negotiation that enable different type of appropriation. 39 we identified two types of typologies in the nature of the si intervention. first, semi-consolidated si, where the space intervened is planned and designed for a specific purpose (e.g. construction or demolished area, etc). even though private or governmental entities regulate the space, members can borrow it to build a formal and regulated playground. this urban space is claimed by residents who do not have the means to become members of a formal space of practice. members are empowered to change or modify the space where they can formally undertake their rituals. membership for this space can be earned through an invitation to work relations or their active participation in continuously improving the place of practice. second is consolidated si, where the space is informal, and members borrow it to transform its real purpose into a temporary informal and regulated playground (e.g. an informal parking area). this urban space is claimed by residents who do not have the means, capabilities or interest in designing a formal space of practice. they use the space unauthorized for a period of time to undertake their rituals (cricket pitch). memberships are obtained through the sporadic discovery of the group, word of mouth or personal invitation. members claim their space and command level through seniority and consensus. discussion this work explores whether place-making and practices are alternative ways of si processes in the uae. to this effect, the work examines the key elements and factors innate in si and its process and placemaking and practice and processes. table 2 shows similarities in the collective and collaborative actions required from a specific social group to satisfy a social need not considered. in both cases, social groups (and other si actors) focus on using social means to develop social outcomes that raise awareness about human needs. indeed, there are differences in their approaches, as si has stakeholders, multiple actors and institutions that might support different endeavours. they rely on cross-sectoral collaborations between the public sector, civil society and the private sector to learn and grow. however, it also means that the institutional agency has a willingness and capacity to learn. their processes aim to enhance human capabilities to empower a particular social group to reach a concrete achievement and improvement that is long-lasting and has a broad impact. in comparison, place-making is an approach initiated by and for social groups as a self-agency activity to deal with their lived experiences as immigrants. the group members create learning through their ritual experiences that are shared formally or informally through verbal narratives, such as events, histories or myths, that are only understood by members experiencing them. place-making is a vehicle to acknowledge and celebrate the invisible side of their social life to create mutual support and shared resources to secure establishing a self-identity. their goal is to preserve their cultural identity by creating a space to recall home and a sense of belonging in the micro-scale realm. table 2: social innovation and place-making: common factors. social innovation place-making have a collective and collaborative action have a collective and collaborative action contribute to satisfying human needs that have not been considered or satisfied contribute to satisfying social needs that have not been considered raise awareness about and open access to human rights raise awareness about the complex symbolic and lived experiences of immigrants 40 enhance human capabilities unveil the invisible side of the social life of immigrants empower a particular social group create mutual support and share resources of a particular social group reach a concrete achievement and improvement reach security by establishing self-identity have a long-lasting and broad impact create local systems of dependency at the microscale realm be social by both their means and their end be social by both their means and their end require learning and institutional capacity to learn embed self-agency and exercise collective learning capacity when we analyse the si process along with the place-making practice process, we observe that despite similarities in the collective and collaborative actions of a specific social group toward satisfying a social need, there are differences in the stages, intentions, actions and outcomes. if we use the case study as a singular example (image 5), we can notice that the first stage starts as an action dealing with longing for a place or situation that might recall home. to start a practice, they must connect with other individuals of a similar social group to create a community. the second stage focuses on creating opportunities through exploring, inquiring and discussing where they can intervene to perform their practice. the third stage consists of intervening in a place to perform a practice for a specific time, leaving the physical area intact after completing it. the fourth stage concentrates on sustaining the practice by securing group members to get involved and participate in the rituals to sustain them and create collective action. finally, the last action concentrates on producing possibilities through creating local systems of interdependency where members of the social group interact and can maintain their language, meaning, knowledge and wisdom and thus create other plural worlds. 41 image 5: stages of social innovation and place-making / practice. the place-making and practice stage differs from the si process, as the objective of the latter is to diagnose a human situation that can be solved, scaled and procured into a systematic change in the context studied. therefore, it requires the active participation of members of social groups, stakeholders and institutions. on the contrary, the case showed how individuals have self-agency to organise interventions that support their social (and cultural) needs. consequently, the results show the need for a new conceptualisation of si that considers different types of systematic change and the roles played by stakeholders. they need to recognise diverse phenomena and how the type of government, economic style and social establishment influence these. to advance si theory, we need to document the realities at other latitudes and decolonise conceptualisations. conclusion the work shows that sis and place-making /practices processes encompass collective and collaborative actions of a specific social group toward satisfying a social need. however, the latter differs in the intentions, actions and outcomes, as the individuals have the self-agency to organize and intervene in places to support their social (and cultural) needs. they do not aim to solve a problem and find a solution that can be scaled and procured into a systematic change. they concentrate on intervening places to deal with their longing for home while creating a sense of belonging through a series of rituals in an urban context. we recognize the need to pursue further research and thus propose to analyse the city as a category of practice, where we 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(2023). place-making alternative social innovations in a rentier state. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 27-43. place-making alternative social innovations in a rentier state beatriz itzel cruz megchuna auniversity of portland, pamplin school of business, portland, or, 97203, usa. megchun@up.edu abstract this work discusses place-making practices as a possible category of social innovation processes in a rentier state. we aim to document alternative processes that conceptualize different forms of participation and human agency. we want to provide a di... keywords: social innovation, place-making, practice, city as a category of practice introduction cities display the material processes subsumed in the relationship between humans, the environment and the landscape under capitalism. their design sets urban hierarchies with restrictions and privileges that inhibit or facilitate individuals to strug... for centuries, people have acted and embodied resilience through creativity and ingenuity, to deal with challenges imposed by nature and humans. communities have acquired the ability to reduce the impact of, cope with and recover from the effects of s... this work explores the complexity of place-making and practice as a locus of social innovation processes in a rentier state. this work has four sections. we start with the theoretical framework of the city as a category of practice to later move to ... literature review city as a category of practice contemporary urban studies appear to encounter the spectre of universalizing theory, which embodies an extensive line of eurocentric epistemologies that might perpetuate narratives of their embeddedness within social processes. those studies generall... wachsmuth (2014) postulates that the city ought to be treated as a category of practice, an ideological representation of urban processes, rather than a category of analysis. this view offers the opportunity to observe people’s relationship to urbani... we mapped objective city moments of spatial practices and representational spaces to observe people’s relationships to urbanization processes in the emirate of sharjah. the objective was to document how social actors experience and interpret these pro... in this context, noncitizens furnish the managerial and service labour for the country’s day-to-day functioning. nevertheless, the social and cultural aspects of migrant life lie outside emirati society, as migrants are temporary. hence, we researched... place-making scholars have studied place from the viewpoints of anthropology, human geography, sociology, etc., as it is not an abstract entity and influences (and is influenced by) broader social, economic and political processes and developments. place interlin... a sophisticated body of theory has explored ‘place’ and the ‘production of space’. both concepts are structured dialectically in the human experience since the comprehension of space is related to the places we inhabit and derive from the meaning itse... image 1: constellation of elements of place-making. people undertaking daily rituals – mundane/extraordinary, random/staged – are transforming urban processes and forms while creating places of belonging. in these places, individuals carry out different practices, which are an intrinsic part of the gen... in the design of a city, professionals must distinguish between place and space since both are embodied in material processes. professionals need to understand their mode of determination and their mediation, the place construction and transformation ... social innovation the term social innovation (si) is an active and evolving concept in praxis and theory, which raises debates about its approaches, practices, processes and requirements. its realm has extended from the public and policy level to international academic... since the early 19th century, the term si has been associated with social reforms and revolutions in education and work. its meaning has evolved with the advent of new behaviours and practices encompassing all areas of society. recently, the term has ... si demands a collaborative effort in the learning journey toward developing a social innovation solution. this journey might have different facets depending on the socioeconomic and cultural environment and the institutions of a nation. however, the o... table 1: social innovation common factors. si relies on the interaction of many actors (civil society, public sector, private sector, government, financing bodies and academic institutions) to achieve different impacts or effects (local, national, global and glocal), using a specific governan... image 2: stages of social innovation. responsible innovation responsible innovation is an instrument that organizations can use to properly embed scientific and technological advances in society without causing more problems than they solve. managers require sophisticated approaches, frameworks and resources to... we used design thinking (dt) and anthropology to introduce responsible innovation to sensitize practitioners about the negative implications of neoliberal capitalism. we argue that anthropology can assist dt in bringing other types of knowledge and ki... image 3: engagement and participation stage. case study our case study is located in the emirate of sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the uae, which shares a border with the sultanate of oman, the kingdom of saudi arabia, the gulf of oman and the persian gulf. sharjah is the third most populous emirat... the uae has one of the most significant number of south asian immigrant populations (59.4%), including indian (38.2%), bangladeshi (9.5%), pakistani (9.4%) and others (2.3%). the uae experienced large-scale migration for construction involving mainly ... they repurpose the place into a temporary informal and regulated cricket pitch. they use any object available, such as bags with objects, bricks, rocks or lime, to make evident and alive their landmark of practice, the 22-yard cricket pitch. inhabitan... image 4: cricket place-making. this practice-place represents an interesting case of transformative threshold and a locus of potential in si since there is a communal negotiation and resolution of an array of complexities. the place-making practices (cricket) share similarities in... we identified two types of typologies in the nature of the si intervention. first, semi-consolidated si, where the space intervened is planned and designed for a specific purpose (e.g. construction or demolished area, etc). even though private or gove... discussion this work explores whether place-making and practices are alternative ways of si processes in the uae. to this effect, the work examines the key elements and factors innate in si and its process and place-making and practice and processes. table 2 sh... in comparison, place-making is an approach initiated by and for social groups as a self-agency activity to deal with their lived experiences as immigrants. the group members create learning through their ritual experiences that are shared formally or ... table 2: social innovation and place-making: common factors. when we analyse the si process along with the place-making practice process, we observe that despite similarities in the collective and collaborative actions of a specific social group toward satisfying a social need, there are differences in the sta... image 5: stages of social innovation and place-making / practice. the place-making and practice stage differs from the si process, as the objective of the latter is to diagnose a human situation that can be solved, scaled and procured into a systematic change in the context studied. therefore, it requires the active... conclusion the work shows that sis and place-making /practices processes encompass collective and collaborative actions of a specific social group toward satisfying a social need. however, the latter differs in the intentions, actions and outcomes, as the indivi... acknowledgement this research was partially funded by a caad grant in 2016 and a butine grant in fall 2020. it was also partly commissioned by the sharjah architecture triennial research initiative for the [forthcoming] publication and exhibition “living continuity”.... references alawadi, k. 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(2021). history and facts. https://u.ae/en#/ vorkinn, m., & riese, h., (2001). environmental concern in a local context: the significance of place attachment. environment and behavior, 33(2), 249–263. wachsmuth, d. (2014). city as ideology: reconciling the explosion of the city form with the tenacity of the city concept. environmental and planning d: society and space, 32(1), 75–90. 28 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, karl p. campos published online: november 2022 to cite this article: garcia, m.k.f., & campos, k.p. (2022). consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, philippines. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 28-37. 29 consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, mbaa, karl p. campos, phdb auniversity of southern mindanao-kidapawan city campus, cotabato, philippines. mkfgarcia@usm.edu.ph buniversity of southeastern philippines, davao city, philippines. karl.campos@usep.edu.ph abstract the severity of the plastic problem in the philippines has prompted the public and private sectors to take measures to address it. as the country shifts to sustainable ways, information about green consumer behaviour is essential to effectively implement policies and programmes. this study aimed to determine consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, whether a significant difference in consumers’ purchase intention exists when they are grouped according to socio-demographic characteristics and identify the factors that significantly affect consumers’ purchase intention. a total of 393 consumers from kidapawan city were selected as respondents using purposive random sampling. the results revealed that respondents have a high level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. there were also significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to age and sex. notably, females had a higher level of purchase intention. the findings from the hierarchical moderated regression analysis show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality significantly and positively influence purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, it willingness to pay, quality and awareness strongly affect purchase intention. meanwhile, the moderating variables do not affect the dependent and independent variables. the results of the study infer that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have favourable attitudes and supportive social circles, perceive that it is easy to buy eco-friendly packaging, are more willing to support or participate in environmental initiatives, more knowledgeable, more willing to pay and have a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. keywords: eco-friendly packaging, factors, hierarchical moderated regression, marketing, purchase intention introduction as countries experience economic progress, the natural environment deteriorates as a trade-off. countries address this by adopting sustainable development, which includes the promotion of green behaviour, i.e. pro-environment behaviour that minimizes harm to the environment (european commission, 2012). this involves research that aims to develop sustainable production techniques, innovate technologies, craft business strategies and understand consumer behaviour in relation to environmental concerns. filipino consumers’ green behaviour needs to be researched because businesses lack the information they need to decide whether to adopt sustainable ways, such as using eco-friendly packaging. as the country has recognized the plastic problem, groups and individuals from the public and private sectors are combatting this problem by practising and promoting sustainable practices, such as using eco-friendly packaging. however, the adoption of eco-friendly packaging remains slow because some businesses view this as a costly alternative (alpad, 2021) and they lack information on consumers’ behaviour towards it (prakash et al., 2019). 30 previous research on green behaviour, especially green consumption, has mostly been conducted in other countries. existing research has addressed several aspects of green consumption, including the purchase of green products, consumer theory to be used and determinants of green purchase (zhang & dong, 2020). focusing on eco-friendly packaging, most research has been conducted in china, the united states, india, brazil, italy, the united kingdom, spain, malaysia, canada and germany (wandosell et al., 2021). in the philippines, research on green consumption is relatively new. the topics that have been studied are consumers’ profile, purchase intention and preferences. for example, gregorio (2015) and resurreccion (2015) pioneered green consumer research by creating a profile of filipinos as green consumers. in addition, san juan-nable (2016) and palmero and montemayor (2020) investigated consumers’ purchase behaviours for green products. consumer studies about green behaviour, particularly eco-friendly packaging, in the philippines remain scarce. the closest literature is the study by gano-an (2018) about consumer preferences and perceptions of the use of eco-bags. to date, many opportunities for research about green behaviour in the country remain. some of these unexplored concepts about green behaviour appear to be important and worthy of investigation in the context of the philippines. an investigation of these issues is essential because consumer preferences are shifting, and people are paying close attention to sustainable development. moreover, promoting green consumerism must strike a balance among the perspectives of not only businesses, government and environmentalists but also consumers (gano-an, 2018). furthermore, previous empirical research has focused primarily on establishing filipino consumers’ green profile and green products, and little consumer research has been conducted on eco-friendly packaging. this paper seeks to address the following objectives: (1) to determine the level of purchase intention of consumers towards eco-friendly packaging; (2) to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to socio-demographic profiles; and (3) to identify the factors affecting purchase intention. this research contributes to the scant literature on green consumerism in the philippine context. more importantly, it presents consumers’ perspectives on the adoption of eco friendly packaging that could prove useful in business decisions and policymaking. literature review green behaviour, also known as pro-environment or sustainable behaviour, involves actions that impact water conservation, air quality, energy efficiency and use, transportation, agriculture and waste reduction (mckenzie-mohr et al., 2011). businesses have viewed green behaviour, especially by consumers, as a commercial opportunity, and it has developed further as a research field (peattie, 2010). as such, research related to green marketing is important, as it can foster cleaner production by businesses and sustainable consumption through successful marketing to consumers (dangelico & vocalelli, 2017). in particular, green consumption has been widely studied to gain a better understanding of consumers’ changing behaviour in relation to their environmental concerns. according to peattie (2010), green consumption research encompasses studies related to consumers’ intentions and behaviours and studies founded in industrial ecology or environmental economics. the existing literature shows that research related to green consumer behaviour in the philippines is scarce and relatively new. pioneering research includes gregorio (2015), who aimed to understand the impact of green marketing and provide the profile of green consumers. the study revealed that the lack of green consumerism behaviour was attributed to the convenience and availability of non-eco-friendly products 31 compared to eco-friendly products. another study provided a profile of filipino green consumers. using cluster analysis, resurreccion (2015) found two groups of sustainable consumers: the “mature and product cautious” and the “young and socially pressured”. few purchase intention studies on eco-friendly products have been conducted in the country. san juannable (2016) determined the factors affecting the intentions and behaviours of young consumers towards buying green products. the author found that parental influence and media exposure are significant predictors. meanwhile, palmero and montemayor (2020) identified the factors that influence purchase intention toward organic local food. their findings revealed that environmental concern and health and social responsibility are important drivers of young consumers’ purchase intention toward organic products. overall, green consumer research in the country has covered profiling and marketing research on eco-friendly products. consumer research focusing on eco-friendly packaging is lacking. methods this research utilized a descriptive-correlational quantitative design using a survey method for data gathering. given the limitations that the covid-19 pandemic brought during the study period, a nonprobability sampling technique, i.e. purposive random sampling, was used to determine the respondents. the selection criteria for the respondents included being a resident of kidapawan city, earning his/her income and having a fair level of understanding of green consumerism. the instrument used in the study was a self-administered survey questionnaire adapted and modified from auliandri et al. (2019), hoai (2017), paul et al. (2016), prakash et al., (2019), rajendran et al. (2019) and witek and kuźniar (2021). the questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the respondent’s socio-demographic profile, namely age, educational attainment, income and sex. in addition, statements about purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging and the factors affecting it were included in the instrument. the factors considered in the study were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality. the questionnaire consisted of 40 items, which were measured using a 6-point likert scale. this underwent reliability and validity tests to ensure the quality and unobtrusiveness of the statements. the researcher utilized offline and online surveys to maximize the benefits of both. ethical considerations were also considered during the data collection. the respondents were informed about the study and their consent to participate was obtained. for the offline survey, respondents were reached in urban residential areas, businesses and offices within the city. surveys in businesses and offices were only conducted after the letters of request were approved. a total of 393 responses were determined usable for the statistical analysis. the weighted mean was used to determine the consumer’s level of purchase intention. an independent samples t-test and one-way anova were used to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to their socio-demographic characteristics. hierarchical regression analysis was employed to identify the significant factors that affect consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. 32 results and discussion the consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is shown in table 1. the findings show that consumers have a high intention to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging when offered in the market (5.30). this finding is in line with the study by palmero and montemayor (2020), which found that young filipino consumers have the intention to buy eco-friendly products. consequently, their purchase intention significantly influenced their decision to purchase. the possible reasons for this are filipino consumers becoming more informed of the ecological impact of plastic packaging (cahilesmagkilat, 2020) and the consequent initiatives launched by both the public and private sectors. the respondents strongly agreed that they would consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting (5.42), and they wanted to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging in the near future (5.37). a recent survey revealed that 75% of filipinos were actively looking for brands that offset their impacts on the environment (cahiles-magkilat, 2021). this shows the changing preferences of filipino consumers, which are geared towards sustainability. furthermore, the results demonstrated the respondents’ plans to spend more on eco-friendly packaged products (5.18). gregorio’s (2015) study found that consumers are willing to pay an average 12.5% premium for eco-friendly products. no literature in the philippine context has specified the particular demographics of these consumers. however, several considerations are weighed by filipino consumers when purchasing eco-friendly products, which are usually perceived as more expensive than their conventional counterparts. these important considerations are value for money (palmero & montemayor, 2020), information and social acceptance (resurreccion, 2015). table 1: consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. statements weighted mean interpretation 1. i will pay attention to the eco-friendly aspects of the packaging of the products i buy. 5.22 strongly agree 2. i will consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting. 5.42 strongly agree 3. i will consider switching to eco-friendly brands for ecological reasons. 5.33 strongly agree 4. i plan to spend more on products packaged in ecofriendly materials rather than those that are not. 5.18 strongly agree 5. i want to purchase eco-friendly packaged products in the near future. 5.37 strongly agree total 5.30 strongly agree tests of difference were conducted to determine differences in the level of consumer purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment, income and sex. table 2 shows the results of the one-way anova. there was a significant difference in the level of purchase intention of consumers when grouped according to age (p-value = 0.025). this finding conforms to the research conducted by witek and kuźniar (2021), which found statistically different levels of green purchase intention among young and old consumers. on the other hand, the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging was not statistically different across educational attainment (p-value = 0.511) or income (p-value = 0.188) groups. this finding is like the results of the studies conducted by naz et al. (2020) and rahim et al. (2017). they posited that eco-friendly 33 products are accepted by consumers regardless of their income due to the popularity and increase in marketing campaigns. the findings could also be attributed to the growing consciousness of filipino consumers about the detrimental effects of plastics and the availability of eco-friendly alternatives. table 2: differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment and income. profile mean square test statistic p-value between groups within groups age 1.350 0.518 2.604 0.025* educational attainment 0.437 0.531 0.823 0.511 income 0.778 0.517 1.504 0.188 table 3 presents the results of the independent samples t-test. the results showed a significant difference in the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging in terms of sex (p-value = 0.009). comparing the mean scores of the males (5.1656) and the females (5.3720) revealed that the latter had a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. these findings are supported by the studies by witek and kuźniar (2021) and rahim et al. (2017), who found a significant difference in the green purchase intentions of females and males. they attributed this finding to female consumers possessing higher environmental concerns than male consumers. table 3: significant difference in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to sex. profile mean difference standard error difference p-value sex -0.2064 0.0786 0.009** the influence of the independent variables, namely attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, on the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging were analysed using hierarchical regression. these variables were entered into the models after all assumptions of the regression model were met. in the first model, the independent variables established in the theory of planned behaviour, namely attitude, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm, were entered. the additional variables, specifically environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, were added in the second model. at stage one, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control contributed significantly to the regression model (∆f = 253.019, p < 0.001). moreover, the coefficient of determination (r2) showed that the independent variables explaiedn 66.3% of the variability in the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. this indicates that model one (1) is a good fit. adding environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality to the model explained an additional 9% of the variation in purchase intention, and this change was significant at the 1% level (∆f = 34.873, p < 0.001). furthermore, all the independent variables accounted for 75.4% of the variance in purchase intention. these suggest that adding the other independent variables yielded a model that better predicts purchase intention. table 4 provides the b-values (b), beta coefficients (β), t-test scores and p-values for each variable accounted for in both models. 34 table 4: summary statistics of the variables. variable b β t p-value model 1 (constant) .839 5.012 .000 attitude .383 .379 8.586 .000** subjective norm .186 .217 4.716 .000** perceived behavioural control .290 .315 6.967 .000** model 2 (constant) .190 1.178 .240 attitude .110 .108 2.198 .029* subjective norm .085 .099 2.417 .016* perceived behavioural control .121 .131 3.070 .002** environmental concern .129 .120 2.229 .026* awareness .183 .168 3.433 .001** willingness to pay .174 .213 5.779 .000** quality .176 .187 4.759 .000** the findings show that all the independent variables considered in this study significantly and positively influenced purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, attitude (t = 2.198, p = 0.029), subjective norm (t = 2.417, p = 0.016) and environmental concern (t = 2.229, p = 0.026) are statistically significant at the 5% level, while perceived behavioural control (t = 3.070, p = 0.002), awareness (t = 3.433, p = 0.001), willingness to pay (t = 5.779, p = 0.000), and quality (t = 4.759, p = 0.000) were significant at the 1% level. the results also show that willingness to pay (β =.213), quality (β =.187), and awareness (β =.168) were the strongest predictors of purchase intention. the findings on attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control provide additional empirical evidence that supports the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework for research about purchase intention. consistent with the studies in the literature, attitude was found to significantly affect purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. when consumers’ beliefs and feelings towards buying eco-friendly packaging are favourable, they have a greater intention to buy it (martinho et al. 2015; moorthy et al., 2021; prakash & pathak, 2017; trivedi et al., 2018). the results indicate that filipino consumers’ favourable attitudes towards buying eco-friendly packaging led to greater intention to purchase them. an explanation for this relationship is the exposure to information about environmental problems. this develops the consumer’s favourable attitude to participate in efforts to solve these problems, such as buying eco-friendly packaging. subjective norm was also found to positively influence purchase intention. this indicates that the consumers’ perceived social pressures from family, friends and/or important people influence them to purchase eco-friendly packaging (auliandri et al., 2019; martinho et al., 2015). the finding suggests that filipino consumers are conscious of how people close to them and/or society in general view their actions, especially those that affect the environment. culture may also play a part in this relationship. conforming to the norm and the actions of the majority is deemed important in philippine society. consumers’ perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to buy eco-friendly packaging, which could be determined by their ability to purchase and the availability of resources, was also found to affect purchase intention (auliandri et al., 2019; moorthy et al., 2021). when consumers perceive that it is easy for them to buy eco-friendly 35 packaging, the more likely it is that they intend to buy it. consumer preference for convenient shopping can explain this relationship. access and availability of eco-friendly packaging are essential to realize purchase intention. consumers’ concern for the environment also influences their intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging (martinho et al., 2015; prakash & pathak, 2017). this shows that consumers have a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they are more willing to support efforts to solve environmental problems. like attitude, exposure to information about environmental degradation caused by consuming single-use plastics among others may explain this relationship. this is manifested by consumers’ growing demand for sustainable products and practices nowadays. among all variables in the model, the strongest predictor is willingness to pay. the more willing consumers are to pay for eco-friendly packaging, the greater their intention to buy it. this finding coincides with the findings of the studies conducted by auliandri et al. (2019) and prakash and pathak (2017). in the philippine context, several authors have noted that filipino consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products in general (gregorio, 2015; palmero & montemayor, 2020; resurreccion, 2015). this relationship may be attributed to consumers’ desire to protect the environment and/or to contribute to solutions, since eco-friendly packaging is more beneficial to the environment. this benefit could be seen as an added utility to the money spent on ecofriendly packaging. palmero and montemayor (2020) also noted that filipino consumers greatly consider value for money when purchasing. another strong predictor of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is quality. the quality of eco-friendly packaging is deemed an important determinant of intention to purchase it. like the results found by rajendran et al. (2019), in this study consumers had a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they perceived it to have better quality. the notion that eco-friendly packaging is less polluting to the environment and is as good as conventional packaging could explain this relationship. the quality of eco-friendly packaging remains an important consideration to consumers, especially if they are paying more for it. lastly, the study found that awareness is a significant predictor of purchase intention, i.e. consumers have a greater purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging when they are more aware and knowledgeable about it. this finding is consistent with the results of rajendran et al. (2019) but contrasts with the results of aleenajitpong (2013). one reason for this relationship is that filipino consumers are becoming more informed about environmental problems, particularly plastic pollution, and more aware of the available eco-friendly alternatives. as such, this is manifested in their increasing demand for sustainable products and practices at present. conclusions and recommendations the findings of this study revealed that consumers have a relatively high level of purchase intention for ecofriendly packaging. in addition, the test of significant difference revealed that a significant difference in the purchase intention of respondents only when they are grouped according to age and sex. in particular, female consumers have a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. also, the results of the regression analysis imply that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have the following: a favourable attitude, supportive social circles, positive perception of the ease of buying ecofriendly packaging, willingness to support or participate in environmental initiatives, knowledge about eco-friendly packaging, willingness to pay for eco-friendly packaging and a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. among these, willingness to pay, quality and awareness of eco-friendly packaging influence consumers’ purchase intention the most. 36 understanding the consumer perspective is essential for business decisions and policymaking. as this study has determined the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, businesses and policymakers are provided with information regarding the receptiveness of consumers to its adoption in the country. in particular, businesses, manufacturers of packaging materials and inventors/innovators of eco-friendly packaging could use this information when deciding to expand the use, production and development of eco-friendly packaging. together with government units, they could find the results about the significant factors useful in making business strategies, policies and programmes. the current work only explored the direct relationship between the dependent and independent variables. future researchers may consider exploring the interrelationships of the independent variables examined in this study. moreover, they may use other statistical tools that include the analysis of the interrelationships of the independent variables. to give substantial support to the quantitative findings, it is suggested to include a qualitative analysis in future research. hence, a mixed research design employing either in-depth interviews or focus group discussions is recommended. references aleenajitpong, n. 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(2020). why do consumers make green purchase decisions? insights from a systematic review. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(18), 6607. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186607 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. sustainable fashion tech innovation: a case study of bolt threads’ redefinition of fashion systems, design activism and social entrepreneurship anel van rooyen published online: november 2024 to cite this article: van rooyen, a. (2024). sustainable fashion tech innovation: a case study of bolt threads’ redefinition of fashion systems, design activism, and social entrepreneurship. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 1-13. 2 sustainable fashion tech innovation: a case study of bolt threads’ redefinition of fashion systems, design activism and social entrepreneurship anel van rooyena astadio school of fashion, johannesburg, 2194, south africa. anelv@stadio.ac.za abstract this research article explores the transformative journey of bolt threads, a pioneering biomaterials firm operating at the intersection of biotechnology and fashion. first, the research paper sets the background and provides the research question. second, the existing literature is reviewed to investigate sustainable entrepreneurship within the fashion industry, exploring sustainable fashion concepts and highlighting sustainable entrepreneurs’ challenges. third, the research paper examines bolt threads as a case study to redefine fashion systems, design activism, cultural sustainability, design for social change and social entrepreneurship. the case study thoroughly examines bolt threads’ founding story, business model, innovative technologies and strategic initiatives, underscoring the company’s dedication to sustainability and technological advancement. this case study analyses bolt threads collaborations with renowned fashion brands, financial strategies, the potential for industry-wide adoption and outlook. bolt threads demonstrates that sustainable innovation requires thinking beyond traditional materials and methods. this approach shows that transformative change in sustainability involves looking outside the industry’s usual practices and integrating technology in unexpected ways, which can lead to groundbreaking materials that still align with fashion’s functional and aesthetic standards. partnerships with major players help start-ups accelerate market acceptance, increase consumer trust and create broader demand for sustainable products. these alliances demonstrate that aligning with influential brands can be a strategic move for sustainable companies seeking scalability and industry-wide adoption. keywords: fashion design, sustainability, social awareness, social responsibility, biotechnology introduction mehta (2024) cites deborah golden, deloitte’s u.s. chief innovation officer, who said, “innovation readiness encompasses more than just adopting new technologies, tracking specific metrics, or embracing the latest buzzword.” in other words, innovation readiness goes beyond surface-level actions or superficial changes. this quote highlights that innovation readiness goes beyond adopting new technologies or following trends. instead, it requires a more profound commitment and understanding of innovation. bolt threads, a company focused on sustainable materials, such as micro silk, mylotm and b-silk protein, aligns with this quote by demonstrating an integrated approach to innovation. this research paper addresses the following research question: how do emerging sustainable fashion tech start-ups, exemplified by bolt threads, contribute to the redefinition of fashion systems, incorporating design activism, cultural sustainability and social entrepreneurship, and what role do designers play in navigating and influencing policy for sustainable fashion practices? by integrating design activism, cultural sustainability and social entrepreneurship concepts, this research offers a novel approach to understanding sustainable fashion systems beyond environmental considerations, encompassing broader societal impacts and ethical dimensions inherent in the fashion industry’s evolution. the aim is to gain valuable insights to 3 effectively address the sustainability challenges in fashion and textiles. as an outstanding sustainable fashion tech start-up, bolt threads plays a crucial role in reshaping fashion systems, advocating design activism, promoting cultural sustainability, driving design for social change and embodying principles of social entrepreneurship. this research paper addresses the innovative technologies employed by bolt threads, such as the biofabrication of silk through the fermentation of yeast, which challenges traditional material production methods (seltenrich, 2015). literature review this literature review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nuances within sustainable entrepreneurship in the fashion industry, exploring the concepts, trends and challenges that define this evolving landscape. sustainable fashion: concepts, diverse perspectives and entrepreneurial influence the fashion sector, with a global valuation of $1.3 trillion and employing over 300 million individuals, is a crucial economic force and a significant contributor to the global gdp (amed & berg, 2018; bcg, 2019). amidst intense competition and growing uncertainty, firms within this vast industry must adapt swiftly to remain competitive, as highlighted in market analyses by prestigious consultancy firms such as mckinsey, deloitte group and bcg (gazzola et al., 2020). additionally, with advancements in medicine and other factors leading to a rise in global life expectancy, fashion brands have a unique opportunity to cater to both younger and older demographics simultaneously, emphasizing the need for diversified business strategies and marketing approaches (gazzola et al., 2020). sustainability is emerging as a prominent concept in the fashion industry, aiming to address its shortcomings. while academic groundwork in this area has been established by scholars such as de brito et al. (2008) and fletcher (2010), there remains a lack of consensus on the definition of sustainability, which can be interpreted differently based on various perspectives and contexts (henninger et al., 2016). multiple approaches representing a comprehensive range of sustainability considerations in the fashion industry have been proposed, encompassing both environmental and social dimensions (henninger et al., 2016; köksal et al., 2017; mukendi et al., 2020). concepts such as eco-fashion, slow fashion, green fashion, ethical fashion and sustainable fashion have emerged as prominent approaches to addressing these concerns (mukendi et al., 2020; thomas, 2008). according to hofman et al. (2022, p. 4), citing kozlowski et al. (2018, p. 183), entrepreneurs, particularly fashion designers and founders, play an essential role in promoting sustainability within the fashion industry. many of these entrepreneurs are driven by personal beliefs and values, aiming to provide alternatives to the mass market and challenge the practices of fast fashion players (kozlowski et al., 2018, p. 183), as highlighted by (hofman et al., 2022, p. 4). this underscores the importance of individual commitment and values in propelling the sustainable fashion movement (hofman et al., 2022, p. 4). textile consumption trends from 1990 to 2018, the data indicate that the actual prices of footwear and clothing in the united states plummeted by half (ryan, 2021). moreover, a recent report from the european union (eu) has underscored the significant environmental and climate change impact of textile consumption, ranking it as the fourthhighest contributor, following food, housing and mobility (glasner, 2023). textiles also represent the third-highest water and land-use consumption category (glasner, 2023). 4 in response to these challenges, the eu has introduced a sustainable and circular textiles strategy, aiming for all textile products introduced to the market by 2030 to possess the qualities of being “durable, repairable, and recyclable” (glasner, 2023). additionally, these products should consist of recycled fibres, be free of hazardous substances and be manufactured in adherence to social rights and environmental considerations (glasner, 2023). highlighting the environmental and climate change repercussions of textiles, particularly their standing as the fourth-largest contributor (glasner, 2023), underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions. in this context, bolt threads’ biofabrication of silk and unwavering dedication to sustainability (seltenrich, 2015) seamlessly align with the imperative to address these challenges. challenges faced by sustainable entrepreneurs sustainable entrepreneurs and small businesses encounter significant customer interaction challenges (hofman et al., 2022). given the diverse forms and approaches of sustainable fashion, entrepreneurs and small business managers struggle to predict and align customer and stakeholder expectations with their ideas and concepts (kozlowski et al., 2018; todeschini et al., 2017; štefko & steffek, 2018). this complexity within sustainable fashion makes it challenging for businesses to anticipate consumer preferences accurately. moreover, sustainable fashion companies face a continuous demand from the market for new products featuring innovative design elements (hofman et al., 2022). discovering innovative aspects of sustainable materials, functions or production methods for each new fashion season poses a difficulty (rindova et al., 2005). however, effectively addressing this challenge can enhance a company’s reputation and create new value propositions (rindova et al., 2005). ultimately, successfully managing the quest for innovation in sustainability can provide a competitive advantage for fashion companies (rindova et al., 2005). golden, as cited by mehta (2024), underscores the current era in which various technologies, industries and ideas converge, emphasizing the value of diversity in thought and expertise (mehta, 2024). organizations can access a more comprehensive range of ideas and resources by engaging with a broader ecosystem that includes internal resources and external partners, such as start-ups, academic institutions and competitors (mehta, 2024). recognizing the importance of incorporating social aspects of sustainability into business models is fundamentally a cultural factor (hristov et al., 2022). however, a significant challenge to effectively integrating social dimensions into business models is the prevailing managerial focus on shortterm economic and financial outcomes, which undermines adopting sustainable values offering long-term benefits (hristov et al., 2022). achieving sustainability requires ongoing investments and a consistent focus on product and service quality, worker health and safety and equity and climate change (hristov et al., 2022). methodology a case study approach allows for a detailed and comprehensive analysis of a real-world example within the context of sustainable entrepreneurship in the fashion industry (yin, 2009). the case study approach was chosen for two main reasons. first, it allows for an in-depth examination of a real-world example, providing rich and detailed insights (yin, 2009) into the complexities of sustainable entrepreneurship in the fashion industry. second, it enables researchers to explore the dynamic interactions between several factors (priya, 2021) within a specific organizational context, such as business models, technologies and strategic initiatives. 5 data collection methods: online web publications the chosen sources provide a comprehensive and diverse understanding of bolt threads, its founding story and the impact of its innovative technologies on the fashion and sustainability industries. bolt threads’ official website, notably the “bolt’s founding story” and “bolt impact” pages, offers insights into the company’s background, values and contribution to sustainability, as seen in table 1. news articles from reputable sources, such as fortune, business insider and forbes, were included to provide external perspectives on bolt threads’ breakthroughs, collaborations and industry influence and are also included in table 1. table 1 also includes articles from vogue, w magazine and business of fashion, which explore the broader impact of bolt threads’ technologies on the fashion world, especially in collaborations with renowned brands such as stella mccartney, adidas, patagonia and lululemon. this research paper aims to draw on these varied sources to present a well-rounded analysis of bolt threads’ trajectory and influence. rationale for chosen sources. the chosen sources collectively provide a comprehensive overview of bolt threads’ history, technological innovations, collaborations, industry impact and outlook. these diverse perspectives enable a well-rounded analysis of the company’s role in the intersection of biotechnology and sustainable fashion. table 1: identification and description of sources. source description bolt threads’ founding story insights into the company’s origins, initial challenges and milestones, offering a foundational understanding of bolt threads’ journey. fortune article on synthetic dna explores potential technological breakthroughs, specifically synthetic dna, providing insights into the broader technological landscape and its relevance to bolt threads’ innovative processes. w magazine on mushrooms in fashion investigates the spread of mushrooms in fashion, offering a unique perspective on the sustainable future of the fashion industry, focusing on the role of mushrooms, an essential aspect of bolt threads’ materials. business insider on spider silk necktie highlights a specific product, a spider silk necktie, shedding light on bolt threads’ early ventures into creating commercially available products and its impact on the market. bolt threads’ impact page provides valuable information about the company’s broader impact, including its sustainability initiatives and contributions to the industry. techcrunch on fundraising and patagonia deal investigating the fundraising and dealing with patagonia, this source provides insights into the financial and strategic aspects of bolt threads, which are crucial for understanding its growth and partnerships. vogue on stella mccartney’s mushroom leather bag examines stella mccartney’s collaboration with bolt threads, providing insights into high-profile partnerships and integrating bolt threads’ materials into renowned fashion brands. source description forbes article on mushroom leather and spider silk investigates the broader implications of mushroom leather and spider silk in the fashion industry, providing a macro-level perspective on the industry trends that bolt threads contributes to. business insider on adidas’ mushroom leather shoe focusing on adidas’ collaboration with bolt threads on a mushroom leather shoe, this source offers insights into the adoption of bolt threads’ materials by major brands and the potential market impact. 6 wwd on mushroom fashion moment at stella mccartney store provides real-world examples of the application of bolt threads’ materials in a retail setting, offering insights into consumer reception and the practicality of these materials. forbes article on bolt threads’ spac deal discusses the recent financial move of bolt threads, offering insights into its valuation, financial strategies and future. business of fashion on lululemon’s mushroombased yoga accessories examining lululemon’s incorporation of bolt threads’ materials in yoga accessories, this source illustrates the practical application of bolt threads’ innovations in consumer products. bolt threads’ silk protein technology page detailed information on bolt threads’ silk protein technology, providing insights into the company’s diverse biomaterial portfolio. based on the information provided in table 1, it is evident that bolt threads has embarked on a remarkable journey of innovation and collaboration within the fashion industry. from its founding story to its recent special purpose acquisition company (spac0 deal, bolt threads has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, technological advancement and strategic partnerships. incorporating mushroom-based materials and spider silk into products by renowned brands such as stella mccartney and adidas signifies the industry’s acceptance and adoption of bolt threads’ innovations. furthermore, the practical application of bolt threads’ materials in retail settings, as seen in lululemon’s yoga accessories, highlights their potential for widespread consumer appeal. case study bolt threads, a biomaterials firm, operates at the intersection of biotechnology and fashion (cumbers, 2019). bolt threads focuses on developing materials derived from biological sources, such as proteins or other organic compounds (elkington, 2019). the company leverages nature as inspiration, employs advanced biotechnology and generates innovative solutions to create sustainable materials (cumbers, 2019). traditionally, silk production has been limited to silkworms and spiders. however, at bolt threads, the process involves fermentation tanks using yeast, sugar and dna code derived from spiders (alsever, 2017). the company addresses resource challenges through products such as spider silk, mushroom leather and silk proteins (cumbers, 2019). bolt threads has developed advanced technology and infrastructure for producing proteins at scale (elkington, 2019). this innovative approach results in a material spun into fibres akin to traditional methods for silk, rayon and polyester, claimed by the company to surpass steel in strength, exceed spandex in stretchiness and be softer than silk (alsever, 2017). overall, bolt threads exemplifies the transformative potential of sustainable fashion tech start-ups in reshaping industry practices and promoting environmental responsibility. overview of the business model bolt threads, a start-up that specializes in synthetic spider silk products (robinson, 2017), has a business model that revolves around creating sustainable materials inspired by nature (cumbers, 2019). the business originated in 2009 when the co-founders dan, david and ethan embarked on a venture combining their expertise in microbial silk production and microfluidic devices (bolt threads, 2017). encouraged by their participation in the idea to ipo class at ucsf, the trio secured research grants, became tenants at the qb3 garage start-up incubator and later expanded into a larger incubator space in san francisco (bolt threads, 2017). since 2009, bolt threads has been a frontrunner in biotechnological innovation and has embraced the trend of mushroom fashion (gore, 2021). 7 as the global fashion industry, valued at around $3 trillion, increasingly gives precedence to sustainability and transparency, the synthetic biology biomaterials sector stands to gain (cumbers, 2019). identifying a void in consumer products within the fashion industry, ceo dan widmaier prioritized bolt threads’ mission to introduce new materials inspired by nature to tackle challenges in the consumer marketplace (gore, 2021). widmaier acknowledges mother nature as a remarkable example of a perfectly circular materials economy, spanning four billion years (gore, 2021). recently, bolt threads planned to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (spac) called the golden arrow merger corp (feldman, 2023). the spac is led by investor timothy babich, a former professional at goldman sachs (feldman, 2023). after the merger, bolt threads will change its name to bolt projects holdings (feldman, 2023). ceo dan widmaier will retain his position in the new company, while co-founder david breslauer will continue as the chief technology officer (feldman, 2023). the deal attributes a pro-forma enterprise value of $346 million to bolt threads and was expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024 (feldman, 2023). examination of innovative technologies employed bolt threads is associated with spider silk because it focuses on creating synthetic versions of this material. however, the real breakthrough lies in a different realm: beer and cheese production (seltenrich, 2015). rather than directly mimicking the silk production process of spiders, bolt threads has engineered a yeast strain (seltenrich, 2015). when combined with sugar and water and fermented in a similar process to that of beer or cheese, this yeast produces proteins that closely resemble those found in spider silk (seltenrich, 2015). these silk-like proteins are then extracted and processed further, resulting in fibres that can be spun into threads suitable for knitting or weaving (seltenrich, 2015). the company’s innovation involves harnessing the natural properties of yeast to create a sustainable and scalable alternative to traditional silk production methods (seltenrich, 2015). innovative materials the following section provides an overview of each technology’s unique features, such as the use of mycelium in mylo™ as a sustainable substitute for leathers, the biodegradable and clean beauty aspects of b-silk protein™ and the eco-friendly nature of micro silk™ as a vegan silk alternative. mylo™ material mylo serves as a mycelium-based substitute for both synthetic and natural leather. the production of mylo™ involves using less harmful chemistry, a design aimed at minimizing lifecycle impacts and implementing rigorous ethical labour and production practices (bolt threads, n.d.-a). mylo™ incorporates environmentally friendly chemistry, is designed to reduce life cycle impacts and adheres to rigorous ethical labour and production standards (bolt threads, n.d.-a). mylo™ supports the united nations’ sustainable development goals on decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure and responsible consumption and production (stella mccartney, 2023). mylo™ is certified as primarily composed of materials derived from renewable sources found in nature (bolt threads, n.d.-a). the certification confirms that the ingredients used in mylo™ are biobased, meaning that they come from renewable biological sources such as plants or microorganisms (bolt threads, n.d.-a). 8 b-silk protein™ b-silk™ is a biobased and vegan polypeptide, meaning that it is derived from renewable biological sources and contains no animal-derived ingredients (bolt threads, n.d.-b). b-silk™ has been clinically proven to deliver positive results in skincare, hair care and colour cosmetics (bolt threads, n.d.-b). b-silk™ performs better than silicone elastomers in beauty and personal care products (bolt threads, n.d.-b). b-silk’s™ distinctive molecular structure is a lightweight, protective barrier against environmental stressors, such as pollution and blue light, for both skin and hair. scientific research has proved that b-silk™ can offer protective benefits against these factors when incorporated into skincare, hair care and colour cosmetics products (bolt threads, n.d.-b). micro silk™ material micro silk™ fibre is a vegan alternative to silk, created from environmentally friendly ingredients such as water, sugar, yeast and salt (bolt threads, n.d.-b). the technology behind micro silk™ fibre has moved away from using petroleum-based polymers and unsustainable processes (bolt threads, n.d.-b). instead, it embraces sustainable practices and avoids non-biodegradable fabrics, focusing on renewable inputs and closed-loop production methods. case studies of successful projects or collaborations bolt threads has successfully collaborated with major fashion brands to incorporate micro silk into their collections. bolt threads has achieved success and collaborations with many renowned brands, including stella mccartney, adidas, patagonia, vegamour and lululemon. in july 2019, stella mccartney and adidas introduced the biofabric tennis dress (bolt threads, n.d.-b). the dress was made using a blend of micro silk and cellulose fibres, specifically designed to be fully biodegradable (bolt threads, n.d.-b). as a result, the dress can naturally break down into harmless components in the environment, reducing its environmental impact after use (bolt threads, n.d.-b). patagonia bolt threads collaborated with the outdoor clothing company patagonia in 2016 (kolodny & dilet, 2016). this collaboration aimed to kickstart the creation and design process of products that integrate bolt threads’ innovative and visionary threads (kolodny & dilet, 2016). stella mccartney stella mccartney, a luxury brand renowned for its commitment to sustainability and anti-animal product stance, has collaborated with bolt threads since 2017 (webb, 2022). their inaugural commercially viable product resulting from this partnership was the frayme mylo bag (webb, 2022). the soho store celebrated the release of the frayme mylo collection in 2022 (roshitsh, 2022). the event featured prototypes of products like the falabella bag and trousers, all part of the collection retailing at $3,500 (roshitsh, 2022). the frayme mylo collection uses bolt threads’ mylo material derived from mycelium as a sustainable alternative to leather (roshitsh, 2022). adidas adidas has partnered with bolt threads to develop innovative vegan alternatives for its leather shoes (williams, 2021). the classic adidas stan smith shoe has been redesigned utilizing the unique properties of mylo™, a mushroom-based leather made from mycelium found in mushroom roots (cumbers, 2019). 9 the latest model of the stan smith mylo footwear, released in 2021, features an environmentally friendly, sustainable, fully mushroom leather body and a natural rubber midsole (williams, 2021). lulumelon in july 2021, lululemon introduced its initial yoga accessory line crafted from mylo™ (sergison, 2021). the collection includes an innovative yoga mat constructed from undyed mylo, intricately woven to create varied patterns that offer hand and foot placement guidance during yoga sessions (sergison, 2021). the meditation and yoga mat bag and the barrel duffel bag exhibit mylo™ in intricately braided handles, zipper pulls and premium embellishments throughout (sergison, 2021). in october, lululemon initially committed to using the sustainable mylo™ material, joining the mylo™ consortium (sergison, 2021). this consortium, consisting of members such as stella mccartney, adidas and kering, involves investments and grants exclusive access to the mylo™ material (sergison, 2021). eighteen b and vegamour in recent years, bolt’s primary product moved to b-silk™, a biobased ingredient in skincare and cleansers inspired by spider silk (feldman, 2023). initially, bolt produced its skincare line, eighteen b, but has since shifted to selling its ingredients to other brands (feldman, 2023). b-silk™ is now featured in brands such as vegamour and is available at sephora stores across the united states. bolt holds 34 patents for b-silk, with an additional 131 pending (feldman, 2023). b-silk™ is designed as an environmentally friendly alternative to silicone elastomers, which are non-degradable chemicals and constitute a market estimated at $4 billion, according to bolt (feldman, 2023). vegamour, a vegan beauty brand, collaborated effectively with bolt threads to launch the gro revitalizing shampoo and conditioner in november 2020 (bolt threads, n.d.-b). these products utilise b-silk™ protein, enhancing their formulations with its rejuvenating properties (bolt threads, n.d.-b). the inclusion of b-silk™ protein creates a nourishing moisture barrier, resulting in increased volume and shine, all without using animal-derived keratin or synthetic polymers (bolt threads, n.d.-b). potential for industry-wide adoption the potential for industry-wide adoption lies in the scalability of bolt threads’ biotechnological processes. partnerships with influential figures and significant players in the fashion industry play a crucial role in facilitating wider recognition and application of eco-friendly materials such as micro silk™, mylo™ and b-silk™. the potential for industry-wide adoption is significant, given bolt threads’ successful collaborations with major fashion brands. the partnership with stella mccartney, a prominent luxury brand known for its commitment to sustainability, has resulted in the creation of commercially viable products such as the frayme mylo™ bag, signifying that those eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials are gaining traction in the fashion industry. the collaboration with adidas to produce the stan smith mylo shoe, a vegan alternative made from mushroom-based “leather”, further highlights the industry’s openness to adopting sustainable materials. furthermore, bolt threads’ focus on b-silk as a biobased ingredient for skincare and cleansers, incorporated into brands like vegamour that are available at sephora, indicates the potential for widespread adoption in the beauty and cosmetics sector. the shift towards eco-friendly alternatives in the skincare industry aligns with increasing consumer preferences for sustainable products. finally, the impending merger with golden arrow merger corp. and the formation of bolt projects holdings position the company for further growth and potential collaborations. as bolt threads continues to innovate and establish itself as a leader in 10 biomaterials, industry-wide adoption of its sustainable solution is likely, especially as significant brands seek alternatives to traditional materials focusing on environmental responsibility. discussion this section explores the multifaceted impact of bolt threads’, highlighting its innovative technologies, collaborations with prominent fashion brands, financial strategies and the company’s strategic vision, as discussed in the previous section. this in-depth analysis delves into the core elements that define bolt threads’ influence on the sustainable fashion landscape, shedding light on its pioneering role in redefining fashion systems, driving design activism, fostering cultural sustainability and embodying social entrepreneurship and social change principles. bolt threads is an exemplary sustainable fashion tech start-up that exemplifies a paradigm shift in the fashion industry’s approach to sustainability. the literature review established that sustainability in fashion is multifaceted, encompassing environmental and social considerations together with various concepts such as eco-fashion, slow fashion, green fashion, ethical fashion and sustainable fashion. moreover, the involvement of entrepreneurs, particularly fashion designers and founders, is highlighted as pivotal for the industry’s sustainability (hofman et al., 2022; kozlowski et al., 2018). bolt threads’ business model revolves around creating sustainable materials inspired by nature and addressing challenges in the consumer marketplace (cumbers, 2019). the case studies of successful collaborations with major fashion brands such as adidas, stella mccartney, patagonia and lululemon underscore the impact of emerging sustainable fashion tech start-ups in reshaping industry practices. the challenges faced by sustainable entrepreneurs, as highlighted in the literature review, are mirrored in the complexities faced by bolt threads. anticipating customer expectations, achieving continuous innovation and integrating social dimensions into business models are recurrent themes. this research paper recognizes that incorporating social aspects into business models is a cultural factor and that short-term economic focus can hinder long-term sustainable practices (hristov et al., 2022). • innovative technologies and design activism the pioneering use of synthetic spider silk, mycelium-based materials and biodegradable proteins by bolt threads showcases design activism in action (robinson, 2017). bolt threads’ innovative adoption of synthetic spider silk, mycelium-based materials and biodegradable proteins is a testament to the influential role of design activism in the fashion sector. the company’s commitment to leveraging biotechnology for sustainable fashion challenges the traditional norms of material production in the industry (cumbers, 2019). • cultural sustainability and redefinition of fashion systems collaborations with renowned brands such as stella mccartney, adidas and lululemon highlight the cultural sustainability of bolt threads’ innovations (webb, 2022). by integrating its materials into mainstream fashion, the company contributes to redefining fashion systems, influencing consumer perceptions and fostering a shift toward sustainable alternatives (sergison, 2021). • design for social change and social entrepreneurship bolt threads’ approach aligns with design for social change by addressing environmental concerns and promoting cruelty-free alternatives (cumbers, 2019). the company’s commitment to ethical 11 labour and production practices and collaborations with sustainability-focused brands demonstrates social entrepreneurship at the intersection of technology and fashion (kolodny & dilet, 2016). • industry-wide adoption and future outlook the case studies of successful projects and collaborations underscore bolt threads’ potential for industry-wide adoption (webb, 2022). the partnerships with major fashion brands signal a broader acceptance of sustainable materials in the industry, indicating a shift towards more environmentally conscious practices (feldman, 2023). these partnerships indicate a transition towards a more significant consideration of environmental factors and a growing emphasis on sustainability in industry practices. • financial strategies and growth examining bolt threads’ fundraising deals with companies like patagonia and the recent spac deal with golden arrow merger corp provides insights into the financial strategies and growth trajectory (feldman, 2023). this economic aspect is crucial for understanding how sustainable fashion tech start-ups can navigate the industry and gain widespread acceptance. • diverse biomaterials portfolio bolt threads’ diverse biomaterials portfolio, including mylo™, b-silk protein™ and micro silk™, showcases the versatility of their technologies (bolt threads, 2017). this diversity contributes to the adaptability of their materials across various industries – from fashion to skincare – indicating an integrated approach to sustainability. • consumer reception and practicality the inclusion of sources such as wwd on mushroom fashion moment at stella mccartney store and business insider on adidas’ mushroom leather shoe provides insights into real-world examples of the consumer reception and practical application of bolt threads’ materials in retail settings (roshitsh, 2022). understanding how consumers interact with these innovative materials is essential for assessing their long-term viability. • strategic vision and future the information on bolt threads’ spac deal and the formation of bolt projects holdings sheds light on the company’s strategic vision and future (feldman, 2023). this aspect is critical for evaluating the long-term impact and sustainability of the company’s business model. conclusion in conclusion, this research paper not only explores the trajectory and influence of bolt threads as an emerging sustainable fashion technological start-up but also delves into the broader themes of sustainability, design activism and the role of entrepreneurs in redefining fashion systems. this detailed analysis of bolt threads’ technologies, collaborations, challenges and industry-wide potential supports critical thinking in the context of sustainable fashion systems and aligns with the outlined research question. bolt threads stands out as an exemplar in the fashion industry, leading the redefinition of fashion systems by introducing pioneering and sustainable materials. the company’s unwavering commitment to design activism, cultural sustainability and social entrepreneurship actively moulds the fashion industry’s 12 practices, instigating a paradigm shift towards the widespread adoption of sustainable alternatives. bolt threads not only underscores the potential of sustainable fashion technology but also establishes an influential precedent for the industry, exemplifying the transformative efficacy of conscientious and environmentally friendly practices. references akram, s. v., malik, p. k., singh, r., gehlot, a., juyal, a., ghafoor, k. z., & shrestha, s. 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(2024). 3d woven denim as an exemplary design manufacturing technique to shape sustainable fashion ecosystems. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 51-68. 52 3d woven denim as an exemplary design manufacturing technique to shape sustainable fashion ecosystems sterre de jagera, holly mcquillana, ingrid muldera adelft university of technology, delft, the netherlands. s.l.dejager@tudelft.nl; h.l.mcquillan@tudelft.nl; i.j.mulder@tudelft.nl abstract today’s fashion industry is marked by rapid production, early disposal and low-quality materials, resulting in environmental harm and social injustice. denim production involves a resource-intensive and extended supply chain with entrenched design practices, leading to substantial pre-consumer waste. to address these issues, emerging design manufacturing techniques hold promise for fostering alternative sustainable fashion ecosystems yet remain largely underexplored by the industry. the current work focuses on 3d weaving, an innovative niche design manufacturing technique that enables the production of near-complete garments, facilitating zero waste and reducing labour-intensive steps at the cut-and-sew stage. employing a qualitative approach informed by the literature and empirical research with denim industry professionals, this study investigates the potential of this novel design manufacturing technique in the context of systemic change beyond merely introducing technological advancement as an intervention in the existing industry. the analysis reveals four fundamental components: industry-led change, relocalisation, reimagining denim design roles and consumer communication. these key components, synthesised with the literature, are discussed respectively. we illustrate how the niche design manufacturing technique can shape novel fashion ecosystems by providing an exemplary concept which concerns the collaborative establishment of a small-scale local supply chain for 3d woven denim garments. through this example, we aim to ignite discussions on a further reimagining of the fashion industry, utilising similar alternative lenses that prioritise sustainability over ultra-speed, high efficiency and mass production in alignment with the united nations sustainable development goals 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 17 (partnerships for the goals). keywords: local production, sustainable fashion innovation, systemic change, zero waste, 3d weaving introduction with brands driving mass-produced, trend-driven and seasonal fashion, a constant fast fashion cycle is perpetuated, in which clothing is rapidly produced and disposed of (niinimäki et al., 2020). in denim, fashion brands have sought to reduce market risks and enhance profitability by shifting their apparel manufacturing to lower-income countries (mccormick et al., 2014). this strategic move allows them to optimise costs while disguising the resource-intensive, complex and geographically dispersed supply chain involved in denim production and the accompanying significant social and environmental implications (bick et al., 2018). moreover, consumer attitudes have shifted, prioritising price over clothing heritage, so that impulsive and fast purchases of low-priced, disposable fashion dominate the landscape (allwood et al., 2006; niinimäki et al., 2020). 53 over the past decades, it has become evident that the linear economic model in the fashion industry, characterised by high resource consumption, significant preand post-consumer waste and social injustice, is unsustainable (niinimäki et al., 2020). to address the issues embedded in the ‘make-take-waste’ system, the concept of a circular economy, which aims to close energy and material loops, thereby eliminating waste and pollution, has gained significant attention. however, the fundamental design of denim products raises a crucial question, as its aesthetic expression has remained unchanged over the past 150 years. conventional patternmaking for garments generates significant pre-consumer waste, with estimates suggesting that 10%–15% of the fabric is discarded during this design process (enes & kipöz, 2019). the cut-and-sew stage accounts for 15.6% of a garment’s overall environmental impact throughout its lifecycle (wennberg & östlund, 2019), and this pre-consumer waste is often immediately sent for incineration or to landfill (enes & kipöz, 2019; niinimäki et al., 2020). the persistence of such practices can be viewed as a design flaw, where the significance of introducing changes from the design stage is reinforced due to approximately 80% of a garment’s environmental footprint being solely determined during this stage (östlund et al., 2020). exposing this design flaw becomes even more critical with the growing enforcement of the eu extended producer responsibility policy, such as the 2023 dutch enactment, which emphasises transparency, waste management, eco-design and product redesign (ministerie van infrastructuur en waterstaat, 2023). the current work addresses the subsequent need to reassess the design and manufacturing processes associated with this long-standing and current fashion staple. alternative approaches are increasingly being explored to mitigate pre-consumer waste in garment design and production. the innovative niche design manufacturing technique of 3d weaving has disruptive potential and remains somewhat underexplored. 3d weaving can generate complex textile-based forms while weaving by utilising contemporary jacquard machinery (i.e. looms) to produce multi-layered, locally varied textile structures. by incorporating woven ‘seams’ into the structure, cutting open specific layers can generate larger fabric pieces that would typically require the joining or sewing of separate panels. as a result, the garment’s form and function is integrated into its textile design, reducing the need for machining, minimising material wastage and streamlining the lay-up process (mcquillan, 2020). figure 1 presents a simplified overview of the fabrication process and its potentially disruptive qualities to demonstrate how the 3d weaving approach facilitates a more sustainable manufacturing process. the technique generates a unique aesthetic through a radically different approach to pattern creation and output, challenging the enduringly uniform appearance of denim over the past decades. considering alternative perspectives allows for questioning not only the conventional methods of textile design and manufacturing but also how they might enable entirely new ecosystems. this opens an opportunity to fundamentally reimagine the fashion industry, diverging from the paradigm of large-scale and hyper-efficient global production. 54 figure 1: simplified overview of the 3d weaving process and its potentially disruptive qualities. therefore, the current research aims to understand how a novel design manufacturing technique can shape more sustainable models for fashion through a systemic lens rather than relying solely on technological interventions within the existing fashion ecosystem, with the overall aim of fostering a debate on envisioning alternative pathways to industry transformation. related work the next section introduces related work on 3d weaving and on systemic approaches toward fashion transitions, as well as on-demand production and relocalisation of supply chains. the section concludes by identifying a knowledge gap. 3d weaving notably, researchers and professionals in textiles and fashion are increasingly intrigued by the possibilities of 3d weaving, as exemplified by the work of mcquillan (2020), who has conducted experiments in creating zero-waste garments using weaving techniques, such as a t-shirt and trousers. similarly, vroom’s (2022; as cited in mcquillan et al., 2023) 3d woven denim jackets demonstrated promise for more sustainable denim design (see figure 2). however, limitations within currently available looms prevented them from achieving complete zero-waste goals at this early research stage. furthermore, weffan’s (slater, 2023) endeavour to establish a consultancy for 3d woven garments and unspun’s development of a specialised loom for automating 3d weaving, alongside their recently secured funding of $32 million to support expansion (ewen, 2024), show a commitment to advancing this innovative technique. it is crucial to note that the current exploration of 3d weaving remains primarily within the realm of research, concentrating on material-driven design and production process enhancements. this emphasis overlooks its potential for broader transformation within the fashion industry. 55 figure 2: a 3d woven denim jacket designed by vroom (2022). related work in systemic approaches toward fashion transitions numerous initiatives have addressed the present challenges within the fashion industry and achieved transformative goals through a comprehensive, systemic perspective. one prominent example is mistra future fashion, an european union (eu)-funded project congruent with the eu’s ambitious objective of establishing a fully circular fashion system by 2050 (european commission, 2022; wennberg & östlund, 2019). mistra future fashion investigates the promotion of sustainable consumer behaviour, policy change and enhancement of recycling processes for post-consumer textiles, thereby facilitating the transition from a linear to a circular and sustainable industry (wennberg & östlund, 2019). however, absent from this comprehensive approach is the incorporation of innovative and distinct techniques that hold the potential to play a pivotal role in steering the fashion industry towards alternative, reimagined holistic design manufacturing systems. recently, the ellen macarthur foundation published the jeans redesign, a resource offering guideline for redesigning jeans that conform to circular economy principles. this report outlines specific design requirements for achieving goals related to durability, material selection, labour, ecosystem well-being and user empowerment through repair knowledge, as well as services, recyclability and traceability (ellen macarthur foundation, 2023). however, a significant aspect of the textile industry’s journey towards circular economy goals remains unaddressed: the generation of pre-consumer waste during the cut-and-sew process. consequently, the systemic approach employed in the report can be deemed not yet ‘fully complete’. on-demand production and relocalisation given the lack of transparency and unethical practices in today’s outsourced fashion supply chains, relocalisation is imperative. as amed et al. (2019; 2022) emphasise, brands must reevaluate their growth strategies to suit specific geographic contexts better. additionally, the problem of 56 overproduction a staggering 30%-40% of all apparel (magnusdottir, 2020) stemming from brands creating consumer demand necessitates a shift towards on-demand production. on-demand production is well-suited for micro-manufacturing environments, where responsive, local demanddriven manufacturing is practical. this manner of production aligns with previous initiatives in reshoring textile production in the uk (postlethwaite et al., 2022), emphasising the importance of establishing innovative, localised centres through reshoring efforts. due to its streamlined supply chain and integrated design manufacturing process, 3d weaving is well suited for micro-manufacturing and on-demand contexts. exploring upskilling is essential for navigating the challenges of a forward-thinking industry (postlethwaite et al., 2022). establishing newly situated design-to-consumer models could serve as a foundation for further exploration of methods like 3d weaving, focusing on automation, efficient 3d prototyping, on-demand production and precise sizing requirements. the examined related work suggests a gap. effectively transforming the fashion industry demands a departure from current production practices and requires the redesign of multiple interconnected system facets (murphy, 2022), redistribution of power dynamics, covering of actual costs and redefining perceptions of what is considered ‘fashionable’. the related work shows elements of importance in moving towards a more sustainable fashion system, either through addressing circular economy approaches focused on closing loops in later stages or through systemic design approaches in general aspects of the textile system. however, explicitly investigating how these different approaches tie in together and how interconnected system elements can be leveraged to exhibit the potential of niche innovative methods like 3d weaving towards reaching a window of opportunity (geels, 2002) has not yet been illustrated. the necessary considerations and steps remain unclear, especially within the context of the ubiquitous yet rigid and deeply entrenched denim industry, presenting a significant gap to explore. given the unsustainable nature of the present fashion industry and the growing demands for transparency, on-demand production and circular economy practices, the current work explores alternative models that respond to these needs rather than current fast fashion principles. as 3d weaving emerges as a promising example for displaying how emergent techniques can stimulate more sustainable fashion models, critical components to unlock its potential will be clarified within the context of systemic change. methodology the current study employs a qualitative approach that combines the literature and empirical research with various experts in the denim industry, incorporating both semi-structured and unstructured interviews, as well as co-creative sessions. the research addresses the question: what critical components are essential to unlock the potential of 3d weaving for alternative fashion design-to-consumer models in the denim industry? the literature review informed the setup of semi-structured interviews with denim industry professionals. we maximised opportunities for unstructured interviews in casual settings, allowing for spontaneous interactions, by bringing a sample 3d woven structure by vroom (2022) to present 57 the technique (see figure 3), while benefiting from the principal researcher’s familiarity with the semi-structured questions. figure 3: sample of a 3d woven denim structure. based on the findings, we conducted an expert session with the research team to distil the key components necessary for fostering new fashion ecosystems. to mitigate the influence of the principal researchers’ subjective interpretation, the findings were cross-referenced with the existing literature and scrutinised by the research team. following guest and mclellan (2003), a thematic analysis was performed, applying inductive codes to the qualitative data and clustering them to identify themes and patterns. the analysis revealed critical considerations for implementing novel sustainable fashion models and informed how 3d weaving can be systematically leveraged for its potentially disruptive capabilities, providing insights for the industry. additionally, co-creative sessions were held with industry professionals during a field visit. the previous considerations and the results of co-creative sessions, which were analysed in keeping with sanders and stappers (2012), were translated into a design. the design illustrates how emerging techniques can stimulate more sustainable fashion models from fashion design to consumer, particularly in the form of a local 3d weaving ecosystem. the netherlands, where the research was initiated, serves as a relevant exemplary context due to its specialised knowledge in 3d weaving and established partnerships within the local textile industry. the house of denim, a dutch foundation interviewed in the study, could serve as another leverage point, as it already supports innovation through collaborations with researchers, brands and mills in the dutch denim community. we used the collected data according to table 1, which demonstrates an overview of the research activities of the broader study in chronological order. however, the research relating to a user study, autoethnographic research and an additional interview was used solely to validate the proposed local 3d weaving ecosystem. these activities are part of a larger study on fostering sustainable fashion models and will be discussed in future publications. 58 table 1: overview of qualitative research methods. towards sustainable fashion ecosystems figure 4 displays the four key components – industry-led change, relocalisation, reimagining denim design roles and effective consumer communication – found essential for unlocking the potential data collection method research source duration data analysis 1. literature review a broad range of empirical and theoretical articles selected. integrative review (kutcher & lebaron, 2022), deductive analysis for interview themes. 2. semi-structured interviews industry experts at kingpins show: denim designers and brands, mills, sustainable material experts, traceability and certification experts, house of denim and 3d weaving experts (n = 15). 20–90 minutes interpretivist, inductive coding, thematic analysis. 3. unstructured interviews denim designers, representatives from tonello and members from the educational field associated with two uk universities present at the blackhorse lane ateliers (a uk-based denim mill) during an event (n = 18). denim design and history professional (n = 1). 10–30 minutes over 4 hours approximately 8 hours interpretivist, inductive coding, thematic analysis. 4. co-creative sessions and semi-structured interviews industry experts during a field visit to diamond denim by sapphire, a vertical denim mill based in lahore, pakistan (n = 8). 60–120 minutes interpretivist, inductive coding and thematic analysis according to “analysis (clustering) on the wall” (sanders & stappers, 2012). 5. semi-structured interviews users of 3d woven denim jacket (n = 20). 45–60 minutes interpretivist, inductive coding, thematic analysis 6. . in-depth autoethnographic research users of 3d woven denim jacket (n = 10). 4 weeks deductive analysis, autoethnographic research diary; interpretivist, inductive coding, thematic analysis. 7. semi-structured interview expert in supply chain traceability (n = 1). 60 minutes interpretivist, inductive coding, thematic analysis. 59 of 3d weaving through implementing alternative fashion models in the denim industry, with some components addressing multiple topics. figure 4: four critical components unlocked the potential of the 3d weaving technique towards systemic change. the industry-led change component emphasises the necessity for proactive and coordinated efforts within the denim industry to drive sustainable transformation, fostering collaboration and incentivising brands to initiate change rather than solely relying on shifting consumer behaviour. relocalisation involves shifting production and sourcing practices to local or regional contexts, aiming to reduce mass production cycles, lower the transport footprint, enhance transparency, ensure supplier autonomy, employ micro-manufacturing contexts and support self-sustaining local economies. reimagining denim design roles highlights the importance of redefining the responsibilities of denim designers within the context of manufacturing, embracing a holistic, creative and multidisciplinary approach that integrates sustainability considerations into the design process. effective communication with consumers is crucial for successfully utilising 3d weaving practices in the denim industry in alternative fashion models of implementation in a transparent and informative manner to raise awareness, educate consumers about sustainable choices and enable higher trust in the sustainable information conveyed. we elaborate on each critical component and its sub-elements in the next section. 60 industry-led change (1): the need for industry-led, collaborative measures through the literature research and the interviews conducted in this study, it was found that overall, consumers need to recognise fashion as a practical and meaningful necessity rather than objects of short-lived pleasure (allwood et al., 2006; niinimäki et al., 2020). however, relying solely on changing consumer behaviour through sustainability narratives to disrupt the fast fashion ecosystem was found to be insufficient. an example is the prevalence of unverified sustainability claims by many brands, which has resulted in greenwashing practices and, subsequently, consumer scepticism (marrucci et al., 2021). the findings of the expert interviews match this connotation. another finding from the expert interviews is that most consumers are currently not inclined to pay a higher price for sustainable garments, as stated by the denim mill diamond denim by sapphire, the denim designers from endrime and wrangler and the blackhorse lane ateliers owners. the study reaffirmed that consumers cannot be easily categorised, and even those with a higher perception of sustainable awareness can find themselves making consumption choices based on price rather than sustainability considerations, pointing to a value–action gap (mcdonald et al., 2012). similarly, niinimäki (2010) suggests that the abundance of cheap clothing deters consumers from buying pricier options, while misaligned expectations around eco-fashion between brands, designers and consumers may also contribute to this gap. the interviews with industry experts revealed that consumers are not solely responsible for driving demand in the fashion industry. fashion brands play a pivotal role by constantly fuelling the market for new cycles and seasonal trends, resulting in mass-produced and overstocked items, with marketing techniques employed to stimulate the psychological needs of the consumer. moreover, mills were found to be highly responsive to and dependent on the demands of fashion brands, yielding to their influence in every decision they make. this dynamic persists even when mills actively strive to invest in sustainable technology and practices on their own accord. despite their efforts, the ultimate authority lies with brands, exerting significant control over supply chain choices and operations. while brands retain significant control over supply chains, the current study revealed that a small and tightly knit community of modern denim mills and designers associated with established denim brands actively collaborate and are willing to invest in sustainable practices. this level of collaboration within a small community is unique in the textile industry and present behind the most globally spread fashion staple. by leveraging this collaborative mindset and the shared commitment to sustainability among this group of modern denim mills and designers, innovative approaches and alternative models for denim can be explored. relocalisation (2a): de-growth globalisation often leads to a decrease in centralised manufacturing clusters as labour-intensive processes are outsourced to various subcontracting chains in countries with lower associated costs, resulting in a dispersion of economic activities. the resulting problems, such as overproduction, transparency, unregulated work environments, cultural appropriation and a high distribution footprint in garments, show the need for localising supply chains. while some advocate the concept of “de-growth” as a beneficial solution for the environment, it may not provide practical strategies 61 for redefining the fashion industry. the interviews with industry professionals showed that the notion of de-growth fails to motivate proactive measures towards change. this is due to the perceived absence of clear benefits, with many believing it would ultimately result in diminished business opportunities. it was also clear that any incentive implemented is recommended not to undermine the powerful hedonistic and psychological enjoyment derived from fashion at the consumer end (environmental audit committee, 2019). hence, a more favourable approach would involve considering the relocalisation of structures across the globe, forming new self-sustaining economic ecosystems. this argument suggests that future leading fashion brands could proactively optimise the value chain by focusing on two key aspects: nearshoring and automation. relocalisation (2b): micro-manufacturing, on-demand production and autonomy through locality the interviews conducted with the denim mills and a 3d weaving expert also revealed that apart from facilitating the exploration of innovative production methods, 3d weaving has the potential to support process automation in micro-manufacturing contexts. by consolidating multiple steps in traditional supply chains, such as weaving, cutting and sewing, into a single process (i.e. a highly reduced number of steps), 3d weaving could serve as an example of localised innovation hubs that integrate design and manufacturing. this aligns with mcquillan’s (2020) approach to zero-waste system design in a similar context. moreover, local material opportunities could be explored. by bringing users, makers and the production process closer while integrating their values, a stronger symbolic bond could be formed between garments and consumers, potentially leading to a desirable shift in consumer behaviour, such as extended garment use (mcquillan et al., 2018). accordingly, exploring how 3d weaving could enable on-demand approaches in local contexts and establishing a system for user participation could be valuable. it is important to note that 3d weaving alone may not provide a comprehensive solution for system change, relocalisation and user involvement, but it could serve as an initial case example, potentially initiating a catalysing effect in the broader industry. the blackhorse lane ateliers, operating as a smaller-scale, locally based denim mill in london, has demonstrated that more significant control over the supply chain can be achieved within this locality. notably, their recent adoption of tonello’s ozone and laser machines and their autonomy in fabric selection highlight independence from their client brands’ influence. relocalisation (2c): ethics while reshoring outsourced manufacturing may seem promising, it carries ethical risks. bringing production back without careful planning could harm overseas businesses and workers, endangering their livelihoods. although retraining programmes are suggested, it remains unclear who will hold responsibility, what they would include or which markets workers could be retrained for. additionally, “rebuilding” can be misleading, as many former industrial districts no longer exist, requiring new supply chains to be created from scratch. instead of abruptly withdrawing from existing arrangements, a collaborative approach involving knowledge transfer and partnerships with overseas mills could be pursued. cultivating immaterial resources such as knowledge, design, information and logistics could stimulate and prevent the decline of traditional manufacturing industries in industrial districts and help form new economic, decentralised models. 62 reimagining denim design roles (3a): 3d cad modelling and reconnecting design and manufacturing in recent times, denim designers have become increasingly aware of the rising prominence of emerging 3d software, which offers notable cost-effectiveness and creative freedom. they acknowledge that this development will likely change their work methodologies significantly. anticipated shifts in priorities and company initiatives are already on the horizon. the use of 3d prototypes will redefine the sampling process. furthermore, brands are expected to redirect their attention towards core products and embrace the concept of capsule collections, emphasising ondemand, true-to-size production. incorporating 3d weaving as part of currently evolving design roles can be seen as an opportunity within the denim industry, as it coincides with emerging perspectives. however, denim designers have highlighted the challenges of adapting to new tools, innovative manufacturing methods and 3d prototyping, especially when there is a significant disconnect from the production process. traditionally, denim design has been relatively detached from manufacturing, suggesting a need for future integration. a report addressing the reshoring of supply chains to the uk, co-authored by one of the interview participants, calls for the establishment of open-access labs, living labs and networked collaborative manufacturing models (postlethwaite et al., 2022). these initiatives could provide the necessary upskilling opportunities to meet the challenges of a forward-looking industry. establishing such models could provide a platform for further exploring methods like 3d weaving in the context of automation, efficient 3d prototyping, on-demand production and accurate sizing requirements. reimagining denim design roles (3b): education reorganisation there is increasing recognition that educational restructuring is necessary to keep pace with the evolving role of denim design. in the uk, universities and prominent denim designers have acknowledged this need and are actively promoting the challenge of redesigning education by introducing integrated master’s programmes tailored to this purpose. the significance of educational restructuring is evident in other instances, such as fashion designers pursuing double major programmes to cultivate cross-disciplinary skills and drive innovation (faerm, 2018). the university of leeds has provided another notable example of educational involvement in fashion design through the establishment of a collaborative research centre dedicated to 3d weaving, supported by the european regional development fund (university of leeds, 2023). weffan, a 3d weaving expert interviewed in this study, has previously partnered with this centre. in the netherlands, the team of innovative fashion design researchers is growing in the context of industrial design engineering. for the dutch denim and fashion market, this notion could be an opportunity for similarly partnering industry and education with the innovation centre of leeds. the success of a denim designer extends beyond technical skills. it is crucial for students and established designers to join transdisciplinary programmes that offer a strategic balance between building new skills, integrative design manufacturing methods and unique storytelling. this equilibrium between the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ enables future denim designers to effectively translate societal trends and emotional values into fashion design trends in alignment with the evolving nature of the industry (faerm, 2018). 63 consumer communication (4a): communication strategies reliable communication is crucial to support consumer understanding and the acceptance of new sustainable products and models. in this study, the literature findings and interviews with industry experts further reestablished this topic of importance. there is limited knowledge regarding the precise reporting and communication of sustainability efforts within fashion brands (watanatada & mak, 2011; yan et al., 2010). this scarcity of knowledge is compounded by the lack of a standardised definition of sustainability at the eu level (marrucci et al., 2021). furthermore, chan and wong (2012) suggest that fashion consumers are often unfamiliar with the availability of sustainable fashion, indicating the need for relevant information to be easily accessible. without sustainability knowledge, many people still rely on environmental messages by fashion brands regarding this topic at the time of purchase (teona et al., 2019). consequently, with the upcoming eu-wide green claim directive (european parliament, 2023) prohibiting misleading environmental claims, attention could shift to developing effective communication strategies. consumer communication (4b): ‘just zero waste’ is insufficient sustainability information about 3d woven garments needs to encompass material choices, origin, chemical usage and labour practices to build consumer trust. as many industry and user participants reported, consumer scepticism may stem from awareness of greenwashing. trust erodes when a brand’s sustainability claims conflict with its actual practices, leading to perceptions that sustainability efforts are merely reactive to consumer demand (ellen et al., 2006). regarding 3d woven denim, collaborating with value-driven brand partners and ensuring full transparency across the supply chain is crucial. consumer communication (4c): economic factors consumers can be willing to pay more for well-supported sustainable garments but may still resist excessively unreasonable prices, as noted in the literature and in the industry discussions with diamond denim by sapphire and blackhorse lane ateliers (chan & wong, 2012). beyond affordability, sustainable products can gain value through design and quality (camacho-otero et al., 2019). a favourable combination of low price and appealing design might lead to a preference for garments that reflect sustainable fashion attributes but are in fact not sustainable. however, the latter indicates a strength of 3d woven garments, forming a distinct product category due to their unique visual appearance compared to traditional denim, making them not easily replaceable. some consumers seek to construct an ethical identity, fulfilling psychological needs and a desire for self-expression. consumers perceive an advantage in a socially responsible lifestyle when purchasing branded products they associate with sustainable activities (niinimäki, 2010). this suggests that the unique visual appeal of a 3d woven garment could be effectively combined with a compelling and transparent sustainability narrative. however, this sustainable narrative needs to address all life cycle stages – from design decisions to garment disposal. making consumers part of the decisionmaking process by bringing them closer to the origin of their garments through local production and adapting marketing content to be informative and educational in terms of sustainability could help build stronger relationships between stakeholders and begin to encourage responsible consumption habits. 64 these findings represent important considerations for the industry as a whole and demonstrate how techniques can contribute to systemic change. exemplifying an alternative fashion ecosystem through 3d weaving denim to showcase the transformative potential of innovative design manufacturing techniques, the findings have been translated into the design of an alternative, local fashion ecosystem for 3d woven denim situated in the netherlands. central to this design is the idea of new forms of collaboration, where relevant ecosystem actors find and support one another. figure 5 presents a simplified overview of these actors, where 3d weaving serves as the focal point of the local research lab. the stakeholders displayed include governmental and non-governmental actors, educational institutions, denim brands and denim suppliers. figure 5: simplified collaborative ecosystem structure to foster pathways to alternative fashion ecosystems. to turn vision into action, ecosystem actors need access to the strategies required to navigate the complexities of redesigning the fashion industry. an essential first step is identifying other stakeholders within the local context to be explored and within the broader industry. engaging in dialogue with stakeholders through immersive fieldwork, where both systemic change and perceptions of the innovative technique are addressed, will enable the identification of critical components for transformative leveraging. 65 in this novel ecosystem, only small-scale, fully transparent and vertical production (from spinning to final garment) takes place, adhering to the highest sustainable production standards at every production step. the concept reflects considerations of material, environmental, financial, technical, ethical, communicative, consumer, educational, governmental, business and circular aspects. through the collaboration, denim brands are granted access to the distinctive 3d weaving technique under certain conditions, incentivising them to pursue and drive local, sustainable and transparent practices. however, the ecosystem could serve as a starting point for brands to adopt holistic approaches encompassing various operations, catalysing forward-thinking and localised design strategies beyond 3d woven denim as a singular product category. to clarify the actions needed to establish the collaborative ecosystem structure, the design includes a comprehensive road map with specific, actionable steps1. this road map guides actors through the actions of co-creating a 3d woven denim ecosystem dispersed on a timeline, highlighting practical aspects such as funding, branding, retail, certification, knowledge partnerships and consumer communication. an additional overview further specifies the responsibilities of each ecosystem actor2. this road map offers resources to help stakeholders define roles and collaborate in leveraging innovative techniques to reimagine the industry, serving as a pioneering example rather than a universal blueprint. conclusions and recommendations the current work explores leveraging emerging fashion design manufacturing techniques to shape novel and sustainable fashion ecosystems. in recognition of the adverse environmental and social effects of modern fashion production, we underscore such techniques’ broader significance beyond technical innovation in driving meaningful transformation. this study combines empirical research from the denim industry with a review of the literature to identify four key components for implementing innovative fashion models. the work focuses on the niche technique of 3d weaving as an exemplary case for addressing the industry’s prevailing challenges through its zero-waste, on-demand and local production capabilities, fundamentally challenging traditional denim design practices and enabling reimagining of supply chains. the findings inform the creation of an exemplary local, sustainable and collaborative fashion ecosystem centred around 3d woven denim in the netherlands, as part of a broader study exploring additional vital aspects of developing alternative fashion ecosystems. given the limitations within the timeframe of the current research, it is advisable to expand the scope of investigation by exploring local contexts beyond the dutch market, incorporating diverse geographic, political, socioeconomic and cultural considerations. future research could delve deeper into establishing knowledge exchange partnerships with current fashion suppliers to facilitate an ethical transition towards localised and self-sustaining ecosystems worldwide. furthermore, exploring alternative economic models for driving industry-led change that depart from the current capitalist system might offer more unconventional solutions to sustainability concerns beyond relying on new product creation, profitability and reputation. additionally, testing on-demand production models locally can yield insights into personalised, made-to-measure principles and 66 enhance consumer engagement, fostering stronger emotional connections to garments. further exploration of 3d woven zero-waste design opportunities in textile industries outside denim or fashion, such as architectural and automotive textiles, is also recommended. existing knowledge about resource and energy usage in denim production – for instance due to high transport footprints, commonly used materials and resource-intensive supply chain steps – highlights the need to reconsider production methods. 3d weaving could serve as a less energyintensive option by preventing unnecessary fabric production, reducing the number of supply chain steps and facilitating local production. however, we recommend conducting a lifecycle assessment (lca) in the future to compare the two approaches. we demonstrate how fashion ecosystems can emerge by integrating novel techniques within local, on-demand and collaborative contexts to reduce preand post-consumer waste while enabling small-scale sustainable fashion production infrastructures close to consumers. with elaborate critical considerations and an exemplary design 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(2020). innovating with social justice: anti-oppressive social work design framework. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 65-77. 66 innovating with social justice: anti-oppressive social work design framework aakanksha sinhaa adepartment of social work, seattle university, usa. sinhaaa@seattleu.edu abstract the world is experiencing myriad social, economic and political challenges that have exasperated inequities across communities. while there have been significant efforts to respond to the challenges, dwindling funds, hierarchical organizational structures, and an over-reliance on traditional methodologies have impacted the ability to create systemic changes. these limitations have paved the way for social innovation to create novel ideas to address social issues. innovation has predominantly come from the field of business, engineering, design and public policy. surprisingly, social work, with a professional mandate of advocating for social change and uplifting the voices of communities has made limited contributions to the field of social innovation. this paper introduces anti-oppressive social work design (aoswd) framework, which integrates the principles of anti-oppressive social work practice and a design method, humancentred design (hcd). it explains how social workers can use aoswd to develop collaborative power through empathy-building, co-creation and integrated feedback. through the establishment of collaborative power, it explains how the role of hcd can be expanded from an approach to develop userfriendly programs, to a tool for social workers to create a change in thinking in how they view and tackle complex issues. a case example of its implementation in a non-profit organization in seattle, wa has been provided. the paper has implications for social service professionals in the areas of training, organizational design, research and evaluation. keywords: social innovation, human-centred design, social justice, social work, anti-oppressive practice, design thinking background the 21st century has witnessed a myriad social, economic and political challenges that have exasperated the inequities across the world. while governments, corporations, social service organizations, and grassroots movements have been responding to the challenges, dwindling funds, hierarchical organizational structures, and an over-reliance on traditional methodologies have impacted the ability to create systemic changes. these limitations have paved the way for social innovation to create novel ideas and processes that address social issues and improve the quality of human life at the micro and macro levels (pol & ville, 2009). predominantly, the professions of business, engineering, design and public policy have been instrumental in leading the efforts related to social innovation (brock & steiner, 2009; mirabella & young, 2012). as a result, the innovations to challenge societal issues have been influenced by their professional values, skillsets as well as goals. despite a rich history of responding to complex social problems through innovative practices, social work has made limited contributions to the field of social innovation. over the years, the practice of social work has transformed into a medium to deliver individualized services to ensure the well-being of individuals, families and communities rather than confronting social inequities (clifford & burke, 2009). additionally, social work practice overwhelmingly emphasizes the use of evidence-based practices and authority-based models as primary solution mechanisms within the profession. these models are developed with 67 assumptions of a linear path from problem definition to an analysis of options and development of solutions for the client. however, this process is contradictory to the realities of the environment in which social workers and their clients operate, which are often ill-structured and complex. although the traditional and dominant methods gave have aimed to support communities that are marginalized, they have often left them disempowered, and unable to break away from the cycle of oppression and inequities. with the increased acknowledgement of the role of systemic inequities as a determinant of sustained positive social change, social workers across the world have been working towards developing and incorporating new ways of approaching existing problems. anti-oppressive practice (aop) framework has been one of the ways that the social work profession has been actively integrating social justice concepts within the practice, policy and research realms. dominelli (1994; 1996) has defined aop as a framework that addresses the role of social and structural inequities in the problems faced by clients and the solutions developed to address them. this shifts the focus from individualizing problems towards addressing the deep-rooted structural factors. aop embodies a person-centred philosophy; an egalitarian value system concerned with reducing the deleterious effects of structural inequalities upon people’s lives; a methodology focusing on both processes and outcomes; and a way of structuring relationships between individuals that aims to empower users by reducing negative effects of structural hierarchies on their interaction and the work that they do together (dominelli, 1994, p. 3). while many social workers support this approach to incorporate social justice values, there is limited evidence of how it can be tangibly used within their day to day practice. the framework of aop closely aligns with the values of human-centred design (hcd) which is a design and management framework that uses analytic and creative processes to engage people in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback and redesign (razzouk & shute, 2012). design thinking gives prime importance to the inclusion of citizens or end-users to define the problem, and develop solutions. specifically, it emphasizes the need to work collaboratively and iteratively to ensure that all stakeholders can work together to bridge gaps in each-others learnings and create client-focused solutions (mintrom & luetjens, 2016). the origins of hcd can be traced back to the works of innovative architects, and designers in the early 20th century. herbert a. simon and buckminster fuller were instrumental in introducing the idea of centring the experiences and challenges of service users when developing products and services. simon (1969) in his pioneering work “the sciences of artificial”, emphasized the need for all professions to learn how to iterate, test and incrementally improve design to best meet the needs of the clients as well as experience the world more richly. horst and webber (1973) in their work “dilemmas in a general theory of planning” for the first time introduced the idea of design thinking as a tool to understand and solve social problems. they suggested that the solutions for social problems lie in the use of hcd framework that emphasizes on developing deep empathy with the clients and their context. this not only helps to better define the problem itself but also opens the possibility of finding solutions that are more effective, sustainable and aligns with the needs of the people being impacted. in recent decades, hcd has gained significant momentum in developing creative solutions that focus on a diverse set of social issues through various global and national organizations. for example, ideo, a global design company was one of the first organizations that used hcd to tackle social issues that impacted communities at large. they have created myriad tools and processes that have focused on the importance of client voices in the development of solutions. till date, they have leveraged this model to create clientcentred solutions in areas such as waste, emergency disasters, literacy, and health amongst others (ideo, 2020). united nations children’s fund (unicef), has established an office of innovation that systematically 68 integrates hcd principles in all aspects of country-level work that is done by unicef staff, and grassroots workers. this includes situational analysis, development of insights that inform country programs, designing of inclusive and scalable models across various sectors, and participatory evaluation of the progress of country-level programs (unicef, 2016). this has helped unicef to develop country and community-specific child-centred programming to tackle problems such as malnutrition, illiteracy, pregnancy-related complications, amongst others (malan & newberry, 2019). while this framework has helped larger organizations, it remains largely untapped by local organizations, and social movements that are accountable for responding to individual and community level needs regularly. this can be attributed to being inundated by large caseloads, and limited financial and human resources, social workers are often unable to have the capacity to think innovatively. by having a structured way to enable social innovation and entrepreneurship within their organizational settings, social workers can build on social capital, knowledge and experience of existing organizations as well as leverage the resources within the community. additionally, they can also use these frameworks for efforts that take place outside formal organizations, such as grassroots movements, community advocacy etc. this paper introduces social workers to the anti-oppressive social work design (aoswd) framework, which integrates the values of aop within the three phases of hcd (inspiration, ideation and implementation), and provides an alternative lens that can inform how social workers view and tackle complex social issues. anti-oppressive social work design framework (aoswd) till date, the hcd framework has predominantly been used to create solutions that are focused on efficacy related to aesthetics, composition, usability and other technicalities (buchanan, 2001). the term “humancentred” has therefore been defined to centre clients in the design process to ensure that the programs developed can be easily adapted by the target communities. however, upon using an aop lens, one can interpret “human-centred” to advance human rights and dignity. by doing so, social workers can use hcd to evaluate how the services developed are positively or negatively impacting the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of people that they are designed for. the aoswd framework by integrating aop and hcd approach empowers social workers to explore ways to pave the way for socially-just innovation. here the focus is not only to create user-friendly programs but also dismantling oppressive systems that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. additionally, it contributes towards berzin and pitt-catsouphes (2014) efforts to expand the concept of social innovation to focus on the social justice element within outcomes. it also recognizes that social innovation can take place in multiple ways, including entrepreneurial efforts by individuals, organizational change through intrapreneurship as well as a combination of the two through partnerships between organizations and communities (berzin & pitts-catsouphes, 2014; berzin & camarena, 2018). specifically, the aoswd framework embeds values of critical self-reflection, understanding the socio-cultural political and economic context, and establishing trusting relationships within the three hcd phases of inspiration, ideation and implementation. by doing so, it provides social workers with a way to use their professional values and existent skills to innovate by transforming the way we examine problems, the structure of organizations within which social workers function, and programs that have an objective to uplift the rights and dignity of our clients. 69 figure 1: anti-oppressive social work design framework. figure 1 displays the aoswd framework. this framework operates within the larger hcd process, which includes the 3 phases of inspiration (data gathering), ideation (solution development) and implementation (solution execution). the first phase, inspiration, is primarily focused on developing deep empathy with the clients. the second phase, ideation, is aimed to consolidate and analyse the information gathered from clients, and develop a range of potential solutions for the identified challenge. the third phase, implementation, focuses on two aspects, that is, execution of the prototypes and evaluating their effectiveness. in this phase, a few high-fidelity solutions are implemented cost-effectively and rapidly. also, feedback from all stakeholders is gathered to evaluate the efficacy of the various prototypes. each of these phases is bi-directional and interconnected, thus indicating the fluidity and dynamic nature of hcd framework. additionally, both ideation and implementation phases are mediated through inspiration, thus emphasizing the importance of centring the voices of the clients, and the consistent integration of their experiences in the design process. the aoswd framework hypothesizes that the hcd process can only be an effective way to innovate within the social work profession if collaborative power between the service providers and clients is established in all three phases. collaborative power can be defined as a collective action and mutual support that is developed out of a shared understanding of the reality in which we operate (pinderhughes, 2017). this departs from the predominant way in which power is often understood and used in social service agencies, especially when working with marginalized communities. pinderhughes (2017) highlights that power is commonly defined as having enough control over forces affecting life to meet individual and group needs, secure necessary resources, and bring desired goals. in the social service arena, this power is often used to exert authority and make decisions on behalf of the clients. providers often use top-down measures to protect and provide for communities they serve, thus excluding them from actively participating in their change process. fitzsimons and fuller (2002), pinderhughes (2017), romney (2005), and tew (2006) have emphasized that building power with clients, allows a shift in entrenched identities of the service provider as the controller of resources and the client as the passive recipient. it, therefore, opens opportunities for all participants to be included in the process of social change. the aoswd framework indicates that to 70 build collaborative power between the client and service provider, the process of social change has to include (i) understanding of the socio-political, cultural and economic context of the client, (ii) ability of the social worker to critically self-reflect and (iii) developing trusting relationships between the client and social worker (figure 1). within the hcd framework, this collaborative power between social workers and clients can be established through (i) empathy building at the inspiration phase, (ii) co-creation at the ideation phase and (iii) integrating feedback at the implementation phase. phase 1 inspiration: empathy building “empathy-building” in the aoswd framework is a process imperative to develop deep relationships between the client and service provider, and a way to assess the systematic marginalization of communities that social workers serve (bennett & rosner, 2019; morgaine & capous-desyllus, 2015). typically, empathy can be defined to understand and respond to the emotional state and ideas of another person (barker, 2003). however, within the context of aoswd, empathy-building entails a detailed understanding of not only the individual but also the structural inequities faced by them. according to segal (2011) and berzin and pitt-catsouphes (2014), by understanding the complex social conditions and experiences of others, it promotes innovation that challenges poverty, discrimination and inequity. within this phase, empathy can be developed during (i) rapport building process with the clients, (ii) exploration of client challenges, and (iii) assessment of systemic causes of the identified challenges. the empathy-building process will foster deep relationships between the social worker and client, thus paving the way for collaborative innovation to create social change. cultivating empathy will require social workers to engage in critical self-reflection, and use assessment measures that shift the focus from individual blame to structural inequities. by integrating reflexivity, social workers are less likely to impose their biases and assumptions on the clients. this, in turn, improves their skills to understand client’s experiences and to contextualize it within the socio-political, cultural and economic environment within which the individual, family or community operates. phase 2 ideation: co-creation co-creation within the aoswd framework refers to the process of developing services and programs by dismantling the hierarchical power dynamics between the service provider and clients. this process embraces the values of social workers as being embedded in the community and dedicated to bringing change through the involvement of various stakeholders rather than in an isolated fashion. additionally, it recognizes that to create an effective solution that applies to the target community, the process of program design has to be inclusive of their views right from the time of conceptualization of the problem to the implementation of the solution. this is different from the widely used ebp model, which has been lauded as the gold standard for effective programs, but at the same time has been critiqued for its lack of effectiveness in marginalized communities (sinha et al, 2020). one of the major limitations of the ebp model is that while marginalized communities are included in the feasibility tests, they are often excluded in the conceptualization of the program or intervention, and are therefore not designed to address their unique challenges. martinez et al. (2010) have suggested that for ebp to be effective in a minority or marginalized communities, the knowledge and experiences of community members should be included when designing interventions. the co-creation process through systematic integration of voices of the community departs from the focus on social workers as controllers of resources, and decision-makers on behalf of the clients. it provides clients and social workers a platform to collaborate and develop ideas that contribute to a common mission of social change (sinha, 2020). this not only reduces distrust regarding the social workers and social service 71 agencies but also leads to an increased buy-in from clients to advocate for change for themselves as well as their community. phase 3 implementation: integration of feedback integration of feedback from clients in the aoswd framework is imperative to develop programs that target the complex and dynamic realities of marginalized communities. in most social service settings, the feedback from clients is gathered to evaluate the effectiveness of a program after it has been fully implemented. this method of gathering feedback assumes that the social programs operate in a static environment, and cannot be iterated to meet the changing needs of the clients. additionally, the feedback has been viewed to determine whether a program should be continued or not, rather than assessing how it can be improved to make it more responsive to the needs of the clients (hasenfeld, et al.,2004). the integration of feedback within the aoswd framework, recognizes the dynamic social, political and economic context in which the social workers and their clients operate. it highlights that to create effective programs, there is a need to systematically integrate continuous feedback of clients so that the programs can align with their changing needs and realities. in addition to this, the aoswd framework within the inspiration phase highlights an essential ethical principle of social work, which is to respect the inherent dignity and value of the clients (nasw, 1996). by acknowledging, and incorporating the feedback of the clients as a method to improve services, the social workers and agencies take a step forward to value them as equal partners in the process of social change. the collaborative power in this phase will therefore enable social workers to test the novel ideas, critically assess their effectiveness and iterate programs to align with the complex nature of client realities. the next section provides an example of how aoswd framework was used to develop a community social council, aimed at empowering the voices of residents living in affordable housing units managed by community roots housing (crh) in seattle, wa. aoswd in practice: a case of community roots housing community roots housing is a corporation established in 1976 that owns and manages 48 properties throughout the seattle area (community roots housing, 2020). it currently provides safe and affordable housing to more than 2000 residents from a variety of income levels. the residents include individuals and, families who are transitioning from homelessness, single parents and their children, seniors with limited incomes, and recent immigrants. as a public development authority (pda) and community development corporation (cdc), it is committed to providing programs, services and activities to promote and support community engagement. this service is carried out by the resident services program unit within the organization. to ensure that the services are better aligned with the needs of the residents, a redesign process to develop a community-informed residential services program was conducted. the objective of this process to develop a framework to integrate client voice throughout the process of program design, development and implementation. thus, improving community roots housing’s ability to clearly define the needs clients, and create nuanced solutions that integrate the values of dignity, autonomy, equality and solidarity (mintrom & luietjens, 2016; sarmiento-pelayo, 2015). methods the redesign process utilized the aosdw framework to create deep empathy between the community roots housing staff and the residents, with an ultimate objective of creating a community-informed 72 resident services program. to inform this process, a mixed-methods needs assessment was conducted to gather information regarding their living conditions, challenges and strengths. to gather quantitative data, a survey was sent to residents in all 46 buildings managed by community roots housing. the survey was completed by 373 residents and provided information on (i) demographics, (ii) assessment of the current housing, (iii) assessment of basic needs, (iv) and community residential engagement needs. in addition to this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 residents to gather information about residents’ beliefs regarding their wellbeing, living situation, and community engagement. the information gathered increased the understanding of the lived experiences of the residents, which was an imperative step in the empathy-building stage. the research yielded significant insights about the prioritization of needs, barriers in the utilization of resources offered, the importance of community trust and gaps in understanding between service providers and clients. to ensure that the information was systematically integrated into the co-creation process, the research results were used to develop “personas” (figure 2). three personas of residents were developed to highlight the key opportunities and challenges that emerged from the results. in addition to this, a word cloud was also developed to communicate the prioritized needs and challenges of the residents. both tools were used to ensure that the participants in the co-creating process had a holistic understanding of the context of the challenges and strengths of the clients. figure 2: community roots housing resident persona. co-creation process the design team consisted of 14 participants: 5 resident services program staff, 1 research assistant, 1 facilitator, and 7 resident representatives from 5 distinct buildings. they engaged in two 5-hour design sessions to review the needs assessment results and, personas which were direct reflections of the challenges and successes of many residents. the empathy-building phase was therefore focused on discovering the underlying systemic issues within the research results. this helped all participants gain a mutual understanding of the social, political, economic and cultural context in which the residents and community roots housing function. it also prompted the staff to critically reflect on their biases regarding w hat dasha needs for her wellbeing. some of the things that dasha believed were crucial to her wellbeing particularly related to her living situation included: 1. feeling of safety 2. better cleanliness of laundry and common areas 3. sense of belonging/ community 4. safe play area for her child how does she feel crh can support her. dasha has a lot going on in her life and feels like she cannot commit to building a community, unless her basic needs are taken care of. she is not particularly interested in events, because she usually has long days and then is taking care of her child. she is thankful for her housing situation, but would like to have a cleaner and safer environment for herself and her child. as a new resident she believes it would be great to know what is going on in the building, and how residents can use their own skills/ strengths to support each other. meet dasha dasha’s experience living in a crh managed building dasha moved to a crh managed building a year ago. she was happy to move to a place that was more spacious and was conveniently located. she says “its not fancy but at least its close to where i work, where i study and its easier to get places with my kid”. dasha indicates that her overall experience has been very positive, however is is never able to meet any one in person because she works or has to be in school during the day. if there was a way to get more “face to face” time it would be helpful, than to send emails and have no personal connection. dasha would love to have more supports available to her and her child. she did not think that was the role of the management property, and was pleasantly surprised to hear about the resident services“i had no idea that a service like this was available. if this is true i would like to meet them and figure out how i can get help for legal concerns and child care”. residential services according to dasha can play a pivotal role as a ”connector” and a “builder of community”. she wishes there was readily available information about the residential services and how it connects to the larger chh management – “i didn’t know the management people are different from the residential services people”. age:34 years gender: female race & ethnicity: african american profession: mom & student languages spoken: english, arabic, amharic household incom e: <$20,000 length of stay in crh : 0-2 years 73 the residents, thus assessing the appropriateness of services offered. this phase led to the development of three main criteria that drove the development of potential solutions for the overarching objective of “how might we reimagine the residential services program to empower residents to feel more valued and heard in their living community?”. the three criteria included: 1) programs or services should be directed towards making residents feel included and valued in the community, 2) clear communication between the staff and residents to increase accountability, and 3) resident leadership to integrate community strengths and interests within programs offered. the participants engaged in the co-creation phase by creating a minimum of three actionable ideas that would incorporate all three criteria. to ensure collaboration between staff and residents, the participants were divided into three groups, such that, each included at least 1 staff member and 2 residents. a total of 9 actionable ideas were created. all 9 ideas were presented to the full design team. along with the description of the idea, the residents and staff from each team discussed the feasibility and, impact from an organization and client perspective. each participant was asked to vote for 1-2 ideas that they believed would be the most effective. all participants unanimously chose one idea, that they believed would empower the residents and, bridge the gap between the management and clients. this idea focused on developing a resident council that would integrate resident voices in all decisions regarding types of services needed, effective implementation of programs, and creating community identity. the residents, staff and facilitators collaborated to improvise and finalize the concept. the final prototype “resident leadership council”, was assessed against the three design criteria and the overall objective of the design process, that is, empowering residents to feel more valued and heard in their living community. upon this assessment, three changes were made that integrated the complex realities of the residents and community roots housing. firstly, the name of the council was changed to “resident social council” to ensure that a hierarchical power dynamic does not arise between resident leaders and the larger resident community. second, all council members and staff would be required to attend antibullying, conflict resolution training, to ensure that they can develop skills to successfully navigate challenging conversations with residents and staff. lastly, a list of feasibility criteria was established to ensure that the council had buy-in and financial support from community roots housing. outcomes for community roots housing the use of the aoswd framework ensured that the residents’ voices were centred throughout the process of the needs assessment, analysis of results, and development of the final product, that is, the resident social council. by building empathy with the clients keeping in mind, their social, political, economic and cultural context, staff were able to critically reflect on the efficacy of current programs. additionally, staff recognized their bias as service providers in assuming the needs and wants of residents. on the other hand, clients had an opportunity to learn about the complex realities of organizations and barriers in developing client-centred programs. by developing a sense of trust, both, clients and staff were able to collaborate to develop a program that would not only integrate the opinions of clients but would also be cost-effective and sustainable for the organization itself. implications for the social services profession the aoswd framework, embodying the true essence of the social work profession which is rooted in social justice; attempts to provide social workers with a tangible way in which they can integrate their professional principles with that of innovation. it also attempts to expand the scope of social workers to be innovators, intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs that partner with their clients to develop ideas that meet immediate needs effectively as well as works towards structural reform. this can further strengthen the 74 overall field of innovation, by prioritizing the core values of service to others, advocating for social justice, recognizing the dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity and trustworthiness, and professional competence. it can therefore redefine social innovation to be focused on uplifting human rights and dignity rather than solely developing solutions to meet the immediate needs of their clients. this framework can be integrated by social workers and other social service professionals in three specific areas (i) professional training of professionals, (ii) service delivery and evaluation by small to medium non-profits, and (iii) assessment of needs and assets. to tackle the grand challenges that are being experienced by our society, social workers should be trained in skills that build their capacity to think and act innovatively. currently, social innovation curriculum is mostly housed in management and design schools. recently, some social work programs across the globe have introduced courses to train students in social innovation (e.g. social work programs in boston college, boston university, san diego state university, university of denver, and the university of toronto amongst others). however, they seldom integrate social justice principles within the curriculum and do not apply to the social service settings in which most of the social workers will be placed. the aoswd framework provides an opportunity for educators to expand the training in innovation principles to all social service professionals while prioritizing values of social justice. faculty teaching social work courses can integrate the aoswd framework as a theoretical lens for assessing case studies, conducting needs assessments, and analysing the effectiveness of solutions. additionally, the framework can also be used as a way to develop specific skills, such as (i) assessing client problems within their context, (ii) collaborating to create solutions that are feasible, sustainable and account for the multidimensional nature of human problems, and (iii) critically reflecting on their positionality as service providers and its influence on the programs created. aoswd framework is a beneficial tool for small to medium size non-profits that are often limited in their resource capacity. the aoswd framework can be used as a cost-effective organization tool to help service providers (i) assess the alignment of their programs with values of equity and anti-oppression, (ii) redesign services, programs and policies to ensure that they are reflective of the needs of the clients, and (iii) prioritize services to leverage community strengths thus making it more cost-effective and sustainable. the framework can also be used by social scientists to integrate social justice values in the development and analysis of empirical knowledge. this is particularly useful for community-based researchers and evaluators that are often assessing the needs and assets of communities, as well as the effectiveness of services provided. by using aoswd lens the research process can systematically integrate the recognition of the power of communities, focus on emancipation and can be action-oriented (lather, 1986; parada & wehbi, 2017; strega & brown, 2015); thus, integrating and centring the client’s problems and context. conclusion and way forward social workers and other helping professionals, similar to designers have the power to impact people’s lives in a very significant manner. an oppressive service, policy or product can have a long-lasting negative effect on the lives of the people that use it, as well as the larger community. in the same way, a program or policy that systematically incorporates social justice values can empower communities and improve their overall quality of life. this paper provides one of the first frameworks of how the professional values and skillsets of designers and social workers can be leveraged to create socially just, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for marginalized and vulnerable communities. to ensure that the efficacy of this framework can be measured, it should be implemented in diverse settings, including skill training, organization development, program design and evaluation. by doing so, social workers and other social service professionals can develop flexible ways to use the framework to benefit the communities they work with. 75 references barker, r.l. 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(2017). catalyzing innovation in social work practice. research on social work practice, 27(2), 134-138. unicef (2016). human-centred design: accelerating results for every child by design. retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/innovation/media/5456/file 23 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. the decentralisation of fashion education in northeast england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry gayle cantrell, jennifer barrett, lynne hugill, stephen murray, sophie wetherell, berni yates published online: may 2024 to cite this article: cantrell, g., barrett, j., hugill, l., murray, s., wetherell, s., & yates, b. (2024). the decentralisation of fashion education in northeast england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 23-39. 24 the decentralisation of fashion education in northeast england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry gayle cantrella, jennifer barretta, lynne hugillb, stephen murrayb, sophie wetherella, berni yatesc anorthumbria university, newcastle upon tyne, uk. gayle.cantrell@northumbria.ac.uk; jennifer.k.barrett@northumbria.ac.uk; sophie.wetherell@northumbria.ac.uk. bteeside university, middlesborough, uk. l.hugill@tees.ac.uk; s.murray@tees.ac.uk ccentral saint martins, university of the arts london, london, uk. b.yates@csm.arts.ac.uk abstract this article focuses on a collaboration between educators at higher education institutions in the uk, reflecting on fashion education in northeast england and how it is evolving to support and diversify aspirations for the arts outside london. the project is supported by research backed by the british fashion council, aiming to explore regional initiatives to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion and the arts across the uk. this paper demonstrates how examples of this have been implemented through the work of the community education group this is creative enterprise, ual, teesside and northumbria universities, through building pathways from schools to universities and encouraging dialogue between schools, industry, higher education and community groups. case studies demonstrate participatory research projects that encourage responsible engagement with fashion, supporting regional growth, community engagement and a decentralised vision. keywords: decentralisation, fashion, higher education, community, participatory, localism, reuse and repair introduction fashion education in the uk today is facing multiple challenges. on the one hand, a volatile academic landscape, impacted by funding constraints including restrictions to international student visas (adams, 2024) – on the other, an impending “arts apocalypse” in schools, defined by a coalition of arts and education organisations as a “deep, multi-faceted and worsening” crisis (martin, 2024), has resulted in a steep drop in pupils taking arts subjects at gcse and a levels, with fewer students choosing creative subjects at university. the fashion sector itself is renowned for its significant contribution to climate change through unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. it is responsible for between 2% and 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, significantly contributing to pollution and impacting water and biodiversity, as well as social injustices on a global scale (arthur, 2023). fashion education appears to be in crisis – as trend forecaster li edelkoort predicted nine years ago in her anti-fashion manifesto, deeming it “out of society, and de facto … old-fashioned … out of step with a world hungry for consensus and altruism” (edelkoort, 2015, p. 1). despite this, we find room for optimism. the united nations environment programme’s sustainable fashion communication playbook advocates the contribution fashion can make to communities through presenting the challenges faced by the sector as creative opportunities (arthur, 2023). as educators at higher education institutions (heis) located in london and the northeast of england, we are passionate about the value of creative education and the benefits this can bring to local communities. we have set out mailto:gayle.cantrell@northumbria.ac.uk mailto:jennifer.k.barrett@northumbria.ac.uk mailto:sophie.wetherell@northumbria.ac.u mailto:l.hugill@tees.ac.uk mailto:s.murray@tees.ac.uk mailto:b.yates@csm.arts.ac.uk 25 to develop a version of fashion education that reflects and supports regional opportunities and the communities that we engage with to create a responsible and relevant new vision for fashion. decentralisation is defined as “the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers”, and in sociology as “the redistribution of population and industry from urban centers to outlying areas” (merriamwebster, 2024). traditionally, the locus of the fashion industry in the uk has been london, with bodies such as the british fashion council, as well as incubators such as fashion east and the internationally renowned london fashion week based in the city. however, mcrobbie et al. (2023) discuss how london as a global fashion centre has become unsustainable, with rents for home and workspaces out of reach for many and the cost of attending its art and design “super-brand” universities attainable only for those with independent wealth. mcrobbie et al. (2023) call for the decentralisation of fashion culture away from london and the southeast to balance social inequality and vibrant fashion cultures to grow outside the metropolis. according to regional specificity, decentralisation can support a more responsible fashion system that begins with pre-16 education and brings together schools, higher education (he), community groups, small or medium-sized enterprises and industry partners to support growth in local creative industries. amongst the challenges, we see opportunities: students who reject the established fashion system, a growing number of graduates who want to remain in the region, a vibrant enterprise sector, collaborative opportunities with enthusiastic industry and third-sector partners, alternative routes into learning and broader community engagement. we also believe that collaboration between heis regionally and nationally is vital for creating a responsible and sustainable future for fashion. this paper outlines methods we have used to evolve a version of fashion education that creatively addresses decentralisation through providing relevant contemporary educational projects. case studies outline how we have done this through three approaches: increasing accessibility to fashion education through collaboration with schools and community groups; exploiting the considerable potential for future digital fashion in the region, providing opportunities for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds; and encouraging localised and supportive fashion through repair hubs, rebuilding our creative communities through a reuse, recycle and re-loved approach. literature review london is well established as the location for the uk fashion industry, as one of the “big four” capitals – including new york, milan, and paris – due to its long-standing oligarchic power in defining fashion (godart, 2014). the idea of “fashion cities” and “fashion capitals” defines the images and influences the economies of those cities (berry, 2012; breward & gilbert, 2006; godart, 2014). fashion weeks and their ability to attract key industry players emphasise their locations as sites for the switching, transmission, and commercialisation of fashion and design knowledge (brydges & hracs, 2019). london and the southeast constitute 57% of all fashion economic activity in the uk (harris et al., 2021). however, mcrobbie et al. (2023) argue that london is no longer a viable option for those young creatives from working-class backgrounds who would until recently been able to make a significant contribution to the city’s arts and culture. as the “super-brand” universities, such as central st martins, have built state-ofthe-art campuses, the cost of living and working close to them has become further out of reach for low 26 income students. as a result, the fashion industry in the uk, heavily drawn from institutions, retains an increasing inequality and a lack of representation from diverse social groups. mcrobbie et al. (2023) outline key recommendations that would need to be addressed if we are to resolve some of the inequality in the creative industries: free he; access routes from school via youth centres and community groups; and trained and available professionals who can implement access initiatives. they recommend challenging assumptions underpinning the agendas of organisations such as the british fashion council and holding debates around curricula in regional universities’ fashion departments to question ‘the prevailing cultural values that inform professional codes and working practices in fashion” (mcrobbie et al., p. 26). the north, and the northeast in particular, are, as niven (2023) says, “defined by ... an enduring marginality from an imperial civilisation overwhelmingly centred on london” (p. 282). he suggests that there is no point in waiting for a great reversal of power – that the only way to respond to a national culture where politics, journalism, literary publishing, business, finance, education and the arts, are all biased toward london and the southeast, is to focus on small, achievable ways of resisting the status quo and its arguably fixed regional inequalities (niven, 2023). our aim is not to challenge the existence of the london-based fashion industry, but to encourage a localised and supportive version of it. we see a future in rebuilding our creative communities with a focus on degrowth. as hickel (2021) describes it, degrowth stands for a rebalancing of income and resources, a reduction of inequality, decolonisation, of both lands and peoples – about reciprocity and care, centred around human flourishing and ecological stability, rather than the constant accumulation of capital. a decentralised form of fashion can focus on the positive impact of fashion, and the effect it can have on our communities. niessen (2022) expands on degrowth with “de-fashion”, a term coined by the activist group fashion act now, calling for a paradigm shift in the fashion industry that puts people, their lives and the earth first. mazzarella and black (2023) outline ways fashion activism can inspire positive socioeconomic change and co-design meaningful social innovations in local communities. they demonstrate how a “quiet” form of activism can be used to co-design meaningful social innovations within the local community and demonstrate how fashion can contribute to better living. the rise of repair cafés (jobe, 2024) demonstrates how opportunities exist to engage communities in responsible fashion practice and create meaningful engagement amongst their participants. moalem and mosgaard (2021) discuss how repair cafés function as ‘change agents’ that can influence mindsets and acts spanning urban planning to pedagogical aspects. the role of the university in bringing about positive social interactions has been explored by fassi et al. (2019) through the role of university campuses, social innovation through storytelling and models for sustainability. social equity is a critical element of university strategies at teeside (teeside university, 2024) and northumbria (northumbria university, 2024) universities. the latter is investing in the centre for health and social equity (chase) after being awarded £5.8 million by the office for students. chase aims to develop and harness the university’s research, education and knowledge exchange expertise to help meet the health and social needs of multiple stakeholders and communities in the city, region and beyond. 27 we hope that decentralisation can bring about a more responsible engagement with fashion through accessible, inventive and approachable modes of engagement. wilska (2017) suggests that to make the “transition into more sustainable lifestyles, [we need a] better understanding of young people’s potential for change [through] more innovative research methods, such as participatory practices and analyses of youth-led innovations and initiatives” (p. 316). von busch and bjereld (2016) suggest that fashion is “used to sort and compartmentalise the social world, … create[ing] genuine social and personal consequences” (p. 90). our approach to encouraging a more responsible approach to fashion will “reflect and reinforce inclusion”, negating the typically held views of “superiority/inferiority, normality/abnormality and desirability/undesirability” (von busch & bjereld, 2016, p. 93). methodology the research projects discussed in this article used a variety of methods and processes. the first phase of the project was undertaken by one of the authors, working on behalf of the british fashion council (bfc) whilst on secondment from university of the arts (ual), and supported by students from the institution as a filmmaker and report writer. questionnaires, desk research, roundtable discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 establishments to identify the challenges and barriers to engaging with a more pluralistic fashion education in newcastle and the northeast region of england. the participants were invited to discuss how best to bring about opportunities, support change within the region and share best practices about current initiatives. the team visited and consulted with schools, universities, and business organisations, including newcastle college, northumbria university, teesside university, the northeast local enterprise partnership and this is creative enterprise. they talked to locally based brands: barbour, fenwick, end, slacks radio, ukft and launchpad. a report was delivered to the bfc and the author’s home institution to share insights and next steps, and it was also shared with the study participants. the activities described in the case studies took place after the initial scoping study and were all part of ongoing teaching and learning/outreach/participatory design projects. qualitative data was gathered from the participants in all the case studies, in accordance with ethical review procedures at each institution. the data collection methods depended on each project’s size and scale. due to this article’s scope and the nature of the projects, quantitative data is not used here, but qualitative comments from participants are used to support the case studies. the approaches used in the case studies included design activism – defined by fuad-luke (2009) as “design thinking, imagination and practice applied knowingly or unknowingly to create a counter-narrative aimed at generating and balancing positive social, institutional, environmental and economic change” (p. 27). further details of the methods used are outlined in the respective case studies. northeast project: diversifying the creative industry our collaboration began with a scoping exercise supported by the british fashion council (bfc), initiated by their lead on educational and resource development for diversity and inclusion. the northeast project was a research initiative looking at the northeast and its surrounding areas to diversify fashion education and aspirations for the arts outside london. the bfc is a not-for-profit organisation that supports the interests of the british fashion industry through the collective sharing of knowledge, resources and experiences (british fashion council, n.d.). it has also set up the institute of positive fashion, with a 10-year strategy to enable the industry to reduce climate and societal impact in line with un goals. 28 working with schools, academics, and organisations around the northeast of england, the project aimed to explore regional initiatives and support the creation of more –to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion and the arts across the uk. the project focused on how the fashion industry can be diversified beyond london and into surrounding areas in the uk, beginning with the northeast of england. this area was chosen as it has experienced heightened deprivation. the northeast has a rich manufacturing heritage and is known for technical textile production. however, this represents only 2% of fashion clusters in the uk, compared to 44% in london (ukft; ellams et al., 2023). gdp per person in the north east in 2022 was 18% below england (excluding london), and this gap has increased since the recession in 2008 and the covid-19 pandemic (north east evidence hub, 2024). the project aimed to establish how to reach marginalised communities to broaden and develop current and new creative projects, primarily centred around fashion, to facilitate local industry growth. the report concluded with key recommendations, including building pipelines between education, industry and grassroots organisations; multi-level educational collaboration, mentoring and professional development; and apprenticeships and placements, funding and developing a creative network. it was established that many of these initiatives were already in place through heis partnering with schools, community groups and industry. as academics based at three heis – ual, northumbria and teesside, we were keen to build on the bfc’s recommendations and share our knowledge and experience of the region, to establish how this might be transferable to other regions and sectors. the three case studies that follow embody approaches taken at northumbria and teesside universities to share learning and experience through education that supports regional growth, community engagement and a decentralised vision. case study 1: northumbria and this is creative enterprise: building pathways between schools and universities since 2016, the fashion department at northumbria university and the educational non-profit organisation this is creative enterprise (tice) have partnered to address the obstacles and uncertainties young people face when considering pursuing fashion as an educational pathway. our aim is to support young people with fair access and equal opportunities in the fashion industry and, more broadly, the creative sector. northumbria university is in newcastle upon tyne in the northeast of england. around 40% of northumbria students are from traditionally low-participation backgrounds, with many being first in their family to attend university, 55% are from the local area, and 63% stay in the region for employment after graduation (northumbria university, 2023, p. 55). driving social mobility is one of three pillars of the university strategy 2030 (northumbria university, 2024), with significant investment placed in creating the centre for health and social equity (chase) on campus to support research and teaching in this area. the fashion department at northumbria was established in 1955 and is internationally recognised for innovative and hands-on ‘industry-ready’ graduates. our practice-based students work with industrially qualified technicians and pattern cutters, many of whom trained at the dewhirst factory in stockton-upontees, suppliers to marks and spencer. this rich history and skills base is one of our usps – employers seek our graduates because they understand technical processes and have a highly skilled ability to make decisions. our fashion department’s commitment and contribution to the local community was evidenced 29 through the pandemic when technical support staff and academics came together to manufacture thousands of clinical gowns for nhs workers treating covid-19 patients. through our roles at northumbria, we see ourselves as having a significant role in supporting social equity within fashion education, especially given our region’s context. we believe we are responsible to our students and the wider community to deliver an education of value to the individual, the region and the industry. the industry must be diversified, not only in terms of race and gender but also social diversity – with a pipeline from grassroots and community groups and schools through he and into the industry that supports and nurtures creativity amongst marginalised students, not just the privileged. this is creative enterprise programmes and northumbria this is creative enterprise (tice) is a national award-winning grassroots organisation that builds a pipeline from secondary education through industry interaction and he. tice programmes are designed to support young people in their understanding of the job roles, careers and skills needed for the future of the creative, design and digital sectors. the focus is on developing projects that cater to the needs of young people seeking fashion opportunities in the northeast – for example exploring how artificial intelligence can elevate the work of designers, artists and other creatives. tice projects help students see fashion differently, demonstrating opportunities outside traditional fashion systems and frameworks that might exclude them. projects are aligned with local businesses and fashion mentors, embedding industry context and demonstrating career opportunities in the region. participants are also given insight into the broader job opportunities within fashion and the creative industries and how this can be supported through further and higher education, showing students and their parents the value of pursuing a career in the creative industries. masterclasses are provided by fashion academic and technical support staff to develop project work and bring participants into the university. image 1: tice/northumbria masterclass february 2024. photo credit: g. cantrell. 30 teachers’ continuing professional development day feedback from and unstructured interviews with the teachers attending the university masterclasses led to the observation that teachers themselves would welcome industry knowledge and development. therefore, a teacher continuing professional development day was established to share insights from local industry professionals, who spoke about emerging trends in their sectors and the skills gaps that they believed would need to be addressed in future employees. the teachers could view example applicant portfolios and speak with staff about what they would look for in applicants. graduate outcomes were also explored to help the teachers advise students and parents of the opportunities available within the creative and design sectors. work in progress day finally, a work in progress day has been established. teachers from schools across the northeast are invited to bring teams of children from year 9/key stage 3 to learn more about the fashion department through the ‘fashion at northumbria: work in progress’ exhibition. this is an opportunity to gain an insight into final year undergraduate projects at a formative stage, inviting discourse and participation in the working process, methods of thinking and making. current students lead the groups and encourage interaction with staff and students. these days have proven to be transformative for some students, many of whom had not entered a university or considered taking up creative subjects beyond gcse. one teacher commented, “most of these students have not even been out of ashington into newcastle city centre, let alone into a university!” through interaction with current students, the visitors were able to experience genuine social and personal engagement with fashion as a subject, with some children with special learning needs, such as autism, for the first time considering their future opportunities for creative education. case study 2: fashion forward: the rise of digital careers in the tees valley technology has profoundly impacted the fashion landscape, revolutionising how clothes are designed, manufactured, marketed and consumed. covid-19 hastened fashion's digitalisation and engagement with virtual environments, allowing the fashion industry to reimagine business strategies, emphasising sustainability and digital innovation (choi, 2022). this study reports on the emerging opportunities in the tees valley for digital careers and a project at teesside university aiming to engage with young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds who could face barriers to entry into he and the fashion sector. the project was developed with the british fashion council’s barriers to entry programme, an industrysponsored programme with a long-term plan to create a more diverse and equitable fashion industry. exploring fashion's tech revolution and emerging careers fashion brands recognise the potential of virtual worlds and computer games as creative and immersive platforms for brand engagement and marketing. some notable examples include louis vuitton’s collaboration with riot games on the league of legends game, which included a virtual and physical collection. balenciaga and nike partnered with epic games to release limited edition garments and footwear, enabling players to express their style within the game (epic games, n.d.; nike.com, 2023). the intersection of fashion and digital technology has created new career avenues, driven by the rise of the metaverse and virtual worlds and the integration of clothing within computer games. the fabricant, the dematerialised and dressx are digital fashion houses leading the way in creating digital clothing, giving opportunities for virtual fashion designers to create digital clothing and accessories tailored for avatars in virtual worlds (marriott, 2020). digital fashion design allows professionals more flexibility in their 31 workplace, enabling them to pursue freelance careers and license their creations online. the british fashion council in 2021 gave the first-ever fashion award for metaverse design. the new award acknowledges a digital designer who shows excellence in digital fashion design within the metaverse (businesswire, 2021), recognising digital designers as professionals in the fashion industry. these emerging careers underscore the transformative impact of digital technology on the fashion industry, offering diverse opportunities for creative expression and innovation within virtual spaces. using computergenerated imagery (cgi) digital models for fashion shoots and catwalk presentations is on the rise as an effective means to showcase fashion collections. the rise of digital avatars in the fashion sector and on social media opens the potential for future opportunities for roles such as virtual fashion stylists, who curate digital wardrobes and advise clients on avatar appearance. epic games has partnered with the fashion innovation agency, the fabricant and burberry to create a free course exploring the impact of interactive 3d on the fashion sector and careers in fashion and games. this initiative aims to educate students to master interactive 3d tools and use them to address career-oriented challenges, providing practical insight into the fashion industry through hands-on, real-world digital fashion projects (epic developer community, n.d.). as technology for immersive gaming experiences advances, visualising detailed garment styling, construction and fabric movement becomes more crucial, creating opportunities for fashion designers to engage with the gaming industry. the tees valley: a world-leading digital and creative hub tees valley is fast becoming one of the most vibrant digital hubs in the uk, developing a worldwide reputation for creativity, imagination and vision. the tees valley hosts businesses in multiple tech sectors, including vr technology, big data, digital marketing, game design, programming and artificial intelligence. the tees valley region has actively engaged with creative digital businesses, particularly in the computer games sector, leveraging the expertise and resources of teesside university to foster growth and innovation through the digitalcity initiative (digitalcity, n.d.). one notable aspect of this engagement is the establishment of collaborative initiatives between teesside university and local game development companies. teesside university offers specialised courses in game design and development and related fields, providing a skilled workforce for the digital sector. it has played a pivotal role in supporting start-ups and small businesses in the digital sector through initiatives that include business incubators, accelerators and funding opportunities tailored to the needs of creative digital enterprises. by providing access to mentorship, networking events and resources, the university has helped nurture a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovation in the tees valley (walker, 2021). the tees valley combined authority has actively promoted the region as a hub for creative digital industries, leveraging its assets such as affordable office space, supportive infrastructure and access to talent from teesside university. in 2024, the region will attract £160 million from government funding to invest in its infrastructure, skills and workforce, business support, planning research and innovation (tees valley combined authority, 2024). teesside university hosts animex, the world’s longest-running games and animation festival (animex, n.d). all the most prominent studios in the world – disney, weta, bethesda, blizzard and aardman – have taken part in this festival. speakers are also invited to give advice to students and review portfolios. for future 32 events, this platform will help cultivate a network for the ba fashion programme, fostering opportunities within digital fashion. image 2: clo3d workshop at teesside university. photo credit: l. hugill. digital fashion – opening new markets and opportunities: teesside university access and participation plan innovation fund project teesside university has a long-established commitment to supporting individuals from underrepresented groups. currently, the student population has over 80% of students who would meet at least one of the criteria set out by the office for students as underrepresented or with a specified characteristic, and 73% are recruited from the northeast. teesside university’s access and participation plan (app) identifies where there are gaps in performance relating to students from particular backgrounds or with particular characteristics and sets out targets and measures to address the identified gaps. the app innovation fund allocates funds to projects that engage students from underrepresented groups. this app project aimed to provide a series of oneand two-day workshops to engage young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds who face barriers to entry into the fashion sector, providing exposure and access to fashion skills and raising awareness of the new market opportunities and careers in the digital sector. additionally, they demonstrate potential pathways for studying fashion at the he level and raise awareness of the tees valley, rapidly emerging as a vibrant digital hub for businesses. participation of local areas (polar) is a classification system used in the united kingdom to measure he participation rates across geographical areas (office for students, 2018). students from northeast institutions in polar4 q1 and q2 likely come from communities where fewer young people traditionally pursue he and may be underrepresented in heis. these students may be disadvantaged through limited educational infrastructure, financial constraints and lack of awareness about available opportunities. however, despite lower participation rates, students from the northeast in polar4 q1 and q2 come from diverse backgrounds, with the potential to bring unique perspectives, experiences and talents to heis and the creative economy. this project focused on art and design students from macmillan academy in years 9 and 12 and diploma students from middlesbrough college. this influenced some participants to consider creative studies as 33 they made their gcse subject choices. both institutions fall into polar4 q1, indicating that students are less likely to pursue a university education. students from teesside university’s ba fashion and ba computer games courses were paid as researchers to develop and deliver learning materials for workshops mentored by tutors from their courses. the learning centred around the new fashion landscape and opportunities within digital careers, including practical tasks, where participants created digital 3d fashion concepts using clo3d on avatars (image 2) and 3d environments using the unreal engine. in addition, students used the university’s motion capture lab, which employed industry-standard technology to translate movement into data for animation. project impact and outcomes participant surveys evaluated the project and feedback from the institutions. twenty-five students engaged in the learning process at the two institutions. the students gave positive feedback, with 50% rating their overall experience as excellent, 100% of students indicating that the workshops made them more interested in university study and a career in the creative industries, and 90% of students stating that they would recommend teesside university to a friend. only 30% had attended extracurricular activities in art and design, and 88% of the students had turned down opportunities to attend activities in the past due to difficulty in arranging travel or caring responsibilities. the teesside university students from the ba computer games and ba fashion courses who worked collaboratively on the project gained experience developing and delivering learning and developed a deeper understanding of the fashion and games industry and career opportunities. they also enhanced their research and transferable skills, including communication, presentation, collaboration and organisational abilities. the fashion and computer games tutors worked together on the project and planned further collaboration, including training for fashion and games students on garment construction and fabric drapes. work was collated and presented to macmillan academy on a large canvas (image 3) to display in the school. the students presented their work to the school in assembly and disseminated their experiences to their peers. image 3: work by year 9 and year 12 students at macmillan academy. the rise of technology and opportunities to develop new markets in virtual environments for the fashion industry presents teesside university with an opportunity to equip students for emerging careers in digital fashion, promotion and virtual styling. through the region’s games companies in the thriving tees valley digital creative hub, the university’s fashion programme is poised to establish a robust network. leveraging 34 the university's expertise in computer games, students can develop skills vital for the digital fashion landscape. case study 3: chopwell regeneration group repair hub project: northumbria university this project explored the potential of community-based participatory research to identify, develop and promote innovative approaches to responsible fashion practice. it reflected on the value of experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students in seeing their learning put into practice in a local community setting and seeing tangible benefits from their input. the village of chopwell in the district of gateshead, tyne and wear, has under 10,000 residents. a former mining community, known as “little moscow” due to its strong support for the communist party (chopwell regeneration group, 2024) it has suffered from poor transport links and unemployment since the loss of this industry. the chopwell regeneration group cio (crg) was formed as a grassroots community-led drive to change the lives and life chances of people in the community. priority activity includes bringing empty properties back into use to serve the community, with a vision to improve health, well-being and prosperity by creating services, facilities and opportunities that meet their needs and improve their lives. the crg created a local food shop and café, which is used for community events. the food within this shop is waste collected from local supermarkets and cooked by local residents, with a pay as you feel initiative, alongside a ‘pay it forward’ option. this space has become a focal point for the community, and due to its success, the crg managed to secure another local shop in the town. through a community consultation and vote, it was decided that the next step for the charity would be to open a clothing and electrical repair and remanufacturing space, which they named the regeneration shop. the aim was to support the local community with volunteering, job creation and skills development opportunities. this new venture will bring an empty retail unit back into use and encourage residents in the village and the local area to bring household items (from small electrical goods to clothing) to be repaired by local volunteers. residents will also be able to get involved in a series of free events to learn how to repair items and develop their skills. the shop will sell repaired and upcycled second-hand goods, contributing to a more sustainable future. the group contacted the fashion department at northumbria university to establish whether we could support the initiative and provide advice and skills sharing to the community. the initial steps in this project were practical. the shop needed machinery, and the fashion department was able to donate some unused sewing machines to facilitate upskilling residents once the initiative was launched. the regeneration shop launch event it was established that the community would be most interested in learning how to repair and rework preloved clothing and how to use creative styling techniques to learn how to integrate more second-hand items into their wardrobes. a launch event was planned where these skills would be demonstrated along with promoting the initiative to the community and through press activity. donations were collected from around the university, with over 120 items donated. garments ranged from unworn (tagged) primark clothing to marni and nigel cabourn labels. around 10% of garments were 35 damaged in some way and were set aside to be repaired. another nonprofit community partner, the caring hands community laundrette, was engaged to wash and dry donated items. a call for volunteers was put out to fashion students, and 25 signed up from the undergraduate and postgraduate fashion programmes. the students were given free rein over styling and invited to select garments from the rails of donated clothing to create looks for themselves or other students to model. students on the ba (hons) fashion communication explore creative styling techniques through a teaching and learning project that uses the independent publication display copy (2024) as a model. the publication is dedicated to showcasing and elevating vintage and upcycled fashion, aiming to disrupt the perception and consumption of fashion. it is used by staff on the programme to introduce concepts of styling and curation of preloved garments to encourage reflection on circularity and personal style. during the event, the students took on the following roles: stylist, model, social media representative, repair station, makeup artist, photographers and backstage prep. working with second-hand clothing required improvisation, and conventions were stretched – coats became skirts, shirts became headwear. alongside this, the event also encouraged the ordinary – the striped t-shirt and jeans, the simple black dress. the repair corner was manned by five students, using repair techniques from bojagi (south korean) to sasiko (japanese) to applique. the repairs became culturally rich and told stories about their background and interests. during the event, the community and students held conversations that reflected their shared experiences of garment repair. images 4 & 5 – chopwell regeneration shop launch. photo credit: g. cantrell. fifteen students walked the catwalk, demonstrating how the preloved clothing could be worn, and a popup photography studio captured the outfits created. garments were sold to raise money for the chopwell regeneration group. the initiative presented an opportunity to disrupt traditional fashion structures, directly using clothing, styling and repair to build awareness and implement a future scope for jobs within a community centring 36 around the circular economy. the circular economy relies on three key principles: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature (ellen macarthur foundation, 2022). the grander scale of the circular economy is not fully addressed by the regeneration shop, but as a small and localised system, it is able to use these principles to repair (fixing and extending the life of a garment) or remanufacture used garments, taking them out of the waste stream, circulating them back into use and using sales and skills to regenerate their community when doing so. through this experiential learning platform, the students experienced their value firsthand, seeing the direct significance their skills brought to the project and the impact clothing repair, resale and remanufacture could have on this local community. remanufacturing is outlined by nasr and thurston (2006, p. 16) as “the process of disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, repairing, replacing, and reassembling the components of a part or product in order to return it to as-new condition” – using old goods to create new goods. traditionally the remit of remanufacture sits more commonly with industrial manufacturers, one of which is the automobile industry (stahel, 2019); however, we are seeing increased research into the development of garment remanufacturing (wetherell et al., 2023). different types of garment remanufacturing are noted by niinimäki (2018): invisible remanufacturing (hidden details are added or amended), visible remanufacturing (visible details are added or amended) and design-led remanufacturing, where waste streams are used to design new garments. chopwell are looking to do the latter by taking unwanted or damaged goods and using local ideas and skills to redesign and rebuild new goods to sell. project impact and outcomes the feedback from the chopwell regeneration group and the chopwell community has been extremely positive, and money raised through garment sales on the night will help fund training in the repair and remanufacture of clothing. following on from this project, the regeneration shop is looking to explore knowledge exchange, using staff and students to help upskill the community and provide advice around repair and remanufacture. one-off events or workshops could address issues like dementia, accessible fashion, including adapted clothing for people with disabilities, and sessions which are appealing to men (challenging stereotypes of women repairing clothes and men repairing electricals and tools). the next steps for the project include a series of pop-up styling workshops using preloved garments; garment repair workshops to share ideas and skills between students and the community and cataloguing garment “stories” through an exhibition or publication. from a teaching and learning perspective, the project was evaluated through student questionnaires before and after the event, with 21 respondents. through qualitative comments, the students fed back that involvement in the event brought them a lot of satisfaction and pleasure to be involved in community-first ideas: “i am interested in how organisations like the one at chopwell can facilitate second-hand clothing use and upcycling to benefit the local community and the impact this has”. the students welcomed the opportunity to gain experience of styling at a live event: “100000% absolutely love it, the challenges that come with it only make the design process more fun”. they also welcomed the opportunity to work with preloved garments and to have the opportunity to put their learning into practice: “second-hand clothing should become an important part of the design process as we need to become more considerate in our practice and learn how to reuse garments”; and reported great satisfaction at seeing their looks appreciated on the catwalk and through discussions with community residents. 37 conclusion and recommendations this article has introduced a collaboration between researchers at three heis, stemming from a scoping exercise supported by the british fashion council (bfc) exploring regional initiatives to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion and the arts. our collaboration came about through a mutual interest in decentralisation of fashion education in the northeast and as a result of initiatives we have put in place to address some of the challenges within the region and the sector. following the initial scoping exercise outlined in the northeast project research, the bfc has developed a strategy to pilot four fashion hubs in london, the northwest, the north east and glasgow, bringing together bfc patrons, industry, schools, colleges and heis, community groups and the prince’s trust. the aim is to create a network and guide that demonstrates routes into a career in fashion and operates as a template for other regions. our intention is to build on these networks and share our knowledge across the heis through collaborative research and pedagogical projects that maximise our findings. in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of students and graduates who wish to remain in the northeast, rejecting established pathways to london for education, internships and employment. in the words of one northumbria student: “fashion feels like a party to which i will never be invited”. we believe we can challenge this belief through collaboration with industry and third-sector partners, supporting alternative routes into learning and broader community engagement. this article has shown how pathways are being built through schools, industry and heis to show students from underrepresented groups the value of pursuing a creative education. it has shown how targeting talent from underrepresented areas through initiatives to enhance access to he and providing ongoing support can be pivotal in unlocking their potential and fostering social mobility while providing opportunities to support the region’s growth. it has demonstrated how teaching and learning projects that combine a reuse/repair approach with community engagement can lead to insights in knowledge exchange and contextualisation of learning. we acknowledge that our research is in its initial stages and intend to develop a deeper and more robust methodological framework that can be established to underpin our research and provide support to other heis, industry and community groups. it has been our intention to highlight where examples of good practice are creating opportunities for a responsible and 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(2024). the decentralisation of fashion education in northeast england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry. dis... the decentralisation of fashion education in northeast england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry gayle cantrella, jennifer barretta, lynne hugillb, stephen murrayb, sophie wetherella, berni yatesc anorthumbria university, newcastle upon tyne, uk. gayle.cantrell@northumbria.ac.uk; jennifer.k.barrett@northumbria.ac.uk; sophie.wetherell@northumbria.ac.uk. bteeside university, middlesborough, uk. l.hugill@tees.ac.uk; s.murray@tees.ac.uk ccentral saint martins, university of the arts london, london, uk. b.yates@csm.arts.ac.uk abstract this article focuses on a collaboration between educators at higher education institutions in the uk, reflecting on fashion education in northeast england and how it is evolving to support and diversify aspirations for the arts outside london. the pro... keywords: decentralisation, fashion, higher education, community, participatory, localism, reuse and repair introduction fashion education in the uk today is facing multiple challenges. on the one hand, a volatile academic landscape, impacted by funding constraints including restrictions to international student visas (adams, 2024) – on the other, an impending “arts apo... despite this, we find room for optimism. the united nations environment programme’s sustainable fashion communication playbook advocates the contribution fashion can make to communities through presenting the challenges faced by the sector as creative... decentralisation is defined as “the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers”, and in sociology as “the redistribution of population and industry from urban centers to outlying areas” (merriam-webster, 2024). traditionally, the locus of the fashion industry in the uk has been london, with bodies such as the british fashion council, as ... according to regional specificity, decentralisation can support a more responsible fashion system that begins with pre-16 education and brings together schools, higher education (he), community groups, small or medium-sized enterprises and industry pa... this paper outlines methods we have used to evolve a version of fashion education that creatively addresses decentralisation through providing relevant contemporary educational projects. case studies outline how we have done this through three approac... literature review london is well established as the location for the uk fashion industry, as one of the “big four” capitals – including new york, milan, and paris – due to its long-standing oligarchic power in defining fashion (godart, 2014). the idea of “fashion citie... london and the southeast constitute 57% of all fashion economic activity in the uk (harris et al., 2021). however, mcrobbie et al. (2023) argue that london is no longer a viable option for those young creatives from working-class backgrounds who would... mcrobbie et al. (2023) outline key recommendations that would need to be addressed if we are to resolve some of the inequality in the creative industries: free he; access routes from school via youth centres and community groups; and trained and avail... the north, and the northeast in particular, are, as niven (2023) says, “defined by ... an enduring marginality from an imperial civilisation overwhelmingly centred on london” (p. 282). he suggests that there is no point in waiting for a great reversa... our aim is not to challenge the existence of the london-based fashion industry, but to encourage a localised and supportive version of it. we see a future in rebuilding our creative communities with a focus on degrowth. as hickel (2021) describes it, ... niessen (2022) expands on degrowth with “de-fashion”, a term coined by the activist group fashion act now, calling for a paradigm shift in the fashion industry that puts people, their lives and the earth first. mazzarella and black (2023) outline ways... the role of the university in bringing about positive social interactions has been explored by fassi et al. (2019) through the role of university campuses, social innovation through storytelling and models for sustainability. social equity is a critic... we hope that decentralisation can bring about a more responsible engagement with fashion through accessible, inventive and approachable modes of engagement. wilska (2017) suggests that to make the “transition into more sustainable lifestyles, [we need... methodology the research projects discussed in this article used a variety of methods and processes. the first phase of the project was undertaken by one of the authors, working on behalf of the british fashion council (bfc) whilst on secondment from university o... the activities described in the case studies took place after the initial scoping study and were all part of ongoing teaching and learning/outreach/participatory design projects. qualitative data was gathered from the participants in all the case stud... the approaches used in the case studies included design activism – defined by fuad-luke (2009) as “design thinking, imagination and practice applied knowingly or unknowingly to create a counter-narrative aimed at generating and balancing positive soci... northeast project: diversifying the creative industry our collaboration began with a scoping exercise supported by the british fashion council (bfc), initiated by their lead on educational and resource development for diversity and inclusion. the northeast project was a research initiative looking at the... working with schools, academics, and organisations around the northeast of england, the project aimed to explore regional initiatives and support the creation of more –to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion and the arts across the... the report concluded with key recommendations, including building pipelines between education, industry and grassroots organisations; multi-level educational collaboration, mentoring and professional development; and apprenticeships and placements, fu... it was established that many of these initiatives were already in place through heis partnering with schools, community groups and industry. as academics based at three heis – ual, northumbria and teesside, we were keen to build on the bfc’s recommend... case study 1: northumbria and this is creative enterprise: building pathways between schools and universities since 2016, the fashion department at northumbria university and the educational non-profit organisation this is creative enterprise (tice) have partnered to address the obstacles and uncertainties young people face when considering pursuing fashion a... northumbria university is in newcastle upon tyne in the northeast of england. around 40% of northumbria students are from traditionally low-participation backgrounds, with many being first in their family to attend university, 55% are from the local a... the fashion department at northumbria was established in 1955 and is internationally recognised for innovative and hands-on ‘industry-ready’ graduates. our practice-based students work with industrially qualified technicians and pattern cutters, many ... through our roles at northumbria, we see ourselves as having a significant role in supporting social equity within fashion education, especially given our region’s context. we believe we are responsible to our students and the wider community to deliv... this is creative enterprise programmes and northumbria this is creative enterprise (tice) is a national award-winning grassroots organisation that builds a pipeline from secondary education through industry interaction and he. tice programmes are designed to support young people in their understanding of ... tice projects help students see fashion differently, demonstrating opportunities outside traditional fashion systems and frameworks that might exclude them. projects are aligned with local businesses and fashion mentors, embedding industry context and... participants are also given insight into the broader job opportunities within fashion and the creative industries and how this can be supported through further and higher education, showing students and their parents the value of pursuing a career in ... image 1: tice/northumbria masterclass february 2024. photo credit: g. cantrell. teachers’ continuing professional development day feedback from and unstructured interviews with the teachers attending the university masterclasses led to the observation that teachers themselves would welcome industry knowledge and development. therefore, a teacher continuing professional developme... work in progress day finally, a work in progress day has been established. teachers from schools across the northeast are invited to bring teams of children from year 9/key stage 3 to learn more about the fashion department through the ‘fashion at northumbria: work in pro... case study 2: fashion forward: the rise of digital careers in the tees valley technology has profoundly impacted the fashion landscape, revolutionising how clothes are designed, manufactured, marketed and consumed. covid-19 hastened fashion's digitalisation and engagement with virtual environments, allowing the fashion industry... exploring fashion's tech revolution and emerging careers fashion brands recognise the potential of virtual worlds and computer games as creative and immersive platforms for brand engagement and marketing. some notable examples include louis vuitton’s collaboration with riot games on the league of legends ga... the intersection of fashion and digital technology has created new career avenues, driven by the rise of the metaverse and virtual worlds and the integration of clothing within computer games. the fabricant, the dematerialised and dressx are digital f... these emerging careers underscore the transformative impact of digital technology on the fashion industry, offering diverse opportunities for creative expression and innovation within virtual spaces. using computer-generated imagery (cgi) digital mode... epic games has partnered with the fashion innovation agency, the fabricant and burberry to create a free course exploring the impact of interactive 3d on the fashion sector and careers in fashion and games. this initiative aims to educate students to ... the tees valley: a world-leading digital and creative hub tees valley is fast becoming one of the most vibrant digital hubs in the uk, developing a worldwide reputation for creativity, imagination and vision. the tees valley hosts businesses in multiple tech sectors, including vr technology, big data, digita... one notable aspect of this engagement is the establishment of collaborative initiatives between teesside university and local game development companies. teesside university offers specialised courses in game design and development and related fields,... the tees valley combined authority has actively promoted the region as a hub for creative digital industries, leveraging its assets such as affordable office space, supportive infrastructure and access to talent from teesside university. in 2024, the ... teesside university hosts animex, the world’s longest-running games and animation festival (animex, n.d). all the most prominent studios in the world – disney, weta, bethesda, blizzard and aardman – have taken part in this festival. speakers are also ... image 2: clo3d workshop at teesside university. photo credit: l. hugill. digital fashion – opening new markets and opportunities: teesside university access and participation plan innovation fund project teesside university has a long-established commitment to supporting individuals from underrepresented groups. currently, the student population has over 80% of students who would meet at least one of the criteria set out by the office for students as ... this app project aimed to provide a series of oneand two-day workshops to engage young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds who face barriers to entry into the fashion sector, providing exposure and access to fashion skills and raising awarenes... participation of local areas (polar) is a classification system used in the united kingdom to measure he participation rates across geographical areas (office for students, 2018). students from northeast institutions in polar4 q1 and q2 likely come fr... this project focused on art and design students from macmillan academy in years 9 and 12 and diploma students from middlesbrough college. this influenced some participants to consider creative studies as they made their gcse subject choices. both inst... project impact and outcomes participant surveys evaluated the project and feedback from the institutions. twenty-five students engaged in the learning process at the two institutions. the students gave positive feedback, with 50% rating their overall experience as excellent, 100... image 3: work by year 9 and year 12 students at macmillan academy. the rise of technology and opportunities to develop new markets in virtual environments for the fashion industry presents teesside university with an opportunity to equip students for emerging careers in digital fashion, promotion and virtual styling.... case study 3: chopwell regeneration group repair hub project: northumbria university this project explored the potential of community-based participatory research to identify, develop and promote innovative approaches to responsible fashion practice. it reflected on the value of experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate st... the village of chopwell in the district of gateshead, tyne and wear, has under 10,000 residents. a former mining community, known as “little moscow” due to its strong support for the communist party (chopwell regeneration group, 2024) it has suffered ... the crg created a local food shop and café, which is used for community events. the food within this shop is waste collected from local supermarkets and cooked by local residents, with a pay as you feel initiative, alongside a ‘pay it forward’ option.... through a community consultation and vote, it was decided that the next step for the charity would be to open a clothing and electrical repair and remanufacturing space, which they named the regeneration shop. the aim was to support the local communit... the group contacted the fashion department at northumbria university to establish whether we could support the initiative and provide advice and skills sharing to the community. the initial steps in this project were practical. the shop needed machine... the regeneration shop launch event it was established that the community would be most interested in learning how to repair and rework preloved clothing and how to use creative styling techniques to learn how to integrate more second-hand items into their wardrobes. a launch event was ... donations were collected from around the university, with over 120 items donated. garments ranged from unworn (tagged) primark clothing to marni and nigel cabourn labels. around 10% of garments were damaged in some way and were set aside to be repaire... a call for volunteers was put out to fashion students, and 25 signed up from the undergraduate and postgraduate fashion programmes. the students were given free rein over styling and invited to select garments from the rails of donated clothing to cre... students on the ba (hons) fashion communication explore creative styling techniques through a teaching and learning project that uses the independent publication display copy (2024) as a model. the publication is dedicated to showcasing and elevating ... during the event, the students took on the following roles: stylist, model, social media representative, repair station, makeup artist, photographers and backstage prep. working with second-hand clothing required improvisation, and conventions were st... the repair corner was manned by five students, using repair techniques from bojagi (south korean) to sasiko (japanese) to applique. the repairs became culturally rich and told stories about their background and interests. during the event, the communi... images 4 & 5 – chopwell regeneration shop launch. photo credit: g. cantrell. fifteen students walked the catwalk, demonstrating how the preloved clothing could be worn, and a pop-up photography studio captured the outfits created. garments were sold to raise money for the chopwell regeneration group. the initiative presented an opportunity to disrupt traditional fashion structures, directly using clothing, styling and repair to build awareness and implement a future scope for jobs within a community centring around the circular economy. the circul... remanufacturing is outlined by nasr and thurston (2006, p. 16) as “the process of disassembling, cleaning, inspecting, repairing, replacing, and reassembling the components of a part or product in order to return it to as-new condition” – using old go... project impact and outcomes the feedback from the chopwell regeneration group and the chopwell community has been extremely positive, and money raised through garment sales on the night will help fund training in the repair and remanufacture of clothing. following on from this p... from a teaching and learning perspective, the project was evaluated through student questionnaires before and after the event, with 21 respondents. through qualitative comments, the students fed back that involvement in the event brought them a lot of... conclusion and recommendations this article has introduced a collaboration between researchers at three heis, stemming from a scoping exercise supported by the british fashion council (bfc) exploring regional initiatives to enable young creatives to have stable careers in fashion a... following the initial scoping exercise outlined in the northeast project research, the bfc has developed a strategy to pilot four fashion hubs in london, the northwest, the north east and glasgow, bringing together bfc patrons, industry, schools, col... in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of students and graduates who wish to remain in the northeast, rejecting established pathways to london for education, internships and employment. in the words of one northumbria student: “fash... this article has shown how pathways are being built through schools, industry and heis to show students from underrepresented groups the value of pursuing a creative education. it has shown how targeting talent from underrepresented areas through init... we acknowledge that our research is in its initial stages and intend to develop a deeper and more robust methodological framework that can be established to underpin our research and provide support to other heis, industry and community groups. it has... arthur, r. (2023). the sustainable fashion communication playbook. un environment programme and un climate change. https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/sustainable-fashion-communication-playbook chopwell regeneration group. (2024, may). our history. https://www.chopwell.org/history/ edelkoort, l. (2015). anti_fashion manifesto. trend union. https://www.edelkoort.com/2015/09/anti_fashion-manifesto-2/ ellams, d., postlethwaite, s. casadei, p., velez ospina, j. (2023). identifying and analysing uk fashion micro-clusters building regional supply chains that foster sustainable approaches and circular economies. creative industries policy and evidence ... fuad-luke, a. (2009). design activism: beautiful strangeness for a sustainable world. routledge. northumbria university. (2023). equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2022-2023. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/equality-and-diversity/reports-and-data/ 88 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history khaya mchunu, kiara gounder published online: may 2024 to cite this article: mchunu, k., & gounder, k. (2024). drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 88-101. 89 drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history khaya mchunua, kiara gounderb adepartment of fashion, faculty of art, design, and architecture, university of johannesburg. khayam@uj.ac.za. bdepartment of fashion and textiles, faculty of arts and design, durban university of technology. kiarag@dut.ac.za. abstract the drum magazine project is a cross-institutional teaching and research project designed to explore a decolonial approach to teaching fashion theory and history. the project used the 1950s and 1960s archives of drum magazine, found at bailey’s african history archives (baha) in johannesburg, south africa. fashion was considered by looking at south africa’s political, social, and cultural landscape during the 1950s and 1960s. students wrote biographical essays based on individuals who, despite having been featured in drum magazine, were not widely documented in south africa. essay writing was followed by developing magazine covers designed to capture themes related to these individuals. the textand visualbased modes enabled students to deploy historical media archives using fashion and dress to communicate narratives of alternative fashion histories and imaginaries. semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyse students’ impressions of the magazine, the individuals they researched and the overall project. in some instances, students expressed the view that incorporating this part of south african history into fashion curricula can be uncomfortable but that addressing history in its fullness is necessary to achieve decolonial imperatives and shifts. for these reasons, this study contributes to the decolonial fashion discourse by showing how infusing context-specific examples in teaching and learning offers options for renewing, stretching, and decentring the teaching of fashion theory and history. keywords: decolonial fashion discourse, drum magazine, fashion history, fashion theory fashion curricula and the decolonial fashion discourse: a reflexive introduction what do we, fashion scholars and lecturers of fashion theory and history, owe current students in the fashion education system? does renewing, stretching and decentring our understanding of fashion in the african context play a role in teaching fashion theory and history? fanon (1952/2008) concludes his book, black skin white masks, with a final prayer: ‘o my body, make of me always a man who questions!’ (p. 181). our self-imposed questions are layered with the tone of this simple yet poignant prayer. as taught to us, the content of fashion theory and history was informative but largely encompassed examples far removed from our context. the exclusion of locally situated particularities, implicitly and explicitly, situates africa as devoid of any fashion or dress history. by implication, silencing this history from fashion education devalues its significance and the potential it holds in designing context-specific curricula. slade and jansen (2020) point out that reconstructing an understanding of fashion entails ‘recursively revis[ing] our understandings and our histories one piece at a time’ (p. 813). assuming our transitional position (from students to lecturers), do we then teach fashion as we were taught, supporting the hegemonic power of euro-americanism? or do we shift this hegemony by expanding teaching that incorporates contextspecific examples? 90 we designed a cross-institutional teaching and research project, the drum magazine project, to renew fashion curricula in a manner that better values south african history. the drum magazine project was a decolonial exercise to introduce an element of context-specificity in our teaching. the student project was implemented in two fashion departments of two universities based in durban and johannesburg. for clarity on nomenclature, as opposed to the widely used terms ‘fashion colleges’ or ‘fashion schools’, both universities discussed in this article refer to their fashion divisions as ‘departments’. we remain true to this usage and apply the term ‘fashion departments’ throughout this article. as a student project of the fashion programme, it was incorporated into fashion theory and history modules. the project included drum magazine content as the tools through which fashion theory and history might be taught in the context of south african fashion education. some questions guided our project development process. these were: does drum magazine, with its history in south african visual culture, belong to the corpus of fashion curricula? if drum magazine does belong to the curricula, how might it, through some of its content, renew, stretch and decentre how fashion theory and history are taught? revaluing and incorporating drum magazine content involved sourcing alternative archives and renewing fashion imaginaries to show the plurality of epistemologies in the university space. grosfoguel (2013) proposes the need to ‘bring epistemic diversity to the canon of thought to create a pluri-verse of meanings and concepts’ (p. 89). we viewed revaluing and incorporating drum content as one way of decolonising university knowledge structures. this article focuses on how we renewed, stretched and decentred our teaching of fashion history and theory. our work contributes to the decolonial fashion discourse and shows how context specificity in fashion education might contribute to attaining decolonial imperatives and shifts. theorising the decolonial fashion discourse we begin with a comprehensive view of the concept to start a discussion about decoloniality, specifically in fashion. we understand decoloniality to entail confronting and opposing the coloniality of knowledge creation being exerted by the western canon and its inferiorising of non-western societies’ ways of being, doing and knowledge creation (adams et al., 2018; grosfoguel, 2013; maldonado-torres, 2007). to confront and oppose such practices, maldonado-torres (2007) suggested a decolonial turn, which is about ‘making visible the invisible and about analysing the mechanisms that produce such invisibility or distorted visibility in light of a large stock of ideas’ (p. p. 261” decoloniality has recently attracted attention in the fashion discipline through specially themed journal issues, conferences and research projects. examples include the international journal of fashion studies (cheang et al., 2022), design and culture (schultz et al., 2018), and fashion theory (slade & jansen, 2020). the 2017 design education forum of southern africa conference was themed ‘decolonise!’ (giloi & botes, 2017) in response to south africa’s 2015 student protests (fees must fall and rhodes must fall). zonemoda organised a conference in 2023 under the theme ‘fashion in 3d: decolonizing, deconstructing and decentring’. ual’s london college of fashion has been conducting a research project called ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ led by francesco mazzarella. with an ever-expanding focus on the notion of fashion, jansen (2020) stated that the decolonial fashion discourse framework: “[p]roposes a radical redefinition of fashion by delinking it from modernity—the very core of its constitution—and therefore from coloniality by redefining it as a multitude of possibilities—in and 91 outside of modernity—rather than a normative framework falsely claiming universality. it critiques the denial and erasure of a diversity of ways to fashioning the body due to unequal global power relations based on modern-colonial order, the euro–american canon of normativity and the exploitation and abuse of culture, human life and earth” (p. 817) while the word decoloniality may not have been included in prior studies, the discourse on non-european fashion systems has been ongoing for years within fashion studies; see mustafa (2001), rabine (2002), allman (2004), gott and loughran (2010), and rovine (2015). nevertheless, the inclusion of decoloniality in fashion discourse has seen a significant growth in diversifying and showing how fashion is understood. decoloniality, the fashion curriculum and fashion history are the focus of studies by gaugele and titton (2019), cheang and suterwalla (2020) and ahmed (2022). cheang and suterwalla (2020) and ahmed (2022) warn against superficially revisiting and replacing fashion students’ reading lists as a decolonial educational practice. cheang and suterwalla (2020) instead promote ‘making the space for experimentation and recognising the emotional costs involved in new developments are all part of designing decolonial pedagogies, in a continuous rethinking of what knowledge is and what learning looks like’ (p. 881). in contrast, ahmed (2022, pp. 11-12) writes about imagining and undertaking new non-european teaching and learning methods that engage with local knowledge. gaugele and titton (2019) observe the need for a ‘revision of fashion history and globalisation of fashion and dress histories, inspired by postcolonialism and world history’ (p. 120. drum magazine has enjoyed much attention as representative of a particular era in south africa. its pages have visually and textually recorded dress and fashion styles in the south african context. nevertheless, from our search, drum magazine has largely been excluded from local fashion curricula. fashion history forms part of fashion education; therefore, it is crucial to diversify the telling of fashion history, and the incorporation of drum magazine in our study played this role. furthermore, appreciating and valorising drum magazine and its place in south africa develops and renews pedagogical practices using locally relevant resources. what is drum magazine? drum magazine was founded by robert crisp and jim bailey and first published in march 1951 as african drum. it emerged just three years after the inception of administrative apartheid. in its earlier issues, drum had a low circulation and failed to attract a sizeable black readership. the reason for the failure was because african drum, at the time, presented the african as ‘rural, tribal, edenic, unspoiled, exotic’ (guldimann, 2019, p. 261), a white person’s fantasy of what africa was – the kind of material the targeted black urban reader was uninterested in. the magazine was transformed after the newly appointed editorin-chief, anthony sampson, and henry ‘mr. drum’ nxumalo researched a potential drum reader and their attempt to determine the sort of material that that individual might be interested in reading. their research drastically changed the look, image, approach and subsequently, name of the publication – from african drum to simply drum. fleming and falola (2005) wrote that the magazine went from its paternalistic writing and printing of ‘”know yourself” stories to articles on crime syndicates, american styled jazz music, shebeen life, and other happenings in cape town, durban and on the reef’ (pp. 136-137). its coverage and exposé of specific issues were of interest to its readership, which saw a significant increase in circulation. so large was its circulation 92 that drum started publishing east and west african issues distributed to ghana, nigeria, sierra leone, uganda, tanganyika and the central african federation. by 1956, drum had become the largest-selling magazine on the continent. the magazine’s photography of cover girls was another contributing factor that increased its visibility, popularity and consumption. nigerian and ghanaian readers were unfamiliar with sophiatown and district six (reported about in the magazine) and consumed drum primarily ‘to find out about south african news and to gawk at the magazine’s cover girls’ (fleming & falola, 2005, p. 141). the cover imagery was used to articulate and express black urban cosmopolitanism. through images, the urban black population fashioned an identity and a worldview ‘contrary to that envisioned for them by either the white government or the older black elite’ (allen, 2008, p. 22). with its rich history, drum has served as a fount of inspiration in south african visual culture. the early 2000s saw the emergence of some fashion designers who contributed to the development of south africa’s fashion industry. amongst these is the lifestyle brand stoned cherrie, established in 2000. in 2001, the brand collaborated with bailey’s african history archives (baha), the digital and physical space that houses thirty years of drum magazine’s archives, when the magazine was under bailey’s control. the collaboration saw what would emerge as stoned cherrie’s classic item, the drum t-shirt, which incorporated some iconic covers. drum covers continue to emerge in visual culture. in 2021, mercy thokozane minah, a multidisciplinary artist, re-imagined and re-interpreted some drum covers by re-painting them as commentary about queer existence and body positivity. these two examples indicate how drum magazine continues to be used in the arts and, by extension, fashion to communicate social issues. it is a result of such a history and background that we re-inscribed drum into the public imagination by infusing it in our modules as a resource to renew, stretch and decentre our teaching of fashion history and theory. research context our methods entailed visual and textual analysis of 1950s and 1960s drum magazine content. these were accessed from those kept at baha in johannesburg. to ensure compliance with research ethics, we sought ethical clearance for the study from our respective institutions. once approved, we provided detailed explanations of the study to the students through information letters with accompanying consent forms for signing. by agreeing, the students consented to attend lectures, write essays, develop a magazine cover and participate in semi-structured interviews. the drum magazine project started with a two-part lecture, focusing first on south africa’s 1950s and 1960s social and political environment through drum reports that were linked to certain apartheid legislation. the second part of the lecture focused on fashion between the 1950s and 1960s as featured in the drum archives. the students were also introduced to two seminal readings: ford’s (2015) liberated threads: black women, style and the global politics of soul and tulloch’s (2016) the birth of cool: style narratives of the african diaspora. an argument that could be levelled against the project is its use of two seminal readings penned by fashion writers from other locales. we chose these readings because they speak directly to drum, and we appreciated how the texts linked the magazine to fashion. showing the value of diasporic discourse for african studies, in this instance, african fashion and dress history. ford (2015) wrote that “drum … was adamant about making the style accessible to ordinary people. this emphasis on democratising fashion demonstrates how central issues of social consciousness and black liberation were to the politics of style’ (p. 166). 93 following the lecture, the students were required to work in groups and use an allocated folder with a drum archival image and readings related to an individual featured in drum magazine during the 1950s and 1960s. using the folder content, the students wrote a biographical essay about their allocated individual. lindsay (2017) sees potential in biographies to understand history. thus, our inclusion of biographical essays introduced a focus on an individual to understand a portion of south african history through an individual. the information gleaned from the essay-writing exercise was used to style and visually communicate a contemporary look through a re-imagined drum magazine cover. the cover needed to be informed by (a) students’ findings about their allocated individual and (b) the drum magazine photograph of that individual included in their folders. each magazine cover needed to be accompanied by a design statement through which the students explained the concept behind it. to support this task, we prepared a secondary folder with a resource package that included a magazine cover template, specially selected fonts and page texturing images in case students wanted to age the final photograph by giving it a nostalgic effect akin to 1950s and 1960s drum covers. we then created an instructional video in which we demonstrated applying these functions using adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator. in some instances, the students used themselves as models; in other cases, they asked friends and family members to model. the biographical essays and magazine covers were then publicly exhibited at university galleries in both johannesburg and durban. biographical essays as narratives of alternative histories and fashion imaginaries cheang and suterwalla (2020) wrote about deepening teachers’ and students’ intellectual curiosity and manifesting ‘greater cultural sensitivity to redress the many social inequalities embedded in histories’ (p. 881). inequalities manifest when there is an imbalance in whose history gets told. we concur with de greef (2020, p. 914), who propounded filling the public imagination by ‘writing of forgotten and disavowed’ histories. we understand the writing of disavowed histories to be about finding alternative archives, implemented as a critical expansion of imaginaries in the fashion context (gaugele & titton, 2019, p. 25). before viewing the archives, we associated drum magazine with individuals like jazz vocalists miriam makeba and dolly rathebe, as well as activist steve biko. their photographs were featured in iconic drum covers and some well-known issues. indeed, we showed the students some of these celebrated imageries. these individuals and their contributions to south africa remain inscribed in public memory. although we were careful not to take away from the students’ contributions, we promoted a deliberate exercise of expanding the number of individuals with whom drum magazine may be affiliated. lindsay (2017) argued that ‘history is made by a wider range of people than literate elites, and that historical forces and ordinary people act reciprocally on one another’ (p. 15). therefore, we introduced the students to individuals whose stories and lives had not been widely captured and circulated, yet whose participation had some impact on south african society. these individuals included dottie tiyo, doreen madombo, patricia jobodwana, viccie ‘busi’ mhlongo, amaranee naidoo, constance molefe, khabi mngoma, sewsunker sewgolam, sonny pillay, gertie williams, jean hart and hazel futa. these individuals were associated with music (mhlongo, masuka, mngoma, pillay and hart), sports (molefe, naidoo and sewgolam), film (futa, tiyo and madombo), education (jobodwana) and the queer community (williams). while sewgolam, mngoma, dorothy masuka and williams have been the subjects of a biography, a phd study, journal articles and a book chapter, respectively, the lives of the rest were minimally documented, 94 often in texts that focused on a different subject altogether. furthermore, where the lives of these individuals were recorded, the information was excerpted from drum magazine (i.e., jobodwana, williams and molefe), meaning that there was a regurgitation of information. despite this minimal information, some students showed creativity, inventiveness and a willingness to learn about their subjects. for instance, because of her romantic relationship with can themba and the attention this relationship stirred in 1950s south africa, the student group that wrote hart’s essay relied on a scholarly article about themba and his short story, crepuscule, to find information on hart. set in 1950s sophiatown, crepuscule tells the story of a relationship between a black man and white woman. the short story was included in themba’s book, the will to die (1972). still unsatisfied with the information they found, the group read this article closely, even going through the reference list. the reference list led them to hart’s interview posted on youtube. the discovery of the interview provided the students with muchneeded information, which resulted in a multi-themed essay. hart’s tweed skirt and polo-neck were analysed through the frame of the kofifi style. kofifi is another name for sophiatown, and when linked with the word style, it pays homage to fashion that echoes the style heritage associated with 1950s sophiatown. the students’ writing included topics on the african american jazz movement, the 1950s multiculturalism of sophiatown and the criminalisation of interracial relationships in south africa at the time. the linkages in the students’ essays show that ‘one cannot capture the whole past, but we have access to remnants of it held in archives’ (tulloch, 2016, p. 179). archives can, however, also bring forth troubling questions. the information available on some individuals only captured celebratory moments published in drum magazine. the students had remaining nagging questions about their assigned individuals since they could not find further information on their subjects. these included the absence of events in their lives after drum’s publication. eismann (2019, p. 66) pointed out that postcolonial archives disturb the very notion of the archive by opening questions of ‘what constitutes an archive? what is in it? who put it there?’. this quality of postcolonial archives in the context of the drum magazine project was the students’ self-imposed question of ‘what happened to her?’ raised while writing jobodwana’s essay. the frustration continued to be articulated in the essay’s mood, an excerpt from which we present below: image 1: screenshot of students’ essay on patricia jobodwana. credit: k. mchunu. one of the students in this group expressed frustration in the interview: “she was the first black woman undergraduate student at fort hare doing medicine. i just wished that i had more information on her because she sounds like a very important woman. i just wish, 95 maybe, her children. i just want a little bit more”. (9 september 2022, interview) the students’ analysis of jobodwana through the lens of the scientific laboratory coat and its symbolic meaning led them to study her and the participation of other black girls and women in stem fields (i.e. esther okade). the student-penned sewgolam essay used his wearing of the golfing uniform to present a complex and nuanced essay that married topics of poverty, oppression, lack of access, assimilation, culture and achievement. the discovery of his death in his early 40s as a pauper with a non-existent golfing career left the students disturbed. however, this group refused to leave sewgolam’s life story with a sad ending. the johannesburg-based student group searched on social media platforms and discovered rajen sewgolam, sewsunker sewgolam’s son, who got into and continues playing golf, a sport his father introduced to him. the durban-based student group gained access to and used the papwa sewgolum golf course in durban as a site to photograph their magazine cover as a homage to sewgolam (discussed later in the article). these instances demonstrate how life is recorded and can sometimes destabilise expectations and the linearity of life’s beginning and end. drum magazine did not promise to record jobodwana’s, sewgolam’s or any other individuals’ lives in this way. however, we understand students’ inclusion of oskade and sewgolam in their writings as an attempt to show that time ‘is a fluid concept, and the terms past, present and future are not necessarily linear’ (eismann, 2020, p. 68). these inclusions also indicate making linkages to answer questions that archives sometimes fail to answer. there were moments when drum magazine archives proved to be frustrating and presented questions that held the potential to make students angry at the apartheid regime and its design of a system and conditions that rendered black identities as belonging to a doomed future. writing about the afrofuturistic universe, eismann (2019,) states that it is a self-fashioned universe that entails ‘alternative histories, geographies, and identities, members of the african diaspora imagine themselves … unbound by the chains of slavery and racism’ (pp. 67-68). the students excavated stories from the past and analysed the clothing by considering the contexts in which these garbs were worn. through this method, they crafted alternative imaginaries that saw their subjects beyond the bounds of apartheid. the essay-writing exercise showed a text-based technique of narrating visibility, alternative imaginaries, and futurity and joining the decolonial fashion discourse through teaching and learning. the second part of the project showed the marrying of text-based and visual types – the biography-informed magazine covers. imaging alternative fashion histories and imaginaries: student magazine covers tulloch (2016) views fashion photography as a method to communicate ideas, make social commentary and tell stories, further adding that ‘whether that [story] is truth or fiction, nonetheless there is an attempt to make a point’ (pp. 178-179). this idea about fashion photography was informative for the project since the students needed to communicate a message through imaging. gaugele and titton (2019) assert that ‘fashion media—from fashion magazines to blogs—are important hubs for the dissemination of representations and collective narratives on gender, race, class, body, identity, and sexuality; therefore, they carry the potential for a decolonising transformation from within the fashion system’ (p. 27). these magazine covers emphasised the point of teaching fashion theory and history through imaging alternative histories and fashion imaginaries. 96 image 2: hazel futa-informed students’ photograph. photographer: remyshoots (2022). students’ creativity, demonstrated during the essay writing, was also shown in the magazine covers. for example, the hazel futa-informed photograph (image 2) used ballet elements to capture delicate femininities the group believed futa embodied. their tutu-like ballet skirt was made of downloaded 1950s and 1960s drum magazine covers the group printed in black and white, rolled up to form a swirling curl on the hem and tucked into an elasticated waistband. a commonality across many of the students’ covers was a strong leaning toward the symbolic meaning of every element in a photograph. examples include the constance molefeand sewsunker sewgoluminformed photographs. the constance molefe-informed photograph (image 3) was taken in one of the sports fields of the johannesburg-based university. the students were drawn to molefe’s white tennis attire and her plaited hair, which they understood as the benny and betty hairstyle. benny and betty is a type of plait hairstyle done mainly by black girls during the apartheid period. the name of the hairstyle derives from a book of the same title, particularly its main characters. the book was introduced as an english-learning text as part of bantu education. some people continue doing the hairstyle in contemporary times. students read molefe’s firm grip on her tennis racket and the smile behind it as symbolic of the: “[h]ope that she had during the era that she was in. with reference to the oppression that hindered many dreams in the 50s and 60s, the model stands behind a rusty chain-link fence. although she is behind this fence, which obscures her view of the future, she maintains a cheerful smile and firmly holds onto her tennis racket. in our opinion, the firm grip that she has on the racket speaks to how constance held onto her dreams.” (student design statement, 2022) 97 image 3: constance molefe-informed students’ photograph. photographer, nawa, l. (2022). the golf ball (made from crumpled paper), flower petals, green field and black clothes were wellconsidered elements in the sewgolam-informed photograph (image 4). the golf ball referenced a makeshift golf club that sewgolam’s father made for him growing up. the confetti-style flower petals scattered on the grass symbolise the peak of his golfing career and referenced an event in which sewgolam wore a garland around his neck to celebrate after winning the dutch open (a story covered in drum magazine). similarly, their inclusion of the green field has literal and figurative meanings. the literal connotation is the golf course’s grass field, which is also ‘a metaphorical grass being greener on the other side’ (student design statement, 2022). the durban-based sewgolam group also highlighted his golfing career through their magazine cover focusing on racial tensions (image 5). the students’ styling choices and magazine cover creative direction are a homage to the image of sewgolam on the golf course with his ‘entourage’. the inclusion of the title ‘”there goes the neighbourhood” says white residents’ is a reference to post-apartheid societal views of young men of colour. the group explained the significance of the cover story: “’there goes the neighbourhood.’ what does this mean? this is an exclamation after a negative change affects someone’s neighbourhood, such as someone undesirable moving in (privette 2021). to the golfing community at the time, we can assume that he [sewgolum] was seen as someone ‘undesirable’ moving into this prestigious sport, in his story he was looked down upon due to the colour of his skin.” (student design statement, 2022) 98 images 4 and 5: sewsunker’ papwa’ sewgolum-informed students’ photographs. photographers from left: pondo, y. (2022) and moolman, j. (2022). in a 1950s drum photograph of sonny pillay, he wears a white shirt and cardigan shot with his slightly angled face. students took the white shirt element worn underneath a denim jacket to ‘strongly mimic the focal point of the referenced photograph and bring out the same soft and clean aesthetic’ (student design statement, 2022). the students used their findings about pillay’s immigration, first to the uk and later to the usa, to inform the inclusion of the face mask in their magazine cover (image 6). the group wrote that: “ ...the mask is muted and hidden even though in the foreground, which resembles how sonny appears facially concealed right in front of the viewer. this can be seen as a commentary on how mr pillay, as a black artist, was censored by the apartheid regime. drum magazine deserves its critical acclamation for being able to promote silenced creatives and untold stories ...” (student design statement, 2022) a limited and limiting engagement with drum magazine archives, such as reliance on google searches solely, could have resulted in teaching fashion theory and history through the widely circulated narrative of sophiatown and its kofifi style. such reliance could have restricted the magazine’s wide range of stories. avoiding teaching solely through the sophiatown canon allowed for the ‘recognition of a plurality of epistemologies concerning fashioning the body [and] to revalue a diversity that has been rendered invisible, erased, discriminated and de-futured’ (jansen, 2020, p. 817). we ultimately argue that accessing these wide-ranging stories allowed us to renew, stretch, and decentre fashion education. 99 image 6: sonny pillay -informed students’ photograph. photographer, makubele, h. (2022). the students’ interpretations of drum’s historical photographs ranged from queer politics, diverse forms of femininities and expressions of black excellence, among others, showing the students’ expanding narratives that formed new meanings. additionally, their exploration of these themes coincided, to some extent, with the vast scale and plurality of this historically significant magazine in covering a diverse range of individuals. the records were sometimes fragmented, and their residues led to more questions than answers. however, the students formed alternative histories and imaginaries through imagination, creativity, writing and imaging. conclusion we asked ourselves whether drum magazine, with its history in south african visual culture, belongs to the corpus of fashion curricula. we recognise that drum magazine may not be considered a fashion magazine by global standards, but it is essential to question the context in which we focused on drum. decoloniality values ‘a multitude of possibilities’ (jansen, 2020, p. 817) and by implication appreciates different perspectives. in this sense, drum magazine’s significant role in south african visual culture and its contribution to existing knowledge in this field is undeniable. the drum magazine project was a space to celebrate and validate this contribution by the magazine. given that we considered fashion as contextsensitive and -specific, this project also expanded and challenged notions of what can be considered a fashion magazine. fanon (1952/2008) wrote that ‘every human problem must be considered from the standpoint of time. ideally, the present will always contribute to the building of the future. and this future is not the future of the cosmos but rather the future of my century, my country, my existence’ (pp. 5-6). while fanon’s quote is about time, it also addresses aspects of identity and context. this statement urges us to go back to questions of what we think we owe fashion students existing in the fashion education system and our endeavour to renew and decentre the teaching of fashion theory and history. as south african fashion lecturers, we cannot speak to another geography or context. we aimed to speak to our specific reality and expand teaching by using context-specific resources. as we questioned whether we should teach fashion as we were taught, we grappled with how to view the future of fashion education. we cannot project how we see the future of teaching fashion theory and history, but we know that we cannot wait for the future to solve its problems. 100 we acknowledge that this project had its limitations and did not cover the comprehensive fashion history of south africa. expanding beyond the 1950s and 1960s as periods can be considered for future research, with a more fashion-focused approach as an alternative to the biographical lens that this project adopted. we also reflected on the students’ question of ‘what happened to her?’ and how it speaks to the limitation of relying on only one archival source like drum magazine. south africa’s past events and, by extension, its fashion histories, have been covered in multiple sources. to ease the answering of such questions, future studies could look at the combined use of multiple archival resources to record people’s histories as broadly as possible. the scope of the decolonial fashion discourse is too large to be fulfilled by an undergraduate assignment like the drum magazine project. however, if we are subsumed and intimidated by the scope of an extensive exercise, contributions (no matter how large or small) to the process will never be recorded or started. if the decolonial imperatives and shifts are to be seriously addressed, our incorporation of archives and alternative histories, as chronicled in drum magazine, addressed these imperatives in the now. our task was to join the decolonial fashion discourse, and we believed in the role of education in this conversation. nevertheless, the journey in decoloniality and fashion is ongoing. as we conclude this first phase of the drum magazine project, we enter a new one with a set of new questions expressed in a fanonian way. 101 references adams, g., estrada-villalta, s., gómez-ordóñez, l. h. (2018). the modernity/coloniality of being: hegemonic psychology as intercultural relations. international journal of intercultural relations, 62, 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.06.006 ahmed, t. (2022). towards a decolonial feminist fashion design reading list. art libraries journal, 47(1), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/alj.2021.26 allen, l. (2008). music, film, and gangsters in the sophiatown imaginary: featuring dolly rathebe. scrutiny2: issues in english studies in southern africa, 9(1), 19-34. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc101008 allman, j. (ed.). (2004). fashioning africa: power and the politics of dress. indiana university press. cheang, s., & suterwalla, s. (2020). decolonising the curriculum? transformation, emotion, and positionality in teaching. fashion theory, 24(6), 879-900. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800989 cheang, s., rabine, l., & sandhu, a. (2022). decolonising fashion studies. international journal of fashion studies, 9(2), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1386/infs_00070_2 de greef, e. (2020). curating fashion as decolonial practice: ndwalane’s mblaselo and a politics of remembering. fashion theory, 24(6), 901-920. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800990 eismann, s. (2019). afrofuturism as a strategy for decolonising the global fashion archive. in e. gaugele and m. titton (eds.), fashion and postcolonial critique (pp. 64-73). sternberg press. https://doi.org/10.21937/9783956794650.4 fanon, f. (2008). black skin, white masks. pluto press. (original work published 1952). fleming, t. & falola, t. (2005). africa’s media empire: drum’s expansion to nigeria. history in africa, 32, 133-164. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20065738 ford, tc. (2015). liberated threads: black women, style, and the global politics of soul. university of north carolina press. gaugele, e., & titton, m. (eds.). (2019). fashion and postcolonial critique. sternberg press. giloi, s., & botes, h. (eds.). (2017). #decolonise: design educators reflecting on the call for the decolonising of education. proceedings of the 14th national design education conference of the design education forum of southern africa. design education forum of southern africa. https://tinyurl.com/hwthmz3u gott, s., & loughran, k. (2010). contemporary african dress. indiana university press. grosfoguel, r. (2013). the structure of knowledge in westernised universities: epistemic racism/sexism and the four genocides/epistemicides of the long 16th century. human architecture: journal of the sociology of selfknowledge, 11(1), 73-90. https://tinyurl.com/bdznhp7k guldimann, c. (2019). against the law: arthur maimane’s pioneering hard-boiled black detective fiction in drum magazine. safundi, 20(3), 259-276. https://tinyurl.com/msm7t9cs jansen, m. a. (2020). fashion and the phantasmagoria of modernity: an introduction to decolonial fashion discourse. fashion theory, 24(6), 815-836. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1802098 lindsay, l. a. (2017). biography in african history. history in africa, 44, 11-26. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/665277 maldonado-torres, n. (2007). on the coloniality of being: contributions to the development of a concept. cultural studies, 21(2-3), 240-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601162548 mustafa, h. (2001). ruins and spectacles: fashion and city life in contemporary senegal. nka: journal of contemporary african art, 15, 47-53. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/422657 rabine, l. (2002). the global circulation of african fashion. berg. rovine, v. (2015). african fashion, global style histories, innovations, and ideas you can wear. indiana university press. schultz, t., danah, a., ansari, a., canlı, e., keshavarz, m., kiem, m., de o. martins, l. p., & vieira de oliveira, p. j. s. v. (2018). decolonizing design: editors’ introduction. design and culture, 10(1), 1-6. https://tinyurl.com/5ddaaas4 slade, t., & jansen, m. a. (2020). letter from the editors: decoloniality and fashion. fashion theory, 24(6), 809-814. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800983 themba, c. (1972). the will to die. heinemann. tulloch, c. (1998). “out of many, one people”: the relativity of dress, race and ethnicity to jamaica, 1880–1907. fashion theory, 2(4), 359-382. https://doi.org/10.2752/136270498779476154 tulloch, c. (2016). the birth of cool: style narratives of the african diaspora. bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.06.006 https://doi.org/10.1017/alj.2021.26 https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc101008 https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800989 https://doi.org/10.1386/infs_00070_2 https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800990 https://doi.org/10.21937/9783956794650.4 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20065738 https://tinyurl.com/hwthmz3u https://tinyurl.com/bdznhp7k https://tinyurl.com/msm7t9cs https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1802098 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/665277 https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601162548 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/422657 https://tinyurl.com/5ddaaas4 https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800983 https://doi.org/10.2752/136270498779476154 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history khaya mchunu, kiara gounder published online: may 2024 to cite this article: mchunu, k., & gounder, k. (2024). drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), ... drum magazine project: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history khaya mchunua, kiara gounderb adepartment of fashion, faculty of art, design, and architecture, university of johannesburg. khayam@uj.ac.za. bdepartment of fashion and textiles, faculty of arts and design, durban university of technology. kiarag@dut.ac.za. abstract the drum magazine project is a cross-institutional teaching and research project designed to explore a decolonial approach to teaching fashion theory and history. the project used the 1950s and 1960s archives of drum magazine, found at bailey’s afric... keywords: decolonial fashion discourse, drum magazine, fashion history, fashion theory fashion curricula and the decolonial fashion discourse: a reflexive introduction what do we, fashion scholars and lecturers of fashion theory and history, owe current students in the fashion education system? does renewing, stretching and decentring our understanding of fashion in the african context play a role in teaching fashio... we designed a cross-institutional teaching and research project, the drum magazine project, to renew fashion curricula in a manner that better values south african history. the drum magazine project was a decolonial exercise to introduce an element o... as a student project of the fashion programme, it was incorporated into fashion theory and history modules. the project included drum magazine content as the tools through which fashion theory and history might be taught in the context of south africa... revaluing and incorporating drum magazine content involved sourcing alternative archives and renewing fashion imaginaries to show the plurality of epistemologies in the university space. grosfoguel (2013) proposes the need to ‘bring epistemic diversit... theorising the decolonial fashion discourse we begin with a comprehensive view of the concept to start a discussion about decoloniality, specifically in fashion. we understand decoloniality to entail confronting and opposing the coloniality of knowledge creation being exerted by the western ca... decoloniality has recently attracted attention in the fashion discipline through specially themed journal issues, conferences and research projects. examples include the international journal of fashion studies (cheang et al., 2022), design and cultur... “[p]roposes a radical redefinition of fashion by delinking it from modernity—the very core of its constitution—and therefore from coloniality by redefining it as a multitude of possibilities—in and outside of modernity—rather than a normative framewor... while the word decoloniality may not have been included in prior studies, the discourse on non-european fashion systems has been ongoing for years within fashion studies; see mustafa (2001), rabine (2002), allman (2004), gott and loughran (2010), and ... decoloniality, the fashion curriculum and fashion history are the focus of studies by gaugele and titton (2019), cheang and suterwalla (2020) and ahmed (2022). cheang and suterwalla (2020) and ahmed (2022) warn against superficially revisiting and rep... drum magazine has enjoyed much attention as representative of a particular era in south africa. its pages have visually and textually recorded dress and fashion styles in the south african context. nevertheless, from our search, drum magazine has larg... what is drum magazine? drum magazine was founded by robert crisp and jim bailey and first published in march 1951 as african drum. it emerged just three years after the inception of administrative apartheid. in its earlier issues, drum had a low circulation and failed to at... fleming and falola (2005) wrote that the magazine went from its paternalistic writing and printing of ‘”know yourself” stories to articles on crime syndicates, american styled jazz music, shebeen life, and other happenings in cape town, durban and on ... the magazine’s photography of cover girls was another contributing factor that increased its visibility, popularity and consumption. nigerian and ghanaian readers were unfamiliar with sophiatown and district six (reported about in the magazine) and co... with its rich history, drum has served as a fount of inspiration in south african visual culture. the early 2000s saw the emergence of some fashion designers who contributed to the development of south africa’s fashion industry. amongst these is the l... research context our methods entailed visual and textual analysis of 1950s and 1960s drum magazine content. these were accessed from those kept at baha in johannesburg. to ensure compliance with research ethics, we sought ethical clearance for the study from our respe... the drum magazine project started with a two-part lecture, focusing first on south africa’s 1950s and 1960s social and political environment through drum reports that were linked to certain apartheid legislation. the second part of the lecture focused... following the lecture, the students were required to work in groups and use an allocated folder with a drum archival image and readings related to an individual featured in drum magazine during the 1950s and 1960s. using the folder content, the stude... the information gleaned from the essay-writing exercise was used to style and visually communicate a contemporary look through a re-imagined drum magazine cover. the cover needed to be informed by (a) students’ findings about their allocated individu... biographical essays as narratives of alternative histories and fashion imaginaries cheang and suterwalla (2020) wrote about deepening teachers’ and students’ intellectual curiosity and manifesting ‘greater cultural sensitivity to redress the many social inequalities embedded in histories’ (p. 881). inequalities manifest when there ... lindsay (2017) argued that ‘history is made by a wider range of people than literate elites, and that historical forces and ordinary people act reciprocally on one another’ (p. 15). therefore, we introduced the students to individuals whose stories an... despite this minimal information, some students showed creativity, inventiveness and a willingness to learn about their subjects. for instance, because of her romantic relationship with can themba and the attention this relationship stirred in 1950s s... hart’s tweed skirt and polo-neck were analysed through the frame of the kofifi style. kofifi is another name for sophiatown, and when linked with the word style, it pays homage to fashion that echoes the style heritage associated with 1950s sophiatown... archives can, however, also bring forth troubling questions. the information available on some individuals only captured celebratory moments published in drum magazine. the students had remaining nagging questions about their assigned individuals sinc... image 1: screenshot of students’ essay on patricia jobodwana. credit: k. mchunu. one of the students in this group expressed frustration in the interview: “she was the first black woman undergraduate student at fort hare doing medicine. i just wished that i had more information on her because she sounds like a very important woman. i just wish, maybe, her children. i just want a little bit more”. (9 sep... the students’ analysis of jobodwana through the lens of the scientific laboratory coat and its symbolic meaning led them to study her and the participation of other black girls and women in stem fields (i.e. esther okade). the student-penned sewgolam essay used his wearing of the golfing uniform to present a complex and nuanced essay that married topics of poverty, oppression, lack of access, assimilation, culture and achievement. the discovery of his death in his early... these instances demonstrate how life is recorded and can sometimes destabilise expectations and the linearity of life’s beginning and end. drum magazine did not promise to record jobodwana’s, sewgolam’s or any other individuals’ lives in this way. ho... there were moments when drum magazine archives proved to be frustrating and presented questions that held the potential to make students angry at the apartheid regime and its design of a system and conditions that rendered black identities as belongin... the essay-writing exercise showed a text-based technique of narrating visibility, alternative imaginaries, and futurity and joining the decolonial fashion discourse through teaching and learning. the second part of the project showed the marrying of t... imaging alternative fashion histories and imaginaries: student magazine covers tulloch (2016) views fashion photography as a method to communicate ideas, make social commentary and tell stories, further adding that ‘whether that [story] is truth or fiction, nonetheless there is an attempt to make a point’ (pp. 178-179). this ide... image 2: hazel futa-informed students’ photograph. photographer: remyshoots (2022). students’ creativity, demonstrated during the essay writing, was also shown in the magazine covers. for example, the hazel futa-informed photograph (image 2) used ballet elements to capture delicate femininities the group believed futa embodied. thei... a commonality across many of the students’ covers was a strong leaning toward the symbolic meaning of every element in a photograph. examples include the constance molefeand sewsunker sewgolum-informed photographs. the constance molefe-informed photograph (image 3) was taken in one of the sports fields of the johannesburg-based university. the students were drawn to molefe’s white tennis attire and her plaited hair, which they understood as the benny and betty h... “[h]ope that she had during the era that she was in. with reference to the oppression that hindered many dreams in the 50s and 60s, the model stands behind a rusty chain-link fence. although she is behind this fence, which obscures her view of the fut... image 3: constance molefe-informed students’ photograph. photographer, nawa, l. (2022). the golf ball (made from crumpled paper), flower petals, green field and black clothes were well-considered elements in the sewgolam-informed photograph (image 4). the golf ball referenced a makeshift golf club that sewgolam’s father made for him grow... the durban-based sewgolam group also highlighted his golfing career through their magazine cover focusing on racial tensions (image 5). the students’ styling choices and magazine cover creative direction are a homage to the image of sewgolam on the go... “’there goes the neighbourhood.’ what does this mean? this is an exclamation after a negative change affects someone’s neighbourhood, such as someone undesirable moving in (privette 2021). to the golfing community at the time, we can assume that he [... images 4 and 5: sewsunker’ papwa’ sewgolum-informed students’ photographs. photographers from left: pondo, y. (2022) and moolman, j. (2022). in a 1950s drum photograph of sonny pillay, he wears a white shirt and cardigan shot with his slightly angled face. students took the white shirt element worn underneath a denim jacket to ‘strongly mimic the focal point of the referenced photograph an... “ ...the mask is muted and hidden even though in the foreground, which resembles how sonny appears facially concealed right in front of the viewer. this can be seen as a commentary on how mr pillay, as a black artist, was censored by the apartheid reg... a limited and limiting engagement with drum magazine archives, such as reliance on google searches solely, could have resulted in teaching fashion theory and history through the widely circulated narrative of sophiatown and its kofifi style. such rel... image 6: sonny pillay -informed students’ photograph. photographer, makubele, h. (2022). the students’ interpretations of drum’s historical photographs ranged from queer politics, diverse forms of femininities and expressions of black excellence, among others, showing the students’ expanding narratives that formed new meanings. additional... conclusion we asked ourselves whether drum magazine, with its history in south african visual culture, belongs to the corpus of fashion curricula. we recognise that drum magazine may not be considered a fashion magazine by global standards, but it is essential t... fanon (1952/2008) wrote that ‘every human problem must be considered from the standpoint of time. ideally, the present will always contribute to the building of the future. and this future is not the future of the cosmos but rather the future of my ce... we acknowledge that this project had its limitations and did not cover the comprehensive fashion history of south africa. expanding beyond the 1950s and 1960s as periods can be considered for future research, with a more fashion-focused approach as an... we also reflected on the students’ question of ‘what happened to her?’ and how it speaks to the limitation of relying on only one archival source like drum magazine. south africa’s past events and, by extension, its fashion histories, have been covere... the scope of the decolonial fashion discourse is too large to be fulfilled by an undergraduate assignment like the drum magazine project. however, if we are subsumed and intimidated by the scope of an extensive exercise, contributions (no matter how l... references adams, g., estrada-villalta, s., gómez-ordóñez, l. h. (2018). the modernity/coloniality of being: hegemonic psychology as intercultural relations. international journal of intercultural relations, 62, 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2017.06.006 ahmed, t. (2022). towards a decolonial feminist fashion design reading list. art libraries journal, 47(1), 9-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/alj.2021.26 allen, l. (2008). music, film, and gangsters in the sophiatown imaginary: featuring dolly rathebe. scrutiny2: issues in english studies in southern africa, 9(1), 19-34. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc101008 allman, j. (ed.). (2004). fashioning africa: power and the politics of dress. indiana university press. cheang, s., & suterwalla, s. (2020). decolonising the curriculum? transformation, emotion, and positionality in teaching. fashion theory, 24(6), 879-900. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704x.2020.1800989 cheang, s., rabine, l., & sandhu, a. 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(2016). the birth of cool: style narratives of the african diaspora. bloomsbury. 35 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. small, local, open, connected: exploring cosmopolitan localism in sustainable fashion design siviwe tolokazi jack, lincoln john (nic) theo, alettia chisin published online: november 2024 to cite this article: jack, s.t., theo, l.j., & chisin, a. (2024). small, local, open, connected: exploring cosmopolitan localism in sustainable fashion design. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 35-50. 36 small, local, open, connected: exploring cosmopolitan localism in sustainable fashion design s. t. jacka, l. j. theob, a. chisinc a faculty of informatics and design, applied design, cape peninsula university of technology, cape town 8001, south africa. jacks@cput.ac.za bfaculty of informatics and design, media department, cape peninsula university of technology, cape town 8001, south africa. theolj@cput.ac.za cfaculty of informatics and design, applied design, cape peninsula university of technology, cape town 8001, south africa. chisina@cput.ac.za abstract the fashion design sector stands to gain from embracing cosmopolitan localism (cl), allowing designers to merge global trends with local cultures. this strategy fosters distinct, sustainable identities that resonate with their communities. this literature review focused on sustainable fashion design practices, searching the literature in databases that included google scholar, ieee xplore, acm digital library, springerlink and sciencedirect. the review emphasizes the relationship between traditional craftsmanship, innovation and minimizing environmental impact through global and local collaborations. of 169 articles that met the basic eligibility criteria—focusing on sustainable practices such as ethical sourcing and consumer engagement— only five authors discussed cl. this reveals a notable gap in the literature regarding the in-depth application and evaluation of cl in sustainable fashion design. nonetheless, key principles are apparent, such as strengthening supply chain connections to promote ethical practices, fair wages and sustainable sourcing; fostering meaningful consumer relationships through narrative-driven brand communication and values-based messaging to build brand loyalty and encourage lasting purchasing behaviours; and participating in global sustainability initiatives while remaining informed about best practices and industry standards. this clarifies how supply chain dynamics and consumer engagement impact sustainable fashion. this review examines recent applications of small, local, open, and connected (sloc) principles in sustainability research, emphasizing their role in adapting global influences on local cultures and values. furthermore, it emphasizes the interrelations among supply chain dynamics, consumer engagement and global sustainability frameworks in promoting a more sustainable fashion industry. keywords: sustainable fashion, sustainable design practices, cosmopolitan localism introduction cosmopolitan localism is a concept that blends global perspectives with a strong connection to local communities (manzini & m’rithaa, 2016). it emphasizes preserving and promoting regional cultural diversity while fostering cross-cultural exchange and understanding. combining global ideas and ethics with local cultural traditions and identities aims to create a sense of belonging to a global community while appreciating local distinctiveness (corsini & moultrie, 2021). cosmopolitan localism originated in the 1990s as a response to “cultural evaporation” (sachs, 1999). since then, it has evolved into a framework for sustainable design practices, integrating global viewpoints with local commitments (manzini, 2011). this approach encourages using local materials, traditional techniques and renewable energy sources to reduce environmental impact while preserving cultural identity (fiala, 2019). a key concern is that ideas like cosmopolitan localism, which are gaining traction in design, are still quite new in fashion and must establish strong conceptual foundations. in seeking a new direction, an integrated approach to sustainability 37 recognizes that empowering local communities through sustainable practices may result in a fairer distribution of benefits and help address social justice issues (schismenos et al., 2020) while also driving a move towards a more inclusive, equitable and resilient fashion industry in which fair trade initiatives dominate. this, in turn, may ensure that producers, especially those in developing countries, receive a fair price for their work, helping to address inequalities in the fashion industry. to unlock the full potential of cosmopolitan localism in fashion, it is vital to identify and analyze its integration into sustainable fashion practices. researchers and designers can create more effective strategies for sustainable and culturally relevant fashion by understanding the specific methods aligned with cosmopolitan localism. investigating the challenges and opportunities of implementing cosmopolitan localism in the fashion sector can guide future research and policy development. there has been a notable growth in publications about sustainable fashion in recent years. the current research reviews the literature to assess how this growth includes a focus on merging global knowledge with local fashion sustainability needs, thereby implicitly reflecting some core aspects of cosmopolitan localism. this article explores the connection between fashion theory and practice, as discussed in the available literature, and the principles of cosmopolitan localism, highlighting its importance for achieving sustainability in the fashion industry. specifically, this research seeks to answer the following questions: rq1 which sustainable design practices have been documented within a cosmopolitan localism framework? rq2 how do these practices address sustainability’s local environmental, social and economic aspects? identifying what might be termed ‘cosmopolitan localism’ in sustainable fashion practices cosmopolitan localism is too imprecise and widely contested to serve as a definitive register of interactions between local communities and other communities, either for a historical empirical inquiry or as an ethical mandate (simpson, 2005). it is, therefore, not obvious how the idea might have been incorporated into the scholarship of fashion without a deeper analysis of how the ideas that lie implicit in the framing have been discussed in the literature. without such analysis, it becomes difficult to derive coherent strategies that account for how culture, economy and ecology might be implemented so that the fashion industry might have a less negative long-term influence on the environment, as moorhouse and moorhouse (2018) recommend creating in the context of sustainable development, and at the same time so that sound design ideas, such as those discussed by fletcher (2010), might be conceived and implemented to promote social change and create more sustainable products in the fashion industry. for example, one solution widely touted has been slow fashion for sustainability and ethical fashion practices (jung & jin, 2014), where slow fashion is a vision of sustainability in the fashion industry based on current values and aims (fletcher, 2010). however, a nuanced understanding of whether and how a proposed solution like slow fashion would incorporate all the variables involved must, of necessity, be based on the acknowledgement that the challenges of incorporating sustainable design practices are broad and multifaceted and that addressing these challenges will require a collaborative effort from designers, corporations, legislators and society (di monte-milner & breytenbach, 2014). it would seem at first glance that this is almost impossible to do without one of at least two pre-existing circumstances: 38 • a centralized entity should provide coherent and coordinated guidance for the widespread adoption of slow fashion or • develop a conceptual framework that incorporates several factors from different locations and practices within the fashion industry. such a framework would allow stakeholders to create tailored strategic plans suited to their contexts, promoting better practices (peirson-smith & craik, 2020). option 1 is unlikely because no global system currently supports a strategic approach to sustainable design. for sustainable design methods to be successfully implemented, they must encompass environmental, social and economic considerations to mitigate negative impacts on ecosystems and enhance social well-being. while option 2 offers a pathway for addressing these challenges, it necessitates a clear understanding of the relevant variables to develop a framework to support efforts to overcome difficulties. this, in turn, could lead to a more sustainable future that safeguards our environment and enhances everyone’s quality of life. additionally, before advocating for slow fashion as a solution to sustainability, it is crucial to find a creative balance that connects a specific community while remaining receptive to global exchanges of ideas, people and products, which aligns with the principles of cosmopolitan localism. this entails acknowledging the importance of sustainability and recognizing the challenges that hinder the effortless integration of sustainable fashion design practices. a thorough understanding of the fashion industry’s landscape is vital to facilitate social innovations that contribute to the establishment of strong, decentralized socio-technical systems, as suggested by cosmopolitan localism. this approach requires examining the interrelation of ideas, culture and physical presence. the current literature review is the starting point for mapping recent research on sustainable fashion design practices. it does so by integrating various theories related to cosmopolitan localism into sustainable fashion design. this includes transcending geographical barriers while preserving local identity and promoting environmental responsibility, as noted in the literature. this framework enables designers to create environmentally conscious clothing that also highlights the unique cultural heritage of their communities. identifying and reviewing the literature the starting point for this analysis is a south african take on cosmopolitan localism, which, in the first instance, lies in a comparative study by dickson et al. (2016) in consideration of the extent of industry stakeholders’ involvement in sustainability and their demand for sustainable apparel and textile products from south africa. this study demonstrated that several local environmental, social and economic hurdles inhibit sustainable fashion design practices, which suggests a challenge to the universal application of manzini’s (2011) framework for achieving local environmental sustainability. manzini’s (2011) framework, a fundamental contribution to sustainable design, presents a comprehensive approach considering social, environmental and economic factors. this paradigm emphasizes creating products and systems that meet functional requirements and contribute to a more sustainable and fair future (manzini, 2011). it encourages designers to analyze a product’s complete life cycle, from material extraction to disposal, and to seek opportunities to reduce environmental effects while increasing social benefits. manzini’s methodology, which adopts a “systems thinking” perspective, enables designers to produce unique solutions that manage difficult challenges and promote sustainability. this challenge to universality suggests a need for a deeper exploration of the rich and complex epistemic terrain that encompasses the burgeoning field of sustainable fashion design to better identify the extent to which recent scholarship on sustainability implicitly reflects the tenets of cosmopolitan localism as fostering 39 community engagement and a sense of shared responsibility for long-term development (see bonsu et al., 2022; fiala, 2019; kossoff, 2019; opoku et al., 2022; schismenos et al., 2020). in an initial informal review, it soon became apparent that only some authors have dealt specifically with its fashion application. this pre-empts the need to illuminate the possibilities and challenges inherent in applying this design philosophy to this domain, grappling with environmental responsibility and cultural expression. the most effective approach for this was deemed to be a comprehensive bibliometric analysis by way of a qualitative literature review and qualitative analysis based on the methodology proposed by yang et al. (2017), following the steps of review planning, conducting, finding and reporting. identifying the relevant studies the literature was gathered from the google scholar, ieee xplore, acm digital library, springerlink and sciencedirect databases and the design-specific database, proquest design and applied arts index. we also explored open-access repositories, such as researchgate and academia.edu. combining these databases ensures a thorough search and captures studies from various academic disciplines and research communities that offer different perspectives on cosmopolitan localism in fashion. after the initial searches, the results were filtered by publication date, relevance and publication type, such as research articles, book chapters and conference proceedings. we prioritized studies that explicitly addressed the intersection of cosmopolitan localism and sustainable fashion design. we also looked for studies that delve into specific aspects of interest, such as cultural representation, local production systems or environmental impact. articles that only superficially mentioned social factors, with a significant emphasis on environmental sustainability, were excluded. later, we used a snowballing technique to analyze references from relevant studies and identify new sources. we further considered grey literature, such as reports, white papers and industry publications. several initial broad searches with keywords related to design practices, fashion sustainability and similar words were identified to examine existing knowledge on various sustainability challenges in fashion design. the search period from 2014 to 2024 was used to gain a clear view of the literature over the past 10 years. we identified several studies that examined sustainable fashion in general. few studies, however, focused on cosmopolitan localism in fashion, while most studies presented case studies of fashion sustainability focused on environmental concerns across the global north. none of these articles focused on the global south, particularly africa. studies covered china, the united kingdom and the united states. relevant studies were selected using keywords. we started with the core terms design practices and cosmopolitan and localism and fashion and (sustainable or sustainability or balanced or sustainable or continual or feasible or supportable or continuous or viable) and (challenges or issues or threat) and (incorporation or embodiment or fusion or integration). as this resulted in only a small number of articles, we decided to expand the search to include search terms from the domains of social design and sustainable design, including [[“fashion”] and [all: “design practices”] and [all: cosmopolitan] and [all: localism sustainable]] or [all: sustainability] or [all: a feasible] or [all: supportable] or [all: viable] and [all: challenges] or [all: issues] or [all: threat] and [all: incorporation] or [all: fusion] or [all: integration] and [title: fashion] and [title: sustainable] and [e-publication date: (01/01/2018 to 23/02/2024)]. these searches sought literature at the intersection 40 of these domains that consider design and social sustainability (see figure 1). all articles were examined up until february 2024. in google scholar, the first two pages for each search were retrieved for screening. figure 1: flow chart of the research process. the material was found in multiple online libraries and databases, including sciencedirect, acm digital library, springerlink, google scholar and ieee xplore, and 295 articles were retrieved. the title and abstract screening resulted in 126 sources (80 conference proceedings, 35 books, three book chapters, four reviews and four other reports) being excluded for reasons such as needing to be peer-reviewed, being outside the scope of the review, or being duplicates. this left 169 articles that proceeded to the next stage, in which their titles and abstracts were reviewed, resulting in 169 relevant articles that moved on to a full-text review on the basis that they were highly cited and relevant to fashion design practices and the founding ideas of cosmopolitan localism. overview of materials most articles are case studies (156 articles), conceptual articles (seven) or review articles (six). this is consistent with the emergent nature of this topic in that many articles are still exploring and clarifying the role of design concerning fashion sustainability. regarding the research context, most articles focused on environmental sustainability instead of fashion sustainability. while environmental sustainability addresses a wide range of issues, fashion sustainability specifically targets the fashion industry’s environmental impact, with 34 articles not specifying the context. fashion sustainability seems well suited to community-based projects where social relations are essential in design. the articles focused on projects in the global north, with only a few from the global south; however, many articles emphasized the relevance of sustainable fashion in designing for marginalized people. for example, corsini and moultrie (2021) noted: “designers connected to this movement generally focused on disadvantaged industries of society, using alternative and appropriate technology and encouraging an efficient use of resources” (p. 8). 41 figure 2: theoretical illustration of the literature. results: themes that emerged the content analysis of the final 169 documents selected in the current study gave an overview of the literature supporting the “sustainable design practices” ideas, which were grouped into themes, namely evaluation of sustainable fashion, sustainable design practices, successful adoption of sustainable design practices and cosmopolitan localism. evaluation of sustainable fashion the evaluation of sustainable fashion will be discussed based on the environmental and social difficulties of implementing sustainable practices within the fashion industry. this presents a shift away from the conventional methods of the fashion industry, which often contribute to environmental and social issues. sustainable fashion focuses on minimizing the negative impacts of the fashion industry while promoting environmental and social responsibility. adopting environmentally and socially responsible approaches throughout the whole life cycle of apparel and accessories is called “sustainability in fashion” (thomas, 2020). sustainable fashion design is closely aligned with the united nations sustainable development goals (sdgs). the fashion industry’s significant impact on the environment and society drives the need for sustainable design strategies to mitigate these negative effects and foster a more sustainable future. while there are 13 sdgs, this study focuses on the interconnection between sdgs 8 and 9. sdg 8 advocates for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth alongside full and productive employment and decent work. in contrast, sdg 9 aims to develop resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and encourage innovation. the interplay between strong infrastructure and industrial development is vital for job creation and economic opportunities, which ultimately support sdg 8’s decent work and economic growth objectives. furthermore, a skilled workforce is crucial for driving innovation and establishing a sustainable industrial framework, thus aiding sdg 9. sustainability in fashion transcends individual components; it encompasses a holistic integration of sustainability principles throughout the 42 product life cycle. this thorough approach seeks to minimize the industry’s environmental footprint and advance ethical practices across the supply chain. sustainability in fashion requires addressing multiple interrelated concerns, such as environmental impact, ethical labour practices, the circular economy, social impact and conscious consumerism (khan et al., 2016). pioneering works by fletcher (2008), sull and turconi (2008), clark (2008) and de brito et al. (2008) initially appeared in the management literature around 2008. this became apparent after the rana plaza factory catastrophe on 24 april 2013, which was a tragic and significant event in the history of the garment industry (ayatullah hosne asif, 2017). this eight-storey commercial building in dhaka, bangladesh, housed several clothing companies and other enterprises. the collapse resulted in one of the deadliest industrial disasters, claiming over 1100 lives and injuring countless more, primarily garment workers. this tragedy brought global attention to the unsafe working conditions and labour rights issues prevalent in the global garment industry, especially in developing countries like bangladesh, a central hub for clothing production. the disaster catalyzed a significant shift towards sustainable fashion and ethical industrial practices (ayatullah hosne asif, 2017). the literature indicates that sustainability in fashion requires a comprehensive vision to identify opportunities for sustainable practices in fashion and design. this vision transcends focusing on just one industry element, highlighting the importance of a holistic and integrated approach. central to this vision are sustainable design practices that foster the creation of fashion products that are environmentally and socially responsible, paving the way for a more sustainable future in the industry. seasonal trends can impose restrictions on clothing design, limiting silhouettes and constraining creative concepts. designers often draw motivation from challenges—such as difficult situations or disagreements—alongside opportunities for improvement or for introducing ideas previously overlooked. the effectiveness of sustainable design practices is heightened when they adopt an integrated approach throughout the product development journey. this broad perspective guarantees that environmental and social sustainability are embedded in the product’s foundation, leading to more responsible, innovative and competitive offerings in a dynamic market. thus, designers must recognize the potential outcomes of their design choices, underscoring the critical role of design function. design decisions can have profound effects on fashion practices. over the past two decades, sustainable design approaches have gained significant recognition, urgency and acceptance. an overview of the structural development of the industry must be examined to research new design approaches and ways to produce value (ræbild, 2021). examining the fashion industry’s structural evolution will enable designers and researchers to better understand sustainability-related challenges and opportunities within the sector. this insight can guide the creation of innovative design methods and strategies tailored to each country, fostering value that aligns with environmental and social sustainability objectives and ultimately promoting positive transformation in the fashion industry (see fletcher, 2010). textile and apparel production volumes have altered substantially during the last decade. however, there is inadequate research to identify the hurdles and challenges in putting sustainable design into practice (hur & cassidy, 2019). to overcome these challenges and promote sustainable design in fashion, increased research, collaboration and information sharing are essential. researchers, practitioners and policymakers should unite to close the research gap, establish and advocate best practices and foster transparency and accountability across the industry. such collaboration is crucial for steering the fashion sector towards more sustainable and responsible methodologies. south african fashion designers can enhance their environmental responsibility by incorporating transformable design techniques, such as garments that offer two or more functional and aesthetic variations (rahman & gong, 2016). 43 sustainable design practices sustainable fashion design focuses on how designers can influence change through their main collection practices and their alignment with life cycle design strategies. designers are crucial in promoting sustainability by making informed material choices and designing garments that last. when considering the social aspect of sustainable fashion, two important points emerge: • there is a notable lack of consumer awareness about sustainability and relevant information on fashion products; • the aim is to enhance consumer understanding of sustainability through effective communication, especially within south africa. sustainable fashion design requires actions at each stage of the design process, from concept development to strategies for sourcing, recycling, reusing and repairing materials and new production technologies (ban, 2020). emphasizing the importance of integrating sustainability into the design process, designers must adjust their mindsets to function as promoters for the industry’s transformation (agarwal, 2020). sustainable design practices, such as zero waste, upcycling and reconstruction can be applied in fashion education to prepare the next generation of designers to address industry challenges and opportunities (medcalfe & miralles miro, 2022). the fashion industry has faced significant challenges in balancing global sustainability goals with local community needs. while numerous global practices, such as design for sustainability, grassroots innovation, frugal innovation and transition design, have been developed to address these challenges, a disconnect between these approaches and local realities must often be addressed. there is a strong correlation between sustainable practices and financial performance in fashion companies, showing that increased sustainability results in improved economic outcomes (kam & yoo, 2022). to ensure sustainability control within the entire fashion design cycle, all manufacturing processes, including finishing, should be conducted within a fashion company or a partnership company that can control every manufacturing process to ensure sustainability. customers need help to distinguish between sustainable and non-sustainable fashion products due to the non-transparent labelling method used even for sustainable fashion (daukantienė, 2023). this literature revealed the various global practices proposed for sustainable fashion, delving into the concepts of design for sustainability, grassroots innovation, frugal innovation and transition design, examining their potential contributions to sustainable fashion. by understanding these approaches, we can gain valuable insights into how to bridge the gap between global sustainability goals and local community needs within the fashion industry. successful adaptation of sustainable design practices to develop a sustainable fashion industry, new technologies must be incorporated, collaborative consumption must be practised and existing clothing must be upcycled. arrigo (2021) highlights that collaborative consumption provides an affordable and sustainable form of consumption. new technologies, such as microbial enzymes and bio-pigments, offer opportunities to minimize the environmental impact of textile production (mazotto et al., 2021). additionally, upcycling existing garments, as advocated by gupta et al. (2021), can contribute to a more sustainable approach to fashion design. according to murzyn-kupisz and hołuj (2021), fashion designers play a crucial role in making fashion more sustainable. comprehensive fashion education should equip designers with the necessary knowledge and skills. it is possible to develop a theoretical framework that addresses the sustainability problem in the fashion industry by incorporating aspects such as collaborative consumption, technological advancements and upcycling to encourage sustainable design practices (see monyaki & cilliers, 2023). 44 fashion sustainability aims to turn the fashion industry into a more responsible and ethical system, combining environmental preservation, social equality and economic viability (see mukendi et al., 2020). this holistic strategy considers the entire life cycle of fashion goods and aims to benefit both people and the environment (adamkiewicz et al., 2022). according to the literature, sustainability is usually related to contributions to economic, ecological and social factors (see daukantienė, 2023). despite well-documented negative environmental repercussions, the contemporary fashion system is still based on industrial capitalism, which is increasing resource throughput; in contrast, business, cultural tastes and ideas on desirability and realism all influence fashion purchasing (fletcher, 2012). this study suggests that more than technological innovations are needed to achieve true sustainability in the fashion industry. while technology can improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact, it may only address some underlying issues. this research emphasizes the importance of adopting the small, local, open and connected (sloc) approach, which involves reducing environmental impact and improving quality control, shortening supply chains, reducing transportation emissions and supporting local economies. it also fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing and transparency within the industry and creates strong relationships between designers, artisans, consumers and communities (radclyffe-thomas, 2018). cosmopolitan localism the literature highlights subtle distinctions in how sustainability interrelates with cosmopolitan localism and recent innovations that could reduce the environmental footprint of fashion design practices. engaging with sustainable fashion through cosmopolitan localism reveals key areas such as sustainability education, competitive careers within the sustainable fashion sector and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional design methods. achieving sustainability requires enhancing our quality of life while adopting sustainable practices, using fewer natural resources and revitalizing our physical and social environments. (mukendi et al., 2020). sloc are the characteristics that drive cosmopolitan localism (manzini & m’rithaa, 2016). these constructs emerged from over two decades of dialogue and real-world experiences, proving that sustainable solutions can be achieved by starting with local concepts and the communities they serve (semi, 2021). while enhancing the technical components of fashion design is crucial, more is needed to solve the industry’s sustainability concerns. merging global trends with local production (cosmopolitan localism) is a start in the right direction, but true sustainability requires an emphasis on eco-friendly materials and ethical manufacturing techniques. the literature should still contextualize these trends from the fashion design perspective. the sloc characteristics offer a valuable framework for discovering sustainable solutions, emphasizing the importance of local involvement, community participation and small-scale initiatives that foster human connections, democratic processes and a sense of belonging (mukendi et al., 2020). the four keywords encapsulated in sloc characterize these emergent qualities and the cases of socio-technical innovation on which they are based. small, local, open and connected and their consequences are easily understood but provide a new picture of how a sustainable, networked society may take shape. fletcher and vittersø (2018) suggest that the emerging concept of sustainability contains valuable insights to support a local fashion movement. by explicitly understanding how it can redirect what is made and bought by bending it towards more diverse practices and small-scale producers with regional supply networks, we can show how cosmopolitan localism manifests in fashion design practices from a sustainability perspective. in fashion, being localized, small, connected and open to others’ ideas, culture and physical presence promises social innovations that actively contribute to realizing resilient, distributed socio-technical systems (manzini & m’rithaa, 2016). cosmopolitan localism may describe the complicated relationship between being small and being open. examining the “complicated relationship” between being local and open can lead to an original and insightful contribution to the field (manzini & cipolla, 2021, p. 391). the 45 industry can view the relationship between its broader social and environmental contexts through a cosmopolitan localism lens and respond with a systems-based approach that integrates the design of everything from the concept stage through design and development to clothing production in the design of fashion clothing (see manzini & m’rithaa, 2016). discussion the literature review revealed a growing interest in sustainable fashion design, focusing on environmental and social impacts. however, a significant gap exists in integrating global sustainability frameworks such as design for sustainability, grassroots innovation and frugal innovation with local, community-based approaches. integrating cultural elements into fashion design raises important cultural intellectual property rights considerations. respecting and acknowledging communities’ cultural heritage and ensuring fair compensation for using traditional knowledge and designs is crucial. by understanding and respecting cultural intellectual property rights, designers can create sustainable fashion that celebrates diversity and promotes social justice. while these approaches share a common goal of promoting environmental and social responsibility, their specific focus and implementation strategies differ. design for sustainability emphasizes an integrated approach to the entire product life cycle, while grassroots innovation prioritizes local solutions and community engagement. frugal innovation focuses on resource efficiency and affordability, and transition design seeks to guide systemic change. a significant gap in the existing literature is the lack of a comprehensive framework that integrates social design, sustainable design and cosmopolitan localism within the fashion industry, particularly in south africa. while numerous studies have explored individual aspects of sustainable fashion, there is a need for a more holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of these elements. this research addresses this gap by proposing a framework combining cosmopolitan localism principles with sustainable design practices. it highlights three key areas: ways to address local environmental, social and economic aspects, key challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable design practices and sustainable design practices in a cosmopolitan localism framework. these findings provide critical insights into developing economies’ challenges in transitioning to sustainable practices. ways to address local environmental, social, and economic aspects establishing strong relationships within the supply chain is crucial for implementing the sloc characteristics for cosmopolitan localism in fashion design, ensuring ethical practices and sustainable sourcing. building authentic connections with consumers through transparent communication and value-driven messaging can foster brand loyalty and promote sustainable consumption. participating in global sustainability initiatives helps to stay updated on best practices and industry standards. while significant research exists on sustainable fashion, there needs to be a greater understanding of specific design practices and their implementation within a cosmopolitan localism framework. this study aims to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of design practice modes, identifying key features, barriers and opportunities, and outlining research themes and sub-themes explored in previous studies. by addressing these knowledge gaps, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of sustainable fashion design practices and their potential to drive positive change within the industry. key challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable design practices although many fashion designers support the idea of sustainability within local fashion design companies, the findings still mention the key challenges, such as the high expense of these practices, which makes them very disheartening to adopt fully. key challenges in implementing sustainable design practices in the fashion industry include the high cost of sustainable materials, the complexity of supply chains and the need for consumer awareness and demand for sustainable products (smith et al., 2014). balancing aesthetic appeal with environmental and social responsibility can be challenging. however, opportunities 46 abound. fashion designers can create stylish and eco-friendly garments by embracing sustainable materials, innovative design techniques and circular economy principles (ceschin & gaziulusoy, 2016). working with ethical suppliers and openly sharing sustainability initiatives with consumers fosters trust and encourages demand. by investing in research and development, businesses can achieve remarkable innovations while supporting local communities, enhancing supply chain resilience and minimizing environmental repercussions. increased collaboration between global strategies and local actions is vital to bridging the divide between theory and practice (braungart, 2021). this entails encouraging collaboration among international organizations, governments, corporations and local communities to create and implement globally relevant and locally adaptive plans. we can expedite the transition to a more sustainable fashion business by combining global initiatives with local needs and capacities. sloc is a potential solution that emphasises quality control, decreased environmental impact, improved community connections and increased design creativity. by incorporating sloc principles, the fashion industry can transition to a more sustainable and ethical future. sustainable design practices in a cosmopolitan localism framework integrating sustainable design into a cosmopolitan localism framework provides a promising solution to the intricate challenges in the fashion industry (opoku et al., 2022). this approach merges global insights with localized actions, encouraging innovation, community involvement and environmental stewardship. these findings corroborate the results of previous studies that have shown the absence of a comprehensive and integrated framework that unifies concepts and principles from social design and sustainable design within cosmopolitan localism (see bonsu et al., 2022; fiala, 2019; kossoff, 2019; opoku et al., 2022; schismenos et al., 2020). the power of the sloc principles lies in their ability to paint a visionary picture of a better future for society when considered as a whole. while the individual components of sloc might be readily understandable, their full impact and feasibility become evident when significant forces for change come into play. this finding corroborates bonsu et al.’s (2022) observations in their article “cosmopolitan localism as a research framework for sustainability in graphic design practices”. future research should regard cosmopolitan localism as a design trend emphasizing aesthetics and production techniques. in contrast, the present study identifies cosmopolitan localism as a research paradigm that serves as a framework for analyzing and comprehending the entire fashion industry. it underscores the necessity for stronger links between social design, sustainable design and cosmopolitan localism. this study suggests that this integrated approach could foster meaningful change. while traditional research often focuses on problem identification, this study prioritizes the potential to create actionable insights. consequently, it offers practical recommendations for the fashion industry to enhance its responsibility and influence by exploring the connections among social, sustainable and cosmopolitan local practices. recognizing the fashion industry’s entrenched issues, this study aims to transcend superficial changes by proposing solutions that tackle these fundamental challenges using cosmopolitan localism as its guiding principle. the findings highlight the drawbacks of depending exclusively on technology while stressing the importance of a small, local, open, and connected strategy. over years of discussion and implementation, the sloc principles have become a key framework for sustainability. as expressed by others, the sloc model emphasizes local expertise and community involvement as essential foundations for sustainable solutions. although technological innovation in design is vital, it alone cannot ensure total sustainability. genuine sustainability, as suggested by various scholars, requires a comprehensive approach that includes cosmopolitan localism, merging global trends with localized production by utilizing environmentally friendly resources and ethical manufacturing methods. consequently, the sloc approach emphasizes the crucial contributions of local communities and small-scale production. while the existing literature often prioritizes 47 technology for achieving sustainability in the fashion sector, this study advocates a more comprehensive strategy, asserting that incorporating sloc principles is essential to tackle the diverse sustainability issues facing the industry effectively. conclusion effective local initiatives and community collaborations can implement sustainable design practices, such as sourcing eco-friendly materials, ensuring ethical production and applying circular economy principles. moreover, fusing traditional craftsmanship and local cultural elements into contemporary designs leads to unique and sustainable fashion products. however, challenges such as a lack of awareness, limited resources and infrastructure constraints may hinder the implementation of sustainable design practices in south africa. promoting education and awareness campaigns, providing financial support and incentives and investing in sustainable infrastructure are essential to overcome these challenges. by working together, designers, manufacturers, consumers and policymakers can drive the fashion industry towards a more sustainable and equitable future. future research should expand upon the newly defined sustainable fashion design practices. despite the useful framework provided by mukendi et al. (2020), pinpointing a precise definition of sustainable fashion in the existing literature proved challenging. their definition serves as a solid foundation, yet it solely addresses social sustainability in design, omitting the potential for achieving social sustainability through design. after conducting this literature review, we propose that sustainable fashion design practices encompass designs that enhance individual well-being and support societal prosperity now and in the future, thereby establishing a framework for guiding future studies. the literature points to the complex but essential process of developing relevant metrics, strategies and tools necessary for implementing sustainable design principles (see bonsu et al., 2022; fiala, 2019; kossoff, 2019; opoku et al., 2022; schismenos et al., 2020). for example, smal (2017) re-evaluates the strategies for environmentally sustainable fashion design practices. hanusch and birkhofer (2010) emphasize the necessity for practical tools and approaches that support social sustainability during product development. although they do not provide a detailed methodology, their analysis of socially sustainable products offers a valuable starting point. gomes de oliveira et al. (2022) highlight the substantial gap between sustainability practices and their attractiveness to consumers. while their emphasis on health and safety is significant, it is essential to include a broader perspective on social sustainability, covering aspects such as community health, fair labour practices and cultural preservation, as emphasized by bonsu et al. (2022), for a more comprehensive understanding. this limited focus highlights the urgent need for broader frameworks, such as the sloc model, which acknowledges the interconnectedness of social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects within sustainable fashion design. this study examines how interconnected local strategies shape design decisions in the fashion industry, displaying their potential to reduce environmental impact while remaining globally relevant. it provides a comprehensive summary of sustainable fashion design approaches, supported by an extensive literature review. however, it is important to recognise the constraints of the selected research method. further investigation into the practical applications of cosmopolitan localism is essential. designers must critically assess its various facets and address its implementation challenges. considering the current emphasis on qualitative case studies, interviews, literature reviews, quantitative experiments and survey research in sustainable design, developing a unique theoretical framework offers a promising avenue for future 48 research. a theory-based approach could significantly enhance the understanding and application of sustainable fashion design practices. references adamkiewicz, j., kochańska, e., adamkiewicz, i., & łukasik, r. m. 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h. g. exploring the design motifs of wollo gabi in ethiopian textiles and design development of women's fashion accessories. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 54-65. 55 exploring the design motifs of wollo gabi in ethiopian textiles and design development of women’s fashion accessories tewodros tenagnea, temesgen agazhiea, michael retaa, hazal gümüş çiftçib awollo university, department of fashion design, dessi, ethiopia, tewodros.tenagne@wu.edu.et; temesgen.agazhie@wu.edu.et; michael.reta@wu.edu.et barizona state university, the design school, tempe, arizona, usa, hazal.gumus-ciftci@asu.edu abstract ethiopia, renowned for its rich tradition of craftsmanship, particularly in textiles, boasts a variety of regional styles and fabric types utilised in traditional and everyday attire. this study represented a collaborative effort between two universities, arizona state university in the united states and wollo university in ethiopia, explicitly focusing on wollo gabi, an intricately patterned, gauze-like handwoven fabric of symbolic significance. embarking on this endeavour were four design researchers who have explored wollo gabi's historical lineage, production techniques and contemporary applications. subsequently, our endeavours evolved to encompass the conceptualisation and development of designs intending to demonstrate gabi’s commercial potential in the us market. we employed a practice-based approach working with artisans to integrate diverse perspectives into the design process, fostering a more inclusive design process for product and brand development. keywords: social design, traditional crafts, textile design, gabi textile, ethiopia introduction ethiopia is prosperous in various traditional costumes, showcasing diversity of ethnicities. gümüş çiftçi and walker (2021) write that traditional crafts, originating from societal needs and honed over generations, have faced a decline in the wake of technological and scientific progress. additionally, the rapid evolution of contemporary clothing, furnishings and lifestyle tastes contributes to their disappearance, as craft products are often deemed outdated. as du bois (2008) claims, ethiopia’s history is rich with crafts making and crafted objects, which are still prominent in daily use around the country. within the many currently practised crafts in ethiopia, weaving has a significant place. traditional ethiopian handweaving and embroidered fabrics represent one of the most essential cultural identities in the country (adamu & sitotaw, 2021). according to puarungroj and boonsirisumpun (2019), handwoven fabric pattern designs commonly represent the traditions and culture of local communities. the ethnic and cultural diversity of ethiopia has given rise to many unique and dynamic visual traditions (ergetew, 2018). gabi, netela, kuta and gemis are the critical pieces of traditional dresses worn throughout the country. this paper will discuss the gabi (image 1), a white cotton gauze-like wrap worn over other garments. although this type of garment is accepted as indicative of ethiopian ethnic dress in general, it is specifically associated with the people of the highlands, especially in northern ethiopia (itagaki, 2013). gabi is woven by hand using looms that are mostly 70–90 cm wide so that both edges of the warp thread are within arm’s reach (temesgen et al., 2018). with its intricate handwoven texture, gabi has adorned ethiopian wardrobes for centuries. its 100% cotton composition makes it eco-friendly, aligning perfectly with the global shift toward sustainable fashion. mailto:tewodros.tenagne@wu.edu.et mailto:temesgen.agazhie@wu.edu.et 56 image 1: traditional gabi fabric. photo credit: hazal gümüş çiftçi. in ethiopia, there is a notable absence of scientific studies, comprehensive inventories and initiatives concerning the conservation of traditional crafts (e.g. gabi production). consequently, practice-based design research addresses pertinent research inquiries for this study, and this paper focuses on the initial design development of women’s fashion accessories using gabi textiles. this initial investigation into the history and background of wollo gabi, how it is used traditionally and how it is developed within the contemporary ethiopian fashion industry is a collaboration between ethiopian and us-based designers to further explore the potential of this age-old, beautiful garment’s place in the us market primarily and in potentially different markets. since there have not been many resources about any type of crafts, let alone wollo gabi, in ethiopia, we had very limited resources for the literature review. therefore, we employed practice-based design research, starting with focus group discussions with artisans, observations, inventory for the meanings of motifs, digitisation of motifs and interviews with designers who use gabi in their designs, and we designed proposals for women’ accessories. methodology the primary issue in craft and design projects lies in the lack of connection between designers, artisans and the surrounding community (gümüş çiftçi &walker, 2021). with this practice-based design research, we explored wollo gabi motifs and investigated the design development of contemporary women’s accessories using wollo gabi fabric by focusing on its cultural significance and motifs. data were collected through a focus group with local wollo gabi handloom artisans and through interviews with designer who use gabi for their products, complemented by observational fieldwork. purposive sampling guaranteed a wide variety of perspectives from knowledgeable individuals. four main categories of wollo gabi motifs – nigus, monalisa, mekes and sindid – are of important social significance, and the authors of this paper have examined them through focus group discussions. we then collected information about contemporary fashion design companies in ethiopia that specifically use wollo gabi in their designs. with this benchmarking, we realised that there is potential for wollo gabi to be used in women’s accessories. 57 with a practice-based design approach, we then digitised the wollo gabi motifs, created design proposals and manufactured the designs with artisans. this study will inform a series of co-design workshops, and these product samples along with the co-design workshops’ outcomes will be promoted in the us market. our findings about the wollo gabi the gabi is a large, heavy, white wrap used by both men and women in ethiopia to protect themselves from the cold air during night-time and the chilly rainy season. its dense cotton weave serves as an effective barrier against the chill. it is woven using traditional techniques that have been passed down through generations. the production of gabi involves several intricate steps, from collecting cotton to the final product. gabi is a general term for ethiopian traditional fabric. however, in different regions, gabi has unique and varied patterns and designs that deeply collaborate with the distinctive cultural practices and societal norms of each community’s culture and traditions. regions such as oromiya, sidama, welayta, amhara, siltie and harary, have distinct fabric designs that express their cultural values (adamu & sitotaw, 2021). for instance, the wollo gabi, named after the wollo community, showcases specific motifs and patterns that represent the traditions and heritage of the wollo community from the amhara region in northeastern ethiopia, which was once a centre of power and culture. the gabi, a timeless symbol of ethiopian cultural heritage, is more than just a large, heavy, white wrap. it is a woven tapestry of warmth, comfort and tradition passed down through generations and worn proudly by men and women across the country (temesgen et al., 2018). the gabi’s weight becomes a source of ‘grounding’. each layer, meticulously woven from locally sourced cotton, speaks of patient hands and generations of knowledge passed down. it is a shield against the elements, a silent guardian against the bite of the night air. wollo gabi is distinguished by its complex patterns and colours, often blended with metallic yarns (getachew, 2015). the wollo gabi is usually worn by men as a shawl on special occasions or used as a blanket in homes. the wollo gabi is also a source of pride and identity for the people of wollo. the wollo gabi has different names for different designs, such as sindid, monalisa, mekes and king. the wollo gabi is a form of artistic expression and communication for the weavers, called shemane (image 2), who use their skills and imagination to create these unique pieces. 58 image 2. a weaver (shemane) of the ethiopian gabi. photo credit: bobo global, 2024. whether draped casually over the shoulders or wrapped tightly around the body, the gabi transcends its form to symbolise resilience and cultural pride. it is a silent testament to the ethiopian people’s enduring spirit and ability to find warmth and solace despite adversity. in the traditional production of gabi, the journey commences with women engaging in the initial stages of cotton processing within the confines of their homes. these women acquire unprocessed cotton from the local market and separate it from the seeds, employing a tool known as mabazecha. once this crucial step is completed, the cotton is primed to transform into thread, facilitated with specialised equipment called inzirt (image 3). image 3. inzirt. photo credit: hudson, 2023. the resulting threads are delicately wound onto small bamboo sticks featuring hollow stems called kesem (image 4). subsequently, a collection of the kesems is dispatched to a skilled weaver. the shemane’s adept hands weave the threads into a fabric known as shema. intriguingly, the shema crafted from threads produced through this intricate process serves as the material for crafting the distinctive gabi garment. 59 image 4. kesem. photo credit: michael reta. the art of weaving, deeply ingrained in the ethiopian tradition, is the venerable craft behind creating many exquisite traditional garments. carefully selecting threads, colours and patterns shapes the resulting fabric’s essence. this process unfolds under the diligent hands of a singular artisan, as weaving equipment is designed for operation by a single artisan. image 5: mewerweria. photo credit: michael reta. the weaving apparatus comprises various components, each contributing to the construction of the fabric. one such element is the shuttle, known as mewerweria (image 5) in amharic, which traverses from side to side, skilfully guiding the threads. another pivotal part demands the alternating movement of upward and downward motions facilitated by the weaver’s foot. this dance of manual and foot-operated elements intertwines the threads, giving rise to the fabric in a manner that embodies ethiopia’s rich weaving heritage. notably, the traditional weaving process involves diverse setups of this equipment, each 60 contributing to the distinct characteristics of the final fabric. however, recognising the surge in demand for these culturally significant textiles, a more convenient iteration of the equipment is being introduced, blending tradition with contemporary efficiency. this evolution, in response to the growing popularity of ethiopian fabrics, underscores the resilience and adaptability of the age-old art of weaving in the face of changing times. wollo gabi motif types and their interpretations gabi serves the wollo community for multiple purposes – from a traditional garment worn for warmth to a cultural identity and heritage symbol. wollo traditional gabi has unique motifs (tilet in amharic) with different social meanings. one of the wollo traditional gabi motifs is the nigus (image 6). this pattern features a stylised ‘w’ symbol at the centre, resembling a crown and representing the historical leadership wisdom of the wollo society. the choice of colours, including rose and blue, along with neutral tones, signifies the balanced leadership roles of both men and women in wollo. image 6. nigus tilet. photo credit: tewodros tenagne. the artisans who created this gabi shared that the nigus motif’s design aims to express the leadership qualities valued in wollo. the contrasting colour of the ‘w’ symbol emphasises its regal significance. the combination of rose and blue represents qualities associated with all genders, creating a harmonious portrayal of leadership. in essence, the wollo gabi with the nigus motif is not just a piece of fabric but a visual story reflecting the leadership philosophy and societal values of the wollo community. through its thoughtful design, this cultural piece invites us to explore the rich traditions of ethiopia, specifically within the vibrant context of wollo. the specific variant of the wollo gabi motif referred to as mona lisa (image 7) derives its name from the artisans’ appreciation of its aesthetic appeal, drawing parallels to the renowned beauty of mona lisa. this terminology is employed to underscore the tilet’s inherent beauty, analogous to the way the name mona lisa symbolises attractiveness. in crafting the mona lisa motif, the artisans of wollo gabi purposefully endeavour to depict the elegance characteristic of women in wollo society. this motif serves as a visual homage to the beauty of wollo women, and, as such, it predominantly features a palette of light colours. the deliberate choice of soft hues, such as rose, complements the motif’s thematic focus on feminine 61 beauty. the mona lisa pattern uses light colours like rose, avoiding darker shades like blue. this choice aligns with the motif’s focus on capturing the graceful and delicate qualities associated with wollo women. image 7. monaliza tilet. photo credit: tewodros tenagne. a wollo gabi with the motif mekes (image 8) has a symbolic meaning. known as the scissor motif, it gets its name from the unique form that resembles the letter ‘x’. this motif uses the craftsman’s illustration of cutting to illustrate the act of cutting figuratively. image 8. mekes tilet (photo credit: tewodros tenagne). according to the dictionary (ethiocloud, n.d.), sindid is a phrase of great value in the language. it means ‘beautiful and carefully organised’. the nomenclature of this specific theme has a tastefully straightforward history. the motif is called sindid (image 9) because its shapes line up carefully to create an aesthetically pleasing and well-organised pattern. since wollo gabi’s artisans recognise and value the delicate craftsmanship in precisely arranging this design, they have appropriately named it sindid. the design is a tribute to the artistry and craft that characterise the cultural depth ingrained in traditional ethiopian textiles, particularly the wollo gabi. 62 image 9. sindid tilet. photo credit: tewodros tenagne. application of gabi in the contemporary fashion industry using the traditional ethiopian handloom textile, gabi has seen an emergence and evolution in the ethiopian fashion industry: designers and brands, such as chewa, sewasew and séralesti are increasingly incorporating gabi into their products – not only as a tribute to ethiopian heritage but also to infuse their designs with unique textures, patterns and cultural significance. gabi’s adaptability allows it to be used for various clothing and accessories – from scarves, bags and hats to jackets, coats and dresses. its eco-friendly and sustainable qualities also correspond with the rising demand for ethical fashion practices. image 10. chewa, sewasew and seralesti contemporary designs. credit: temesgen agazhie. one well-known fashion brand in ethiopia, sewasew (image 10), was created by the designer sewasew hailu, who started her journey in 2007, aiming to blend modernity and tradition in a more compatible way (sewasew, 2022), creating a brand that embraces current trends while echoing ethiopia’s rich cultural heritages and legacy. the brand produces jackets using gabi’s textures and patterns, which tell a story of evolution and tradition. in addition to sewasew, ethiopian-based fashion brands, such as séralesti by bethel tura and chewa by estifanos minchegrot, share similar brand goals. they are connecting contemporary components with traditional ones to create elegant and sustainable pieces, such as modern hoodies and jackets made from gabi fabric. séralesti, as a brand, adds an artistic edge to its high-quality gabi-made jumpers and jackets (skadmas, 2024). together, these brands have redefined the ethiopian fashion industry, highlighting the grace and adaptability of the 100% cotton artificial ethiopian traditional textile gabi. 63 our design propositions culturally oriented products can create stronger user bonds (razzaghi & ramirez, 2005). thackara (2005) endorses this concept by asserting, “local context is significant not only as a marketplace but also as a catalyst for innovation” (p. 74). integrating culture into products can be viewed as exceedingly advantageous and beneficial to the design discipline and product users for a plethora of reasons (razzaghi & ramirez, 2005). our design research team in ethiopia has laboriously created ten contemporary designs, five women’s bags, and five hats (image 14), each crafted to honour the many cultural motifs in wollo gabi. we have ensured that every accessory resonates with authenticity and reverence for the culture it represents by carefully researching and paying close attention to detail. image 11. mood board for designing with gabi. photo credit: tewodros tenagne. 64 image 12. set of designs. our design propositions are adorned with sindid, monaliza, nigus and mekes motifs. out of the ten designs (image 12), we produced four samples (image 13). as wearers use these accessories, they will carry a piece of ethiopia’s past into the present. fashion becomes a canvas – a statement that transcends trends, weaving together heritage and innovation. image 13. sample products. photo credit: temesgen agazhie. 65 our insights and future studies our primary objective initially aimed to establish an inventory and knowledge repository for wollo gabi and significant gabi motifs, addressing a notable research gap. as we delved into understanding the wollo gabi, we have produced design propositions and manufactured samples for the us market. in the light of this study, a series of co-design workshops will be organised with the designers and the artisans working at each stage of wollo gabi production – from yarn making to hand-weaving to sewing/manufacturing the garments. furthermore, by focusing exclusively on women crafters, these workshops will address gender disparities within the industry and promote female entrepreneurship. subsequent workshops will focus on design entrepreneurship and global business development, equipping participants with the skills and knowledge needed to establish their enterprises and tap into international markets. references adamu, b. f., & sitotaw, d. b. (2021) selected indigenous ethiopian traditional weaving designs for beauty and diversity of ethiopian people. textile, 19(4), 386-392. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2021.1922971 ethiocloud. (n.d.). amharic dictionary. https://tinyurl.com/5a8ahpxs bobo global. (2024). https://tinyurl.com/43x2vnbe dubois, j. (2008). roots and flowerings of ethiopia’s traditional crafts. unesco. ergetew, a. f. (2018). handloom value chain analysis the case of dorze ethnic group in chencha, gamo gofa zone, ethiopia. european journal of business and management, 10(22), 80–85. https://www.iiste.org/journals/index.php/ejbm/article/view/43963/45295 getachew, h. (2015). textile journey wollo. https://tinyurl.com/ykcesr3k gümüş çiftçi, h., & walker, s. (2021). design for social impact and crafts communities in turkey. design culture(s), 2020 cumulus conference, sapienza university, rome, italy. https://tinyurl.com/yneszhpd hudson, t. (2023). ethiopian spindles for cotton spinning. eine saite. https://tinyurl.com/hzrtmn4r itagaki, j. (2013). gender-based textile-weaving techniques of the amhara in northern ethiopia. african study monographs, suppl. 46, 27-52. https://tinyurl.com/4x2t5cez puarungroj, w., & boonsirisumpun, n. (2019). recognizing hand-woven fabric pattern designs based on deep learning. in s. bhatia, s. tiwari, k. mishra, & m. trivedi (eds.), advances in computer communication and computational sciences (pp. 325-336). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6861-5_28 razzaghi, m. & ramirez, m. (2005). the influence of the designers’ own culture on the design aspects of products. ead06 international conference of the european academy of design. https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/454 sewasew. (2022). about us. https://tinyurl.com/55nm36nd skadmas. (2024). séralesti handwoven fashion. https://tinyurl.com/sbncawz3 temesgen, a. g., tursucular, o. f., eren, r., & ulcay, y. (2018) the art of hand weaving textiles and crafting on sociocultural values in ethiopian. international journal of advanced multidisciplinary research, 5(12), 59-67. thackara, j. (2005). in the bubble: designing for a complex world. mit press. united nations. (2015). sustainable development goals. united nations. https://tinyurl.com/4c2crx5v walker, s. (2014). designing sustainability: making radical changes in a material world. routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2021.1922971 https://tinyurl.com/5a8ahpxs https://tinyurl.com/43x2vnbe https://www.iiste.org/journals/index.php/ejbm/article/view/43963/45295 https://tinyurl.com/ykcesr3k https://tinyurl.com/yneszhpd https://tinyurl.com/hzrtmn4r https://tinyurl.com/4x2t5cez https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6861-5_28 https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/454 https://tinyurl.com/55nm36nd https://tinyurl.com/sbncawz3 https://tinyurl.com/4c2crx5v exploring the design motifs of wollo gabi in ethiopian textiles and design development of women’s fashion accessories in ethiopia, there is a notable absence of scientific studies, comprehensive inventories and initiatives concerning the conservation of traditional crafts (e.g. gabi production). consequently, practice-based design research addresses pertinent researc... this initial investigation into the history and background of wollo gabi, how it is used traditionally and how it is developed within the contemporary ethiopian fashion industry is a collaboration between ethiopian and us-based designers to further ex... the primary issue in craft and design projects lies in the lack of connection between designers, artisans and the surrounding community (gümüş çiftçi &walker, 2021). with this practice-based design research, we explored wollo gabi motifs and investiga... the gabi is a large, heavy, white wrap used by both men and women in ethiopia to protect themselves from the cold air during night-time and the chilly rainy season. its dense cotton weave serves as an effective barrier against the chill. it is woven u... the gabi, a timeless symbol of ethiopian cultural heritage, is more than just a large, heavy, white wrap. it is a woven tapestry of warmth, comfort and tradition passed down through generations and worn proudly by men and women across the country (temesgen et al., 2018). the gabi’s weight becomes a source of ‘grounding’. each layer, meticulously woven from locally sourced cotton, speaks of patient hands and generations of knowledge passed down. it is a shield against the elements, a silent guardian against the bite of the night air. wollo gabi... people of wollo. the wollo gabi has different names for different designs, such as sindid, monalisa, mekes and king. the wollo gabi is a form of artistic expression and communication for the weavers, called shemane (image 2), who use their skills and imagination to cr... the weaving apparatus comprises various components, each contributing to the construction of the fabric. one such element is the shuttle, known as mewerweria (image 5) in amharic, which traverses from side to side, skilfully guiding the threads. anoth... wollo gabi motif types and their interpretations gabi serves the wollo community for multiple purposes – from a traditional garment worn for warmth to a cultural identity and heritage symbol. wollo traditional gabi has unique motifs (tilet in amharic) with different social meanings. one of the woll... culturally oriented products can create stronger user bonds (razzaghi & ramirez, 2005). thackara (2005) endorses this concept by asserting, “local context is significant not only as a marketplace but also as a catalyst for innovation” (p. 74). integr... temesgen, a. g., tursucular, o. f., eren, r., & ulcay, y. (2018) the art of hand weaving textiles and crafting on socio-cultural values in ethiopian. international journal of advanced multidisciplinary research, 5(12), 59-67. 103 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change laura santamaria, ksenija kuzmina published online: november 2024 to cite this article: santamaria, l., kuzmina, k. (2024). heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 103-121. 104 heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change laura santamariaa, ksenija kuzminab aroyal college of arts, school of communication, london, uk. laura.santamaria@rca.ac.uk bloughborough university london, institute for creative futures, london, uk. k.kuzmina@lboro.ac.uk abstract can empowerment be designed? designers often claim to empower the people and communities they work with, yet there is little critical discourse on how empowerment is defined, facilitated and achieved in social design projects. this paper draws on social and political theories to redefine empowerment within design for social change, positioning it as a political activity to address power imbalances and foster individual and collective potential. to guide best practices in design-led interventions, we present four design for empowerment (dfe) principles grounded in empowerment theory and introduce heroic journeys, a conceptual framework co-created with community organisers and social designers through participatory design workshops. this approach facilitates the implementation of power analysis and narrative techniques to uncover diverse stories of change, advocating for design practices that are transformative, inclusive, and responsive to the contextual complexities of design for social change projects. keywords: design for empowerment, power analysis, change narratives, design projects introduction empowerment is a foundational concept in design for social change, where projects aim to co-create solutions to social issues, reduce inequalities, and enhance quality of life. these projects are often considered vehicles for individual and collective empowerment, fostering civic leadership and broader participation in public life (björgvinsson, ehn & hillgren, 2010; noel, 2023; disalvo, 2012). however, while all social change work is inherently political, not all is genuinely empowering. the design literature reflects this disparity, with some instances where empowerment is grounded in political theories of change, particularly those centred on emancipation and social justice (rezai & erlhoff 2021), contrasted with others where the term ‘empowerment’ is used superficially (lundmark & jonsson 2021; volpi et al. 2024), lacking thorough analysis of its achievement (zamenopoulos et al., 2021; avelino, 2021), or where underlying design assumptions and biases, such as those related to gender norms, social practices and the interconnected dimensions of power and tensions that emerge with ‘expert design’ in community settings are not openly addressed (mazé, 2019; costanza-chock, 2020). when these factors are overlooked, we risk unintended consequences such as the reinforcement of existing power structures – including designers’ privilege and power to shape society (santamaria, 2023) – that stem from well-meaning but flawed social design interventions, and, at its worst, resulting in project failure (avelino & wittmayer 2016). moreover, the planning and reporting of empowerment often fail to reflect its complex developmental and political nature (avelino, 2021). for instance, frameworks like the theory of change, widely adopted in design for social change (simeone et al., 2023), tend to perpetuate hegemonic positions by fixing agreements, expectations, and outcomes rather than functioning as adaptive tools for ongoing reflection. as mulgan (2023) highlights, the term ‘theory’ itself can be alienating in specific social design contexts, evidencing issues of control and exclusion. while such tools favoured in design projects may satisfy management and funders’ metrics, they are frequently disconnected from empowerment’s core 105 principles and language (avelino, 2021). there is a critical need for greater awareness, transparency, and accountability regarding how empowerment agendas are assumed in social design projects, what kind of empowerment is being supported, and how the strategies to facilitate design-led empowerment have emerged. in this paper, we revitalise the discourse on empowerment in design for social change, placing its inherently political nature at the forefront. we advocate for a deliberate, open and strategic positioning when projects aim to foster and articulate empowerment through design, emphasising the importance of adopting empowerment constructs and language when planning, evaluating, and reporting on empowerment within and across disciplines and practices. first, we briefly present the historical roots of empowerment theory and its fundamental principles. we review foundational social and political theory concepts, which are being adopted for empowerment research and practice in community development and organising. second, we explore various manifestations of empowerment in design, using examples from seminal politically engaged design literature. the purpose is to problematise understandings and practices of empowerment in design and discuss correlations to broader literature. third, we propose four ‘design for empowerment’ principles for our literature analysis. last, we present ‘heroic journeys’, a conceptual framework for implementing these principles within social design projects. the framework was co-developed with designers and community organisers through three participatory workshops to create common ground between design and other disciplines focused on social transformation and change. in sum, we propose a novel design for empowerment approach that positions social design as a form of political activity focused on empowerment processes, understood as journeys of transcendence (of the psychological and systemic barriers) implied in human development, the process of expanding people’s freedoms and opportunities, improving their well-being, and enabling them to lead fulfilling lives. on power and empowerment the broader literature from community psychology, political theory and psychology offers conceptualisations and language on empowerment that can inform social design. empowerment theory the concept of empowerment has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly within discourses of oppression and emancipation (e.g. alinsky 1971; freire 1971). seen as vital to social justice, empowerment enhances autonomy and self-determination by fostering self-efficacy, supportive relationships and advocacy for individual and collective interests. this made it a focal point for rights and environmental activists, policymakers and the helping professions as a post-modern approach to challenging the status quo. these conceptualisations and ideas also influenced design (e.g., papanek, 1971). in the 1980s, julian rappaport (1987) formalised the concept, defining empowerment as a process by which individuals, organisations, and communities gain mastery over their lives. community psychology adopted it as a central tenet, emphasising power distribution and gaining control through collective action and community engagement. the 1990s and 2000s saw the concept broadened by scholars like john friedmann and robert chambers, who incorporated political and economic dimensions, highlighting the role of structural changes and participatory methods (1992). feminist scholars, including patricia hill collins (2000), introduced intersectionality, exploring how overlapping systems of oppression (e.g., race, gender, class) impact individuals’ experiences of power and empowerment. marc zimmerman (2000) further advanced the 106 understanding of empowerment as a values-based, structured approach with the formulation of empowerment theory, comprising the following fundamental principles: 1. enhancing possibilities: empowerment expands individuals’ and communities’ capacity to take action and effect change. an increase in personal, interpersonal, and political power. 2. community focus: where mediating structures, like community organisations, play a critical role in facilitating empowerment. 3. reflexivity: developing a critical awareness of personal values and the socio-political environment, understanding and shifting power dynamics to gain equity and justice. 4. emphasis on language and narratives: personal and communal narratives are potent resources. empowerment-oriented language can shift perspectives, revealing fresh solutions. 5. operative principle: fostering self-efficacy and community change, promoting environments where individuals feel capable and supported in action. further, zimmerman (2000) usefully organised empowerment processes and outcomes at three levels: individual, organisational and community (table 1). thus, empowerment theory provides a robust framework for organising knowledge, ensuring its relevance beyond temporary trends (rappaport, 1995; zimmerman, 2000). consequently, it has been widely adopted across many disciplines, including community organising (speer & hughey, 1995), due to its flexibility for application (joseph 2020). table 1: empowerment levels of analysis (zimmerman, 2000). levels of analysis process (“empowering”) outcome (“empowered”) individual learning decision-making skills sense of control managing resources critical awareness working with others participatory behaviours organisational opportunities to take part in decision-making effectively compete for resources shared responsibilities networking with other organisations shared leadership policy influence community access to resources organisational coalitions open government structure pluralistic leadership tolerance for diversity residents’ participatory skills power analysis empowerment theory holds that power is dynamic and expandable (rappaport, 1987). therefore, identifying power dynamics within a specific context is essential both before and during interventions aimed at redistributing or shifting power. in this section, we review and synthesise key theoretical concepts adopted by disciplines focused on social change as a foundation for conducting effective power analysis. power, a complex and historically contested concept, is difficult to define. more recently, political theorists such as lukes (2005), haugaard (2021) and gaventa (2021) have argued that it is more beneficial to integrate theories into ‘dimensions’ through which to momentarily focus on various aspects of power such as agency, structures, systems of thought and social ontology. 107 for example, the literature shows that conceptualisations such as ‘power over’, ‘power to’, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’ developed and refined by scholars in the fields of social and political theory are increasingly being adopted by various disciplines concerned with social transformation and justice (pansardi & bindi 2021), including design (zamenopoulos et al., 2021). ‘power over’ – often associated with domination – can manifest in many ways, such as influencing others’ beliefs about their abilities and shaping self-perception, rights, and capabilities. ‘power to’ (arendt 1958) involves the ability to act, beginning with the awareness of the possibility of acting and developing skills and capacities for change. ‘power with’ refers to collective action or agency; this concept relates to how individuals facing domination can collaborate, build shared understanding, and take collective action. mary parker follett is often credited with its early conceptualisation; she contrasted it with ‘power over,’ emphasising the psychological and political power derived from unity (eylon, 1998). ‘power within’ (starhawk, 1987) represents the confidence, dignity and self-esteem that comes from recognising one’s situation and potential to address it. individual empowerment allows people to represent their interests responsibly and self-determinedly, cultivating self-knowledge, self-confidence, and the ability to understand and claim their rights. lukes’ ‘three dimensions of power’ – visible, hidden and invisible – is a helpful typology for analysing power in political decision-making and democratic participation (lukes, 2005; gaventa, 2006). visible power refers to the formal rules, structures, authorities, institutions, and procedures of political decision-making, including how those in positions of power use these procedures and structures to maintain control. hidden power controls who gets to the decision-making table and what gets on the agenda. these dynamics often exclude and devalue the concerns and representation of less powerful groups. invisible power shapes meaning and defines what is acceptable, setting psychological and ideological boundaries of participation by subtly influencing how individuals think about themselves and their place in the world. it defines what is expected, acceptable and safe, perpetuating exclusion and inequality through socialisation, culture, and ideology processes. empowerment, therefore, involves identifying mechanisms of oppression and control embedded within established social norms, roles and narratives and building our abilities to challenge these assumptions (gaventa & cornwall, 2008). the importance of narratives in empowerment and change the psychology and political science literature underscores the critical link between narratives and empowerment. narratives are essential for sensemaking, allowing us to internalise and externalise change experiences (nardon & hari, 2021). sharing stories helps identify power dynamics, positions of power, and disempowerment. firstly, disempowering narratives—shaped by cultural norms, upbringing, and religion— can be actively reimagined. by reshaping the stories we tell ourselves, we can foster personal transformation and build power through a strengthened self-concept (wilson, 2011). this involves going through a (self)transcendence process: overcoming internal and external limitations and embracing vulnerabilities to reach one’s full potential. as reed (2008) suggests, this journey leads to heightened selfawareness, inner power and more profound personal engagement. this perspective aligns with foucault’s (1979) assertion that power restricts possibilities and acts productively, enabling self-development and resistance to dominant discourses. hayward’s (1998) concept of “de-facing power,” inspired by foucault, emphasises that freedom from oppression lies in redefining boundaries and shaping new possibilities for ourselves. narratives of change, therefore, document the journey toward greater autonomy, inner strength, and improved social, cultural and environmental conditions (zigler, 2004; kawai et al., 2023). finally, storytelling’s impact surpasses intellectual arguments or theoretical transformation models (alho, 2023). narratives carry transformative power: to engage, mobilise, and spread alternative values and views that challenge the status quo discourses (foucault, 1979). stories foster solidarity and create pathways for 108 collective empowerment. by shifting mindsets and amplifying voices, stories of change hold the potential to drive meaningful and enduring transformation. in table 2, we summarise the dimensions of power discussed in this section, along with the corresponding pathways to empowerment proposed in the broader literature. these insights can inform and structure efforts toward empowerment in design for social change. table 2: dimensions of power and practices towards empowerment. references dimensions of power definition ways to empowerment wilson (2011) hayward (1998) starhawk (1987) power within a person’s sense of self-worth and self-knowledge. raising consciousness and awareness of self. enhancing capabilities and autonomy. arendt (1958) power to the unique potential of every person to shape their life and world. becoming aware that it is possible to act and progress towards acting. developing skills and capacities and realising that one can effect change. follett (1924) boulding (1989) power with finding common ground among different interests to build collective strength. joining with others through building shared understandings, planning and taking collective action. follett (1924) power over influencing what others think they can do or even imagine as possible. it extends beyond physical or verbal domination to affect how people view themselves, their rights, and their capabilities. fostering collaboration and unity, where differences are openly acknowledged and reconciled through creating new, shared solutions that respect and interweave differing desires and perspectives. lukes (2005) gaventa (2003) visible power making and enforcing the rules. trying to change policymaking's ‘who, how and what’ so the process is more democratic, accountable, and responsive to diverse needs. visible power is countered with political advocacy strategies and seeking access to formal decisionmaking processes. invisible power shaping meaning, values and what is ‘normal’. reimagining social and political culture and raising consciousness to transform the way people perceive themselves and those around them and how they envisage future possibilities and alternatives. hidden power setting the agenda. strengthening organisations and movements of marginalised people, building collective power and leadership to redefine political agendas, and raising the visibility and legitimacy of issues, voices and demands that have been silenced. 109 frameworks such as just associates’ power matrix (miller et al., 2006), the powercube (gaventa, 2021) and collins’ (2000) matrix of domination are good examples of theory-informed tools that have adopted these concepts. they are used for power analysis, planning and assessment of empowerment projects. figure 1: powercube.net, a resource for understanding power relations in social change. towards design for empowerment we now discuss the dimensions of power and ways to empowerment derived from broader literature (table 2) in correlation to the design for social change praxis focused on empowerment. insights of our analysis are then presented as a set of design for empowerment principles for best practice. empowerment in design for social change seminal literature in design for social change discusses self-empowerment and the professional assistance that enables individuals and communities to overcome feelings of powerlessness and lack of influence. it helps them recognise, mobilise, and use their resources to accomplish their objectives (schneider et al., 2018). it also reveals how these concepts are entangled with the broader political aims of the socially oriented design projects. for example, community-based projects have been conducted to enhance democratic participation in design, moving beyond traditional approaches and assisting individuals and communities in controlling design processes, solutions, and outcomes (rezai & erlhoff, 2021). the design justice network’s pivotal work (costanza-chock, 2020) centres marginalised communities in the design process by empowering them to lead projects in collaboration with activist groups rather than imposing designs on them. this approach draws on collins’ (2000) matrix of domination theory, recognising the hidden ‘power over’ within designed systems and the embodied experience of disempowerment. it views these experiences as crucial motivations for action, where empowerment is understood as the capacity to resist and challenge these hidden power hierarchies. 110 another significant body of work examines how design fosters participation in agonistic pluralism (di salvo, 2012), a democratic approach emphasising dissensus over consensus (mouffe, 2002). by facilitating ‘lively agonistic encounters’ among diverse stakeholders (disalvo & meng 2021), this work advocates for building ‘power to’ by creating public spaces where multiple voices are heard and conflict is managed civilised (kraff, 2019). this work acknowledges hidden power hierarchies, yet it does not seek to resist them but to reveal them by making them hierarchized, performed, and debated (bjorngvisson et al., 2010). still, some social design studies question the transferability of the democratically driven approaches to power and empowerment in non-western contexts (kraff, 2019) or where it could threaten the survival of marginalised communities (gautam & tatar, 2022). instead, these studies focus on particular attention to building ‘power within’, for example, by revealing the strengths and assets of the dependent marginalised communities (gautam & tatar, 2022) or cultivating a community’s craft capabilities rather than aligning their making practices with the market system. in this way, those previously silenced gain voice and agency through creative acts that leave lasting impacts on the world (marques leitão & marchand, 2018; von busch & pazarbasi, 2018). however, while design literature emphasises approaches to developing capabilities, the focus is often on building external (skills/material) rather than internal (cognitive/psychological) capabilities and resources. we argue that design empowerment focused on developing people’s self-knowledge and (self)transcendence is overlooked. finally, social designers claim self-empowerment by reflecting on their practice, such as embracing an alternative view to the pre-established aim of building ‘power with’ in each project (popplow, 2021) and frameworks to explore positionality (noel, 2023). we observe how design work that draws on feminist (place, 2023; costanza-chock, 2018), indigenous (tunstall, 2020; sheehan, 2011) and critical perspectives inherently situates itself in the concepts of domination, colonisation, and patriarchy. social designers like di salvo (2012) and gautam and tatar (2022) propose new participation configurations, identifying central issues and developing processes and resources to facilitate this. in these instances, designers explicitly discuss power dynamics or setting empowerment goals (schneider et al., 2018). they recognise that designers possess ‘power over’ other stakeholders, particularly at the outset of a project (which underlies and influences the different types of power relations that emerge throughout a project) and at the end stages of evaluation and reporting (when outcomes and impact accounts are produced). despite the undeniable intentions of ‘designing for empowerment’ being expressed in many ways within design for social change, such discussions remain rare. notably, many claims of empowerment in design literature lack theoretical grounding and consistent language with the broader empowerment literature (zamenopoulos et al., 2021; avelino, 2021). consequently, most designs for empowerment activity appear disconnected from the wider context of social change and transformation work, negatively affecting design interventions' credibility and limiting interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities (avelino, 2021). while recognising the various forms of power is crucial for understanding dynamics and guiding design interventions, the design literature lacks theory-based tools for comprehensive power analysis. the methodologies that are significantly lacking are those that expose invisible and hidden power and formulate strategies to address these complexities. adopting empowerment language, conceptualisations, and analysis tools from broader literature would facilitate discussions on power and empowerment in design projects, structuring objectives and making these concepts accessible to designers and stakeholders. 111 design for empowerment principles drawing from design and broader literature, we propose four principles that position design for empowerment as a political activity and provide guidelines for best practices. these principles are grounded in empowerment theory values—enhancing possibilities, community focus, reflexivity, operative principles, and emphasis on language and narratives—and informed by relevant constructs from political theory (in table 2). dfe 1. implementing power analysis to inform strategies there is a need to understand power distribution in the project context to set empowerment goals and report on the nature and level of change. this involves acknowledging our positionality and identifying the power dynamics at play through critical discussions of power manifestations (power within/to/with/over, visible/invisible/hidden power). such power analysis is crucial to inform empowerment goals, strategies and tactics for change. it also helps to address the politics of participation by paying attention to the asymmetries between stakeholders based on formal authority/power, wealth, social status, gender, age, prior knowledge and self-confidence (cornwall & coelho, 2007). this approach ensures the inclusion of diverse perspectives, providing equal opportunities to contribute to decision-making processes. dfe 2. setting clear empowerment aims and goals empowerment approaches stress the importance of community focus, where mediating structures (like community organisations) play a critical role in facilitating empowerment (rappaport, 1987). this means exercising transparency and accountability in setting agendas and acknowledging the work’s positionalities and other political aspects. this implies engaging with those involved from the initial stages of the project to discuss and negotiate expectations openly, defining the designer and the institution’s role in catalysing change, and co-developing empowerment goals and strategies together. there should be clarity about what these might look like at individual, organisational and community levels (zimmerman, 2000). evidence of the empowerment process should be captured throughout the project, ideally in narrative form in the voices of those involved. dfe 3. focusing on human development: the empowerment process is a journey of transcendence we conceptualise the empowerment process as a journey of transcendence by which individuals and communities are supported to overcome physical and psychological obstacles. developing ‘power within’ is prioritised as a necessary condition for building ‘power to’ and ‘power with.’ while internal and external dimensions of power interact dynamically, the focus should be on developing individuals’ capacity as ‘agents of change’ by helping individuals and communities recognise their strengths, value their knowledge, and understand their capacity to address their own needs and create solutions (just associates, 2015). this involves fostering self-leadership, discovering personal meaning and purpose, and building strong community relationships. dfe 4. adopting empowerment language and narrative methods as catalysts of change communal narratives and personal stories are powerful resources that significantly impact human behaviour (rappaport, 1995). narratives provide valuable insights into how people understand unfolding events, enabling individuals and groups to articulate their experiences, identify negative assumptions and behaviours, and frame/reframe understandings (rappaport, 1995). narratives are also meant to contest and subvert dominant discourses by disseminating new knowledge, serving as sources of both power and resistance (prilleltensky, 1994; gaventa, 2003). therefore, it is essential to create opportunities for diverse narratives to emerge, where individual and collective experiences of empowerment can be articulated as transformational journeys. it is also necessary to adopt empowerment language and accessible tools such 112 as metaphors to facilitate sensemaking, identify values and power dynamics, and spot available resources. heroic journeys, a conceptual framework for empowerment by design while the principles presented above help us to organise knowledge, we align with mcgee and pettit’s (2019) view that theory often remains inaccessible and of little practical use to those working on the frontlines of social change and the need to integrate academic theory with methodologies developed from the grassroots. accordingly, we engaged in participatory research through a series of workshops (figure 2) to co-develop an accessible framework grounded in design for empowerment principles to support the empowerment process in social design projects in a manner that is both legitimate and democratic. our research design is informed by the question: “what kind of framework can support the implementation of design for empowerment principles in social design projects?” figure 2: heroic journeys framework development. methodology abiding by dfe 4 (adopting narrative devices), our starting point was identifying a relevant narrative device reflecting the dfe principles and values. we were inspired by the familiar narrative structure of the hero’s journey, popularised by joseph campbell in his book the hero with a thousand faces (1949). this archetypal story structure, derived from ancient myths from diverse cultures, has universal appeal because it captures the key themes in individual self-development and maturation. it comprises four phases: departure from the familiar, initiation’ through challenges and learning, unification symbolising transformation, and return with newfound wisdom or resources to benefit the community. as such, the hero’s journey parallels the empowerment process, where overcoming internal and external challenges leads to personal growth, self-knowledge and a sense of purpose. the framework was developed through iterative co-creation workshops (sanders & strappers, 2008) to bridge research and practice for social change and empowerment through a collaborative inquiry. as such, we followed purposive sampling, inviting participants with experience in design for social change and community organisers from citizens uk (see table 3). these participants shared an interest in understanding the perspectives of the ‘other’. they had similar levels of experience in their respective fields of social change practice, which helped mitigate the potentially damaging effects of knowledge– 113 power relations (moreno-cely et al., 2021). citizens uk organisers adopt a ‘broad-based’ approach to community organising, a political methodology rooted in civil society and based on the concept of power (bunyan, 2018). they aim to identify and empower citizen leaders to mobilise their communities around issues they care about. similarly, social design practitioners and researchers are committed to participatory principles and building stakeholder networks that co-create public value. table 3: overview of research participants. participants expertise of the participants workshops attended p1 community organising, leadership, child culture, design ws1 p2 designer, user researcher, services design, semiotics ws1, ws2, ws3 p3 designer, senior design researcher, has training in community organising ws1, ws2 p4 senior lecturer, storytelling ws1 p5 senior service designer, community projects ws1, ws2 p6 design researcher, social innovation, community projects ws1, ws2 p7 senior community organiser, engaged in design projects ws1, ws2, ws3 p8 community organiser ws1, ws2 p9 community organiser ws1, ws2 p10 senior community organiser, engaged in design projects ws1, ws2 p11 msc design innovation student (with industry experience) ws3 p12 msc design innovation student (with industry experience) ws3 p13 msc design innovation student (with industry experience) ws3 p14 community organising and design ws1 p15 designer, service design ws1 p16 designer and community lead ws2 over a year, we conducted three online co-creation workshops with 16 participants (table 3). each workshop, involving 5-10 participants (with some participants attending more than one workshop highlighting their investment in the topic), focused on identifying, discussing and finding relationships between vital elements in the empowerment process grounded on dfe principles whilst parting from the hero’s journey metaphor as a foundational structure. creative activities – e.g. playing with metaphors, personas, mapping, and scenario building (figure 3) incorporated into the workshops facilitated both ‘knowledge exchange’ and ‘knowledge creation’ between social designers, researchers and community organisers. this was done through dialogue, reflection (reason & bradbury, 2001) and collective meaningmaking in interaction (bridges & mcgee, 2011). the virtual setup of the workshops allowed easy access to the materials and interactive tools, including templates and miro board, which enhanced participants’ engagement. each workshop was video recorded and transcribed. insights and outcomes from each workshop were synthesised by the researchers and shared back with the participants in the subsequent activity. 114 figure 3: workshop 1 – playing with metaphors of a ‘superhero.’ building on the participants’ worldviews and lived experiences (reason & bradbury, 2001), each workshop attended to develop a particular aspect of the framework whilst contributing to its evolution. in workshop 1, we explored the use of language, expanding the meaning of heroes and heroism as it relates to the context of community work and social change. in workshop 2, we built on the emerging concept of ‘heroic journeys’ by envisioning and capturing how it would facilitate a journey of ‘obstacles transcendence’ through a series of ‘critical moments.’ in workshop 3, we developed a scenario to understand the framework’s accessibility and applicability. we created probing questions as the best way to support each process stage. finally, we synthesised and formalised the workshops’ outputs into the heroic journeys conceptual framework (figure 5). framework co-development process the first workshop aimed to critically reflect on the hero’s journey as the foundational structure and basic concepts concerning empowerment. the traditional notion of a ‘hero’ as patriarchal, male and characterised by physical strength and bravery was contested, but participants agreed on the notion of ‘heroism’ as a concept in its evolved understanding: emphasising selflessness, altruism, and service to others. “the idea of a hero or superhero, such as a professional hero, can be damaging. push people into this position to save the world. still, at the same time, we are not protecting them because they are invincible… which they are not… this is different to an everyday hero doing something for their community with any resources they may have… there are also alternative journeys, such as the heroine journey, which usually is a quest for wholeness and overcoming stereotypes.” (participant ws1, community organiser) the idea of collective heroism also emerged, highlighting ‘the hero-ship of peer groups and the power of the collective and multiple heroes’ (participant ws1, designer) such as movements, organisations or communities that collaborate to tackle challenging social or political issues. in this context, we defined heroism as an attitude to embody courage, compassion, and moral leadership in overcoming adversity. 115 figure 4: workshop 1 miro board we discussed the process of transcendence and transformation. we conceptualised it as ‘heroic journeys,’ meaning that empowerment involves overcoming obstacles and limitations building inner and outer resources to gain greater self-determination and autonomy at individual and collective levels. in workshop 2, we discussed the ‘critical moments’ as they would structure the ‘heroic journeys’ from workshop 1 – self-discovery, initiation, transformation, and reflection – concerning dimensions of power and ways to empowerment (figure 4). the following insights arose: (1) self-discovery – of one’s power. creating the conditions to build power within. focus on gifts, difference, passion, and purpose. we are exploring dissonance with self and its relation to systemic conditions. it involves self-examining currently held beliefs about personal power, systemic circumstances, and our personal view on them, understanding our story and recognising our disempowerment. 116 (2) initiation – validation of interdependency. creating the conditions to build power. focus on overcoming internal challenges and attainable goals within the community. testing and learning participatory and relational practices and exploring consensus and dissonance. it involves leaving the comfort zone, navigating the unfamiliar, taking small risks and understanding the value of collaboration: accepting guidance and valuing others who are different from us. (3) transformation – moving from will to action, creating the conditions to build power. having built inner power, we can face external challenges via collective mobilisation and action. as the most significant fears are exposed and confronted, a vision of life or revival emerges from the triumph. there is usually a reward gained through overcoming one’s fears. it feels like a rebirth that marks a clear separation between the old and new ways of being. (4) reflection – internalising effects of action and repositioning. creating the conditions to build power over. evaluation of learning, methods, new positionality, and identification of personal and collective challenges. a period of reflection, recollection, and internalisation of events. this space is where hopes have materialised, evidencing those other ways. “... it is important to understand what people will volunteer their time for and what their interests are, their stories and background, and what are their political narratives and how hero[sic] journey can help them unpack the political narrative that allows them to dissipate the public life.” (participant ws2, community organiser) 117 figure 5: workshop 2 – identifying ‘key moments’ of the heroic journeys framework. in workshop 3, we prototyped the framework as an accessible tool to organise and facilitate eliciting individual/community needs, values and stories through structured conversations (figure 4). “[as] we create the framework … we need to look at the probing questions … to start them on the journey of self-empowerment and transformation … to think about the logic between the questions for someone who is trying to get to [their] higher-self alongside others, i think that is the work of us … what probing questions can we sequentially ask to have them think about what matters to them, and also how they can create those powerful friendship groups that can help them along the way?” (participant ws3, designer) avelino (2021) suggests that asking questions facilitates a critical analysis of power, allowing ‘inner stories’ of empowerment to surface, be acknowledged and externalised. building on this approach, we generated empirical questions to systematically explore power dynamics in processes of social change, where each stage of the heroic journey becomes a lens to examine a specific aspect of power and empowerment. the final, refined outcome can be seen in figure 6. 118 figure 6: heroic journeys, a design for empowerment conceptual framework. concluding remarks this paper contributes to strengthening the approaches, language, and reporting structure of empowerment in design for social change. we argue that design-led social change projects that intentionally and openly engage in power redistribution are considered political activity towards enhancing individual and community agency (jason et al., 2019). as such, our activity is not value-free. as we 119 collaborate with communities at the grassroots level, methods for planning and evaluating social design projects are necessary, particularly for reporting empowerment-focused interventions’ impact on individuals and communities. designers also collaborate with other disciplines – such as activists and community organisers – that share similar goals. therefore, it is essential to establish a common ground to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration. while empowerment cannot be designed, we can intentionally set the conditions and adopt best practices. to this end, we drew on principles, language and conceptualisations from relevant broader literature and summarised them to inform our proposed design for empowerment principles. to make these concepts actionable, we co-developed heroic journeys, a conceptual framework, through participatory and interdisciplinary knowledge sharing. limitations and future work the framework development is rooted in practice (co-developed with social design practitioners and community organisers working on the ‘frontlines’). thus far, the framework has been shared with an international design community through a conference workshop (santamaria, kuzmina & petersen, 2021) and the service design & education network seminar (2022). the audience recognised that power can be one of the most uncomfortable and complex topics to address in social design projects. as a narrative, symbolic structure, the heroic journeys framework resonates with human experiences of growth, integration, and change. it can facilitate the exploration of complex and interrelated dimensions of power and empowerment. participants identified its potential for mapping power dynamics, challenging the designer’s role as a facilitator of pre-determined outcomes, eliciting diverse stories and supporting empowering vision-building within design practices. however, as the next step, it is essential to implement the framework across diverse live projects and contexts to evaluate its applicability, adaptability and impact on reporting design-led empowerment. future exploration includes integrating design for empowerment principles with other frameworks, such as the theory of change, to create a more comprehensive approach that leverages narrative, qualitative procedural, and logical methods while ensuring rigorous evaluation and impact measurement. the goal is to establish a community of practice dedicated to design for empowerment, fostering the exchange and development of methodologies, strategies, 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(2000). empowerment theory: psychological, organizational, and community levels of analysis. in j. rappaport & e. seidman (eds), handbook of community psychology (pp. 43–63). kluwer academic publishers. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379x.2021.1877001 https://doi:10.1007/bf00896357 https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826139276.0007 https://doi.org/10.1080/15710880701875068 https://doi:10.1145/3173574.3173818 https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02506989 https://doi:10.1162/desi_a_00512 https://doi:10.1080/15710882.2019.1605383 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change laura santamaria, ksenija kuzmina published online: november 2024 to cite this article: santamaria, l., kuzmina, k. (2024). heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 103... heroic journeys: on design for empowerment and narratives of social change laura santamariaa, ksenija kuzminab aroyal college of arts, school of communication, london, uk. laura.santamaria@rca.ac.uk bloughborough university london, institute for creative futures, london, uk. k.kuzmina@lboro.ac.uk abstract can empowerment be designed? designers often claim to empower the people and communities they work with, yet there is little critical discourse on how empowerment is defined, facilitated and achieved in social design projects. this paper draws on soc... keywords: design for empowerment, power analysis, change narratives, design projects introduction empowerment is a foundational concept in design for social change, where projects aim to co-create solutions to social issues, reduce inequalities, and enhance quality of life. these projects are often considered vehicles for individual a... however, while all social change work is inherently political, not all is genuinely empowering. the design literature reflects this disparity, with some instances where empowerment is grounded in political theories of change, particularly those centre... moreover, the planning and reporting of empowerment often fail to reflect its complex developmental and political nature (avelino, 2021). for instance, frameworks like the theory of change, widely adopted in design for social change (simeone et al.,... in this paper, we revitalise the discourse on empowerment in design for social change, placing its inherently political nature at the forefront. we advocate for a deliberate, open and strategic positioning when projects aim to foster and articulate e... first, we briefly present the historical roots of empowerment theory and its fundamental principles. we review foundational social and political theory concepts, which are being adopted for empowerment research and practice in community development a... in sum, we propose a novel design for empowerment approach that positions social design as a form of political activity focused on empowerment processes, understood as journeys of transcendence (of the psychological and systemic barriers) implied in ... on power and empowerment the broader literature from community psychology, political theory and psychology offers conceptualisations and language on empowerment that can inform social design. empowerment theory the concept of empowerment has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s,... 1. enhancing possibilities: empowerment expands individuals’ and communities’ capacity to take action and effect change. an increase in personal, interpersonal, and political power. 2. community focus: where mediating structures, like community organisations, play a critical role in facilitating empowerment. 3. reflexivity: developing a critical awareness of personal values and the socio-political environment, understanding and shifting power dynamics to gain equity and justice. 4. emphasis on language and narratives: personal and communal narratives are potent resources. empowerment-oriented language can shift perspectives, revealing fresh solutions. 5. operative principle: fostering self-efficacy and community change, promoting environments where individuals feel capable and supported in action. further, zimmerman (2000) usefully organised empowerment processes and outcomes at three levels: individual, organisational and community (table 1). thus, empowerment theory provides a robust framework for organising knowledge, ensuring its relevance ... table 1: empowerment levels of analysis (zimmerman, 2000). power analysis empowerment theory holds that power is dynamic and expandable (rappaport, 1987). therefore, identifying power dynamics within a specific context is essential both before and during interventions aimed at redistributing or shifting power. in this secti... power, a complex and historically contested concept, is difficult to define. more recently, political theorists such as lukes (2005), haugaard (2021) and gaventa (2021) have argued that it is more beneficial to integrate theories into ‘dimensions’ thr... for example, the literature shows that conceptualisations such as ‘power over’, ‘power to’, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’ developed and refined by scholars in the fields of social and political theory are increasingly being adopted by various discip... lukes’ ‘three dimensions of power’ – visible, hidden and invisible – is a helpful typology for analysing power in political decision-making and democratic participation (lukes, 2005; gaventa, 2006). visible power refers to the formal rules, structures... the importance of narratives in empowerment and change the psychology and political science literature underscores the critical link between narratives and empowerment. narratives are essential for sensemaking, allowing us to internalise and externalise change experiences (nardon & hari, 2021). sharing st... finally, storytelling’s impact surpasses intellectual arguments or theoretical transformation models (alho, 2023). narratives carry transformative power: to engage, mobilise, and spread alternative values and views that challenge the status quo discou... in table 2, we summarise the dimensions of power discussed in this section, along with the corresponding pathways to empowerment proposed in the broader literature. these insights can inform and structure efforts toward empowerment in design for socia... table 2: dimensions of power and practices towards empowerment. frameworks such as just associates’ power matrix (miller et al., 2006), the powercube (gaventa, 2021) and collins’ (2000) matrix of domination are good examples of theory-informed tools that have adopted these concepts. they are used for power analysi... figure 1: powercube.net, a resource for understanding power relations in social change. towards design for empowerment we now discuss the dimensions of power and ways to empowerment derived from broader literature (table 2) in correlation to the design for social change praxis focused on empowerment. insights of our analysis are then pre... empowerment in design for social change seminal literature in design for social change discusses self-empowerment and the professional assistance that enables individuals and communities to overcome feelings of powerlessness and lack of influence. it ... another significant body of work examines how design fosters participation in agonistic pluralism (di salvo, 2012), a democratic approach emphasising dissensus over consensus (mouffe, 2002). by facilitating ‘lively agonistic encounters’ among diverse ... still, some social design studies question the transferability of the democratically driven approaches to power and empowerment in non-western contexts (kraff, 2019) or where it could threaten the survival of marginalised communities (gautam & tatar, ... finally, social designers claim self-empowerment by reflecting on their practice, such as embracing an alternative view to the pre-established aim of building ‘power with’ in each project (popplow, 2021) and frameworks to explore positionality (noel, ... despite the undeniable intentions of ‘designing for empowerment’ being expressed in many ways within design for social change, such discussions remain rare. notably, many claims of empowerment in design literature lack theoretical grounding and consis... while recognising the various forms of power is crucial for understanding dynamics and guiding design interventions, the design literature lacks theory-based tools for comprehensive power analysis. the methodologies that are significantly lacking are ... design for empowerment principles drawing from design and broader literature, we propose four principles that position design for empowerment as a political activity and provide guidelines for best practices. these principles are grounded in empowerment theory values—enhancing possibi... dfe 1. implementing power analysis to inform strategies there is a need to understand power distribution in the project context to set empowerment goals and report on the nature and level of change. this involves acknowledging our positionality and identifying the power dynamics at play through critical di... dfe 2. setting clear empowerment aims and goals empowerment approaches stress the importance of community focus, where mediating structures (like community organisations) play a critical role in facilitating empowerment (rappaport, 1987). this means exercising transparency and accountability in set... dfe 3. focusing on human development: the empowerment process is a journey of transcendence we conceptualise the empowerment process as a journey of transcendence by which individuals and communities are supported to overcome physical and psychological obstacles. developing ‘power within’ is prioritised as a necessary condition for building... dfe 4. adopting empowerment language and narrative methods as catalysts of change communal narratives and personal stories are powerful resources that significantly impact human behaviour (rappaport, 1995). narratives provide valuable insights into how people understand unfolding events, enabling individuals and groups to articulat... while the principles presented above help us to organise knowledge, we align with mcgee and pettit’s (2019) view that theory often remains inaccessible and of little practical use to those working on the frontlines of social change and the need to int... accordingly, we engaged in participatory research through a series of workshops (figure 2) to co-develop an accessible framework grounded in design for empowerment principles to support the empowerment process in social design projects in a manner tha... figure 2: heroic journeys framework development. methodology abiding by dfe 4 (adopting narrative devices), our starting point was identifying a relevant narrative device reflecting the dfe principles and values. we were inspired by the familiar narrative structure of the hero’s journey, popularised... table 3: overview of research participants. over a year, we conducted three online co-creation workshops with 16 participants (table 3). each workshop, involving 5-10 participants (with some participants attending more than one workshop highlighting their investment in the topic), focused on id... figure 3: workshop 1 – playing with metaphors of a ‘superhero.’ building on the participants’ worldviews and lived experiences (reason & bradbury, 2001), each workshop attended to develop a particular aspect of the framework whilst contributing to its evolution. in workshop 1, we explored the use of language, expanding the meaning of heroes and heroism as it relates to the context of community work and social change. in workshop 2, we built on the emerging concept of ‘heroic journeys’ by envisioning and captu... framework co-development process the first workshop aimed to critically reflect on the hero’s journey as the foundational structure and basic concepts concerning empowerment. the traditional notion of a ‘hero’ as patriarchal, male and characterised by physical strength and bravery ... “the idea of a hero or superhero, such as a professional hero, can be damaging. push people into this position to save the world. still, at the same time, we are not protecting them because they are invincible… which they are not… this is different to... the idea of collective heroism also emerged, highlighting ‘the hero-ship of peer groups and the power of the collective and multiple heroes’ (participant ws1, designer) such as movements, organisations or communities that collaborate to tackle challe... figure 4: workshop 1 miro board we discussed the process of transcendence and transformation. we conceptualised it as ‘heroic journeys,’ meaning that empowerment involves overcoming obstacles and limitations building inner and outer resources to gain greater self-determination and a... in workshop 2, we discussed the ‘critical moments’ as they would structure the ‘heroic journeys’ from workshop 1 – self-discovery, initiation, transformation, and reflection – concerning dimensions of power and ways to empowerment (figure 4). the foll... (1) self-discovery – of one’s power. creating the conditions to build power within. focus on gifts, difference, passion, and purpose. we are exploring dissonance with self and its relation to systemic conditions. it involves self-examining currently h... (2) initiation – validation of interdependency. creating the conditions to build power. focus on overcoming internal challenges and attainable goals within the community. testing and learning participatory and relational practices and exploring consen... (3) transformation – moving from will to action, creating the conditions to build power. having built inner power, we can face external challenges via collective mobilisation and action. as the most significant fears are exposed and confronted, a visi... (4) reflection – internalising effects of action and repositioning. creating the conditions to build power over. evaluation of learning, methods, new positionality, and identification of personal and collective challenges. a period of reflection, rec... “... it is important to understand what people will volunteer their time for and what their interests are, their stories and background, and what are their political narratives and how hero[sic] journey can help them unpack the political narrative tha... figure 5: workshop 2 – identifying ‘key moments’ of the heroic journeys framework. in workshop 3, we prototyped the framework as an accessible tool to organise and facilitate eliciting individual/community needs, values and stories through structured conversations (figure 4). “[as] we create the framework … we need to look at the probing questions … to start them on the journey of self-empowerment and transformation … to think about the logic between the questions for someone who is trying to get to [their] higher-self alo... avelino (2021) suggests that asking questions facilitates a critical analysis of power, allowing ‘inner stories’ of empowerment to surface, be acknowledged and externalised. building on this approach, we generated empirical questions to systematically... figure 6: heroic journeys, a design for empowerment conceptual framework. concluding remarks this paper contributes to strengthening the approaches, language, and reporting structure of empowerment in design for social change. we argue that design-led social change projects that intentionally and openly engage in power redistribution are cons... while empowerment cannot be designed, we can intentionally set the conditions and adopt best practices. to this end, we drew on principles, language and conceptualisations from relevant broader literature and summarised them to inform our proposed design for empowerment principles. to make these concepts actionable, we co-developed heroic journeys, a co... limitations and future work the framework development is rooted in practice (co-developed with social design practitioners and community organisers working on the ‘frontlines’). thus far, the framework has been shared with an international design community through a conference w... future exploration includes integrating design for empowerment principles with other frameworks, such as the theory of change, to create a more comprehensive approach that leverages narrative, qualitative procedural, and logical methods while ensurin... references alho, p. 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(2011). redirect: the surprising new science of psychological change. allen lane. zamenopoulos, t., busayawan, l., alexiou, k., kelemen, m., de sousa, s., moffat, s., & phillips, m. (2021). types, obstacles and sources of empowerment in co-design: the role of shared material objects and processes. codesign, 17(2), 139–`58. https://... zigler, r. (2004). educating for self-transcendence and the pluralistic identity. philosophical studies in education, 35, 66-75. zimmerman, m. (2000). empowerment theory: psychological, organizational, and community levels of analysis. in j. rappaport & e. seidman (eds), handbook of community psychology (pp. 43–63). kluwer academic publishers. 14 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. effects of rural entrepreneurship on community development in zambia sampa chisumbe, peter mukalula, clinton aigbavboa, erastus mwanaumo, thandiwe mbewe published online: november 2024 to cite this article: chisumbe, s., mukalula, p., aigbavboa, c., mwanaumo, e., & mbewe, t. (2024). effects of rural entrepreneurship on community development in zambia. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 14-34. 15 effects of rural entrepreneurship on community development in zambia sampa chisumbea, peter mukalulab, clinton aigbavboac, erastus mwanaumod, thandiwe mbewee auniversity of johannesburg, faculty of engineering and the built environment, johannesburg, south africa. clechisumbe@gmail.com bcopperbelt university, school of the built environment, kitwe, zambia. musomuko@yahoo.com cuniversity of johannesburg, faculty of engineering and the built environment, johannesburg, south africa. caigbavboa@uj.ac.za duniversity of zambia, school of engineering, lusaka, zambia. erastus.mwanaumo@unza.zm ecopperbelt university, school of the built environment, kitwe, zambia. thandiwembewe@yahoo.com abstract rural entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in fostering the development of rural communities and nations at large. this study aimed to investigate the role of rural entrepreneurship in delivering community development. the study employed a quantitative approach, in which a structured questionnaire containing four indicator variables identified from the literature was administered to 197 respondents drawn from entrepreneurs involved in agriculture, retail, building construction, transportation business and metal fabrication operating in the rural areas of copperbelt province, zambia. the data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (efa) and regression analysis. the efa results revealed that entrepreneurship was explained by four factors: entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation. however, the regression analysis established that of the four factors explaining entrepreneurship, only two factors, entrepreneurial characteristics and business operation, were significant in predicting community development in copperbelt rural areas. overall, this paper reaffirms that entrepreneurship plays a critical role in rural community development, leading to improved living standards, employment opportunities, alleviation of poverty and reduced rural-urban migration. rural entrepreneurship is an essential stimulant of economic growth in developing countries. keywords: community, development, entrepreneurship, rural areas introduction rural areas are envisioned as carefree farmlands and grasslands dotted with small business stores, few social amenities and tight-knit communities. rural areas in the global south are diverse regarding topography, natural resources, culture and economy. according to researchers, extreme poverty levels, little economic activity and the absence of critical infrastructure and essential services characterise rural areas (del olmo-garcía et al., 2023; ihejiamaizu, 2019; jarinaa & manida, 2024). historically, agriculture and other resource-based industries have been at the centre of economic activities in rural areas. in developing countries, most agricultural activities are labour-based and subsistence-level, offering little economic growth. at the commercial scale, increased mechanization has led to increased levels of unemployment (goetz et al., 2018). development is further hampered by low literacy levels, exacerbated by rural-urban migration, where those with some skill migrate to cities for better economic prospects. these issues point to resource-deficient rural areas, with inadequate infrastructure such as roads, water and power supply networks, insufficient human capital and limited access to credit finance (goetz et al., 2018; stadel, 2019). mailto:clechisumbe@gmail.com mailto:musomuko@yahoo.com mailto:caigbavboa@uj.ac.za mailto:erastus.mwanaumo@unza.zm mailto:thandiwembewe@yahoo.com 16 rural entrepreneurship has gained significance as a local development approach with solid potential for job creation as well as improvements in quality of life (fortunato, 2014; galvao et al., 2020). scholars have found a correlation between entrepreneurship and rural development (abhijith, 2021; lakshmanaswamy & jasmine, 2023; pato, 2020; rajsinghot et al., 2024). the argument is that entrepreneurship has a multiplier effect in rural regions because it results in skill diversification among the rural population, attracts new inhabitants, drives market innovation and stimulates growth (galambos & amatori, 2016; galvao et al., 2020; pan et al., 2024). therefore, this study sought to investigate the effects of entrepreneurship on community development in rural areas, with the copperbelt province of zambia as the study area. rural entrepreneurship entrepreneurship is a broad concept with numerous definitions and meanings. the definition of entrepreneurship is still a source of contention among scholars. the idea of entrepreneurship is multifaceted, denoting different things to different people. entrepreneurship comprises interconnected processes of vision, transformation and invention, necessitating a great deal of energy from the individual. it also stimulates economic growth in any setting (akiri et al., 2016; ekanem, 2024). rural entrepreneurship entails creating new value by utilizing resources from a given environmental setting (lebambo & shambare, 2020; sharma, 2024). rural entrepreneurs focus on creating a new organization that introduces new products, serves or creates a new market or utilizes a new technology in a rural environment. it also involves pulling resources together to respond to unmet market demands and an ability to create and build something from practically nothing. thus, rural entrepreneurs carry out entrepreneurial activities by establishing industrial and business units in the rural sector of the economy (kushalakshi & raghurama, 2014). rural entrepreneurship is one of the most essential inputs in the economic development of a country; this cannot be overemphasized, especially in countries in the global south, where a considerable number of the population live in rural areas. rural entrepreneurship is considered one of the solutions to reduce poverty, migration, economic disparity and unemployment and to develop rural areas and backward regions. in the global south, rural areas are isolated, economically poor, and unmechanized (okeke & nwankwo, 2017). further, these areas lack critical infrastructure, such as roads, telecommunications, internet connectivity and electricity and water supply networks. proponents of rural entrepreneurship opine that it is a strategic development intervention that could accelerate the rural development process. the literature review underscores the importance of entrepreneurship in stirring development in rural areas and points out critical issues for consideration, as summarized in table 1. table 1: summary of reviewed works on entrepreneurship for rural development. author(s) and year title of research key issues lakshmanaswamy & jasmine, 2023 an empirical study on the role of rural entrepreneurship on socio-economic development among rural mass highlights the importance of rural entrepreneurship in better incomegenerating opportunities and serves as a means for the effective allocation of local resources 17 author(s) and year title of research key issues jarinaa & manida, 2024 exploring the impact of rural entrepreneurship development in india’s msme sector advances in investment in infrastructure and technological advancements to unlock the full potential of rural entrepreneurship candelario-moreno & sánchez-hernández, 2024 redefining rural entrepreneurship: the impact of business ecosystems on the success of rural businesses in extremadura, spain resources tailored to rural entrepreneurship must be created, leveraging the area’s endogenous resources and growth models sima, 2015 sustainable rural development through rural entrepreneurship emphasizes the importance of strategic planning, feasibility and market studies and analysis and the need for a unique package of resources to exploit the opportunities pato, 2020 entrepreneurship and innovation towards rural development evidence from a peripheral area in portugal underscores the role of the community in the entrepreneurship and development process; fosters creation of a culture of entrepreneurship based on local and endogenous resources; training and financial support pan et al., 2024 the impact of entrepreneurship of farmers on agriculture and rural economic growth: innovation-driven perspective the need to adopt specialized incentives and support measures to create a favourable atmosphere; strengthen innovation; build a distinctive innovation and entrepreneurship education system; promote the effective integration of technologies ihejiamaizu, 2019 the role of entrepreneurship in rural development in cross river state, nigeria utilization of local resources and reduction of rural-urban migration; provision of incentives to rural entrepreneurs in the form of tax relief and concessions; infrastructure development and maintenance in rural areas encourage trade and business transactions and serve as stimuli in boosting the rural economy abhijith, 2021 role of entrepreneurship in rural development – an analysis rural entrepreneurship is one of the solutions to reduce poverty, migration, economic disparity and unemployment and to develop rural areas and backward regions 18 author(s) and year title of research key issues del olmo-garcía et al., 2023 determinant factors for the development of rural entrepreneurship bank financing is essential for the development of rural entrepreneurship; the policy should focus on increasing investment in innovation and development that promote the discovery of opportunities in rural areas dzapasi, 2019 role of government in rural entrepreneurship to economic development: the case of murewa rural-mashonaland east province, zimbabwe need for effective rural entrepreneurship policy; awareness programmes; partnerships rajsinghot et al., 2024 strengthening sustainable rural development through entrepreneurship: an indian perspective it is a more effective method of eradicating poverty and hunger, sustainable health and well-being, enhancing gender equality, quality education and decent work conditions, and promoting innovation in industries the reviewed literature shows gaps in the relationship between individual entrepreneurship and community development elements. this suggests that efforts to develop rural communities through entrepreneurship must be further explored. therefore, this study sought to investigate the effects of entrepreneurship on community development in rural areas and consequently identify the main predictors of the same. approaches to community development community development is a process that focuses on cultivating and enhancing a community’s actions collectively to bring about improvements in social, cultural, economic, physical, political and environmental aspects of a community’s life. community development gives individuals and organizations within a society the ability to better their lives (buye, 2021). community development approaches are holistic and grounded in the ideologies of inclusivity, equity, empowerment, social justice and upholding human rights (ledwith, 2016; uddin, 2024). the following approaches are used in community development: needs-based, problem-solving, participatory, asset-based, power-conflict, welfare and rights-based. asset-based approach this approach begins by first considering what is available in the community. then, it builds on the assets and capacities of community members instead of focusing on what is lacking or deficient in a particular community. it emphasizes recognizing the strengths and resources of local people in developing communities. the approach relies on community members identifying and building their asset mapping strategy before turning to external partners (chinyowa et al., 2016). it advances the ability of external resources to be relied upon once communities develop their assets. in attracting external resources, the partnership is encouraged more than just being recipients (khadka, 2012). it perceives external stakeholders as responsive co-investors and co-creators in community-level action. creating partnerships points to the political nature of capacity and asset growth. the major thrusts of the approach hinge on 19 partnerships, capacity building, networking, and communities identifying, leveraging and managing the evolutionary stages of development (arefi, 2008; nel, 2020). the development approach anchoring this study builds on this approach. needs-based approach delivering development takes a top-down approach and assumes that the community is broken and thus requires external support to fix problems. a needs-based approach assesses the needs of communities through needs surveys to identify and quantify deficiencies and develop solutions to meet the identified needs (khadka, 2012). in the process, the participation of community members is often ignored, and top leaders create policies. here, experts quantify and assess the community’s perceived needs when designing developmental programmes. in this approach, organizations and funders are the leading investors; money from the investors drives the development process. the relationship between the communities and external organizations is vertical, with communities seen as recipients (nel, 2020). participatory approach the participatory approach focuses on educating and encouraging people to engage in the development process. it proposes that people should be involved in every development project or programme stage, from inception to completion (buye, 2021). it enables the poorest and marginalized people to participate in development efforts. community involvement aims to empower individuals by improving their abilities and skills, allowing them to interact with the development process and decide their needs. participatory mechanisms are a crucial model for giving people a representative and democratic voice in decisionmaking, which benefits their welfare and health (riswan & beegom, 2021). the major thrust of this approach is building the capacity of local communities through information sharing, skills training and organization to achieve effective participation and sustainable development. right-based approach this approach uses established and accepted human rights standards as a common framework for assessing and guiding sustainable development initiatives. it involves systematically applying human rights principles during all programme policy development and implementation (kindornay et al., 2012; noh, 2022). according to this approach, human rights abuses need to be dealt with as they have made people suffer and kept in poverty. thus, this approach translates people’s needs into rights and recognizes the human person as the active subject and claim-holder. it recognizes that all people, including those living in poverty, have the right to be involved in processes that impact their lives; it promotes equality and non-discrimination, focusing on vulnerable or marginalized people (moseli, 2022). problem-solving approach the problem-solving approach focuses on different methods that can be used to create different solutions for the problems faced by communities (kwong & kan., 2017). according to this approach, agents of development, such as service providers and external entities, usually enter the community due to the problems and needs of the community that need to be met (buye, 2021). it emphasizes confronting the problem, arguing that the tendency to avoid allows an escape from difficulties or dependence on others to solve the issues. other approaches include the power-conflict approach, which fosters creating harmonious communities by coming up with solutions that seek to address conflicts, especially those with the potential to slow down 20 or impair development. also, the welfare approach seeks to interact with working communities to enhance their capacity, consequently improving their well-being (buye, 2021). role of entrepreneurs in community development in many places worldwide, entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a promising response to economic challenges, such as a lack of jobs and waning economic vitality in rural and developing areas. different community development projects and programmes have quite distinct implications for community development. at the heart of anti-poverty work is often a concern for community development and the participation of low-income people. it entails continuous improvement of social, economic and environmental standards, thereby maintaining an attractive environment, having a vital social structure that promotes collaboration, equity and liberty, and having an essential economy that is diversified, competitive and accessible (gilchrist & taylor, 2016). from a social perspective, community development has been linked to ensuring equity and the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities (banks, 2019; hale et al., 2019). social equity is also central to winston’s (2022) analysis of social aspects of community development. it includes social equity, which involves fair distribution of resources, avoiding exclusionary practices and allowing residents to participate fully in society. winston (2022) also posited that social equity entails meeting the basic human needs of the present so they can participate in society while protecting the quality of earth’s life-support systems on which the welfare of current and future generations depends more so that the development is inclusive, well planned, governed and promotes a high quality of life with equality of access to decent quality services for all (winston, 2022). economically, regardless of the definition used, economic development is often associated with creating jobs and wealth and improving quality of life. from this perspective, community development concerns the community’s ability to be self-reliant, mobilize and build assets to sustainably improve their quality of life (gallardo, 2015). furthermore, entrepreneurs significantly impact local economies by helping to connect them to the larger global economy (gherghina et al., 2020; malizia et al., 2020). beyond the direct economic value of entrepreneurship, hassan et al. (2017) and marques et al. (2019) found that entrepreneurial activity motivated by rural artisan professions or tourism can also contribute to the enhancement of local resources, cultural heritage and quality of life. entrepreneurial activity of all origins creates new jobs and wealth that have spillover benefits into the greater region (guerrero et al., 2016; stuetzer et al., 2018). zambian scenario zambia is a middle-to-low-income country with a population of around 20 million. zambia, like most sub-saharan countries, grapples with the scourge of poverty, which has continued to affect people, especially in rural areas. the world bank estimates that 75% of zambia’s impoverished people live in rural areas. as of 2022, the extreme poverty level in rural areas stood at 65.1% compared to about 22.4% for urban areas, almost three times higher. this implies that 65.1% of households in rural areas could not meet the cost of the basic food basket (zambia statistics agency, 2022). a study by muya et al. (2017) revealed that only a tiny percentage of the rural population had access to water points that met the prescribed standards for safe water. further, despite the growing mobile network, its growth in rural areas was limited by poor infrastructure. in contrast, the internet service 21 quality was graded as being poor. moreover, rural roads in zambia are abysmal and in deplorable condition. drains are missing, or where they exist, they are narrow, inadequate and not constructed correctly. bridges are missing, old, inadequate, poorly constructed and usually poorly maintained (tembo et al., 2020). the government aims to stimulate economic growth and development of rural areas, just like in many other countries. communities, governments and other stakeholders need to collaborate to implement strategies that aim to improve the living conditions of rural people. among these strategies is boosting socioeconomic conditions through rural entrepreneurship (world bank, 2020). regarding the development ideology, zambia has been on a neoliberal trajectory since 1991, emphasizing allowing the markets to be fully involved in the development agenda. this sits well with the asset-based approach to community development, which, in a way, opines limiting the state’s role but rather fosters community empowerment and partnerships (macleod & emejulu, 2014). theoretical approach the theoretical framework anchoring this paper is based on economic theory. economic theory classifies entrepreneurship as both a function and a personality attribute. as a function attribute, entrepreneurship is viewed as any occupation/endeavour that employs the business principles of production, trade and distribution in its operation or undertaking (bennett et al., 2019; zucchella & urban, 2019). further, entrepreneurs are viewed as people who may not be inventive but as innovators with fresh marketing concepts that can stir economic growth (juliana et al., 2021). according to ferreira et al. (2020), the entrepreneur actively employs all sorts of innovative techniques in the economic system to gain a competitive advantage over possible competitors in the market environment. entrepreneurship is thus essential in economic development because of its quick responsiveness to technological needs and the ability to improve innovation to fulfil demand (coulibaly et al., 2018). an entrepreneur is also viewed as a self-employed individual who bears the risk and provides for their economic fulfilment. across various industrial revolutions, the concept has evolved to include the need for adequate administrative or managerial skill sets. from an economic theory perspective, the entrepreneurship literature focuses on the economic value of entrepreneurship and relates the competitive character of overall marketing forces to the entrepreneur’s inventive approaches. the argument is that an entrepreneur’s inventive abilities stem from their environment and economic conditions, which exist as the leading progression in incremental, experimental, and evolutionary ways (malerba & mckelvey, 2020). selection of indicator variables the variables/constructs adopted in this study were informed by similar studies by radipere (2014), jiménez et al. (2015), peprah et al. (2017), kerr et al. (2018), vasan (2020), sahinidis et al. (2021), edwin et al. (2021), gyimah and lussier (2021), saah (2022), as well as del olmo-garcía et al. (2023). common attributes/constructs explaining entrepreneurship were identified from the literature and categorized into four primary constructs/variables: entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation. for each variable, measurement items were equally identified from the literature, as shown in table 2. 22 table 2: variables and measurement indicators informing the conceptualization. variable measurements indicators authors entrepreneurial characteristics age influences the ability to run a business vasan, 2020; sahinidis et al., 2021 entrepreneur level of education jiménez et al. 2015; saah, 2022 personality matches the business kerr et al. 2018; li et al., 2020; edwin et al. 2021; meng et al., 2022 culture affects the way the business is run radipere, 2014; peprah et al. 2017 business conception driven by innovations hessels, 2019; ahmad et al., 2022; del olmo-garcía et al., 2023 conducting market surveys to identify business opportunities timmons et al., 2004; gyimah & lussier, 2021; lin et al., 2018; murphy et al., 2019 a business plan is prepared before launching the business gyimah & lussier, 2021 market completion analysis is considered before the commencement timmons et al. 2004; gyimah & lussier, 2021 business realization an organizational structure is developed at the time of starting a business harlin & berglund, 2021 registering with all necessary institutions kumar & borbora, 2016 market partnerships and synergies gyimah & lussier, 2021 a team of people with the proper knowledge and skill set is constituted to run the business ibrahim, 2010; hessels, 2019; gyimah & lussier, 2021 business operation quality goods and services dhaliwal, 2016; dzogbenuku & keelson, 2019 commitment to business wang et al., 2015 business satisfaction przepiorka, 2017 community development lowers unemployment levels del olmo-garcía et al., 2023 improved health of citizens muhammed & abubakar, 2019 improved quality of life in the community cusack, 2019; muhammed & abubakar, 2019 improved level of education gyimah & lussier, 2021; del olmo-garcía et al., 2023 the conceptual framework adapted for this study had four independent variables: entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation. the dependent variable in the framework is community development. based on the literature and the preceding theory, the researchers hypothesized that community development is influenced by entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation, as presented in figure 1. 23 figure 1: conceptual framework. the following four relationships were hypothesized: hypothesis 1 ho: entrepreneurial characteristics have a considerable influence on community development. ha: entrepreneurial characteristics have no considerable influence on community development. hypothesis 2 ho: business conception has a significant influence on community development. ha: business conception has no considerable influence on community development. hypothesis 3 ho: business realization has a significant influence on community development. ha: business realization has no considerable influence on community development. hypothesis 4 ho: business operation has a significant influence on community development. ha: business operation has no considerable influence on the community. research methodology this study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design with a quantitative approach. data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing closed-ended questions from 197 respondents who were purposively sampled and drawn from the rural districts of copperbelt province. these included entrepreneurs in agriculture, retail (comprising those involved in buying and selling), building construction, transportation business and metal works (welders and fabricators). the extensive literature review informed the development of the questionnaire (instrument) used for the data collection, in which variables used to explain rural entrepreneurship for community development were identified and included in the questionnaire. a summary of the respondents’ composition is shown in table 3. 24 table 3: nature of respondents’ businesses. business type n % retail (buying and selling) 45 22.8 agriculture 48 24.4 transportation business 15 7.6 building construction 24 12.2 mining 3 1.5 services 22 11.2 metalworks 5 2.5 manufacturing 14 7.1 others 21 10.7 total 197 100.0 the data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, regression analysis and analysis of variance (anova). factor analysis was carried out to explain the extent to which each item in the dataset was associated with the respective factor (variable). further, regression analysis was carried out to evaluate relationships between the independent and dependent variables (community development). the hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and standard f and tests at 95% significance level. results exploratory factor analysis (efa) efa was conducted to assess the uni-dimensionality and reliability of each factor. the extraction and rotation methods of principal components with varimax rotation were specified. the results revealed that the attributes of all the factors had kaiser-meyer-olkin (kmo) values of 0.605, which is slightly below the 0.7 threshold but still acceptable. bartlett’s test of sphericity was found to be significant (p = 0.000), as shown in table 4. this indicated that the factor analysis was appropriate (rehbinder, 2011; chisumbe et al., 2022). the kmo and bartlett’s test of sphericity are used to determine the suitability of data for factor analysis and whether the variables in the dataset are appropriate for extracting meaningful factors. table 4: kmo value. kmo and bartlett’s test kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy .605 bartlett’s test of sphericity approx. chi-square 2242.145 df 276 sig. .000 factor loadings were calculated for each variable. the factor loadings denoted the relationship between the items (statements) under each variable and the extracted components that explained their variation. the items not shown in table 5 were ‘deleted’ for not loading at all, double loading and loadings below 0.5. 25 table 5: variables and factor loadings. factors/variables undeleted items factor loadings entrepreneurial characteristics age influences the ability to run a business 0.837 level of education helps run the operations of the business 0.733 personality matches the business 0.880 culture affects the way the business is run 0.885 business conception promotes innovations 0.624 a market survey is conducted to identify business opportunities 0.548 a business plan is prepared before launching the business 0.827 market completion analysis is considered prior to commencement 0.819 business realization an organization structure is developed at the time of starting a business 0.807 register with all necessary institutions such as pacra, banks and zra 0.875 development of market partnerships and synergies 0.788 a team of people with the proper knowledge and skill set is constituted to run the business 0.510 business operation market penetration, quality goods or services 0.727 commitment to business 0.781 business satisfaction 0.835 community development lowers unemployment levels 0.614 there is improved health of citizens 0.860 there is an improved quality of life in the community 0.717 improved access to education 0.778 the total variance explained was 84.62%. this implies that a more significant percentage of the variation in the scores on the likert scale was explained. all these statistics affirm that the data’s validity was good, the research instrument was well prepared and the respondents understood the questions. furthermore, good validity indicates that the research instrument sufficiently evaluated the phenomenon of rural entrepreneurship and community development. table 6 shows the reliability statistics for the five main variables considered in this research. 26 table 6: reliability statistics. variable cronbach’s alpha no. of ‘undeleted items’ entrepreneurial characteristics 0.704 4 business conception 0.837 5 business realization 0.644 2 business operation 0.694 3 community development 0.672 4 different methods of determining reliability are used by different scholars in different situations and settings to assess the reliability of the data; this study employed consistent reliability. this method involves determination of the cronbach’s alpha coefficient. entrepreneurial characteristics and business conception had cronbach’s alpha values above 0.7, indicating strong reliability. business realization, business operation and community development had cronbach alpha values slightly below 0.7, but they were good enough, as they were above 0.5. overall, the collected data were highly consistent and reproducible. the respondents answered the questions similarly and consistently. regression analysis the regression analysis evaluated relationships between the four independent variables (entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation) and the dependent variable (community development). the strength of relationships was determined by calculating the pearson correlation coefficient (r). the research model was evaluated using anova and the model summary. all statistics were generated based on a 95% confidence interval. the relationship between each predictor variable and the dependent variable was determined based on the pearson correlation coefficients. table 7 shows the pearson correlation (r) values for each relationship. the p-value to denote the significance of the relationship was calculated for each value of r. the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and community development was positive, linear, slightly above average and significant (r = 0.645; p = 0.000; p < 0.05). the relationship between business conception and community development was positive, linear, weak and not significant (r = 0.037; p = 0.679; p > 0.05). similarly, the relationship between business realization and community development was positive, linear, weak and not significant (r = 0.062; p = 0.488; p > 0.05). the relationship between business operation and community development was positive, linear, average and significant (r = 0.648; p = 0.000; p < 0.05). the analysis revealed that only entrepreneurial characteristics and business operations significantly influenced community development in the copperbelt rural area. in contrast, business conception and realization did not significantly influence community development. the relationships between four demographic variables (gender, age, education level and business tenure) and community development were tested. the statistics in table 7 reveal that gender had a weak and insignificant relationship with community development (r = −0.108; p = 0.168; p > 0.05). age had a slightly below average, linear and significant relationship with community development (r = 0.397; p = 0.000; p < 0.05). the highest qualification had an average, linear and significant relationship with community development (r = 0.538; p = 0.000; p < 0.05). tenure of business had a weak, linear and insignificant relationship with community development (r = 0.037; p = 0.371; p > 0.05). 27 table 7: correlation coefficients. community development entrepreneurial characteristics business conception business realization business operation gender age education level tenure of business pearson correlation community development 1.000 entrepreneurial characteristics .645 1.000 business conception .037 .356 1.000 business realization .062 .271 .134 1.000 business operation .648 .433 .596 .433 1.000 gender -.108 -.234 .186 -.528 -.249 1.000 age .397 .311 .234 .683 .420 -.359 1.000 education level .538 .373 .181 .265 .579 -.443 .221 1.000 tenure of business .037 .295 .192 .123 .099 .059 .185 .133 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) community development . entrepreneurial characteristics .000 . business conception .679 .001 . business realization .488 .007 .117 . business operation .000 .000 .000 .000 . gender .168 .018 .048 .000 .013 . age .000 .002 .018 .000 .000 .001 . education level .000 .000 .052 .008 .000 .000 .024 . tenure of business .371 .004 .043 .136 .189 .302 .049 .118 . 28 the combined effect of the predictor variables, entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation on the dependent variable was tested, and the related statistics calculated are presented in the model summary shown in table 8. the overall relationship between the independent and dependent variables was linear, positive and significant (r = 0.727; p = 0.000 < 0.05). the model’s coefficient of determination (r square) was 0.528, which shows that the variation in community development explained by the independent variables was 52.8%. the remaining 47.2% of the variation would be explained by factors not considered in this research. table 8: model summary statistics. model summary model r rsquared adjusted rsquared std. error of the estimate change statistics rsquared change f change df1 df2 sig. f change 1 .727a .528 .504 .39430 .528 21.292 4 76 .000 a. predictors: (constant), entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and operation. anova was another technique used to evaluate the model developed for the research. this was done by evaluating the fit between the conceptualized relationships and the collected data. a summary of the anova statistical results is presented in table 9. table 9: analysis of variance. anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 13.241 4 3.310 21.292 .000b residual 11.816 76 .155 total 25.057 80 a. dependent variable: community development b. predictors: (constant), entrepreneurial characteristics, business conception, business realization and business operation the f-value for the model was significant at a 95% confidence interval with α at the significance level of 0.05. thus p < α; 0.000 < 0.05. the results indicated that the data suited the model and that the model developed for the current research was significant. hypothesis testing the research tested four hypotheses. the testing was done by comparing the p-values with the significance level (α). since the confidence level was 95%, the significance level was 5% (0.05). the decision rule for the hypotheses was not to reject ho, the null hypothesis if its p-value is smaller than the level of significance (p < or p < 0.05). table 10 shows the null hypotheses for all key relationships, the respective statistics and the conclusion for each test. 29 table 10: hypothesis test statistics. null hypothesis p-value vs sig. level conclusion there is no significant relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and community development 0.000 < 0.05 rejected there is no significant relationship between business conception and community development. 0.679 > 0.05 accepted there is no significant relationship between business realization and community development. 0.488 > 0.05 accepted there is no significant relationship between business operation and community development. 0.000 < 0.05 rejected null hypothesis 1: there is no significant relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and community development, which was rejected empirically (p-value < α; 0.000 < 0.05). it was inferred that there was a significant relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and community development. on the contrary, null hypothesis 2: there is no significant relationship between business conception and community development, was accepted (p-value > α; 0.679 > 0.05). it was inferred that there is no significant relationship between business conception and community development. null hypothesis 3: there is no significant relationship between business realization and community development was accepted statistically (p-value > α; 0.488 > 0.05). it was inferred that there was no significant relationship between business realization and community development. conversely, null hypothesis 4: there is no significant relationship between business operation and community development, was rejected statistically (p-value < α; 0.000 < 0.05). it was upheld as it is and worthwhile to infer that there was a significant relationship between business operation and community development. discussion influence of entrepreneurial characteristics on community development entrepreneurial characteristics had a significant relationship with community development. its variable coefficient for predicting community development was equally significant. further, the associated hypothesis: there is a significant positive relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and community development was statistically supported. the implication is that the attributes of entrepreneurs, such as age, education level, personality and culture, contribute significantly to the ability to do business and community development. overall, the entrepreneurial characteristics were impactful. the findings are supported by li et al. (2020) and meng et al. (2022), positing that to speed up economic development in rural areas, it is essential to build up the critical mass of first-generation entrepreneurs. the characteristics of entrepreneurs in the copperbelt rural area helped them contribute to community development. these findings agree with kerr et al. (2018) and edwin et al. (2021), emphasizing the importance of entrepreneur characteristics on community development. influence of business conception on community development the relationship between business conception and community development was found to be weak and not significant. furthermore, the hypothesis that business conception has a significant relationship with community development was not statistically supported. the implication is that efforts made at the conception stage of the business were not translating into community development. another possibility is that the businesses were not effectively defined. this could be attributed to failure to properly document the business idea, poor definition of the business concept and limited knowledge and skills 30 on the part of some of the businesspeople involved in rural entrepreneurship. this result contrasts with studies by lin et al. (2018) and murphy et al. (2019) on the significance of business conception on rural entrepreneurship. influence of business realization on community development the relationship between business realization and community development was found to be weak and not significant. furthermore, the hypothesis that business realization has a significant relationship with community development was not empirically supported. the implication is that efforts made when realizing or setting up the businesses were not translating into improved community development. another possibility was that the coordination and organization were not effectively done at the beginning. this could be attributed to limited use of tools such as organization charts, poor formalization of the business with bodies such as the patents and companies registration agency (pacra), the zambia revenue authority (zra) and banks and limited knowledge and skills on the part of some of the personnel involved in business realization. the finding that business realization did not significantly influence community development is contrary to what ibrahim (2010) found on the role played by rural entrepreneurship in employment generation, showing that rural entrepreneurship has a high potential for creating new jobs, considering the vast resources in rural areas. influence of business operation on community development business operation had a significant relationship with community development. its variable coefficient for predicting community development was equally significant. further, the associated hypothesis: business operation has a significant relationship with community development was statistically supported. the implication is that the attributes of business operations focusing on commitment, providing quality goods or services needed by the market and having business satisfaction from running the business contributed to overall entrepreneurship and community development. these results suggest that commitment to running a business is significant in explaining entrepreneurship and predicting rural community development. on the importance of commitment, the results agree with wang et al. (2015). similarly, the results agree with dhaliwal (2016) and dzogbenuku and keelson (2019) on the need to provide quality goods or services which respond to the market in explaining business operations as an entrepreneur thereby contributing to community development. conclusion this paper reaffirms that entrepreneurship plays a critical role in rural community development, leading to improved living standards, employment opportunities, alleviation of poverty, utilization of local resources and reduction of rural-urban migration. specifically, rural entrepreneurship is an essential facilitator of economic development, especially in rural areas. the relationship between rural entrepreneurship and community development was assessed in this study, and the findings showed that rural entrepreneurship significantly influences community development in rural areas. therefore, the authors recommend investing in critical infrastructure such as roads, telecommunications and electricity infrastructure in rural areas to attract entrepreneurs and stimulate rural community development. though exciting and valuable findings have emerged from this study, they are not without limitations. consideration should be given to the following limitations concerning this current study. first, the research was conducted in copperbelt province only; therefore, it is recommended that a similar research study be 31 conducted in another geographical location from another developing country. second, additional factors or constructs can be considered to improve the conceptualized framework. references abhijith, l. 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(2019). circular entrepreneurship. springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-980-220241013 https://tinyurl.com/454ku8wf https://core.ac.uk/download/572722296.pdf https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv2i1art2 https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86841 https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2017.1294251 https://tinyurl.com/5e4ndfbc https://tinyurl.com/bdhm8je4 https://doi.org/10.5937/sjm15-21922 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-013-0285-0 https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2238 https://tinyurl.com/497uhjxa https://tinyurl.com/bdhf4dn8 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 4, no. 1 discern wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. their contribution towards the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. beatrice villari, politecnico di milano, italy claire pillar, art+design: elearning lab, cyprus university of technology, cyprus francesco mazzarella, university of the arts london, uk hazal gumus ciftci, arizona state university, united states katja fleischmann, griffith university, queensland college of art, australia nailejileji mollel-matodzi, tshwane university of technology, south africa walter chipambwa, chinhoyi university of technology, zimbabwe zijun lin, politecnico di milano, italy reviewer acknowledgements for discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, vol. 4, no. 1 69 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. housing, entryways and social architecture in poor borderlands of mexicali carlos rios-llamas, saúl luque-sanz published online: november 2024 to cite this article: rios-llamas, c., & luque-sanz, s. (2024). housing, entryways and social architecture in poor borderlands of mexicali. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 69-82. 70 housing, entryways and social architecture in poor borderlands of mexicali carlos ríos-llamasa, saúl luque-sanzb aautonomous university of baja california, mexicali, mexico. llamas@uabc.edu.mx bautonomous university of baja california, mexicali, mexico. saul.luque@uabc.edu.mx abstract this article presents a methodological approach to the insecurity associated with urban peripheries, using the western area of mexicali, baja california as a case study. its focus is on the security of homes, the urban environment and inclusive communities, which serve as a protective mechanism, ranging from collaborative reinforcement of fences with recycled materials to neighbourhood surveillance networks that protect homes. using the architectural design as inspiration, a prototype of security portals was created, highlighting the importance of local construction knowledge, recycling of materials and using interconnections between the home and the street. the dataset consists of field research conducted between january 2023 and june 2024. a triple method of analysis was used: (1) classification of facades within a polygon of several neighbourhoods in the centinela area; (2) descriptive statistics based on a survey of perceived security in each street of the study area; and (3) participatory workshops to design urban strategies using materials obtained in the surroundings. the result is a proposal for entryways referred to as ‘sidewalkdesign’ because it combines the transition between the home, the sidewalk and the street, promotes neighbourhood spaces for meeting and cooperation and, most of all, ensures that homes remain safe through physical barriers and natural surveillance. keywords: social architecture, popular housing, entryways, mexicali introduction historically, the western periphery of mexicali has been known for its informal settlements and self-built houses. the acquisition and formalization of land for housing have resulted in a significant influx of individuals who are most vulnerable into this part of the city. during the late 20th century, migrants from southern mexico settled in deprived areas surrounding mexicali and imperial valley (méndez, 2021). this has resulted in a precarious yet diverse neighbourhood actively working to overcome urban challenges such as deficits in infrastructure and services. family members in the border region often built their homes with materials considered trash, such as discarded construction materials and agricultural materials from american farms. over the last few decades, a neighbourhood in western mexicali named centinela has seen rapid growth in self-built homes. we conducted a series of neighbourhood meetings and workshops following the principles of participatory design and community architecture to gain an understanding of and empathy for the lifestyle of the residents in these communities. applied research was conducted in the centinela´s neighbourhoods by architecture students and residents. we wanted to develop strategies and housing improvements that can be implemented collaboratively by architecture students, urban planners and anyone else who can work directly with precarious communities in the future. mailto:llamas@uabc.edu.mx mailto:saul.luque@uabc.edu.mx 71 housing systems are composed of the interactions between actors related to housing development, delivery and operation within the broader urban context (ayub et al., 2020). urban interconnection, as a system or network connecting different parts of a city, is collectively shaped by actors and their interactions. urban peripheries are characterized by a variety of cultural models, and housing developments often follow organic forms associated with self-construction and progressive construction (hernández, 2023). for urban design and development, hierarchical (top-down or bottom-up) and network (peer-to-peer) analyses are both critical (figure 1). according to this perspective, urban development can be optimized by integrating infrastructure, delivering essential services, improving accessibility to public spaces, improving mobility and strengthening social inclusion. figure 1. social structures and interactions. source: based on cumming, 2016. due to the diffuse nature of urban expansion along the mexicali border, analysing the physical systems intercepted by public transportation, pedestrian paths, bicycle paths and passageways on more minor scales, such as colonies and neighbourhood centres, is necessary. additionally, examining how urban dynamism develops concerning the density of schools, hospitals, parks and markets is crucial. likewise, social sciences and architectural design contribute to a thorough understanding of peripheries. both disciplines are increasingly vital in protecting and enhancing the urban periphery. during the early 1900s, when the border city was established, the western neighbourhoods of mexicali were separated. in the 1950s, when the bracero programme was implemented, the eastern and southern areas were emphasized, and in the 1990s, the industrial project mainly focused on the east side. several neighbourhoods, such as centinela and san pablo, remained low in density and isolated from the rest of the city (map 1). however, urban fringes become focal points of cultural and ethnic practices in borderlands, not only as a place where economic and political forces manifest against a complex social dynamic, but also as a centre of those forces (holguín, 2011). 72 map 1: housing density in the centinela area, mexicali, 2024. one of the most critical concerns of contemporary cities is providing a comfortable and safe public space. despite the emphasis on “eyes on the street”, as the sociopolitical activist jane jacobs proposed, this concern has remained constant in recent decades. as outlined in her 1961 book the death and life of great american cities, natural surveillance refers to the continuous surveillance conducted by residents and merchants in these areas from their homes towards the street to ensure that streets and urban spaces are well guarded. in jacobs’ view, given the importance that residents place on the urban environment to guarantee their well-being, they naturally become “ordinary guardians of the street”, with the authority to deter inappropriate behaviour. natural surveillance can be considered from the perspective of four types of spatiality, which possess the following qualities: 1) contact spaces between buildings and streets; 2) attractive and appealing public spaces; 3) lighting spaces; and finally 4) broad walking areas. in terms of the peripheral situation, the scope of this theory lies in its proposal for security and coexistence in the neighbourhood that can be generated by building a fence, wall or natural border that connects the sidewalk to the street. the question is how this can be accomplished in an urban environment marked by precariousness. this is where neighbourhoodcollaborative networks are vital in integrating design solutions, urban strategies and social organization for the well-being of communities. in terms of the quality of public space on the street, gehl (2010) proposes three fundamental ideas: “life comes first, then space, then buildings.”;”the function of urban design is to make life easier and more pleasant for people” and “streets and public spaces are the lifeblood of a city” gehl, 2010). however, in our contemporary world, urbanization is dominated by large-scale urban projects, which are carried out without significant consideration for social issues. university urban design studios provide opportunities for critical reflection on urban issues (batuman & altay, 2014). 73 gehl’s cities for people (2010) illustrates the power of urban design when it emphasizes social interaction and human experience. as part of this work, gehl identifies several key factors contributing to a peoplecentred approach to urban planning. politicians and architects are responsible for adhering to human well-being in designing a city based on innovative technology. however, the key to urban design lies in people’s imaginations and how they envision their children and grandchildren living there. based on communicative planning theory, urban planners must slow the planning process to increase participation and involvement (calderon et al., 2022). as part of the security analysis in the poor areas of mexicali, participation mechanisms were established between architecture students and neighbourhood organizations. to achieve participatory design, it is necessary to find ways to involve citizens in the process of making decisions about urban design and development. rather than treating participatory design as a methodology, it can be seen as a way to conduct any methodology (udoewa, 2022). this paper proposes three types of participation: the designer as community member, the community member as designer and the community member as facilitator. by emphasizing citizen participation in the interventions, proposals will arise and be based on the community’s needs and concerns since they are considered through participatory design workshops and empathetic dialogues throughout the process. materials and methods this case study examines the centinela area in western mexicali and the citizen dialogue process it involve, based on ethnographic research inspired by forester’s (2017) emphasis on ‘practice stories’ and his pragmatic critical approach. within the context of the case study, we examine what each resident does and how they cope with the challenges of living in their neighbourhood. the data collection process was undertaken between the years of 2023 and 2024, during the period of the dialogue between the residents and architecture students. the analysis was carried out based on observations and decisions made during four meetings in which the design process was implemented. the architecture students drew illustrations depicting the condition of the houses and developed proposals for each family. we conducted five semi-structured interviews with neighbourhood leaders and informal discussions with the students involved in the design and implementation of the project. a semi-structured interview allowed the neighbourhood leaders to express themselves freely. the survey questions addressed community needs, perceptions of the proposed designs and potential effects on neighbourhood dynamics. safety barriers two aspects of security may be harmonious or discordant: subjective and objective. a subjective aspect refers to a person’s perception of an event based on their assessment of its risk. subjectivity is primarily characterized by the self-affirmation of “feeling safe” and is strongly influenced by self-confidence and trust in the environment. conversely, the objective aspect of security is concerned with objective events that do not depend on the individual’s perspective. from the double subjective and objective security factors, the city is typically considered “unsafe” primarily because the residents and neighbours stigmatize it subjectively. as an objective tool for assessing risk and insecurity in a city, colony or neighbourhood, crime statistics and urban diagnoses provide objective figures that complement these assessments. 74 in the process of urban expansion, the periphery of metropolitan areas has been characterized by processes of “sub-urbanization”. before the real estate boom and the peripheralization of social housing, it was widespread to establish industrial complexes, recycling and waste management centres and complementary services for the city, such as agricultural land, farms and livestock production, among others, in these areas. peripheries are usually characterized by social groups with a mix of urban and rural residents, and their perspectives tend to blend to promote exchange and the development of subjective security networks. due to the constant movement of populations in urban peripheries, essential services are often delivered late to meet residents’ needs. due to the late arrival of services, several additional problems arise since deficiencies are corrected when precariousness has already generated new issues that cannot be solved by simply installing infrastructure or urban equipment. as a result of government neglect, not only has the physical condition of these neighbourhoods deteriorated, but the stigmatization processes for these communities have also been contaminated with prejudice as a result of the constant dissemination of images of neglected spaces, as well as the classification of urban edges as “dangerous areas” or “no-go zones” (figure 2). figure 2: perceived fear in the centinela area, mexicali, 2024. source: based on a survey from 16 streets (avoiding walking on the streets, carrying valuable objects and leaving home alone). theorists concerned with security and urban planning have offered a variety of explanations for how security can be maintained or how insecurity increases in some urban enclaves. first, criminologists published the “broken windows” theory in 1982. in their article, kelling and wilson (1982) clarified that crime is not affected by the income level of a neighbourhood, because if a window is broken or a house is not repaired, the impression will be that no one is in charge, which will result in more broken windows and more crimes. 75 broken windows are a visual indication of disorder and minor crimes committed through vandalism. most concerning is that these minor crimes trigger discourses that negatively impact subjective security and shape people’s perception of these environments. in cities, the urban periphery is the least protected area by police security, which can lead to the failure of police to control and impose repercussions on minor crimes that characterize them. this can trigger other crimes or create the proliferation of cells and gangs that claim urban enclaves. in “broken windows”, the perception of insecurity and criminal networks in the suburbs leads to urban disorder and discourages societies from regaining security. the centinela area, located west of mexicali city, has been referred to as a place of insecurity because it has become normalized that it is a place where crime is prevalent and crimes are committed. the fieldwork conducted by universidad autónoma de baja california students since august 2023 revealed that the main problems in this area are not related to crime but to precarious housing, a lack of services and deterioration of public space and the environment, based on surveys and photographic records. residents also associate risk with leaving the house alone, walking through the neighbourhood and walking to take the bus (figure 3). figure 3: risk and victimization in the centinela neighbourhoods, mexicali 2024. source: based on a survey from 16 streets (leaving the house alone, walking through the neighbourhood and walking to take the bus). a decline in social relations and insecurity has also accompanied the deterioration of physical spaces in centinela´s neighbourhoods. in each neighbourhood, such as centinela, ampliación centinela and san pablo, a neighbourhood committee is responsible for determining and negotiating solutions with 76 government agencies. doing so convinced some government entities, in partnership with the neighbours, to undertake improvements to some of their spaces, such as the community park, which was renovated in 2024. based on the architectural study of a sample of homes, we could better understand the living conditions of many families. research projects have provided funding for several housing and urban space improvement initiatives, including fencing, street furniture, roof improvements and, if possible, the construction or restoration of some houses. as opposed to the notion of “broken windows”, which implies that spaces, such as housing, streets or parks, are slowly degraded as they are neglected, there is also the possibility of progressive rescue and improvement when people are enthusiastic and committed to enhancing their small areas. upon accumulating needs in the periphery, people prioritize housing deficiencies at the expense of urban infrastructure and public spaces. even though most homes are considered habitable, they were built using self-construction techniques and recycled materials to resolve deficiencies (images 1 & 2). image 1: recycled door. image 2: recycled steel roofing sheets. the effects of social disorganization on the urban periphery a person’s ideas and actions are influenced by their family environment, their neighbourhood networks and the environment in which they live. several chicago school of criminology authors, including clifford shaw and henry mckay (1942), proposed an explanation for the degradation of these urban enclaves based on social disorganization theory, which was developed in 1942 to focus on the environmental conditions that affect the development of a person in criminology. according to their theory, the environment in which one grows up reflects the behaviours and thoughts one exhibits in response to that environment. shaw and mckay argued that crime is the result of abnormal living conditions (high poverty levels and poor health). disorganization can take several forms: (1) community control breakdown, when a neighbourhood loses control, causing people to adapt to new circumstances; (2) uncontrolled immigration, in which immigrants often settle in disadvantaged communities; (3) factors related to social deprivation, such as divorce, illegitimate births and a higher percentage of males; (4) lastly, various patterns of criminal behaviour appear in marginalized and poor neighbourhoods where sub-societies often exist, and citizens have a precarious way of life. 77 based on the articulation of the broken window theory and the social disorganization theory, a series of conclusions are reached concerning the centinela’s neighbourhoods. in the first place, certain areas that have experienced elevated levels of neglect have a higher level of crime, which helps to explain the lack of control and progressive degradation of the physical and social environment. however, as the theory of social disorganization demonstrates, the environment plays a crucial role in determining an individual’s development, even more so when dealing with individuals who grow up in poverty and violence, as is the case in the precarious polygons on the western periphery of mexicali. using photographic analysis, the condition of the fences in the study area was determined by collecting and analyzing photographs of the streets. the fences were classified by type of material and level of quality. using recycled materials from the same area, a design proposal and a tentative budget for the intervention have been created, preserving the aesthetic values of the urban image and architectural design while putting the community at the centre of the process through three participatory workshops. the analysis found that 234 fences were made of chain link, 233 fences were made of iron, 2 fences were made of tyres and 49 were a combination of recycled materials (table 1). table 1: materials used in fencing. centinela neighbourhoods, mexicali, june 2024. street galvanised chain link wrought iron recycled (tyres, timber, steel shades, etc.) aristoteles 30 44 2 apolo 40 36 5 euquides 15 8 4 euclides 7 1 1 esquilo 6 10 2 pitagoras 17 13 3 platon 6 9 0 satelite 12 6 1 socrates 8 9 3 sofocles 33 29 7 crater 3 5 2 san cristobal 6 3 1 santa lucia 21 24 9 san pablo 5 3 4 atotonilco 3 8 2 tecatitlan 13 15 0 zihuatanejo 9 10 0 ixtapa 15 7 5 total 234 233 52 78 fieldwork was conducted to determine which houses were in a critical state regarding their physical boundaries. an exploratory walk was conducted along some of its streets to classify houses, sidewalks, vegetation, parks, fauna and some interactions with community members (images 3–8). image 3: fences made from recycled zinc galvanized roofing. image 6: fences made from brick. image 4: doorways made from recycled zinc galvanized roofing. image 7: fences made from recycled timber. image 5: entryways made from recycled wood and homemade stucco. image 8: doorways made from recycled iron. many homes had to cover their lower fences with mesh, sheets, wooden pieces or concrete coatings. many neighbours said they had to prevent stray dogs from getting into their houses by cutting some wood (as shown in image 7), and in the same way, many had to do the same, as we could observe that many of the houses had significant but aggressive dogs to “protect” them. however, this also creates a reflex to something dangerous since the sense of security is also lost. furthermore, seven houses were surveyed and analysed, one of which was built by its owner using recycled materials, including wood, cardboard, mesh and sand. the woman established her construction methods, insulating the walls with garbage, constructing a foundation that has served her well over the years, plastering partition walls and constructing other walls out of blocks. even though the house is not in the best condition at present, it is entirely habitable and has been kept up for 32 years despite the seismic conditions of mexicali. here is one area where we would like to intervene and support her in improving her safety and quality of life. interacting with centinela’s residents allowed us to better understand other homes, their adaptations and the measures taken to resolve the precariousness of the area. additionally, the residents shared their traditional construction methods, and in the integral design ii workshop, it was decided to combine these methods with more technical components. by analysing the fences and their materials, different security options were selected. residents can obtain these items quickly and without making a significant financial investment. 79 as part of the interaction with the residents, the architecture students came up with a variety of ideas regarding the possible rehabilitation of their homes including new materials and systems. during their visit to the residents’ homes, the residents shared their experiences, made their opinions known and provided feedback on how the students should approach their proposals. the students and residents maintained a constant correspondence via telephone, which further contributed to the exchange of ideas and the sharing of expectations. the residents presented critical conditions from their perspective, and the students were given a printed presentation that included comments from residents. the site analysis and comments of residents indicate that one of the most critical conditions of these communities is the fences, which are made from discarded materials, giving them a second life and increasing security. even though many of the houses in the centinela area do not have fences suitable for protecting their interiors, it is essential to emphasize that the inhabitants have been very creative in solving problems over the years. a physical barrier in the home is necessary; it serves as a security barrier and shows the need to provide a façade of greater significance, even becoming a point of coexistence. a team of students was assembled to analyze the houses in need of fencing and develop some proposals that would be presented to the community later in such a way that the community selected the one they liked the best while retaining the urban image of the colony, while integrating construction methods and materials from the area. we created fences using existing and reusable materials within the centinela area, beginning with wooden pallet modules and following extensive research, proposals and evaluations. a portal-based project is proposed, which connects the houses with the street and provides a space for coexistence on the sidewalks. the proposal is embodied in a prototype that articulates a bench with the fence and a threshold, as described in the following subsection. designing sidewalks the proposal involves recovering materials found in the centinela neighbourhoods, such as wooden pallets, rubble, wooden pallets, steel sheets, chicken wire and even earth used to construct adobes. by doing so, we can reduce the consumption of new materials, which results in the treatment of those materials, resulting in more significant pollution. as a result of recovery, we are enabling people to give these materials above a second life and, by doing so, provide ecological support to the environment. the proposal is titled “sidewalk design”. as a result of our transition between housing, sidewalk and street, and by applying the theories we have already mentioned, we can create a public/private space, leading to coexistence on the sidewalk, which is very typical of the border region of baja california. using the collected materials, wooden modules are made from pallets or galvanized sheets (figures 4 and 5), followed by a catalogue allowing potential customers to assemble their fences based on their preferences from assembling wooden modules to finishing the surfaces with mosaics, paints, plasters or mortars. 80 figure 4. figure 5. starting from a small foundation, we will create the anchorage using simpson methods, a method widely used in wood construction in the united states. since 4x4” wooden beams are readily available and inexpensive in mexicali, obtaining wooden pallets is no problem. wooden pallets are used in the transportation of materials so they are often discarded, and many recycling facilities can be found near the border. to facilitate self-construction, the fences were designed to be easy to assemble, and workshops were conducted so that people within the centinela area could learn how to construct these fences more efficiently, thus generating a positive impact on their work area by helping to build more fences, which will lead to job opportunities within the neighbourhood. participatory approaches were used to identify local interests and improve local development and planning activities. the main objective of this proposal, as shown in images 9 and 10, is to create a safe and peaceful environment by using fences (in this case assembled from pallet modules, with the posts anchored to the ground with light foundations) and implementing urban furniture consisting of gabions, as well as planting appropriate vegetation and placing a small cover and transitioning from the street to the sidewalk. achieving a better social and urban environment has been made possible by applying this philosophy. the ability to personalize the fence with respect to the catalogue makes it unique and more personalized, increasing its value for customers. images 9 & 10: pallet design alternatives. 81 conclusion through participatory design, architecture students can work with residents from poor urban areas to come up with solutions for the problems they are facing. based on an applied research project involving peripheral urban precarious communities, the studio projects and actions had a chain impact on small communities and had a double benefit for architecture students. in addition, implementing a project based on these criteria and integrating citizens allowed us to expand our vision regarding the peripheries of urban areas. as a result of participatory design, each detail shared with the community can be used as an excellent opportunity to contribute to the improvement of the city where we live and study, in addition to providing an applied solution to what is usually discussed and proposed in architectural design workshops during professional architectural studies. when it comes to designing with people, what is considered to be one of the scarcest resources is time. this is because university planning is driven by deadlines that differ from neighbourhood dynamics as well as residents’ availability of time to collaborate with teachers and students. despite the slow progress, the contribution is filtering through as a “grain of sand” so that one day it can no longer be a “dangerous neighbourhood”, “crime zone” or “don’t go there, they kill there”. for architecture students, one of the most outstanding achievements is empathizing with the inhabitants of their city and deepening the role of architecture in such situations, where, despite the multifaceted nature of the problems, the importance of architecture cannot be overstated. with the efforts and proposals already made and going forward, a safer, more harmonious neighbourhood is expected. by empowering residents, participatory processes enable them to continue working on their projects even without designers. although this has been the case, faculty, students and residents will constantly work together to ensure that these achievements are constantly adjusted and improved so that they remain relevant for a long time to come. this project was well received by the university students, and it certainly sparked a new interest in some students. however, the most significant effect was to get a younger generation interested and excited about learning new skills in collaboration with residents of their own city. additionally, the university students found that they gained a greater understanding of background and learning differences, as well as improving their ability to work with diverse groups of individuals. according to them, their communication skills had developed significantly, and they could apply it to other projects, whether at university or at work, particularly with people with less skill or less ability to use design language. additionally, a professor with experience in teaching participatory design to residents will be able to provide valuable advice to some of their future students. this small project provides a simple alternative that recovers local knowledge and relates it to a participatory design exercise accessible to residents. a similar exercise can be developed in architectural workshops to encourage the next generation to go beyond the ambition of design that focuses on the transformation of a city spontaneously and explosively. architects need to reinvent themselves from creating spectacular spaces for photography and magazines to incorporate people into the design process to improve their environment as we go through a generational change. 82 references ayub, b., naderpajouh, n., boukamp, f., & mcgough, t. 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(2023). building preferred futures for human privacy through service design. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(2), 1-13. 2 building preferred futures for human privacy through service design davide parrillia, rodrigo hernández-ramíreza aunidcom/iade, faculdade de design, tecnologia e comunicação, universidade europeia, lisbon, portugal abstract designers are increasingly confronted with challenges that have a wide social and political impact. in particular, we identify threats to people’s informational privacy as a worrying challenge for human beings. scholars concerned with surveillance capitalism and society denounce the massive extrapolation and use of people’s information leading to its commodification and jeopardizing the possibility for ‘data subjects’ to be free and autonomous in their choices. according to commonly accepted paradigms of design ethics, designers are now called upon to tackle macro issues with broad relevance for entire communities. hence data privacy should be a concern for design and designers. among design disciplines and practices, we identify service design as the practice that should naturally be more concerned with privacy for its focus on interactions, because contemporary services necessarily involve the collection and processing of people’s data. this paper assesses the role of service designers in identifying preferred futures for privacy and designing accordingly. building on a multidisciplinary literature review, the paper addresses an existing gap in service design. moving from servitization scenarios, the paper creates a vital link between service design and informational privacy as a universal human idea. expanding on contributions from ethics traditions and approaches, the paper sets the foundations of privacy ethics for service design. within this framework, finally, this work discusses how service designers should define preferred futures for privacy and lead the creative process of designing ethically-minded solutions for privacy. keywords: ethics, information, privacy, service design introduction design is a domain with increasing political and social relevance. designed objects shape how people live, consume, interact, and ultimately exist (verbeek, 2014). designers must stand at the forefront of the conversation regarding the future of humankind. in some instances, the political dimension of the designer’s work prevails over its function — examples are italian radical design, anti-design, new design and conceptual design movements in the second half of the 20th century, as well as contemporary critical design (malpass, 2019)—although all design is political (pater, 2016). when designers work to reduce social inequalities and injustices (fry et al., 2015), their actions necessarily carry ethical and political implications (papanek, 2019). according to this approach, the challenges facing humanity and the corresponding risks for human health, security, prosperity and survival reveal the need to embrace a vision of the designer as a problem-solver — and, more and more, a leader in collaborative problem-solving — through designed solutions which are morally and politically meaningful. this activity occurs within a broader social, political, economic, and natural context upon which designers traditionally (and, often, inescapably) have little margin of intervention. among design practices and disciplines, service design potentially offers a holistic approach to the solution of macro or wicked problems (rittel & webber, 1973). service design is a fairly recent discipline (evenson & dubberly, 2009). it is attached to a design thinking approach (brown & katz, 2019; grenha teixeira et al., 2017) that promises a holistic vision of complex problems and their solutions. service design is fundamentally a social activity, given its focus on interactions between users, citizens, services and 3 technologies. designing the conditions for such interactions (penin, 2017) necessarily involves making ethical and political decisions. the areas where service designers have the most significant impact are often civic, such as public transportation and health (meroni & sangiorgi, 2011; penin, 2017; raun, 2017). therefore, service design is inextricably tied to some form of political and social responsibility. because service design is intrinsically focused on interactions — between humans and service providers; humans and technology and between humans as users — it intersects a dimension of human beings still largely unexplored in the design literature: their information. data privacy has been identified as a major challenge with social and political connotations for contemporary humans. the protection of personal information is a wicked problem that requires a careful balance between privacy and different values, such as personal and state security — but also the legitimate claim of companies to make a profit in a data-driven economy. protecting people’s information is one of the most pressing social issues in our contemporary surveillance society (capurro, 2005). wherever we go, we are followed, tracked, and monitored by pervasive technologies that can reveal exactly what we are doing and will probably do next, based on our past behaviours and other data collected throughout our lives. this must be a concern for service design because virtually all designable artefacts and interactions that constitute a service (kimbell, 2011) involve the collection and use of people’s information. privacy is a political challenge that requires balancing the interests of personal information providers (users of services and citizens) against those of their processors (service providers and any third parties involved in the processing activities, often surreptitiously). however, a reality check reveals an unbalanced relationship between data providers and merchants that heavily favours the latter. according to some scholars, social dynamics have evolved into a form of unfair playground of control and domination by governments and big tech corporations, which they refer to as surveillance capitalism (doctorow, 2020; foster & mcchesney, 2014; zuboff, 2019). the evolution of surveillance capitalism is shaping citizens’ perceptions of informational privacy — that is, the right to control who, when, to what extent and how can have access to and use somebody’s personal information (name, contact details, personal images, biometric data, genetic data, etc.) (westin, 1967). surveillance capitalism has paved the way for the emergence of a real surveillance culture (lyon, 2017), where people not only accept being monitored, observed and tracked almost continuously but eagerly participate in a sort of voluntary surveillance (albrechtslund, 2008). given the framework described in the previous paragraphs, this paper addresses the following research question: what should guide service designers to choose a preferred future for privacy and design accordingly? the paper explores the possibilities offered by ethics to act as a driving force for service designers to create privacy-oriented solutions. building on the mapping of futures proposed in the speculative design literature (dunne & raby, 2013), we introduce the idea of a preferred future as the framework for the work of service designers who create privacy solutions. through a multidisciplinary literature review, this paper explores how ethics can support a designer’s definition of a preferred future for privacy and guide an ethical service design practice for privacy. despite its impact on users and organizations, to the best of our knowledge, no researcher has previously investigated the role of ethics in service design and privacy. this paper fills a gap in service design research because service design has not yet developed a comprehensive approach to privacy issues from an ethical perspective. 4 in the first section of the paper, we connect informational privacy and service design by assessing privacy threats in servitization scenarios. next, we define the foundations of privacy ethics for service design. in the third section, we build on privacy ethics for service design to discuss how service designers should define preferred futures for privacy. finally, we introduce our future research, together with some concluding remarks. privacy and service design: crossing paths we propose approaching the relationship between privacy and service design through the lenses of servitization. the increasing trend of servitization, where companies offer solutions composed of tangible products and services, such as “x-as-a-service” for cars, bicycles, furniture, etc. (vandermerwe & rada, 1988), is driving the expansion of service design. further, the literature highlights service design as an effective approach to solving the challenges of servitization (calabretta et al., 2016). thus, the servitization of design products is a typical outcome of service design as practice. this shift from selling material products to offering bundles of products and services significantly impacts the provider–consumer relationship, dilating it over a longer period (costa et al., 2018; oliva & kallenberg, 2003) and involving the exchange of service-related personal data. the act of buying a product immediately is replaced by a longer-term relationship between the parties that lasts until the end of the contractually agreed consumption of the product by the consumer. servitization and virtualization, which refer to the dematerialization of traditional tangible products, are related concepts. however, servitization does not necessarily involve the virtualization of physical products. for example, while software has moved from material support to software as a service (saas) in the cloud, a shared car or bike made available to users through an app still retains its physical dimension. what is disrupted in the sharing economy (albinsson et al., 2018) is the exclusive link between object and user/owner — the idea that one product has one owner and one user. this model has been replaced by multiple users for a single product and one owner. another aspect of the sharing economy is the need for providers to know who is using the object and monitor users to protect the service provider’s assets against theft, vandalism and misuse. the servitization of products often adds extra layers of interaction and complexity between the product and its users. buying a car involves a simple interaction between the buyer and the seller. however, using a car-as-a-service involves regularly interacting with different people and departments within the mobility provider. an app serves as an interface to find a nearby car and reserve it, and the cockpit interface is used to unlock the car and start the engine; these are some of the several touchpoints in the service journey. from a privacy perspective, several layers of complexity are added. the car seller typically collects users’ data when ordering the product and signing the contract(s) but will not have access to information about the buyer’s use of the car. on the contrary, the car-as-a-service provider collects all information about users, including car use, such as where drivers go, how long their trips last, what time of the day they use the car and how frequently. if the car is provided with a dashcam, the service provider will collect information about other road users. furthermore, if a security camera is installed inside the vehicle (unless prohibited by local legislation), the provider will know whether the user is driving alone or with someone else. the servitization of products leads to a significant increase in personal data collected and processed by service providers, which can potentially threaten users’ privacy. the more interactions within a service 5 journey, the more data collection and manipulation opportunities. from a business perspective, this offers new possibilities for companies by expanding their assets with valuable customer information. however, the uncontrolled multiplication of personal data processed by service providers has given rise to another phenomenon: the commodification of personal information and human experiences. couldry and mejias argue that “capitalism today, in the expansionary phase we call data colonialism, is transforming human nature (that is, preexisting streams of human life in all its diversity) into a newly abstracted form (data) that is also ripe for commodification” (2019, p. 32). service design focuses on “understanding customers’ experiences” (costa et al., 2018, p. 114). as such, it necessarily relies on users’ and stakeholders’ personal information. to define personal information or data, we rely on the relationship between the information itself (e.g. “loving red cars”) and the person to whom that information refers (e.g. “john loves red cars”). personal data is the information that refers to an identified or identifiable person. this connection sustains the legal notion of personal data in several jurisdictions, including brazil, china and the european union. in practice, it is inconceivable to design service solutions, including servitization solutions, that do not involve customers’ data. interactions with service providers (either in person or through digital touchpoints) and other users necessarily imply a flow of personal information. therefore, issues regarding informational privacy naturally emerge. interestingly, legal hurdles can be avoided by anonymizing personal data (when feasible or reasonable). however, essentially anonymized data differs from anonymous data. anonymization implies that personal data is collected before it is indeed anonymized. this process reduces the risk of data infringement but does not eliminate it. anonymous transactions are a more efficient strategy because no personal data is collected so no privacy claims can be made. however, the nature of the service itself often renders anonymous transactions meaningless or impossible. this approach is only realistic when providing a one-shot standard service that does not require any further follow-up action by the service provider or customer, such as when a customer buys an item from an automatic vending machine that requires cash payment. regardless of the legal liability of service providers for the processing of personal data, service designers have ethical responsibilities regarding the personal information they collect from people (monteiro, 2019). although corporations often collect personal data that may not be immediately useful or may never be useful (doctorow, 2020), service designers who act and think ethically must reject this questionable practice (bowles, 2018; falbe et al., 2020). privacy ethical dilemmas in service design service designers frequently face ethical dilemmas, some of which are not strictly related to privacy. for example, who are designers ultimately working for? (monteiro, 2019). however, the answers to these questions influence how personal information is treated. service design and ethics intersect regularly. however, a literature review reveals that service design (and, in general, design) lacks a solid foundation to support true privacy design ethics. value-sensitive design (vsd) should be recognized for its attention to privacy, though mainly from a pragmatic perspective. vsd explicitly acknowledges privacy as a design value (cummings, 2006; friedman et al., 2003; friedman & hendry, 2019). however, vsd does not logically or ethically justify its claim that privacy is a value. this allows for the possibility that privacy may lose its status as a value if social attitudes evolve in that direction. because values are intended as what a person or a group determines important in life, vsd has weak normative orientation and high designer agency, thus leaving ample room for subjective 6 appreciation of values (donia & shaw, 2021). further, the word ‘value’ is problematic because it is intrinsically culture-related. the literature extensively shows that privacy is closely related to cultures and traditions (capurro, 2005; ess, 2020; ma, 2019, 2021): claiming that privacy is a value as such may be an oversimplification. additionally, while vsd argues that privacy should be balanced against other values, such as security, the lack of a ranking of values can seriously jeopardize privacy. if security is consistently prioritized over privacy in design processes, privacy becomes an empty word. the establishment of the foundations of privacy for service design is still an unexplored field in the literature. the first step is to assess the nature of these foundations. a multidisciplinary literature review reveals that privacy is essentially an ethical concern (floridi, 2014; sætra et al., 2021; vallor, 2021). however, we claim that simply transposing philosophical principles into the design field will not suffice and will lead to poor results. unlike philosophy, design is practice-based and solution-oriented. effective problem-solving requires good principles that work in practice, not just in theory. as dorst describes it, a design situation consists of a designer, a design problem, a design context and a design process (2019), but it must also result in a design solution. in the words of archer, “design begins with a need. the product is a means for fulfilling that need” (1984, p. 60). service designers must decide how to treat customers, stakeholders and their information: as a means to an end (to make a profit, increase control over citizens, stock up assets for future sale, etc.) or as ends in themselves. the answer depends on the ethical approach followed by designers. utilitarianism and deontology shaped the ethics debate in the last centuries. while utilitarians judge the morality of an action based on its consequences — if the outcome is positive for the majority of people, then the action is moral, deontologists are more concerned with the intention behind the action — if the intention is good, then the action is ethical regardless of its outcome (mackinnon & fiala, 2015). as a consequence, utilitarianists potentially justify data surveillance activities if they aim to achieve a greater good. policy and business initiatives are often subtly utilitarian in scope. for example, in july 2021, the european parliament voted in favour of a temporary regulation that allows web-based service providers to detect online material containing child sexual abuse continuously (see psychogiopoulou & sierra, 2022). in august 2021, apple declared that it would scan all iphones of us customers for images of child sexual abuse, but it stopped the project a few months later (bromell, 2022; montasari et al., 2023). scanning every digital conversation between users to detect illegal material means treating them and their information as a means to reach a positive goal, without inflicting pain or unhappiness on monitored users. in this global and digital panopticon, initially proposed by the founder of utilitarianism, jeremy bentham, at the end of the 18th century (bentham, 1791/2009), the inmates (aka the users of digital services) are constantly surveilled without their awareness by an invisible guard. they actively cooperate with such surveillance (han & butler, 2015). deontologists assert that humanity should be treated as an end in itself and reject the idea that the ends justify the means (mackinnon & fiala, 2015). this approach protects people’s information more comprehensively, mainly through legislation. for example, the european union’s general data protection regulation (gdpr) is inspired by deontological principles (burk, 2005; ess, 2019), as are all data protection laws around the world that follow the gdpr model. however, due to its rigidity, deontology may not be best suited to face the challenges posed by contemporary business models. despite its inflexibility, deontology finds its privileged application in legislation, which is naturally slow-evolving and technology-neutral. it is famously — and contradictorily — 7 attributed to kant that one should not lie even if it means causing the death of another human being (mackinnon & fiala, 2015). other classical philosophical approaches have been successfully applied to solve 21st-century ethical challenges. virtue ethics, which aim to improve one’s moral virtues through practice, have been applied in design practices: in game design, virtue ethics can guide game developers in designing meaningful games (sicart, 2009). vallor argues that “virtue ethics is a uniquely attractive candidate for framing many of the broader normative implications of emerging technologies in a way that can motivate constructive proposals for improving technosocial systems and human participation in them” (2016, p. 33). virtue ethics can guide service designers to make ethical choices — that is, to embed morality in their products. consistent with sicart’s approach (2009), virtue ethics does not imply designing blandly, overprotecting users from ethical threats and unethical content. on the contrary, users of an ethical design product should have the opportunity to face ethical challenges and make choices. turning our attention to privacy, a service design product that eliminates by design any user interaction with technology, the service provider and other users to avoid privacy threats is not ethical. the same applies when users are forced to interact and surrender their information without having the chance to exercise their autonomy and freedom. as we will discuss in the next section, an ethically-minded service design respects users’ autonomy and freedom to decide how they interact with other stakeholders. but this should happen within an ethical framework, which we call ‘preferred futures for privacy’, that excludes privacy-depriving solutions. interactions are at the core of information ethics scholars’ approach to privacy: “to be is to be interactable, even if the interaction is only indirect” (floridi, 2010, p. 12). information ethics can rigorously sustain an understanding of privacy that transcends cultures. in this sense, information ethics is in a good position to support privacy ethics for service design. floridi claims that “i am my information”, and misusing personal data is equivalent to non-physical personal aggression (2014). this statement is a powerful justification for protecting people’s information, including their autonomy and integrity, against any attempts to commodify the human experience. an analysis and understanding of the relationship between service design, privacy and culture is missing in the literature. building on our criticism of the vsd approach to privacy, one cannot legitimately take for granted that privacy is a universal value. indeed, privacy is not perceived and experienced equally across cultures. historically, privacy emerged in england in the 15th century (holvast, 2009) and gained legal relevance in the us at the end of the 19th century (warren & brandeis, 1890). in contrast, in asian cultures, individual privacy has traditionally been seen as egoistic (ess, 2020; yao-huai, 2005). however, ethicists with a buddhist background demonstrate that this view is somewhat reductionist. privacy is not exclusively a value of the so-called western world but is a human universal, despite cultural differences (hongladarom, 2007). further, societies evolve; individualism is a growing trend in modern china (ess, 2020), and the need to protect personal information in the digital world emerged regardless of the local philosophical roots (capurro, 2005). the fact that many asian countries, including china, japan and south korea, have data privacy legislation in place may be taken as evidence of these claims. recognizing the universal validity of the idea of privacy is a fundamental step for service designers to consider when designing complex service solutions. at the same time, understanding cultural differences is a key move in the design process of successful products that are not rejected by users. in service design practice, missing this point can severely damage the fortune of a project. by way of an example, female 8 patients from specific cultural backgrounds may be less open to providing personal health information to male doctors than other patients. not considering this aspect in the design of a health service may exclude entire communities. in service design projects that involve the digitalization of services, exclusion is expectable also if digitalization does not consider that some groups may not be willing (or able) to share personal information online. service design to build preferred futures for privacy scholars agree that service design is inspired by human-centred principles (meroni & sangiorgi, 2011; penin, 2017). however, human-centred design has not yet developed a deep understanding of privacy or the necessary tools to integrate it into its practice (parrilli, 2021). nevertheless, privacy is closely related to human-centred design, which ultimately affirms human dignity (buchanan, 2000). privacy refers to personal information, including experiences, emotions, thoughts and freedom. protecting privacy is, therefore, equivalent to defending the most intimate values of individuals, including their dignity. it follows that a genuinely human-centred service design should protect people’s privacy against threats from corporations, governments and other users (fukuyama, 2022). any lack of care, abuse or misuse of personal information can potentially impact a person’s physical and emotional well-being, ranging from the annoyance of receiving and deleting unwanted marketing emails to the devastation caused by cyberbullying and revenge porn. from the perspective of information ethics, human beings are composed of information. therefore, protecting privacy is not only about defending a human value but also a fundamental aspect of everyone’s sense of self. without an ontological connection between individuals and their information, it is impossible to establish a strong understanding of informational privacy or to design products and services that prioritize privacy. privacy considerations must be integrated into the creative process from the beginning, and the final solutions should prioritize privacy to genuinely respect the human-centred design paradigm. service designers must make choices among all possibilities offered in a specific context. specifically, they must make decisions that project into the future. in 2013, dunne and raby mapped the future into four categories: possible, plausible, probable and preferable (2013). they locate the preferable future at the intersection of probable and plausible futures. despite the complexity of agreeing on the elements of a preferable future, we argue that service designers should design solutions for a preferred future within the spectrum of preferable futures. within the range of preferable futures, the service design process should lead to a decision about the future that service designers want to see implemented through their designed solutions. a preferred future is an ethically-oriented scenario that service designers want to achieve because they assume that it is beneficial for the communities they work for. this requires an action plan, starting from mapping and understanding the stakeholders’ interests to make ethical and political choices about the interests and values most worthy of protection and enhancement. the definition of a preferred future happens in a co-design process led by service designers: in this sense, this process does not deviate from the co-creation paradigm typical of service design (andreassen et al., 2016; ordanini & parasuraman, 2011; sanders & stappers, 2014). designing without users and stakeholders would implicitly contradict the human-centredness of service design, but the collaborative nature of the creative process implies that service designers should take the lead — an ethical lead. the opportunity and 9 challenge for service designers is to transmit the values they want to enhance to the users and stakeholders involved in the co-creation, maximizing the chance that the preferred future becomes a widely accepted reality. a service designer working for preferred futures is neither a designer, a moralist (wakkary, 2021) — since the use and context of the designed products are more important than the celebration of the designer as master — nor a critical designer. critical designers challenge ideas and paradigms in design and society, and their real scope is not to design solutions that are implementable and marketable. the pillow, designed by dunne in 1995, is an lcd screen that works as an abstract radio, picking up mobile phones, pagers, walkietalkies and baby monitoring devices, and shows changing patterns in response to ambient electromagnetic radiations. the scope of the object is to question ideas and notions of privacy, and although it is intended to be mass-produced, the authors recognize that it has impractical value (dunne & gaver, 1997). when choosing the values and interests to protect through design, service designers working for a preferred future consider that the rights of users and citizens to have their information treated with respect should take priority over the business interests of corporations seeking to amass personal information for profit and the political interests of governments seeking to control and manipulate citizens (bowles, 2018; couldry & mejias, 2019; doctorow, 2020; véliz, 2020; zuboff, 2019). achieving a balance between values and interests is always necessary. the friction between privacy and (legitimate) security claims often undermines privacy. in a globally interconnected world, not all interactions are good. interactions with nefarious intentions, initiated by digital sexual predators, terrorists, hackers and others, must be rightfully detected and blocked. however, this principle cannot legitimize massive surveillance and deny reasonable informational privacy rights. service designers should adopt a sensible stance toward ethical considerations. being morally neutral does not help designers practice ethically meaningful design (falbe et al., 2020). at the same time, prioritizing citizens’ rights and interests does not mean rejecting technology. it is a matter of using existing and future technologies ethically. for instance, installing facial recognition cameras in a massive transport system such as são paulo’s subway without reasonable intentions is both illegal and unethical (straetmans, 2019). on the other hand, using facial recognition technology to identify and delete images of a victim of revenge porn or child sexual abuse once they are online would be a virtuous use of technology. the health sector is an important area where ethical and unethical practices should be considered. transparently collecting and processing patients’ data to enhance the value proposition of services is a positively moral approach. for example, it can be used for early diagnosis of serious conditions or to prevent the spread of diseases. however, massive data processing activities done without patients’ complete understanding and agreement, solely to increase sales and profits of big pharmaceutical corporations, are unethical. the reason for this is related to the nature of personal data. the dominant conception of privacy is that everyone has control over their personal information, akin to a property right (solove, 2006; westin, 1967). however, we argue that personal data referring to a vast collectivity, such as citizens’ health data in a given city or country, assumes a public, albeit confidential, nature. therefore, using such information only for social and non-profit purposes is ethical. surveillance capitalism not only commodifies data but also privatizes collective information. the recent deal between israel’s health data and multinational pharma giant pfizer for vaccines serves as a worrying example of this phenomenon (choun & petre, 2022). 10 the scope of ethically-minded service design — opposed to a profit and opportunity-driven, and therefore amoral, service design — for privacy is to build service design solutions that impact positively all stakeholders involved in the service value proposition chain from different perspectives. ethically-minded service design creates a virtuous circuit for all stakeholders, including businesses (dyllick & rost, 2017). an ethical approach to privacy makes compliance unnecessary because the solutions are privacy-compliant by design. this reduces or eliminates compliance costs and bureaucracy, benefiting service providers. additionally, in an increasingly privacy-aware world, implementing poor privacy policies and designing products that show little consideration for users’ informational privacy may result in losing clients. for example, in 2021, whatsapp’s update to its terms of service was poorly explained and justified, leading to more than 32 million users migrating to alternative services like telegram and signal (le-khac & choo, 2022). while the real world is not yet perfectly ethical, positive change is happening. it is time for service designers to fully embrace and advocate for ethically-minded reforms. conclusions: towards a privacy social and political agenda for service design? the understanding of how to tackle privacy issues in service design practice is still embryonic in service design research. with this paper, we set a first stepping stone to link privacy and service design, and we based privacy for service design on ethical grounds. we contributed to service design research with the identification of these ethical grounds for privacy, rooted in different ethical traditions (primarily deontology, virtue ethics and information ethics, but also utilitarianism) and guidelines for service designers. the most important principles are for service designers to treat people and their information as ends and not means and not to surrender to the commodification of personal data and experiences. the ethical approach should guide service designers in the present, but more importantly, it will help service designers to set future targets: that is, to identify the preferred futures they want to build. intentionally, this contribution aims to start a conversation with the service design community and scholars to fully explore the potential of privacy ethics for the practice of service design. speculatively, one may have the ambition to translate privacy ethics for service design into a social and political agenda, specifically a privacy social and political agenda for service design. the idea of privacy is a human universal, but privacy is applied and experienced differently across cultures. this paper does not advocate for a total ban on collecting and processing personal information. instead, it calls for limited, socially oriented and non-opportunistic use of citizens’ personal information. the big data economy and society present tremendous opportunities to improve the world through meaningful services. however, the challenge lies in how data is used. a political privacy agenda for service design should prevent the community of service designers from using data for unethical and objectionable purposes, such as accruing profits for companies without direct benefits for society or discriminating against communities and target groups. discrimination occurs subtly through ‘smart’ algorithms that exclude many people from realizing their potential. our future research is intended to enhance privacy ethics for service design principles and to study how to implement such principles in service design practice. we are developing an adaptive, human-centred and workable privacy ethical framework for service design that will lead to the conceptual grounds for a social and political agenda to discuss with the global service design community. additionally, the ethical privacy framework will be supplemented by a prototype of an ethically-minded service design product designed to raise awareness among users about the importance of their information and adequately safeguarding it. 11 references albinsson, p. a., perera, b. y., & belk, r. w. 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(2022). digital health and patient data: empowering patients in the healthcare ecosystem. taylor and francis. costa, n., patrício, l., morelli, n., & magee, c. l. (2018). bringing service design to manufacturing companies: integrating pss and service design approaches. design studies, 55, 112–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2017.09.002 couldry, n., & mejias, u. a. (2019). the costs of connection: how data is colonizing human life and appropriating it for capitalism. stanford university press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503609754 cummings, m. l. (2006). integrating ethics in design through the value-sensitive design approach. science and engineering ethics, 12(4), 701–715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-006-0065-0 doctorow, c. (2020). how to destroy surveillance capitalism. medium editions. donia, j., & shaw, james. a. (2021). ethics and values in design: a structured review and theoretical critique. science and engineering ethics, 27(5), 57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00329-2 dorst, k. (2019). what design can’t do. she ji: the journal of design, economics, and innovation, 5(4), 357–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2019.11.004 dunne, a., & gaver, w. w. (1997). the pillow: artist-designers in the digital age. in chi ’97 extended abstracts on human factors in computing systems looking to the future chi ’97 (pp. 361–362). https://doi.org/10.1145/1120212.1120434 dunne, a., & raby, f. (2013). speculative everything: design, fiction, and social dreaming. mit press. dyllick, t., & rost, z. (2017). towards true product sustainability. journal of cleaner production, 162, 346–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.189 ess, c. (2020). digital media ethics (3rd ed.). polity. ess, c. m. (2019). intercultural privacy: a nordic perspective. in h. behrendt, w. loh, t. matzner, & c. misselhorn (eds.), privatsphäre 4.0: eine neuverortung des privaten im zeitalter der digitalisierung (pp. 73–88). j.b. metzler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-04860-8_5 evenson, s., & dubberly, h. (2009). designing for service: creating an experience advantage. in g. salvendy & w. karwowski (eds.), introduction to service engineering (pp. 403–413). john wiley & sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470569627.ch19 falbe, t., andersen, k., & frederiksen, m. m. (2020). ethical design handbook. smashing media. floridi, l. (2010). information: a very short introduction. oxford university press. floridi, l. (2014). the 4th revolution: how the infosphere is reshaping human reality. oxford university press. foster, j. b., & mcchesney, r. w. (2014). surveillance capitalism: monopoly-finance capital, the military-industrial complex, and the digital age. monthly review, 66(3). https://monthlyreview.org/2014/07/01/surveillancecapitalism/ https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v13i3.2142 https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-04-2015-0123 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1511799 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.716862 https://ep.liu.se/ecp/125/008/ecp16125008.pdf https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-4407-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2017.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503609754 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-006-0065-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00329-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2019.11.004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.189 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-04860-8_5 https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470569627.ch19 https://monthlyreview.org/2014/07/01/surveillance-capitalism/ https://monthlyreview.org/2014/07/01/surveillance-capitalism/ 12 friedman, b., & hendry, d. (2019). value sensitive design: shaping technology with moral imagination. mit press. friedman, b., kahn, p., & borning, a. (2003). value sensitive design: theory and methods. fry, t., dilnot, c., & stewart, s. c. (eds.). (2015). design and the question of history. bloomsbury academic. fukuyama, f. (2022). liberalism and its discontents. farrar, straus and giroux. grenha teixeira, j., patrício, l., huang, k.-h., fisk, r. p., nóbrega, l., & constantine, l. (2017). the minds method: integrating management and interaction design perspectives for service design. journal of service research, 20(3), 240–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670516680033 han, b.-c., & butler, e. (2015). the transparency society. stanford briefs, an imprint of stanford university press. holvast, j. (2009). history of privacy. in v. matyáš, s. fischer-hübner, d. cvrček, & p. švenda (eds.), the future of identity in the information society (pp. 13–42). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03315-5_2 hongladarom, s. (2007). analysis and justification of privacy from a buddhist perspective. horst w. j. rittel, & webber, m. m. (1973). dilemmas in a general theory of planning. policy sciences, 4(2), 155–169. kimbell, l. (2011). designing for service as one way of designing services. international journal of design, 5(2), 41–52. le-khac, n.-a., & choo, k.-k. r. (2022). a practical hands-on approach to database forensics. springer. lyon, d. (2017). surveillance culture: engagement, exposure, and ethics in digital modernity. international journal of communication, 11, 824–842. ma, y. (2019). relational privacy: where the east and the west could meet. proceedings of the association for information science and technology, 56(1), 196–205. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.65 ma, y. (2021). language and intercultural information ethics concepts: a preliminary discussion of privacy. data and information management, 5(1), 159–166. https://doi.org/10.2478/dim-2020-0027 mackinnon, b., & fiala, a. (2015). ethics: theory and contemporary issues (8th ed.). cengage learning. malpass, m. (2019). critical design in context: history, theory, and practices. bloomsbury visual arts. meroni, a., & sangiorgi, d. (2011). design for services. gower. montasari, r., carpenter, v., & masys, a. j. (eds.). (2023). digital transformation in policing: the promise, perils and solutions. springer. monteiro, m. (2019). ruined by design: how designers destroyed the world, and what we can do to fix it. https://www.ruinedby.design/ oliva, r., & kallenberg, r. (2003). managing the transition from products to services. international journal of service industry management, 14(2), 160–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564230310474138 ordanini, a., & parasuraman, a. (2011). service innovation viewed through a service-dominant logic lens: a conceptual framework and empirical analysis. journal of service research, 14(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510385332 papanek, v. (2019). design for the real world. thames & hudson. parrilli, d. m. (2021). why digital design needs a privacy-centered ethical framework. in n. martins & d. brandão (eds.), advances in design and digital communication: proceedings of the 4th international conference on design and digital communication, digicom 2020, november 5–7, 2020, barcelos, portugal (pp. 216–221). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61671-7_20 pater, r. (2016). the politics of design: a (not so) global manual for visual communication. bis publishers. penin, l. (2017). an introduction to service design: designing the invisible. bloomsbury publishing. psychogiopoulou, e., & de la sierra, s. (eds.). (2022). digital media governance and supranational courts: selected issues and insights from the european judiciary. edward elgar publishing. raun, l. (2017). designing for service change: a study on how designers address implementation during service design projects for hospitals. [doctoral dissertation, aalborg university]. vbn. https://doi.org/10.5278/vbn.phd.tech.00017 sætra, h. s., coeckelbergh, m., & danaher, j. (2021). the ai ethicist’s dilemma: fighting big tech by supporting big tech. ai and ethics, 2(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00123-7 sanders, e. b.-n., & stappers, p. j. (2014). probes, toolkits and prototypes: three approaches to making in codesigning. codesign, 10(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2014.888183 sicart, m. (2009). the ethics of computer games. mit press. solove, d. j. (2006). the digital person: technology and privacy in the information age. new york university press. straetmans, g. (ed.). (2019). information obligations and disinformation of consumers. springer. vallor, s. (2016). technology and the virtues: a philosophical guide to a future worth wanting. oxford university press. vallor, s. (2021). social networking and ethics. in e. n. zalta (ed.), the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (fall 2021). metaphysics research lab, stanford university. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/ethicssocial-networking/ vandermerwe, s., & rada, j. (1988). servitization of business: adding value by adding services. european management journal, 6(4), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/0263-2373(88)90033-3 https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670516680033 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03315-5_2 https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.65 https://doi.org/10.2478/dim-2020-0027 https://www.ruinedby.design/ https://doi.org/10.1108/09564230310474138 https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510385332 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61671-7_20 https://doi.org/10.5278/vbn.phd.tech.00017 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00123-7 https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2014.888183 https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/ethics-social-networking/ https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/ethics-social-networking/ https://doi.org/10.1016/0263-2373(88)90033-3 13 véliz, c. (2020). privacy is power: reclaiming democracy in the digital age. bantam press. verbeek, p.-p. (2014). some misunderstandings about the moral significance of technology. in p. kroes & p.-p. verbeek (eds.), the moral status of technical artefacts (pp. 75–88). springer netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7914-3_5 wakkary, r. (2021). things we could design: for more than human-centered worlds. mit press. warren, s., & brandeis, l. (1890). the right to privacy. harvard law review, 4(5), 193–220. westin, a. f. (1967). privacy and freedom. scribner. yao-huai, l. (2005). privacy and data privacy issues in contemporary china. ethics and information technology, 7(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-0456-y zuboff, s. (2019). the age of surveillance capitalism: the fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. publicaffairs. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7914-3_5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-0456-y aunidcom/iade, faculdade de design, tecnologia e comunicação, universidade europeia, lisbon, portugal albinsson, p. a., perera, b. y., & belk, r. w. (eds.). (2018). the rise of the sharing economy: exploring the challenges and opportunities of collaborative consumption. praeger. albrechtslund, a. (2008). online social networking as participatory surveillance. first monday. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v13i3.2142 andreassen, t. w., kristensson, p., lervik-olsen, l., parasuraman, a., mccoll-kennedy, j. r., edvardsson, b., & colurcio, m. (2016). linking service design to value creation and service research. journal of service management, 27(1), 21–29. https://do... archer, l. b. (1984). systematic method for designers. in n. cross (ed.), developments in design methodology (pp. 68–82). john wiley & sons. bentham, j. (2009). panopticon: or the inspection house .kessinger publishing. (original work published 1791) bowles, c. (2018). future ethics. nownext press. bromell, d. (2022). regulating free speech in a digital age: hate, harm and the limits of censorship. springer. brown, t., & katz, b. (2019). change by design: how design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation (revised and updated edition). harperbusiness. buchanan, r. (2000, june 22). human dignity and human rights: thoughts on the principles of human-centered design. design issues, 17(3), 35–39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1511799 burk, d. l. (2005). privacy and property in the global datasphere. minnesota legal studies research paper (05-17). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.716862 calabretta, g., lille, c., beck, c., & tanghe, j. (2016). service design for effective servitization and new service implementation. in n. morelli, a. de götzen, & f. gran (eds.), service design geographies. proceedings of the servdes.2016 conference... capurro, r. (2005). privacy. an intercultural perspective. ethics and information technology, 7, 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-4407-4 choun, d. l., & petre, a. (2022). digital health and patient data: empowering patients in the healthcare ecosystem. taylor and francis. costa, n., patrício, l., morelli, n., & magee, c. l. (2018). bringing service design to manufacturing companies: integrating pss and service design approaches. design studies, 55, 112–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2017.09.002 couldry, n., & mejias, u. a. (2019). the costs of connection: how data is colonizing human life and appropriating it for capitalism. stanford university press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503609754 cummings, m. l. (2006). integrating ethics in design through the value-sensitive design approach. science and engineering ethics, 12(4), 701–715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-006-0065-0 doctorow, c. (2020). how to destroy surveillance capitalism. medium editions. donia, j., & shaw, james. a. (2021). ethics and values in design: a structured review and theoretical critique. science and engineering ethics, 27(5), 57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00329-2 dorst, k. (2019). what design can’t do. she ji: the journal of design, economics, and innovation, 5(4), 357–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2019.11.004 dunne, a., & gaver, w. w. (1997). the pillow: artist-designers in the digital age. in chi ’97 extended abstracts on human factors in computing systems looking to the future chi ’97 (pp. 361–362). https://doi.org/10.1145/1120212.1120434 dunne, a., & raby, f. (2013). speculative everything: design, fiction, and social dreaming. mit press. dyllick, t., & rost, z. (2017). towards true product sustainability. journal of cleaner production, 162, 346–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.189 ess, c. (2020). digital media ethics (3rd ed.). polity. ess, c. m. (2019). intercultural privacy: a nordic perspective. in h. behrendt, w. loh, t. matzner, & c. misselhorn (eds.), privatsphäre 4.0: eine neuverortung des privaten im zeitalter der digitalisierung (pp. 73–88). j.b. metzler. https://doi.org/10... evenson, s., & dubberly, h. (2009). designing for service: creating an experience advantage. in g. salvendy & w. karwowski (eds.), introduction to service engineering (pp. 403–413). john wiley & sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470569627.ch19 falbe, t., andersen, k., & frederiksen, m. m. (2020). ethical design handbook. smashing media. floridi, l. (2010). information: a very short introduction. oxford university press. floridi, l. (2014). the 4th revolution: how the infosphere is reshaping human reality. oxford university press. foster, j. b., & mcchesney, r. w. (2014). surveillance capitalism: monopoly-finance capital, the military-industrial complex, and the digital age. monthly review, 66(3). https://monthlyreview.org/2014/07/01/surveillance-capitalism/ friedman, b., & hendry, d. (2019). value sensitive design: shaping technology with moral imagination. mit press. friedman, b., kahn, p., & borning, a. (2003). value sensitive design: theory and methods. fry, t., dilnot, c., & stewart, s. c. (eds.). (2015). design and the question of history. bloomsbury academic. fukuyama, f. (2022). liberalism and its discontents. farrar, straus and giroux. grenha teixeira, j., patrício, l., huang, k.-h., fisk, r. p., nóbrega, l., & constantine, l. (2017). the minds method: integrating management and interaction design perspectives for service design. journal of service research, 20(3), 240–258. https://... han, b.-c., & butler, e. (2015). the transparency society. stanford briefs, an imprint of stanford university press. holvast, j. (2009). history of privacy. in v. matyáš, s. fischer-hübner, d. cvrček, & p. švenda (eds.), the future of identity in the information society (pp. 13–42). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03315-5_2 hongladarom, s. (2007). analysis and justification of privacy from a buddhist perspective. horst w. j. rittel, & webber, m. m. (1973). dilemmas in a general theory of planning. policy sciences, 4(2), 155–169. kimbell, l. (2011). designing for service as one way of designing services. international journal of design, 5(2), 41–52. le-khac, n.-a., & choo, k.-k. r. (2022). a practical hands-on approach to database forensics. springer. lyon, d. (2017). surveillance culture: engagement, exposure, and ethics in digital modernity. international journal of communication, 11, 824–842. ma, y. (2019). relational privacy: where the east and the west could meet. proceedings of the association for information science and technology, 56(1), 196–205. https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.65 ma, y. (2021). language and intercultural information ethics concepts: a preliminary discussion of privacy. data and information management, 5(1), 159–166. https://doi.org/10.2478/dim-2020-0027 mackinnon, b., & fiala, a. (2015). ethics: theory and contemporary issues (8th ed.). cengage learning. malpass, m. (2019). critical design in context: history, theory, and practices. bloomsbury visual arts. meroni, a., & sangiorgi, d. (2011). design for services. gower. montasari, r., carpenter, v., & masys, a. j. (eds.). (2023). digital transformation in policing: the promise, perils and solutions. springer. monteiro, m. (2019). ruined by design: how designers destroyed the world, and what we can do to fix it. https://www.ruinedby.design/ oliva, r., & kallenberg, r. (2003). managing the transition from products to services. international journal of service industry management, 14(2), 160–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564230310474138 ordanini, a., & parasuraman, a. (2011). service innovation viewed through a service-dominant logic lens: a conceptual framework and empirical analysis. journal of service research, 14(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510385332 papanek, v. (2019). design for the real world. thames & hudson. parrilli, d. m. (2021). why digital design needs a privacy-centered ethical framework. in n. martins & d. brandão (eds.), advances in design and digital communication: proceedings of the 4th international conference on design and digital communication... pater, r. (2016). the politics of design: a (not so) global manual for visual communication. bis publishers. penin, l. (2017). an introduction to service design: designing the invisible. bloomsbury publishing. psychogiopoulou, e., & de la sierra, s. (eds.). (2022). digital media governance and supranational courts: selected issues and insights from the european judiciary. edward elgar publishing. raun, l. (2017). designing for service change: a study on how designers address implementation during service design projects for hospitals. [doctoral dissertation, aalborg university]. vbn. https://doi.org/10.5278/vbn.phd.tech.00017 sætra, h. s., coeckelbergh, m., & danaher, j. (2021). the ai ethicist’s dilemma: fighting big tech by supporting big tech. ai and ethics, 2(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00123-7 sanders, e. b.-n., & stappers, p. j. (2014). probes, toolkits and prototypes: three approaches to making in codesigning. codesign, 10(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2014.888183 sicart, m. (2009). the ethics of computer games. mit press. solove, d. j. (2006). the digital person: technology and privacy in the information age. new york university press. straetmans, g. (ed.). (2019). information obligations and disinformation of consumers. springer. vallor, s. (2016). technology and the virtues: a philosophical guide to a future worth wanting. oxford university press. vallor, s. (2021). social networking and ethics. in e. n. zalta (ed.), the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (fall 2021). metaphysics research lab, stanford university. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/ethics-social-networking/ vandermerwe, s., & rada, j. (1988). servitization of business: adding value by adding services. european management journal, 6(4), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/0263-2373(88)90033-3 véliz, c. (2020). privacy is power: reclaiming democracy in the digital age. bantam press. verbeek, p.-p. (2014). some misunderstandings about the moral significance of technology. in p. kroes & p.-p. verbeek (eds.), the moral status of technical artefacts (pp. 75–88). springer netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7914-3_5 wakkary, r. (2021). things we could design: for more than human-centered worlds. mit press. warren, s., & brandeis, l. (1890). the right to privacy. harvard law review, 4(5), 193–220. westin, a. f. (1967). privacy and freedom. scribner. yao-huai, l. (2005). privacy and data privacy issues in contemporary china. ethics and information technology, 7(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-005-0456-y zuboff, s. (2019). the age of surveillance capitalism: the fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. publicaffairs. 28 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, karl p. campos published online: november 2022 to cite this article: garcia, m.k.f., & campos, k.p. (2022). consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, philippines. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 28-37. 29 consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging in kidapawan city, the philippines ma. karysa f. garcia, mbaa, karl p. campos, phdb auniversity of southern mindanao-kidapawan city campus, cotabato, philippines. mkfgarcia@usm.edu.ph buniversity of southeastern philippines, davao city, philippines. karl.campos@usep.edu.ph abstract the severity of the plastic problem in the philippines has prompted the public and private sectors to take measures to address it. as the country shifts to sustainable ways, information about green consumer behaviour is essential to effectively implement policies and programmes. this study aimed to determine consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, whether a significant difference in consumers’ purchase intention exists when they are grouped according to socio-demographic characteristics and identify the factors that significantly affect consumers’ purchase intention. a total of 393 consumers from kidapawan city were selected as respondents using purposive random sampling. the results revealed that respondents have a high level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. there were also significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to age and sex. notably, females had a higher level of purchase intention. the findings from the hierarchical moderated regression analysis show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality significantly and positively influence purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, it willingness to pay, quality and awareness strongly affect purchase intention. meanwhile, the moderating variables do not affect the dependent and independent variables. the results of the study infer that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have favourable attitudes and supportive social circles, perceive that it is easy to buy eco-friendly packaging, are more willing to support or participate in environmental initiatives, more knowledgeable, more willing to pay and have a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. keywords: eco-friendly packaging, factors, hierarchical moderated regression, marketing, purchase intention introduction as countries experience economic progress, the natural environment deteriorates as a trade-off. countries address this by adopting sustainable development, which includes the promotion of green behaviour, i.e. pro-environment behaviour that minimizes harm to the environment (european commission, 2012). this involves research that aims to develop sustainable production techniques, innovate technologies, craft business strategies and understand consumer behaviour in relation to environmental concerns. filipino consumers’ green behaviour needs to be researched because businesses lack the information they need to decide whether to adopt sustainable ways, such as using eco-friendly packaging. as the country has recognized the plastic problem, groups and individuals from the public and private sectors are combatting this problem by practising and promoting sustainable practices, such as using eco-friendly packaging. however, the adoption of eco-friendly packaging remains slow because some businesses view this as a costly alternative (alpad, 2021) and they lack information on consumers’ behaviour towards it (prakash et al., 2019). 30 previous research on green behaviour, especially green consumption, has mostly been conducted in other countries. existing research has addressed several aspects of green consumption, including the purchase of green products, consumer theory to be used and determinants of green purchase (zhang & dong, 2020). focusing on eco-friendly packaging, most research has been conducted in china, the united states, india, brazil, italy, the united kingdom, spain, malaysia, canada and germany (wandosell et al., 2021). in the philippines, research on green consumption is relatively new. the topics that have been studied are consumers’ profile, purchase intention and preferences. for example, gregorio (2015) and resurreccion (2015) pioneered green consumer research by creating a profile of filipinos as green consumers. in addition, san juan-nable (2016) and palmero and montemayor (2020) investigated consumers’ purchase behaviours for green products. consumer studies about green behaviour, particularly eco-friendly packaging, in the philippines remain scarce. the closest literature is the study by gano-an (2018) about consumer preferences and perceptions of the use of eco-bags. to date, many opportunities for research about green behaviour in the country remain. some of these unexplored concepts about green behaviour appear to be important and worthy of investigation in the context of the philippines. an investigation of these issues is essential because consumer preferences are shifting, and people are paying close attention to sustainable development. moreover, promoting green consumerism must strike a balance among the perspectives of not only businesses, government and environmentalists but also consumers (gano-an, 2018). furthermore, previous empirical research has focused primarily on establishing filipino consumers’ green profile and green products, and little consumer research has been conducted on eco-friendly packaging. this paper seeks to address the following objectives: (1) to determine the level of purchase intention of consumers towards eco-friendly packaging; (2) to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to socio-demographic profiles; and (3) to identify the factors affecting purchase intention. this research contributes to the scant literature on green consumerism in the philippine context. more importantly, it presents consumers’ perspectives on the adoption of eco friendly packaging that could prove useful in business decisions and policymaking. literature review green behaviour, also known as pro-environment or sustainable behaviour, involves actions that impact water conservation, air quality, energy efficiency and use, transportation, agriculture and waste reduction (mckenzie-mohr et al., 2011). businesses have viewed green behaviour, especially by consumers, as a commercial opportunity, and it has developed further as a research field (peattie, 2010). as such, research related to green marketing is important, as it can foster cleaner production by businesses and sustainable consumption through successful marketing to consumers (dangelico & vocalelli, 2017). in particular, green consumption has been widely studied to gain a better understanding of consumers’ changing behaviour in relation to their environmental concerns. according to peattie (2010), green consumption research encompasses studies related to consumers’ intentions and behaviours and studies founded in industrial ecology or environmental economics. the existing literature shows that research related to green consumer behaviour in the philippines is scarce and relatively new. pioneering research includes gregorio (2015), who aimed to understand the impact of green marketing and provide the profile of green consumers. the study revealed that the lack of green consumerism behaviour was attributed to the convenience and availability of non-eco-friendly products 31 compared to eco-friendly products. another study provided a profile of filipino green consumers. using cluster analysis, resurreccion (2015) found two groups of sustainable consumers: the “mature and product cautious” and the “young and socially pressured”. few purchase intention studies on eco-friendly products have been conducted in the country. san juannable (2016) determined the factors affecting the intentions and behaviours of young consumers towards buying green products. the author found that parental influence and media exposure are significant predictors. meanwhile, palmero and montemayor (2020) identified the factors that influence purchase intention toward organic local food. their findings revealed that environmental concern and health and social responsibility are important drivers of young consumers’ purchase intention toward organic products. overall, green consumer research in the country has covered profiling and marketing research on eco-friendly products. consumer research focusing on eco-friendly packaging is lacking. methods this research utilized a descriptive-correlational quantitative design using a survey method for data gathering. given the limitations that the covid-19 pandemic brought during the study period, a nonprobability sampling technique, i.e. purposive random sampling, was used to determine the respondents. the selection criteria for the respondents included being a resident of kidapawan city, earning his/her income and having a fair level of understanding of green consumerism. the instrument used in the study was a self-administered survey questionnaire adapted and modified from auliandri et al. (2019), hoai (2017), paul et al. (2016), prakash et al., (2019), rajendran et al. (2019) and witek and kuźniar (2021). the questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the respondent’s socio-demographic profile, namely age, educational attainment, income and sex. in addition, statements about purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging and the factors affecting it were included in the instrument. the factors considered in the study were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality. the questionnaire consisted of 40 items, which were measured using a 6-point likert scale. this underwent reliability and validity tests to ensure the quality and unobtrusiveness of the statements. the researcher utilized offline and online surveys to maximize the benefits of both. ethical considerations were also considered during the data collection. the respondents were informed about the study and their consent to participate was obtained. for the offline survey, respondents were reached in urban residential areas, businesses and offices within the city. surveys in businesses and offices were only conducted after the letters of request were approved. a total of 393 responses were determined usable for the statistical analysis. the weighted mean was used to determine the consumer’s level of purchase intention. an independent samples t-test and one-way anova were used to determine significant differences in the level of purchase intention when the respondents were grouped according to their socio-demographic characteristics. hierarchical regression analysis was employed to identify the significant factors that affect consumers’ purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. 32 results and discussion the consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is shown in table 1. the findings show that consumers have a high intention to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging when offered in the market (5.30). this finding is in line with the study by palmero and montemayor (2020), which found that young filipino consumers have the intention to buy eco-friendly products. consequently, their purchase intention significantly influenced their decision to purchase. the possible reasons for this are filipino consumers becoming more informed of the ecological impact of plastic packaging (cahilesmagkilat, 2020) and the consequent initiatives launched by both the public and private sectors. the respondents strongly agreed that they would consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting (5.42), and they wanted to purchase products with eco-friendly packaging in the near future (5.37). a recent survey revealed that 75% of filipinos were actively looking for brands that offset their impacts on the environment (cahiles-magkilat, 2021). this shows the changing preferences of filipino consumers, which are geared towards sustainability. furthermore, the results demonstrated the respondents’ plans to spend more on eco-friendly packaged products (5.18). gregorio’s (2015) study found that consumers are willing to pay an average 12.5% premium for eco-friendly products. no literature in the philippine context has specified the particular demographics of these consumers. however, several considerations are weighed by filipino consumers when purchasing eco-friendly products, which are usually perceived as more expensive than their conventional counterparts. these important considerations are value for money (palmero & montemayor, 2020), information and social acceptance (resurreccion, 2015). table 1: consumers’ level of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. statements weighted mean interpretation 1. i will pay attention to the eco-friendly aspects of the packaging of the products i buy. 5.22 strongly agree 2. i will consider buying eco-friendly packaging because it is less polluting. 5.42 strongly agree 3. i will consider switching to eco-friendly brands for ecological reasons. 5.33 strongly agree 4. i plan to spend more on products packaged in ecofriendly materials rather than those that are not. 5.18 strongly agree 5. i want to purchase eco-friendly packaged products in the near future. 5.37 strongly agree total 5.30 strongly agree tests of difference were conducted to determine differences in the level of consumer purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment, income and sex. table 2 shows the results of the one-way anova. there was a significant difference in the level of purchase intention of consumers when grouped according to age (p-value = 0.025). this finding conforms to the research conducted by witek and kuźniar (2021), which found statistically different levels of green purchase intention among young and old consumers. on the other hand, the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging was not statistically different across educational attainment (p-value = 0.511) or income (p-value = 0.188) groups. this finding is like the results of the studies conducted by naz et al. (2020) and rahim et al. (2017). they posited that eco-friendly 33 products are accepted by consumers regardless of their income due to the popularity and increase in marketing campaigns. the findings could also be attributed to the growing consciousness of filipino consumers about the detrimental effects of plastics and the availability of eco-friendly alternatives. table 2: differences in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to age, educational attainment and income. profile mean square test statistic p-value between groups within groups age 1.350 0.518 2.604 0.025* educational attainment 0.437 0.531 0.823 0.511 income 0.778 0.517 1.504 0.188 table 3 presents the results of the independent samples t-test. the results showed a significant difference in the level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging in terms of sex (p-value = 0.009). comparing the mean scores of the males (5.1656) and the females (5.3720) revealed that the latter had a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. these findings are supported by the studies by witek and kuźniar (2021) and rahim et al. (2017), who found a significant difference in the green purchase intentions of females and males. they attributed this finding to female consumers possessing higher environmental concerns than male consumers. table 3: significant difference in the level of purchase intention when grouped according to sex. profile mean difference standard error difference p-value sex -0.2064 0.0786 0.009** the influence of the independent variables, namely attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, on the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging were analysed using hierarchical regression. these variables were entered into the models after all assumptions of the regression model were met. in the first model, the independent variables established in the theory of planned behaviour, namely attitude, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm, were entered. the additional variables, specifically environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality, were added in the second model. at stage one, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control contributed significantly to the regression model (∆f = 253.019, p < 0.001). moreover, the coefficient of determination (r2) showed that the independent variables explaiedn 66.3% of the variability in the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. this indicates that model one (1) is a good fit. adding environmental concern, awareness, willingness to pay and quality to the model explained an additional 9% of the variation in purchase intention, and this change was significant at the 1% level (∆f = 34.873, p < 0.001). furthermore, all the independent variables accounted for 75.4% of the variance in purchase intention. these suggest that adding the other independent variables yielded a model that better predicts purchase intention. table 4 provides the b-values (b), beta coefficients (β), t-test scores and p-values for each variable accounted for in both models. 34 table 4: summary statistics of the variables. variable b β t p-value model 1 (constant) .839 5.012 .000 attitude .383 .379 8.586 .000** subjective norm .186 .217 4.716 .000** perceived behavioural control .290 .315 6.967 .000** model 2 (constant) .190 1.178 .240 attitude .110 .108 2.198 .029* subjective norm .085 .099 2.417 .016* perceived behavioural control .121 .131 3.070 .002** environmental concern .129 .120 2.229 .026* awareness .183 .168 3.433 .001** willingness to pay .174 .213 5.779 .000** quality .176 .187 4.759 .000** the findings show that all the independent variables considered in this study significantly and positively influenced purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. in particular, attitude (t = 2.198, p = 0.029), subjective norm (t = 2.417, p = 0.016) and environmental concern (t = 2.229, p = 0.026) are statistically significant at the 5% level, while perceived behavioural control (t = 3.070, p = 0.002), awareness (t = 3.433, p = 0.001), willingness to pay (t = 5.779, p = 0.000), and quality (t = 4.759, p = 0.000) were significant at the 1% level. the results also show that willingness to pay (β =.213), quality (β =.187), and awareness (β =.168) were the strongest predictors of purchase intention. the findings on attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control provide additional empirical evidence that supports the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework for research about purchase intention. consistent with the studies in the literature, attitude was found to significantly affect purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging. when consumers’ beliefs and feelings towards buying eco-friendly packaging are favourable, they have a greater intention to buy it (martinho et al. 2015; moorthy et al., 2021; prakash & pathak, 2017; trivedi et al., 2018). the results indicate that filipino consumers’ favourable attitudes towards buying eco-friendly packaging led to greater intention to purchase them. an explanation for this relationship is the exposure to information about environmental problems. this develops the consumer’s favourable attitude to participate in efforts to solve these problems, such as buying eco-friendly packaging. subjective norm was also found to positively influence purchase intention. this indicates that the consumers’ perceived social pressures from family, friends and/or important people influence them to purchase eco-friendly packaging (auliandri et al., 2019; martinho et al., 2015). the finding suggests that filipino consumers are conscious of how people close to them and/or society in general view their actions, especially those that affect the environment. culture may also play a part in this relationship. conforming to the norm and the actions of the majority is deemed important in philippine society. consumers’ perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to buy eco-friendly packaging, which could be determined by their ability to purchase and the availability of resources, was also found to affect purchase intention (auliandri et al., 2019; moorthy et al., 2021). when consumers perceive that it is easy for them to buy eco-friendly 35 packaging, the more likely it is that they intend to buy it. consumer preference for convenient shopping can explain this relationship. access and availability of eco-friendly packaging are essential to realize purchase intention. consumers’ concern for the environment also influences their intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging (martinho et al., 2015; prakash & pathak, 2017). this shows that consumers have a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they are more willing to support efforts to solve environmental problems. like attitude, exposure to information about environmental degradation caused by consuming single-use plastics among others may explain this relationship. this is manifested by consumers’ growing demand for sustainable products and practices nowadays. among all variables in the model, the strongest predictor is willingness to pay. the more willing consumers are to pay for eco-friendly packaging, the greater their intention to buy it. this finding coincides with the findings of the studies conducted by auliandri et al. (2019) and prakash and pathak (2017). in the philippine context, several authors have noted that filipino consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products in general (gregorio, 2015; palmero & montemayor, 2020; resurreccion, 2015). this relationship may be attributed to consumers’ desire to protect the environment and/or to contribute to solutions, since eco-friendly packaging is more beneficial to the environment. this benefit could be seen as an added utility to the money spent on ecofriendly packaging. palmero and montemayor (2020) also noted that filipino consumers greatly consider value for money when purchasing. another strong predictor of purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging is quality. the quality of eco-friendly packaging is deemed an important determinant of intention to purchase it. like the results found by rajendran et al. (2019), in this study consumers had a greater intention to purchase eco-friendly packaging when they perceived it to have better quality. the notion that eco-friendly packaging is less polluting to the environment and is as good as conventional packaging could explain this relationship. the quality of eco-friendly packaging remains an important consideration to consumers, especially if they are paying more for it. lastly, the study found that awareness is a significant predictor of purchase intention, i.e. consumers have a greater purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging when they are more aware and knowledgeable about it. this finding is consistent with the results of rajendran et al. (2019) but contrasts with the results of aleenajitpong (2013). one reason for this relationship is that filipino consumers are becoming more informed about environmental problems, particularly plastic pollution, and more aware of the available eco-friendly alternatives. as such, this is manifested in their increasing demand for sustainable products and practices at present. conclusions and recommendations the findings of this study revealed that consumers have a relatively high level of purchase intention for ecofriendly packaging. in addition, the test of significant difference revealed that a significant difference in the purchase intention of respondents only when they are grouped according to age and sex. in particular, female consumers have a higher level of purchase intention for eco-friendly packaging. also, the results of the regression analysis imply that purchase intention is greater among consumers when they have the following: a favourable attitude, supportive social circles, positive perception of the ease of buying ecofriendly packaging, willingness to support or participate in environmental initiatives, knowledge about eco-friendly packaging, willingness to pay for eco-friendly packaging and a positive perception of the quality of eco-friendly packaging. among these, willingness to pay, quality and awareness of eco-friendly packaging influence consumers’ purchase intention the most. 36 understanding the consumer perspective is essential for business decisions and policymaking. as this study has determined the purchase intention towards eco-friendly packaging, businesses and policymakers are provided with information regarding the receptiveness of consumers to its adoption in the country. in particular, businesses, manufacturers of packaging materials and inventors/innovators of eco-friendly packaging could use this information when deciding to expand the use, production and development of eco-friendly packaging. together with government units, they could find the results about the significant factors useful in making business strategies, policies and programmes. the current work only explored the direct relationship between the dependent and independent variables. future researchers may consider exploring the interrelationships of the independent variables examined in this study. moreover, they may use other statistical tools that include the analysis of the interrelationships of the independent variables. to give substantial support to the quantitative findings, it is suggested to include a qualitative analysis in future research. hence, a mixed research design employing either in-depth interviews or focus group discussions is recommended. references aleenajitpong, n. 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(2020). why do consumers make green purchase decisions? insights from a systematic review. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(18), 6607. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186607 58 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. social cause advertising is not your traditional advertising: a graphic design framework for social change rafaella-maria lakeridou, christos karpasitis published online: november 2022 to cite this article: lakeridou, r-m., & karpasitis, c. (2022). social cause advertising is not your traditional advertising: a graphic design framework for social change. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 3(2), 58-78. 59 social cause advertising is not your traditional advertising: a graphic design framework for social change rafaella-maria lakeridoua, christos karpasitisb auniversity of central lancashire, school of arts and media, cyprus. rmlakeridou@uclan.ac.uk b university of central lancashire, school of sciences, cyprus. ckarpasitis1@uclan.ac.uk abstract when designing advertisements, designers use a framework created by principles (guidelines) that form the foundation of the design. however, based on the literature, designers apply existing graphic design frameworks in social cause advertising without acknowledging that such advertisements differ from traditional advertising. these advertisements are designed not to promote a brand name but to influence the public and attempt to change social behaviour towards a cause. when designing for social change, designers should differentiate their advertisements and apply a tailored framework with the most effective and influential graphic design elements. although some academic studies exist on how advertising can initiate social change, further investigation is needed on which graphic design elements are the most effective. such research can add new knowledge to the multidisciplinary fields of graphic design and advertising and to the existing literature. this paper describes how social cause advertising differs from traditional advertising and presents the need for a graphic design framework for out-of-home social cause advertising. the objective is to identify graphic elements that can be applied specifically in the design of out-of-home social cause advertisements and build a tailored framework. the research followed a mixed methods approach: quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) data. the findings indicated that specific graphic design elements (like monochromatic colour schemes, geometric shapes, etc.) can be applied in social cause advertising to build a tailored framework targeting different age groups/genders. such findings lead towards more public engagement and action towards the social cause advertised; but also add new knowledge to existing research, which suggests that elements like image and typography are the most effective visualization techniques. this research is part of a phd in graphic design inspired by social cause advertisements. the researchers, who lost a loved one due to ischaemic stroke, devote this research to create awareness for different social causes and design for social change. keywords: social cause advertising, out-of-home advertising, graphic design, graphic design elements introduction social cause advertising differs from traditional advertising in that it does not attempt to promote a brand, product or service and increase sales. rather, it attempts to change social behaviour, raise awareness, educate or promote a public benefit towards a cause (landa, 2021; gupta, 2012). social cause advertising has been around for years because of its immense power to promote action. karen and fox (1980) point out that social cause advertising aims to move people from intention to action, while gupta (2012) argues that social cause advertising is one of the most effective means to create social awareness, bring social change and shift the public mindset. on the other hand, out-of-home advertising (which is the main focus of this research) covers all advertising that is seen out of home, such as billboards, transit advertising, posters, etc. (altstiel & grow, 2006). studies have shown that this type of advertising is ideal for raising awareness, but also vital in providing information and enhancing knowledge (manickam, 2014; walia, 2012). 60 generally, graphic design involves a creative process to build a visual. designers use a framework created by a set of principles (guidelines) that can assist in creating a visual design. in this paper, we argue that social cause advertising should be more clearly differentiated from traditional advertising when it comes to design. it is observed and reported that designers apply universal design techniques in social cause advertising, without acknowledging which design elements are the most favourable amongst different demographics to create effective advertisements. such criteria are important, as this will enable designers to reach their target audience and engender a more favourable attitude. for example, visual language is a key asset when composing an advertisement. kronrod et al. (2012) concluded that language in environmental campaigns needs to be carefully assessed and selected. hence, as social cause advertising is based on collecting issues and addressing them to the public, designers must identify and apply elements that the public favour. by creating a tailored framework with elements that are the most favourable and effective amongst different demographics, designers will be able to customise their campaigns. timke’s (2019) visual analysis on disability and advertising recommended that disability be represented more carefully in social awareness campaigns. more specifically, timke (2019) suggested that designers should start using images that represent different disabilities more clearly. therefore, in our proposed framework, designers would be able to use a specific type of imagery, such as graphics, drawings or photographs. related studies have been conducted on the multidisciplinary fields of graphic design and advertising (borba et al., 2015; manickam,2014; nazim, 2020; park, 2014; troy, 2019). however, these studies examined different aspects of graphic design or advertising without focusing specifically on graphic design elements. according to troy (2019), although a few academic studies on advertising design and initiating social change exist, further investigation is needed. therefore, this research focused on graphic elements such as line, shape, texture, colour, value, typography and image. we investigated how these elements could be applied in designing out-of-home social cause advertisements to build a tailored framework that will attract more people and lead towards more public engagement and action towards the social cause advertised. for example, as stated by the national heart, lung, and blood institute (2022), although women’s heart disease awareness has doubled since 2002, it remains the leading cause of death. therefore, with this research’s potential to inspire action towards prevention, a tailored design will not only show a different perspective on social causes like heart disease (e.g. inspiring more women to be aware and increase checkups), but also connect with societies through a more supportive and favourable approach that will increase health assessments in general and reduce mortality. out-of-home social cause advertising out-of-home social cause advertising addresses social issues publicly through out-of-home media. the outdoor advertising association of america and advertising agencies such as dash two, bmediagroup and the empire group use the term out-of-home advertising for: • billboard advertising the traditional large, printed advertisement on a podium positioned for the public eye. • transit advertising content displayed on public transport vehicles. • posters print advertisements, often displayed in noticeable places specifically for people on foot. • street furniture advertising all forms of out-of-home advertising displayed at street level/ printed on outdoor furniture. 61 • place-based advertising located within a specific location where a particular group of people congregate for different purposes. this research focused on the list above, as it was important that the findings apply to all media classified as out-of-home. according to one study, this type of advertising can be more reliable, accurate, highly appealing and effective advertising tool than internet advertising (borisova & martynova, 2017). graphic design elements dabner et al. (2013) note that every discipline has its own set of rules and methods. graphic design is a discipline which follows fundamental principles to create an effective composition and form a visual language for the public (poulin, 2018). graphic elements are building blocks which compose a design (samara, 2011). below, the key design elements are listed as presented in multiple sources (dabner et al., 2013; evans & thomas, 2012; poulin, 2018; resnick, 2003). the elements are applied in all types of advertising as they give character to the design. therefore, studying the elements gives a better understanding of their function in the design composition. however, each element has different variations. an investigation of the graphic design elements will enable this research to conclude on each element’s role and how it can be utilised in social cause advertisements for maximum impact. line a line can be actual or implied. however, for this research, it was most appropriate to investigate literal lines in design, as implied lines are a conceptual element. lines add character and direction to the design, yet they can communicate emotion and give unique characteristics. figure 1 illustrates the different line variations applied in design, as presented by field (2018). figure 1: line variations (field, 2018). shape shapes in design can be symbolic or create a pattern (wong, 1972) and are an important building block in visual grammar. more specifically, shapes add characteristics to the design composition. according to wong (1993) and malamed (2011), three universal shape groups known as the basic types of shapes are used in design (figure 2). vertical line horizontal line diagonal line zigzag line or jagged line curved line delineating line calligraphic line implied line 62 figure 2: three universal shape groups (wong,1993 and malamed, 2011). texture the element of texture is defined as the look and feel of a surface (resnick, 2003). visual texture refers to the effect of the surface which can add richness and dimension (poulin, 2011). texture can be described through a variety of visual effects ranging from flat and shiny to bumpy and rusty (poulin, 2011) (figure 3). figure 3: visual effects (poulin, 2011). space space is a conceptual element which refers to the area within the design known as positive space or negative space (figure 4). positive space is an area which contains graphical elements such as shapes, images and typography. conversely, negative space is the empty area of the composition. space in design creates a visual effect which has an impact on human perception (samara, 2014). figure 4: negative and positive space (samara, 2014). colour colour in graphic design is a powerful element which delivers meaning, emotional moods and functional information (buether, 2014). the use of colour in design conveys a story. however, the element of colour is a broad subject which can be investigated and specialised solely as research. for this research, it was most appropriate to investigate the six types of colour schemes, as they are the foundation of colour composition (figure 5). geometric shapes organic shapes abstract shapes positive space negative space 63 figure 5: six colour schemes (feisner, 2006). value when referring to the element of value, one refers to the degree of colour (figure 6). the element of value is a tool which indicates how light or dark design elements appear in a composition. value can be used for multiple purposes, ranging from creating a contrast to building a visual hierarchy amongst the design elements. value can evoke feelings in design, as dark values indicate mystery, while light values can reflect happiness (smith, 2017). figure 6: value scale (smith, 2017). typography typography (or fonts, as known by many) is an element which cannot pass unnoticed, as it is the process of making language visible (cullen, 2012). typography gives character to the content of the composition. this research examined the typography categories most used in advertising (figure 7). monochromatic colour schemes complementary colour schemes split complementary schemes triadic colour schemes analogous colour scheme tetradic colour schemes 64 figure 7: typography used in advertising (amplify, 2019; amstel, 2019; inman,2020; jgi outdoor, 2020; the perfect media, 2019). image images are a powerful visual element and essential in several disciplines, such as advertising, as they can bring a design alive (ambrose & harris, 2006). drawing a summary from authors like meggs (1992), poulin (2011) and landa (2021), this research focused on two types of images (figure 8). figure 8: image type. concerning the impact that each element can have on the design of advertisements and on influencing public perception, research suggests that the impact can differ across different elements and demographics (guthrie, 2009). moreover, research conducted by park (2014) on the most effective ways of communication in a cause-related campaign design found that images, infographics and typography were among the most comprehensible elements for the intended audience. methodology to develop a graphic design framework for out-of-home social cause advertising, this study was based on a deductive approach and was supported by mixed-methods research. quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, and the results were combined in the overall analysis (tashakkori & teddlie, 1998). both primary and secondary data were collected during this research. secondary data related to graphic design and social cause advertising were obtained from sources like journals, books and articles published between 1972 and 2022. such data helped the researchers to empower the primary data, which were illustrations photography san-serif fonts arial berlins sans calibri franklin gill sans helvetica lucida grande tahoma verdana serif fonts baskerville georgia time new roman garamond didot 65 obtained through web-based surveys and through interviews. these two methods were combined in similar studies in the past (dombrowski et al., 2013; troy, 2019), as such data collection helped strengthen the research. table 1 summarises the research instruments used in this research and their purpose. survey 1 (n = 150) investigated the participants’ perceptions, attitudes and favorability towards different graphic design elements and styles applicable in out-of-home social cause advertisements. survey 2 (n = 50) was an advertisement recall test that investigated which advertisement graphic design elements contribute more to recalling a social cause. the participants in surveys 1 and 2 were initially identified using convenience sampling, followed by snowball sampling whereby each participant was asked to share the survey with eligible friends. the sample population represented a range of demographics such as age, gender, nationality (e.g. american, cypriot, lebanese, australian, etc.) and region of residence (e.g. europe, middle-east, asia etc.). survey 3 (n = 11) targeted professionals in the design industry and their perceptions of different graphic design elements and how social cause advertisements are designed. finally, interviews with 3 professionals in the design industry helped obtain more in-depth information and deeper insights into the aspects addressed in survey 3. for survey 3, agencies from across europe, the middle east, the usa and the uk were selected and contacted through a personalised email invitation. these agencies were selected based on their portfolio to ensure that they were experienced with social cause out-of-home advertising. the participants in survey 3 were also invited to participate in a short virtual interview. table 1: research instruments applied and purpose. n = number of participants the sample consisted of adult participants aged 18 and over (table 2). to understand the audience, the population was divided into generations to enable the researcher to understand the different target group instrument ν purpose general public survey 1: (web-based via qualtrics) 150 investigated perceptions, attitudes and favourability towards different graphic design elements and styles applicable in out-of-home social cause advertisements. survey 2: (web-based via qualtrics) 50 conducted an advertisement recall test, specifically on existing out-of-home social cause advertisements, and determined which elements (e.g. typography, graphics, colours, headlines, etc.) attract the general public but also contribute to remembering the social cause. design agencies survey 3: (web-based via qualtrics) 11 understand from professionals in the design industry: (i) how social cause advertisements are designed and (ii) how different elements and styles are perceived. interviews (virtual via ms teams) 3 obtained more in-depth information on the aspects addressed in the design agencies survey. 66 demographics and their preferences in order to develop a tailored graphic design framework for the general public. table 2: age groups and generations. the demographic data of the respondents to survey 1 is shown in table 3. of the respondents, 81 (54.0%) were female and 69 (46.0%) were male. table 3: demographic characteristics survey 1 participants (n = 150). *n = number of participants the survey was divided into two sections, as follows: section one: qs1–5 were about demographic variables: gender, age, nationality, etc. such data gives background information on the research population and also helps divide findings into different categories for comparison (e.g. gender and age preferences). section two: qs6 20 examined public perceptions, attitudes and favorability towards graphic styles and elements (e.g. please rate the level of attractiveness for the following line variations: 1 = not at all attractive, 2 = slightly attractive, 3 = moderately attractive, 4 = very attractive and 5 = extremely attractive). in these questions, some other criteria were also investigated, such as out-of-home advertising types and social causes (e.g. please rate on average the level of attention you pay to the following out-of-home mediums: 1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often and 5 = always). survey 2 included 50 participants, of whom 26 (57.8%) were female and 19 (42.2%) were male (table 4). generation age group generation z & millennials 18–30 millennials 31–40 millennials & generation x 41–50 generation x & baby boomers 51–60 baby boomers, the silent generation & the greatest generation 61 and above characteristic n % gender female male 82 68 54.7 45.3 age (years) 18–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61 and above 35 69 23 12 11 23.3 46.0 15.3 8.0 7.4 67 table 4: demographic characteristics survey 2 participants (n = 50). characteristic n % gender female male 29 21 58.0 42.0 age 18–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61 and above 15 21 9 2 3 30.0 42.0 18.0 4.0 6.0 *n = number of participants this survey combined picture choices and closed multiple choice questions, using 30 advertisements, including two sets of 15 different social causes. the survey was divided into two main sections, as follows: section one: qs1–5 assessed demographic variables like gender, age group, nationality, etc. section two: qs6–25 were a series of short advertisement tests. hence, 2 sets of 15 different social cause advertisements were tested. each set was given 30 seconds viewing time, which corresponds to approximately 10 seconds viewing time per advertisement (this gave participants the experience of being out of home while simultaneously conducting a recall test). survey 3 obtained data from design industry professionals (tables 5 & 6). the population (n = 11) included directors, co-owners and designers from graphic design/creative firms and out-of-home advertising agencies that either specialised in social cause advertisements or had a strong knowledge of their design (e.g. some participants either worked in well-known design agencies or created popular social cause campaigns, ranging from climate change and environmental awareness to health and poverty). table 5: design agencies sample (n = 11). id job title industry a co-owner advertising b co-owner graphic design c co-owner graphic design d co-owner design for social change e head designer design for social change f creative director graphic design g head and creative director design for social change h director graphic design i creative director graphic design j director design for social change k director design for social change 68 table 6: demographic characteristics survey 3 participants. characteristic n gender female male 4 7 age 18–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61 and above 4 3 2 1 0 position founder/co-founder creative director junior designer service designer 6 3 1 1 *n = number of participants the survey was divided into two main sections, as follows: section one: qs1–3 obtained demographic variables like gender, age group and agency location. such information helps to evaluate cultural diversity in the sample and build a complete profile of the respondents. section two: q4s–21 assessed the respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of different graphic design elements and styles and the design of social cause advertising and out-of-home advertising (e.g. please rate the level of emphasis on the following design elements when you are designing an out-of-home social cause advertisement: 1 = no emphasis, 2 = minor emphasis, 3 = neutral emphasis, 4 = moderate emphasis and 5 = major emphasis). with regards to the data measurement and scaling, a number of techniques were applied. some questions were worded in an open-ended way and used semantic differential scales (figure 9). please rate on average the level of attention you pay to the following out-of-home mediums: 1 = never 2 = rarely 3 = sometimes 4 = often 5 = always figure 9: semantic differential scales. for some questions, likert scaling was most appropriate. as shown in figure 10, negative responses were scored with the lowest number. please select the level of agreement or disagreement for the following statements: 1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = neutral 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree figure 10: likert scaling. 69 the other forms of survey questions were matrix, multiple-choice and picture choice questions. findings the data analysis showed that different demographics had different preferences. therefore, it was appropriate to divide the findings into two sections: 1) designing to attract age groups, and 2) designing to attract gender. designing to attract age groups the participants (all ages) found delineating lines the most attractive (table 7). however, the 31-40-yearsold age group found implied lines equally attractive. this suggests that the type of line that mostly should be used in the design of out-of-home social cause advertising is delineating. table 7: line variation attractiveness (age group preferences). age (years) line variation attractiveness of each line variation (within age group) % 18–30 delineating line 50 31–40 delineating line implied line 69.2 69.1 41–50 delineating line 60.9 51–60 delineating line 83.3 61 and above delineating line 81.8 with regards to shape preference, although the data collected from the designers indicated that organic shapes were the most used (54% of participants replied ‘often’ or ‘always’), over 52% of the respondents perceived geometric shapes as attractive (e.g. ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ attractive’). such learning will be shared with the professionals who participated in this study. the element of texture is a visual effect. of the professionals (n = 11) who participated in this study, the creative directors (n = 3) gave a 27.3% major emphasis on texture. therefore, this element should not be used in out-of-home social cause advertisements, as a rating of 27.3% is deemed too low. rather, texture is an element that should be applied in printed advertisements where the public can feel the surface. the element of space is applied as a conceptual element in design. the professionals (n = 11) gave a 54.5% emphasis on space when designing an out-of-home social cause advertisement, without any particular preference (e.g. negative or positive space). therefore, space in design should be applied, as it is a component that draws attention to the content but also strengthens the relationship between the viewer and the communicating message (samara, 2014). most of the participants (50.7%) found monochromatic colour schemes the most attractive, except for the 51–60-years-old age group, who had no preference. therefore, to draw a conclusion on colour favourability for the 51–60-years-old age group, designers should rely on the second highest response within that age group, which was monochromatic. 70 furthermore, value and colour are two elements which are combined to form a composition. the professionals (n = 11) gave a 54.5% emphasis on value when designing an out-of-home social cause advertisement. hence, depending on the social cause, it is recommended that designers apply the most applicable shade (lightness or darkness) of monochromatic colour. with regards to typography, the findings showed some differences in the typeface preference (table 8). the 18–30-years-old age group (63.8%) found the didot typeface the most attractive, whereas the 31–40-years-old age group (77.9%) and the 41–50-years-old age group (65.2%) both perceived the garamond typeface as the most attractive. on the other hand, ages 51–60 years (83.3%) and 61 years and above (82.8%) both selected the georgia font. however, ages 61 and above found times new roman equally attractive. table 8: typeface attractiveness (age group preference). age (years) typeface attractiveness of each typeface (within element) % 18–30 didot 63.8 31–40 garamond 77.9 41–50 garamond 65.2 51–60 georgia 83.3 61 and above georgia times new roman 81.8 81.8 lastly, concerning the most preferred type of image, most of the participants (ages 18–30, 41–50 and 61 and above) found drawings the most attractive (table 9). however, ages 31–40 (59.5%) had no preference, and ages 51–60 (8.7%) perceived graphics to be the most attractive. table 9: image type attractiveness (age group preference). age (years) image type attractiveness of each image type (within element) % 18–30 drawings 40.7 31–40 no preference 59.5 41–50 drawings 18.5 51–60 graphics 8.7 61 and above drawings 11.1 designing to attract gender it is important to mention that the studies performed throughout this research took measures that allowed the participants to declare a nonbinary gender identity. however, during the studies, all participants declared themselves as either male or female. when designing to attract gender, the findings suggest delineating lines. both the female (65.4% within element) and the male (65.2% within element) participants found delineating lines the most attractive option. additionally, with regards to the type of shape, both females (55.5% within element) and males 71 (49.3% within element), also found geometric shapes the most attractive (e.g. ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ attractive). further, both female and male participants found monochromatic colour schemes the most attractive (50.7%). however, some social causes (e.g breast cancer awareness and prostate cancer awareness) need to apply monochromatic colours accordingly. for example, when designing a breast cancer advertisement, designers can apply monochromatic red colours with different values to create pink tones. with regards to typography, the female and male participants had different preferences. the female participants found serif fonts like didot, garamond and times new roman the most attractive (table 10). the male participants found serif fonts like didot, garamond and georgia the most attractive (table 11). figure 11 presents a visual of each preferred typeface. table 10: typeface attractiveness (genderfemale preference). gender typeface attractiveness of each typeface (within element) % female arial baskerville berlin sans calibri didot franklin garamond georgia gill sans helvetica lucida grande tahoma times new roman verdana 24.4 53.7 19.5 29.3 67.1 11 70.8 53.6 17 18.3 22 22 69.5 20.8 72 table 11: typeface attractiveness (gender -male preference). gender typeface attractiveness of each typeface (within element) % male arial baskerville berlin sans calibri didot franklin garamond georgia gill sans helvetica lucida grande tahoma times new roman verdana 32.3 58.9 19.1 30.9 72.1 19.1 72.0 63.3 5.9 19.1 23.6 16.2 61.8 14.7 figure 11: preferred typeface. lastly, concerning the type of image, both female and male participants found graphics/illustrations the most attractive (tables 12 and 13). didot a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” garamond a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” georgia a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” times new roman a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” 73 table 12: image type attractiveness (gender female preference). gender imagery attractiveness of each image type (within element) % female graphics/illustrations drawings photographs no preference 63.4 23.2 50 13.4 table 13: image type attractiveness (gender male preference). gender imagery attractiveness of each image type (within element) % male graphics/illustrations drawings photographs no preference 58.8 20.6 42.6 22.1 the framework developed figures 12 and 13 present a summary of the findings and, more specifically, the framework with the graphic design elements that should be applied in the design of out-of-home social cause advertisements. figure 12 illustrates the elements this research suggests when designing to attract different age groups; figure 13 presents the elements suggested when targeting gender. 74 figure 12: designing to attract age groups. 18–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 61 and above key age: 18–30 element line: delineating line element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: didot typeface element image: drawings age: 31–40 element line: delineating line element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: garamond typeface element image: no preference age: 41–50 element line: delineating line element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: didot typeface element image: drawings age: 61 and above element line: delineating line element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: georgia or times new roman typeface element image: graphics age: 51–60 element line: delineating line element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: georgia typeface element image: graphics 75 figure 13: designing to attract gender. discussion this paper investigated graphic design elements that can be applied specifically in the design of out-ofhome social cause advertisements and presented the key elements for effective advertising. although elements currently applied in the design of out-of-home social cause advertisements may be influential, such form of advertising should have a tailored framework. these findings suggest that social cause advertising should be differentiated from traditional advertising. hence, a universal graphic design framework tailored for the design of out-of-home social cause advertisements was developed after carefully analysing data collected from surveys and interviews. the designers who participated in this study who specialised in out-of-home advertising reported a lack of good design in social cause advertising. such forms of advertising should have a graphic design framework to create more effective out-of-home social cause advertisements, to attract the public (reach more people) and lead towards more public engagement /action. moreover, according to the interview data, the characteristics of the target audience should play a key role in the design decisions about social cause advertisements. more specifically, campaigns should be designed to meet the target audience’s demographic characteristics (e.g. gender and age). these research findings could have a positive impact on practice, such as the design process and achieving design for social change. however, this claim should be further tested in long-term studies. for example, further research should be conducted to determine more specifications for the elements presented in this paper as well as the validity of the proposed framework. in our opinion, the next steps of this research are to present findings to designers and practitioners. on the other hand, with regards to the impact this research can have on the literature, our research supports existing research about increasing awareness towards a social issue. in an empirical study conducted in jordan, ‘the effect of advertising campaigns in encouraging women's early breast cancer screening’ (alhawamdeh & azzam, 2019), the main findings showed that in a specific advertisement male female gender: male element line: delineating line element space: negative & positive space element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: didot, garamond and georgia element image: graphics/illustrations gender: female element line: delineating line element space: negative & positive space element shapes: geometric shapes element value element colour: monochromatic colour schemes element typography: didot, garamond and times new roman element image: graphics/illustrations key 76 campaign, there was a 54% effect in encouraging women´s early breast cancer screening due to the overall design. therefore, with our research, designers can tailor advertisements with specific elements favoured by females regardless of their age group (table 10) e.g. delineating lines, geometric shapes, monochromatic colours (light red value to create pink tones), typefaces like garamond or times new roman and graphic images. this research can have a significant impact when designing for social change. the visual content included in social cause advertisements can influence the public by creating an attraction (attracting more people), which can lead towards more public engagement and action. the findings aim to motivate and connect with 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(1993). principles of form and design. wiley. http://doi.org/10.1353/asr.2019.0024 83 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. special supplement: iii esda desis social design days, 11-12 march 2024, zaragoza, spain esda: escuela superior de diseño de aragón (aragon school of design) published online: november 2024 to cite this special supplement: cecilia casas-romero (ed.). (2024). special supplement: iii esda desis social design days, 11-12 march 2024, zaragoza, spain. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(2), 83-102. 84 • sense and sensitivity: reflections on social design education after iii esda desis social design days cecilia casas-romero 83-86 • a double shift: design for a new kind of social innovation ezio manzini 87-88 • workshop: sustainable development goals and design curricula nicos souleles 89-90 • co-designing social change – reviewing some methods and tools lorraine gamman, francesco mazzarella 91-95 • “let’s design as the others!” exploring new social design practice for our inclusive future yanki lee 96-97 • reflections on teaching and learning for social design susan melsop 98-99 • teaching how to finish a project process in social design canan akoglu 100-102 85 sense and sensitivity: reflections on social design education after iii esda desis social design days cecilia casas-romero “education is a weapon of mass construction”. marjane satrapi, persepolis, 2000 the idea of compiling this supplement for discern journal arose after the celebration of the esda desis social design days’ third edition in march 2024, attended by seven international professors who are experts in teaching social design. the escuela superior de diseño de aragón (esda) is a small educational institution with 300 students and 70 teachers, but with the particularity that more than half of the staff are involved in social design educational projects. in 2022, esda became part of desis and from its esda desis lab, these projects are launched. then, students, while learning the established curriculum, co-design with marginalized groups, such as refugees, minor offenders or homeless persons.it is a win-win situation. the intense motivation of the teachers comes from the experience of observing, on a microscopic level, how the student connects empathetically with each marginalized person with their name and surname. however, not everything is sunshine and colour. complexity is always present, and there are obstacles to overcome. the social designer does not intend to replace the social educator, the social worker, or the art therapist, but from his or her position to use his or her skills as a designer to generate positive social change. here, we have a collection of reflections that emerged from these brilliant minds after this experience of the iii esda desis social design days. they are teachers and researchers whose contributions show that through education and design, there are opportunities to mitigate the injustices of the society in which we live. images 1 & 2: ii esda desis social design days programme. photos and programme by inés marco. lorraine gamman came up with the idea for this collaborative supplement, which susan melsop and all the rest instantly seconded. it has also become true thanks to the generous 86 offer of nicos souleles, co-editor of discern journal. the introduction by ezio manzini, founder of desis, explains the necessary shift of design generation for social innovation from the city centres to the margins, counting on vulnerable groups, which explains and gives essential support to our work. nicos souleles writes about the relevance of embedding the sustainable development goals in the curriculum and how to do it. lorraine gamman and francesco mazzarrela elaborate on the urgency of considering complexity, context and ethical considerations, for instance, when dealing with power dynamics. they reflect on the importance of being cautious and respectful and offer tools to overcome prejudices and bring empathy. yanki lee unfolds the logic of evolving from designing “for”, “with” and “by” to design “as” the others and how this leads to a more-than-human design approach by interacting with objects. susan melsop writes about the value of teaching social design as an act of care that can raise awareness and empathy in the students. finally, canan akoglu reflects on the moment after the project ends, the importance of avoiding abandonment and teaching our students to build sustainable relationships over time. we do not forget to mention bori fehér, who also attended and left her mark on the event but could not contribute to this supplement for personal reasons. these writings navigate between reflection and the sensitivity that at the same time is required and gained when we participate in this kind of educational experience of social design with students, who, as teachers and researchers, are our raison d'être. biography cecilia casas-romero cecilia casas holds a degree in law (uned) and an ma in sociology of public and social policies (unizar). she teaches photography and social design at the escuela superior de diseño de aragón (esda). she coordinates esda's desis lab, which develops a sui generis programme involving more than a third of esda’s teachers. together with the esda desis lab core team, she organises esda desis social design days, which bring together leading figures in social design education worldwide. her ongoing phd deals with defining a model for educational institutions to teach social design to create a healthy work environment. she applies the social uses of artistic photography and the photovoice methodology to her work with disadvantaged communities. ccasas@esda.es, esdadesislab@esda.es mailto:ccasas@esda.es mailto:esdadesislab@esda.es 87 a double shift: design for a new kind of social innovation ezio manzini the objective of this conference was significant and timely: “achieving social justice and improving the lives of those who have been less fortunate” (iii esda desis social design days, program 2024) is the most critical topic to be discussed today. in this short introductory note, i would like to articulate this statement concerning design for social innovation. 1. the concept and practices of design for social innovation slowly emerged about 15–20 years ago. in that period, two independent but interrelated events occurred: design began to be recognized as an activity applicable to physical artefacts and systems of relationships (services, communication and all kinds of interactions). and an unprecedented wave of social innovation appeared: groups decided to break their isolation and collaborate. by doing so, they could obtain valid results for themselves, their community, society and the environment. after a while, someone in the design community recognized this phenomenon and its potential in the transition towards an ecological and just society. this is how design for social innovation was born: not a new design discipline but an orientation that all the design disciplines (services, communication, product, interior and environmental design) can adopt. an approach characterized by three main choices: (a) to look at people (also) as bearers of resources and capabilities; (b) to consider them (also) as nodes of collaborative social networks; (c) to recognize promising ways of thinking and acting that, in the complexity of the contemporary society, already exist. those initiatives can be seen as concrete steps in our transition. 2. today, 20 years later, this approach to design is recognized and practised everywhere in the world. in these same years, design for social innovation matured and evolved. thus, it moved from the promotion of single promising initiatives to their systematization and convergence towards new broad common scenarios: new ideas of welfare (community welfare), new ideas of cities (the city of proximity) and a new relationship with the network of life of which we are part (social innovation and recognition of what is not human). in these 20 years, however, the limits of this social innovation and the design that stimulated and supported it have also emerged. the first limit depends on the fact that social innovation requires time, energy and attention from those who practise it: the time, energy and attention necessary carefully (re) to build the social networks on which it is based. experience tells us that these resources are not uniformly distributed: some are rich in them, and others are poor. the social innovation we know of was born and developed among those rich in these resources. the second limit, connected to the first, is that the social innovation we have known so far was born and developed mainly among groups of people operating in modernized and globalized cities. that is, in what is, or instead has proclaimed itself to be, the centre of contemporary society. 3. now, it is vital that both limits are overcome. that is, social innovation and design for social innovation need to involve those who, until now, have not had the opportunity to access these collaborative practices. and their field of action must be extended to those territories which, 88 up until now, have been considered the outskirts of the planetary metropolis. all this must be done not only because a large part of the planet’s population lives there but also because, if we must look for new ways of doing and thinking, it is often from the periphery rather than from the centre that they can emerge. images 1 & 2: workshop “define your quarter” in the main square of the deprived area of san pablo in zaragoza. photos by lucía rodriguez (left) and abril oliva (right). this double shift of the centre of our action (from those rich in time, energy and resources to those who are poor in these and from the centre to the peripheries) should characterize our future action. this is what was discussed at this conference. and i hope this discussion will help prepare the ground for a new wave of social innovations: a social innovation capable this time of reaching everyone, everywhere. biography ezio manzini for over three decades, he has been working in the field of design for sustainability. most recently, his interests have focused on social innovation, a significant driver of sustainable change. from this perspective, he started desis, an international network of design schools active in the design field for social innovation and sustainability. he is president of the desis network and honorary professor at the politecnico di milano. he has been a guest professor in several design schools worldwide (in the past decade): elisava-design school and engineering (barcelona), tongji university (shanghai), jiangnan university (wuxi), university of the arts (london), cput (cape town) and parsons -the new school for design (nyc) http://www.desisnetwork.org, ezio.manzini@gmail.com http://www.desisnetwork.org/ mailto:ezio.manzini@gmail.com 89 workshop: sustainable development goals (sdgs) and design curricula nicos souleles the sustainable development goals (sdgs) are 17 global goals established by the united nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. these goals address various challenges, such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. each goal focuses on a different area, for example, ending poverty, ensuring clean water and sanitation, promoting gender equality, combating climate change and fostering economic growth and innovation. the sdgs are interconnected and require collective action to achieve a more sustainable and prosperous future. the prevailing rhetoric in the related literature is that higher education (he) has a unique and critical role in delivering the sdgs through several strategies, including education for sustainable development (esd), employment for implementing the sdgs, capacity building and mobilising young learners, research on the sdgs, technological innovations, as well as through contributions to civic, societal and community-level initiatives. for many universities, the sdgs are essential to their stated missions. however, several studies have identified challenges in embedding sdgs in the multifaceted operations of universities. for example, there is often a lack of support from management, indifference among academics, no environmental committee to promote sdgs and no appropriate opportunities for personal and professional development for faculty members. in addition, few studies have examined pedagogical approaches that embed sdgs into education. from these limited studies, one can identify widespread and ongoing debates about the cross-curricular approach versus the development of stand-alone courses dealing with sdgs. specifically for design education, a recent report (design economy – the green design skills gap) by the design council (designcouncil.org.uk), based on feedback from a sample of 1,068 uk designers working across design disciplines in the united kingdom, concluded that only 46% of designers are proficient or experts in ‘design for planet skills’. in addition, fewer than 50% feel that their education has enabled them to design for environmental impact. one way to address this skills gap among design educators is to acknowledge that the curricula of these disciplines can be updated, and this entails complementary training that reinforces the role of individuals in the face of social, economic, and environmental issues that advocate sustainable development. to this end, training faculty is a fundamental initiative to bring about this change in mentality and offer a process of training learners and developing the appropriate mindset and agency among them. with all the above in mind, the opportunity to offer a workshop for design academics under the title ‘sustainable development goals and design curricula’ during the iii esda desis social design days was a welcome invitation. another contributing factor in accepting the invitation was the overall approach towards social design at esda (escuela superior de diseño de aragón), which is bottom-up and not top-down. thus, design academics have https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/ 90 a sense of ownership towards social design initiatives, and the management has the foresight to allow these initiatives to flourish. images 1 & 2: workshop for teachers on ‘sustainable development goals and design curricula’ at esda´s library. photos by andrés jarabo. for this workshop to have some educational value, it was approached pragmatically and not through abstract declarations of the significance of incorporating sdgs in design curricula. the participants workshopped their study guides and project descriptions in small groups, and when appropriate, they introduced awareness of the sdgs and the instructional strategies that promote them. the workshop was an enriching exercise because, once again, the participants demonstrated their willingness to create a culture of shared responsibility for social design in their remarkable design institution. lifelong learning is an attitude. biography nicos souleles dr nicos souleles has held educational and administrative positions at universities in australia, england, the united arab emirates and cyprus. he has expertise in learning design, curriculum development, technology-enhanced learning, quality assurance, accreditation processes and integrating the sustainable development goals into higher education curricula. his research interests encompass educational research, technology-enhanced learning in design, design education, learning design and design for social change. he coordinates the research lab art + design: learning lab design for social change. the lab has undertaken funded european projects in digital upskilling and multiliteracies, curriculum development for the third sector, cultural and arts entrepreneurship for marginalized women and sustainable assessments. he is co-editor-in-chief of discern, the international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicos-souleles-30735610/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicos-souleles-30735610/ 91 co-designing social change – reviewing some methods and tools lorraine gamman & francesco mazzarella introduction this short paper came about when engaging with cecilia casas, who asked us and dr yanki lee to share co-design methods and tools at the esda (escuela superior de diseño de aragón) desis social design days iii (zaragoza, march 2024) (images 1 and 2). we were asked to discuss the involvement of participants in equitable co-creation and reflect on how best to manage the relationship between what manzini (2015) calls ‘expert designers’ (those who are design trained) and what he calls ‘diffuse designers’ (those who are not trained in design yet play a crucial role in delivering democratic design solutions). manzini (2015) suggests designers should be ‘facilitators’, ‘mediators’ and ‘catalysts’ in the context of design for social innovation, but his work also recognizes that ‘context is everything’. drawing on our experience of social innovation projects with prisoners (gamman & caulfield, 2023) and refugees (morgado and mazzarella, 2024), we were aware that not all approaches to co-design can be automatically transferable to different political and geographic landscapes. we found it tricky to translate our uk-based approach for a workshop in a spanish context, but a helpful dialogue developed with colleagues from esda, as follows. images 1 & 2: lorraine gamman and francesco mazzarella while introducing the workshop “sharing co-creation methods and tools for social design”. photos by lucía rodríguez. the designer’s role design for social innovation is based on a paradigm shift, from designing for users towards designing with “experts by experience”. co-design refers to the creativity of designers and people not trained in design, working together in a social innovation or design development process, and has been going on since the 1970s (ehn, 2017). some contexts work well for co-design, but not all situations easily benefit or lend themselves to a collaborative design 92 process. hence, the first discussion item was about how best to understand the context of engagement and decide whether to engage and question how to do so. von bush and palmas (2023) point out how the ideals of participation, empowerment and collaboration that underpin co-design intentions for democratic engagement can be corrupted by power, politics and market forces. thus, the integrity of collaborative engagement and what it can deliver needs careful design. they argue that power relations are always around the participation table, some hidden and some in plain sight. power can negatively impact the relationships between all collaborators involved in co-design if roles, values, and goals are not adequately clarified beyond lip service. so, when co-designing, all participants must carefully review how equitable and respectful engagement can work. we also need to inform ourselves about how to avoid hidden agendas that seek to manipulate participants, preventing participation from becoming tokenized rather than genuine. design framework francesco presented the ‘crafting situated services’ methodological framework (mazzarella et al., 2021), which equips the designer with cultural sensitivity when entering communities, making sense of sustainable futures, facilitating co-creation processes, and activating legacies towards community resilience and social innovation. this framework presents diverse roles (i.e. cultural insider, storyteller, sense maker, facilitator and activist) that a designer might play throughout a social innovation journey. the framework also presents a range of methods and tools that can be adopted/adapted to co-design meaningful social innovation with communities. the workshop shared and discussed many tools: design ethnography, story-listening and storytelling, contextual interview cards, sensemaking, “what if?” approaches, future trend cards, stakeholder maps, storyboards, social business model canvas, action plans and more. the presentation inspired some esda colleagues to share additional techniques. for example, one workshop participant shared her experience of a project bringing together students and young/minor offenders, in which the students wrote a letter to their collaborator before engaging with them and received responses to inform the co-design process. another participant discussed photovoice (wang & burris, 1997) as a method used in ethnographic research, consisting of giving cameras to people for them to capture the world through their own eyes. our discussion raised many ethical issues and themes about techniques and “best practice”. ice-breaking to foster co-creation breaking the ice of unfamiliarity or social discomfort helps people feel more relaxed when engaging with each other, but the process needs to be carefully designed and facilitated. how to foster dialogue or playful interaction between people, especially when working with marginalised and vulnerable groups, also needs thoughtful design facilitation. we discussed our experience of routinely using ice-breaking exercises that can relieve some of the tensions in the room and overcome social barriers through activities such as games or light conversations. these tactics foster communication, build relationships and set a friendly and open tone for engagement. we use various ice-breaking techniques, including “body storming”, “drawing without looking down” and many others. 93 to start the workshop discussed here, we used the drawing exercise. we gave each participant a blank sheet of paper and a pen and asked them to choose a partner and spend 1–2 minutes drawing each other. as facilitators, we instructed everyone to place the paper in front of them and prepare to draw their partner; however, they could not look at their paper while drawing but simply look at the person in front of them. the drawings that emerged from our session (see images 3 and 4) showed that everyone can make marks and laugh. unexpected results served as a wonderful way to spark conversations, break down barriers and enable us to start the workshop with a light-hearted tone. each partner also wrote the person’s name on their drawing and taped it to the wall to help us remember each other’s names. images 3 & 4: results of the drawing exercise used as an icebreaker. photos by lucía rodriguez. ethical engagement co-design projects often bring together students and diverse communities, including vulnerable people. universities develop ethical protocols to prompt staff to consider potential risks for researchers and participants. clear information about ethical processes and the rights of all participants must be addressed before co-design commences, including issues already raised and many others about consent, data use and withdrawal of participants from a project, etc. the roles of facilitators and students in the process need clear and respectful discussion and agreement before projects commence. our workshop highlighted the need to develop and adopt a framework of “ethics of care” (gilligan, 1982) to collaborate with trauma-informed professionals who can deal with complex issues and promote engagement with professional counselling services both for participants and design researchers. the workshop highlighted the importance of acknowledging the positionality of all involved in such processes and the need to challenge one’s privilege and prejudice. we agreed on the importance of involving representative stakeholders in early dialogue and doing our best to ensure that those from marginalized groups can take part and access information. this might mean translating materials using plain language or providing assistive or visual technologies. such projects also require “credible messengers” (weber, 2022), i.e., people who have lived experience of different issues (for example, criminal justice 94 or immigration issues) in the design/research team, to bridge connections between people. credible messengers offer an extra built-in reminder to acknowledge intersectionality, diversity and differences and creatively build trust among groups. the case for empathy and active listening in co-design projects aimed at social change, empathy is essential in understanding and sharing another person’s feelings. putting oneself in someone else’s shoes (krznaric, 2007) can make a difference. recognizing and appreciating another person's emotions, experiences and perspectives often provokes a desire to help or support them (gamman & thorpe, 2015). however, market-led designers for over a century have used empathy to sell us things, so what we mean by empathy and how it correlates with inclusionary experiences of co-design needs definition. our discussion highlighted that empathy could feel patronizing if implicit feelings of perceived superiority, oversimplification or insincerity inform the process. moreover, while understanding another person’s world is essential, how that understanding is gained and facilitated needs thoughtful planning to design patronage and build equity of contact between all participants. active listening is crucial in such co-design processes because total concentration regarding what the speaker is saying enables the listener to grasp the content and emotional impact better. rogers and farson (1957) offer a process to ensure that active listening happens, pointing out that “seeking first to understand, then to be understood”, reduces misunderstandings. when people feel fully heard and understood, trust and empathy develop between them. in our view, active listening and working directly with people in a context where equitable dialogue/respectful terms and conditions have been established is the best way to foster empathy and trust. conclusion this short paper reflects on creative tools and methods to support co-designing for social change and democratizing design for social innovation. overall, co-design has much in common with participatory action research (par), the dialogical processes of paulo freire (1970) and other design theorists. for over 50 years, par and co-design have sought to humanize research by challenging subject/object relations. we and our colleagues believe it can drive change and social justice by including those with lived experience/experiential knowledge of systems in transforming them. biography lorraine gamman dr lorraine gamman is professor of design at central saint martins, university of the arts london and director of the design against crime (dac) research lab, founded in 1999 and supported by many stakeholders, including the uk’s design council and home office. gamman has delivered numerous research projects funded by the ahrc, epsrc and the eu, among other funders, and works with artists, designers, policymakers, crime prevention practitioners, communities and prisons to deliver design education and research. she serves on several charities, including the empathy museum and uk’s national criminal justice arts alliance (ncjaa), and is the author of many books, journal articles and reports. biography francesco mazzarella dr francesco mazzarella is a design researcher, educator and activist, striving to plant seeds 95 of hope and change, especially working with marginalized communities. he is reader in design for social change at the london college of fashion, ual. francesco’s research spans the fields of design activism, decolonizing fashion, textile craftsmanship, design for sustainability, social innovation and place-making. francesco is a member of the design council expert network, a fellow of advance he and co-founder of the desis cluster on ‘design from the margins’ and the cumulus working group on ‘design education for social change’. references ehn, p. (2017). learning in participatory design as i found it (1970–2015). in b. disalvo, j. yip, e. bonsignore, & d. carl (eds.), participatory design for learning (pp. 3-6). routledge. freire. p. (1970). pedagogy of the oppressed. header and header. gamman, l., & caulfield, l. (2023). made in prison: understanding knowledge exchange, co-design and production of cell furniture with prisoners to reimagine prison industries for safety, well-being and sustainability. in d. moran, y. jewkes, k.-l. blount-hill, & v. st. john (eds.), the palgrave handbook of prison design (pp. 733-767). palgrave macmillan. gamman, l., & thorpe, a. (2015). “design for empathy” – exploring the potential of participatory design for fostering restorative values and contributing to restorative process. in t. gavrielides (ed.), offenders no more: an interdisciplinary restorative justice dialogue (pp. 79-100). nova. gilligan, c. (1982). in a different voice: psychological theory and women’s development. harvard university press. krznaric, r. (2007). empathy: a handbook for revolution. ebury publishers. manzini, e. (2015). design, when everyone designs: an introduction to design for social innovation. mit press. mazzarella, f., may, a, & mitchell, v. (2021). a methodological framework for crafting situated services. journal of service management, 32(5), 752-782. https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-05-2020-0188 morgado, s., & mazzarella, f. (2024). refugees as creative change-makers: evaluation report of dft and wtre projects. university of the arts london. https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/22108/ rogers, c. r., & farson, r. e. (1957). active listening. industrial relations center of the university of chicago. sanders, e., & stappers, p. j. (2008). co-creation and the new landscapes of design. co-design, 4(1), 5-18. von bush, o., & palmås, k. (2023). the corruption of co-design: political and social conflicts in participatory design thinking. routledge. wang, c., & burris, m. a. (1997). photovoice: concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. health education and behavior, 24(3), 369-387. weber, j. (2022). restorative justice practices and credible messengers: promising, innovative approaches for improving outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system: a review of current research. council of state governments justice center. https://tinyurl.com/5xhu6fkm https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-05-2020-0188 https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/22108/ https://tinyurl.com/5xhu6fkm 96 “let’s design as the others!” exploring new social design practice for our inclusive future yanki lee if you are new to the field and you googled the term “social design”, victor papanek and victor margolin are two significant figures in the history of this field, promoting human-centred production (“social design”, 2024). thus, in 1999, the design academy eindhoven was transformed from a dutch industrial design school into an international interdisciplinary design academy and began offering the first ma programme in social design. according to the wikipedia entry on social design (2024), boelen and kaethler (2020) reflected this new definition as “[a] [new] materialist reading of social design, on one hand, complexifies the design process and on the other offers insight into meaningful forms of engagement” (p. 15). the positionality of social design practice aligned with the new materialist model of social design, which seeks to break down any distinction between design society and argues that all designs are social, design researchers such as sanders and stappers (2014) referred to three types of relationship between designers and people, which they also mapped with the following timeline: 1984 – design for people 2014 – design with people 2044 – design by people this timeline also reflected my journey from an architectural designer to a design researcher: inclusive/universal design to participatory design to design research. my journey started in london in 2000, where i was a research fellow on inclusive design at the royal college of art (rca). there, i ran an education programme to research and teach students how to design for people. this work focused on marginalized end users, those excluded by design at that time in the uk, i.e. older and disabled people. along with my doctoral research, i was active within participatory design communities in the scandinavian countries. here, a solid political agenda favours design, with people working with citizens to fight for social justice and equality. in 2012, after a decade working in design and ageing/disability, i spent a year as a post-doctoral scholar at tsinghua university, beijing, where i worked with a naturally occurring retirement community (norc). during this time, i collaborated with retired scientific professors in this group; they confirmed my questions on design practices for and with people and reinforced my ambition to advance and advocate the practice of design by people. i titled the study the “ingenuity of ageing” and used it to share insights into how we can enable ingenious older people to design by themselves for their ageing communities. through this, we can be inspired by their ingenious solutions for our future ageing. as an educator, i articulated and shared my experience with my students, providing a framework for them to reflect on their position. the aim was to enable them to become socially responsive designers. instead of linear development, i encouraged my students or new practitioners to develop a broader understanding of different social design practices and critically apply them to different situations. design as the others in our rapidly changing world, i believe all practices should be situational and evolving, responding to needs. i started to explore new design practices, as i did with others when 97 i investigated how to evolve my practice from human-centred to more-than-human-centred design. this immersive practice also helps me rethink my human position and explore the otherness in design. as it was defined, “otherness is the result of a discursive process by which a dominant in-group (“us,” the self) constructs one or many dominated out-groups (“them,” other) by stigmatizing a difference – real or imagined – presented as a negation of identity and thus a motive for potential discrimination” (staszak, 2009, p. 2). images 1 & 2: workshop for teachers in which yanki lee explains and displays tools to design as others. photos by andrés jarabo (left) and cecilia casas (right). we applied this practice to our latest experiment, ‘objects’ talk: empathic ecologies education project’, a two-year funded project for us to work with 500+ youths exploring ways to work with non-human (living or non-living objects) and a way to immerse ourselves in those objects’ world (lee, 2024). alongside this work, since 2015, we have designed empathic tools enabling citizens to immerse themselves in the dementia world. this is essential to understand the disease and co-create new cultures where people can accept people with dementia and support their caregivers. biography yanki lee professor yanki lee is a global citizen who researches and teaches between hong kong, london, växjö and kolding. as a design activist with an architectural design background and the founder of enable foundation, a social design collective and education charity, yanki co-designs things and exhibitions as co-creative tools that unlock wicked social problems through empathic design practice. since her doctoral design research on inclusive and participatory design practice (2003-2007), she started self-reflective discussions about human-centred design practice, and now the discussion is extended from human to non-human and expanded to “design for/with people” or even “design as the others”. www.yankilee.com, www.enable.org.hk references boelen, j., & kaethler, m. (eds). (2020). social matter, social design: for good or bad, all design is social. valiz. lee, y. (2024). objects talk. https://jcobjectstalk.enable.org.hk/objects sanders, l., & stappers, p. j. (2014). from designing to co-designing to collective dreaming: three slices in time. interactions, 21(6), 24-33 social design (2024, november 10). in wikipedia. https://shorturl.at/xzas3 staszak, j. f. (2009). other/otherness. in r. kitchi & n. thrift (eds.), international encyclopaedia of human geography, (pp. 43-47). elsevier. http://www.yankilee.com/ http://www.enable.org.hk/ https://jcobjectstalk.enable.org.hk/objects https://shorturl.at/xzas3 98 reflections on teaching and learning for social design susan melsop on the afternoon of march 11, 2024, the spacious lobby of esda (escuela superior de diseño de aragón) was transformed into an exhibition hall as students, faculty, administrators, staff and guests filled the space for the iii esda desis social design days. on display in the atrium were posters, short videos, visual stories and design objects created by esda design students; these described their experiential learning with and in communities. excitement about social design was palpable as design students presented their projects and described the communities in which they worked in mutually reciprocal ways. as an international visitor, a scholar of community-engaged design and a participant in the social design days, the students demonstrated an educational foundation of social design praxis that emphasizes people, place and potential –rather than problems. the esda students articulated social challenges, their processes for engagement and the impact of their – often collaborative – design work. this type of experiential coursework can create transformative learning experiences for aspiring designers. it can unite learners in collective, creative efforts toward critical causes and perhaps lead to an activist mindset. what students learn, the knowledge they glean, the skillsets they acquire and the curiosity and care they develop will affect and impact our collective capacities to empathize, adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world. in this regard, the role and responsibilities of an educator are paramount in driving this type of growth, transformation and adaptation. educators can foster an evolution in consciousness and create opportunities for students to develop an ontology of care (escobar, 2018) and a mindset toward radical relatedness (gablik, 1992). images 1 & 2: susan melsop and bori fehér during the students’ exhibition of their last term’s works on social design. photos by lucía rodriguez (left) and pablo calvo (right). indeed, what i witnessed from this exuberant display of students reflecting on their creative responses to community-based issues is foundational for the praxis of social design. this education can raise critical consciousness, ignite compassion for others and elevate collective creativity toward social justice. paulo freire reminds us, “…love is an act of courage, not fear, love is a commitment to others. no matter where the oppressed are found, love is a commitment to their cause–the cause of liberation” (freire, 2000). in this context, the focus on how students learn resonates with the principle that education should impart knowledge and cultivate awareness and empathy. by emphasizing the development of curiosity and care, educators can guide students toward a deeper understanding of their role as citizen designers, 99 integral to transformative experiences in social design. this approach aligns with escobar's notion of an ontology of care, as it encourages students to engage thoughtfully with communities, considering the implications of their design choices. similarly, gablik’s concept of radical relatedness highlights the importance of interconnectedness, urging students to recognize their responsibilities within a broader social context. thus, educators can play a pivotal role in nurturing these transformative experiences, encouraging students to reflect on the development of their consciousness and embrace a mindset that prioritizes collaboration and social impact. this holistic approach prepares students to adapt and thrive and empowers them to contribute meaningfully to their communities in an ever-changing world. biography susan melsop susan melsop is associate professor of design at ohio state university. her body of research weaves place-based design–build pedagogy with eco-social justice issues. she is co-director of the desis lab, design for social innovation & sustainability and recently served as a faculty fellow for arts & design engagement at osu. her recent work, “design matters in brazil”, addresses human rights issues through design–build activities with the poprua (national movement for the street situation) as community partners. her postgraduate studies in east asian philosophies and buddhism inform her approaches to engaged scholarship, contemplative pedagogy, and collaborative creative place-making. references escobar, a. (2018). designs for the pluriverse, radical interdependence, autonomy, and the making of worlds. duke university press. freire, p. (2000). pedagogy of the oppressed. bloomsbury academic. gablik, s. (1992). the reenchantment of art. thames and hudson. 100 teaching how to finish a project process in social design canan akoglu in design education, especially when addressing social issues, students work closely with communities facing vulnerability, such as loneliness, illness or forced migration. these projects are not just academic exercises; they involve real human connections and emotional investments. one of the most crucial aspects of social design education is teaching students to consider what happens to the relationships they build with citizens once the project ends. how do they prepare for their departure in a way that ensures that citizens are not left feeling abandoned? how do they ensure that the solutions developed can be sustained without their ongoing involvement? as design educators, we must teach our students how to build meaningful, empathetic relationships, thoughtfully finish their project processes and manage their exit. by integrating strategies for long-term sustainability and relationship continuity into their learning, students can become responsible designers, leaving behind more than just completed projects—they will leave communities with more robust agency. the first step in teaching students to manage these relationships is helping them understand the emotional and psychological dimensions of social design. vulnerable topics such as loneliness, illness and forced migration touch deeply personal aspects of people’s experiences. citizens in these contexts often carry emotional wounds, and their interaction with the designer can be a source of hope or support. for students, entering this space requires great empathy and cultural sensitivity. images 1 & 2: on the left, a fashion design student from esda teaches a refugee from venezuela how to use a sewing machine. on the right, a graphic design student shows her work to some refugees and classmates. photos by cecilia casas. we must encourage students to reflect on their roles as problem-solvers and as temporary participants in the lives of those they work with. by fostering this awareness, students will begin to see the long-term impact their departure can have on vulnerable citizens. one of the most important lessons to teach students is the ethics of finishing a project process and leaving the context. as students complete their projects and prepare to move on, we must 101 teach them that their exit should be part of a thoughtful transition that ensures continuity and support for the citizens they have worked with. this might be taught by embedding an exit strategy into every student project. we should ask the students to consider the following as part of their design proposals: • who will take over the project? encouraging students to identify local leaders, community groups or partner organizations who can continue the work helps prevent projects from ending by only designing a good outcome. this could involve handing off responsibilities to local citizens who have been part of the design process or establishing partnerships with ngos or government entities. • how will the community sustain the solution? we need to teach our students to design solutions that the community can sustain after they leave. whether providing resources, training or developing systems that empower citizens, students must ensure that their projects can be maintained longterm without their direct involvement. • what emotional support structures are in place? when working on issues such as loneliness or illness, students should be mindful of the emotional impact of their departure. teaching them to create support networks—such as peer groups, community-based services or connections to counsellors—ensures that citizens feel supported after the project ends. reflection is a powerful tool in design education. we can encourage students to reflect on the relationships they build with citizens during social design projects. how did their presence impact the people they worked with? what challenges did they face in building trust? most importantly, what will happen once they are no longer present? by encouraging students to write reflective journals, engage in peer discussions or present case studies of their projects, we can help them critically engage with the dynamics of entering and leaving vulnerable contexts. reflection helps students develop emotional intelligence and ethical responsibility, which are both essential in social design. social design is not only about solving problems but about creating sustainable change. this involves training students to consider the future trajectory of their projects and the well-being of the people they have worked with. teaching students to manage relationships in social design, mainly when working on sensitive issues such as loneliness, illness or forced migration, requires a holistic approach. it is about building empathy, teaching ethical exit strategies, encouraging reflection and emphasizing sustainability. by equipping students with these skills, we can prepare them to become designers who create meaningful solutions and leave behind communities with more robust agency, capable of continuing the work long after the designer leaves the context. biography canan akoglu canan akoglu is associate professor and head of the design for people master’s programme 102 at design school kolding in denmark. she also has a shared research leadership role in the lab for social design at the same institution. akoglu has a background in architecture and a phd in industrial design from istanbul technical university. her main research interests include stakeholder engagement, co-design, service design and social design in health, social care and well-being. before her current position, akoglu was co-founder of the department of industrial design at ozyegin university in istanbul. from left to right, nicos souleles, canan akoglu, cecilia casas-romero, susan melsop, lorraine gamman, yan ki lee, bori fehér and alberto franco. francesco mazzarella, the seventh participant, was not present when this photo was taken. photo by lucía rodríguez. (11-12 march 2024) 78 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. co-design for social innovation and organisational change: developing horizontal relationships in a social enterprise through walking mirian calvoa, madeleine sclaterb aimaginationlancaster, lancaster university bthe glasgow school of art published online: november 2020 to cite this article: calvo, m., & sclater, m. (2020). co-design for social innovation and organisational change. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 78-98. 79 co-design for social innovation and organisational change: developing horizontal relationships in a social enterprise through walking mirian calvoa, madeleine sclaterb aimaginationlancaster, lancaster university, lancaster, la1 4yw, united kingdom. m.calvo@lancaster.ac.uk bthe glasgow school of art, glasgow, g3 6rq, scotland. m.sclater@gsa.ac.uk abstract although an emerging body of literature identifies co-design as a promising approach to addressing the most urgent social challenges, little research has been undertaken about how co-design can support social change within the communities and organisations with which they collaborate. this is important because behavioural and organisational change is usually associated with the emergence of social innovations. these pressing socio-cultural challenges require interdisciplinary expertise, and we argue that the practice of co-design is an approach that provides such expertise. co-design by its nature is collaborative and can respond to the cultural demands of a society eager to participate. these demands require significant research to better understand how the practice of co-design can be a catalyst for social change and social innovation. in this paper, we explore what is meant by co-creation, social design, and co-design within the theoretical context of this study. we present a case study that focuses on a social enterprise committed to sustainability operating within the highlands and islands of scotland. here we examine the transformative process associated with co-design that the social enterprise and its members encountered. participatory action research (par) was implemented as the research approach to this study informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. the analysis suggests that the co-design process empowered the social enterprise and its members, enabling them to co-develop responsive and empathetic attitudes among themselves. codesign supported organisational changes by nurturing collaborative attitudes, expanding perspectives about social issues and releasing latent human abilities and assets. keywords: design for social change, social design, co-design, social innovation, participatory design, mutual learning, co-creation, participatory architecture, community architecture. getting together in the era of participation in the last half-century, there have been calls to consider new design methods (sanders & stappers, 2008). according to cross (1972), traditional design by its nature excludes people from the creative process and so fails to address the complexity of current challenges. the 21st century is witnessing diverse challenges: human migration (ahmed, 2017), environmental sustainability, climate change, cutbacks in public services, increasing social inequality, privatisation of education and healthcare (silverman & patterson, 2015), the current pandemic etc. all of these challenges impact our everyday lives, constraining our possibilities to choose based on our needs. cross (2011, p. 15) observes: “…we are on a journey from an industrial world ruled by certainty, precision, and logic to a natural world characterized by unity, unpredictability, and complexity”. in examining the impact of co-design, methodological frameworks must now be capable of capturing the dynamic processes of social change. the calls for change embrace democratic principles that are embedded in a myriad of practices and which aim to support the increasing demands on participation. practices such as co-creation, social design and design activism, co-design and participatory design are intertwined (bason, 2010). they share the idea that creativity resides in everyone and therefore any creative process should include participants covering the social spectrum – private, public and voluntary sectors, and involving all types of citizens. jungk (1973) envisioned a motivational shift in design which would radically reshape the future of the discipline. this shift has arrived (fuad-luke, 2017); society now 80 requires designers back in the public sphere, with greater involvement in socio-political problems and civil society (swann, 2002). these challenges require interdisciplinary expertise, and we argue that the practice of co-design is an approach that provides such expertise (meroni, selloni & rossi, 2018). in this paper, we examine how the practice of co-design in the voluntary sector, driven by social demands, can support the flourishing of ‘boundary spaces’ where the participants can re-negotiate their interpersonal bonds, and support organisational changes. boundary space is a notion introduced by gutiérrez et al. (1995), with the term ‘third space’, to describe situations where people who have different roles and perspectives encounter each other in power-balanced and horizontal terms, expanding the boundaries of both. it depicts a theoretical space of confluence where individuals approach from their different perspectives (calvo, 2019a). we explore the notions of co-creation, social design, and community-based codesign to describe the theoretical context of this study. we follow this with a case study that focuses on a social enterprise in which we examine how a co-design project functioned as a catalyst for a transformative process of behavioural and organisational changes. participatory action research (par) was implemented as the research approach to this study informed by ethnographic and co-design methods. finally, we discuss the findings of the analysis in terms of: (i) moving from hierarchical to horizontal organisational relationships; (ii) sprouts of behavioural and organisational change; and (iii) interpersonal learning. literature review in this section we investigate the theoretical conceptions about co-creation, the socialisation of design, and community-based co-design, leading us to narrow the scope of this study and reformulate the key focus of research – how co-design can become a catalyst for social innovation and organisational change. co-creation ideas of co-creation can be found in management disciplines (prahalad & ramaswamy, 2004) to explain the shift in business models from a centred to a customised view of products. tseng and piller (2003) illustrate enterprise models adopting mass customisation, rather than mass production. they identify a gap in understanding the impact of integrating users into value-creation processes in knowledge management. they describe the necessity for further research on methods of a customer-centred enterprise a kinship of user-centred design which has yielded benefits relating to consumer products such as value chain, customisable offer and knowledge-transfer (fogliatto, da silveira & borenstein, 2012). sanders and stappers (2008, p. 6) refer to co-creation as "any act of collective creativity", comprising a wide range of processes. bason (2010, p. 144) defines co-creation as the process of “…placing people’s wants, needs and situations at the centre of the creative process as a powerful way to generate the insights that allow us to create with people and not for them”. these are the prime insights influencing the landscapes of design that are expanding its frontiers towards fields such as service design or organisational design. 'design-withpeople' merges a society eager to participate with the principle that everyone is creative hence we all design (manzini, 2015). according to bason (2010), co-creation brings two benefits: divergence and execution. divergence appears when an increase in the number of ideas and inspirations brought about by diversity prompts more appropriate solutions. divergence has a direct relationship to the introduction of different knowledgebased approaches, such as the application of ethnographic research and qualitative data-gathering where researchers become participant-observers. hess and adams (2007) add that divergence enables conversations with a fresh slant on the same issue, hence changing perspectives and inviting new solutions. execution refers to human agency and anchors the participants throughout the whole creative process to ensure success (bason, 2010; halse et al., 2010). further, gillinson, horne and baeck (2010) disclose their 81 'radical efficiency model' after analysing more than one hundred case studies from different contexts which follow co-creation processes with a focus on reshaping public services. in the report, they chronicle ten successful social innovations. the radical efficiency model offers an opportunity for profound transformations in designing and delivering public services through centralised-strategies towards supporting local action and change. like nygaard and bergo’s (1975) local knowledge-production strategy at the dawn of participatory design, gillinson et al. (2010) recommend that governments devolve power to local communities who have the responsiveness and empathy required to enable social innovation. they identify four steps to pursue this: (i) developing 'new insights' through divergence; (ii) 'new customers' – redefining the notion of users; (iii) 'new suppliers', that means paying attention to who does the job – this includes re-contextualising the role of users; and (iv) 'new resources' – releasing latent human abilities, forgotten assets, and strengthening institutional networks. the aim focuses on engendering new perspectives about social issues. this leads to innovative transformations of services – based on the people experiencing them. socialisation of design design research increasingly concentrates on exploring approaches that can foster social innovation, shifting from design driven by the market to design motivated by social demands, promoting meaningful social impact towards sustainability (manzini & meroni, 2014). design methods have been applied in the public sphere (e.g. public services, community-based development, architectural transformations, etc.) aiming to achieve creative solutions that meet the needs and desires of people, going beyond conventional methods (mulgan, 2014). design is ubiquitous in contemporary life (fuad-luke, 2009). this is evident in the spread of rapid urban transformations (e.g. china’s urban development) and manufacturing technologies, which mediate in human interactions – an upward trend in pandemic times. papanek (1972) observes we all design all the time, as design embeds itself with human agency. from this perspective, people can adopt design roles (knowingly or unknowingly) in reshaping their everyday life – blurring the frontiers of design and raising tensions between the distribution of design competences, between professional designers versus non-professionals collaborating in a design process (manzini, 2015). the socialisation of design is a conscious act "…geared to goals, objectives and aims within a broad societal context…” (fuad-luke 2017, p. 281), thereby "…in the intimate interweaving between aesthetics and the political… an interesting answer to the activist nature of design activism is to be found" (markussen, 2013, p. 39). the research literature considers ‘the political’ (mouffe, 2013) dimension of design as the condition of dissent that each individual may experience within a concrete designerly situation. the political dimension of design could be used to re-mould pervasive and conventional structures of power because such dimension embodies activist strategies for transforming community paradigms and values (calvo & de rosa, 2017). design, as social action, has the potential to raise awareness of sustainable ways of living and working together; it assists in renegotiating the relationships we establish within the socio-material culture of human situations – between what we do and how we feel about doing it (markussen, 2013). design aesthetics thus embeds emotional reconfigurations and the allocation of meaning into such socio-material culture. it involves incorporating people’s needs within the designing process to foster alternative forms of inhabiting and reshaping identities, hence eliciting social and behavioural change (calvo & de rosa, 2017). it also requires methodologies able to study human agency and its interactions with the socio-materials of situations, and we argue that co-design is capable of intervening in people’s perceptions and affecting their behaviour. underpinning such a behaviour change is mutual learning which also supports the flourishing of networked communities and interpersonal bonding. building trust, engaging with social conventions, norms of cooperation and partnership, networking and community engagement, as well as formal and informal organisations, play a key role in behavioural change, which can lead to organisational change and social 82 innovation (ostrom & ahn, 2009). that is why, increasingly, design research pursues evidencing about mutual trust and empathetic relationships established with their partners and stakeholders. qualitative inquiry has been gaining relevance in social design as it provides the means to systematically document human interaction and participation. in this sense, ethnographic research used in this study provided a set of methods that enable the design-researchers to gather meaningful data. community-based co-design co-design as a design strategy increasingly resonates in community engagement and the voluntary sector. due to the democratic and open-ended nature of the design process, co-design aims to confront societal issues in the public sphere (fuad-luke, 2009). user-centred design, on the other hand, seems unable to address those challenges as it objectifies people in the design process and serves consumer products. gay and hembrooke (2004, p. xvii) illuminate a "…shift from user-centered design to context-based design... from a focus on human-computer interaction to a focus on human interaction that is mediated by technology in context". this shift emerged in the 1980s and 1990s in the field of interaction design (see kaptelinin and nardi, 2006; spinuzzi, 2005; zahedi, 2011) when its definition expands: from being focused on the computer, moving towards designing the sociocultural (hybrid) spaces of human interaction (winograd, 1996). as kaptelinin and nardi (2006, p. 10) state, our society is increasingly designed, “furnished with technologies at every turn”. these statements recognise the relevance of the social environment in configuring human interactions (‘designerly’ situations); and emphasise the intentionality (emotions, motivations and subjectivities) behind any design outcome. bannon (1991) advocates for a change in the systems design process, from meeting ergonomic specifications (human factors) to foregrounding greater involvement of the people acting with technology (to human actors) on the whole design spectrum. consonant with the insight that the ultimate input is on the users (people) to define their functionality, technology is then understood as an important part of human activity with a mediating role in their development. in user-centred design, social scientists were brought to mediate between designers and users (simonsen & robertson, 2013). over time, as sanders (2002) describes, both disciplines mutually learnt that the most productive designs come from a direct exchange of experiences when the stakeholders come together (gay & hambrooke, 2004; zahedi, 2011). both disciplines found strong allies in their combination (brandt et al., 2013; sanders, 2002). with a focus on participatory experiences, co-design emerges as pledging to address “…the most pressing societal challenges…" (meroni et al., 2018, p. 17). sanders (2002) uses the term post-design, a distinctive attitude to people, who, given appropriate tools to configure a hybrid language (ehn, 2017), become creative contributors to the design process. selloni (2017) illustrates co-design as a form of community engagement to strengthen communities, and as a prior step to co-production. co-design is also associated with social innovation as it can create a 'third space' (muller, 2009) where the multiplicity of expertise and perspectives (divergence) can be disclosed and assembled (manzini, 2015). cruickshank et al. (2012) define innovation as a systemic process requiring collective and creative activities to be performed by interdisciplinary expertise that emphasises knowledgeexchange amongst participants and disciplines (cruickshank, 2010). collier and williams (2013) propose ‘reflective practice’ to solidify such knowledge, out of what we learn and experience in the community. the notion of co-design refers to the act of collective creativity applied throughout the whole design process (sanders & stappers, 2008). this paradigm shift also involves a shift in the role of designers, who move from designer-to-designer to designer-to-public, and more recently, to public-to-public roles. here, designers need to acquire/emphasise social skills to facilitate ‘public designerly engagements’ (lindström & ståhl, 2016). in public-to-public relationships, those 'non-trained-in-design' still contribute to the designing (lee & ho, 2012), thereby democratising (and socialising) the design process. in designerly engagements, 83 designers intervene in public spheres, in a designer-public relationship, where people are perceived as experts, and designers adopt roles of support (ehn, 2008). with grassroots and bottom-up social innovations, communities take the lead and designers serve as triggers for local action (execution), their role is to activate and facilitate civic-collective creativity (lee & ho, 2012), alongside designing the sociomaterials of designerly engagements for ‘the co-articulation of issues’ (lindström & ståhl, 2016). methodology and case study this section presents the methodological approach and the methods deployed in a case study conducted with rural communities in the highlands and islands of scotland and associated with a three-year uk-ahrc funded design research project, called leapfrog. focused on transforming public engagement, leapfrog explored the role of co-design in strengthening communities and involving them in the designing of engagement tools to invigorate public-community engagement. this study adopted a participatory action research (par) approach to develop the methodology because it foregrounds participants and their context as the core of the investigation (whyte, 1991). it also embeds social change as part of the research agenda – aiming to produce a positive social impact on communities (walter, 2009). par stems from lewin (1946), a social psychologist focused on shifting away from the scientific tradition and establishing democratic principles in research, to reshape research itself (chevalier & buckles, 2013). par is an applied research approach oriented to address social issues. it is open to innovations or contributions that may arise from its interaction with other disciplines. par is usually represented by a spiral of stages where each stage informs the next one, once the research-community partnership identifies a focal social issue: (i) initial planning; (ii) action; (iii) observation; (iv) reflectioninformed planning (see walter, 1993, p. 3). par was implemented in this study as the meta-process of a methodological framework developed by the research team with four phases: (i) preparation for co-design; (ii) co-design situations; (iii) follow-up; and (iv) systematising learning. these phases structured the ‘tools for renewal’ research project, a case study where ethnographic and co-design methods were deployed to gather data about how co-design can support interpersonal and organisational changes in social enterprises. case study: tools for renewal ‘tools for renewal’ consisted of a six-month co-design project with the newbold trust, a social enterprise based forres, n-e of scotland. its mission is to consider sustainable ways of living together in the region. the trust had initiated a transformation shifting away from an organic and unstructured community to a social enterprise. this internal shift involved the renewal of both its physical assets and its identity as a social enterprise. the newbold community felt isolated from community life in forres and the region. they wanted to open up the doors of their property to include local communities in the physical transformation and decision-making of their future spatial uses. the participants' reasons to participate in the project were largely related to commitment to sustainable causes, seeking to nurture their personal inner life and curiosity. the flourishing of social connections was the ultimate motive of newbold community’s decision to embrace the project. the research aim was to identify ways to establish long-term community engagement by systematically inviting local communities to participate in the renewal of their facilities, as well as in the reshaping of their identity. after a series of co-design situations, ‘walking’ (careri, 2002; ehrström, 2016) emerged as the principal method by which to engage such communities, and a postcard tool was codesigned to gather the insights of the participants who engaged in the facilitated walks. 84 preparation for co-design this first step comprised three stages: (i) initiation and planning; (ii) historical research; and (iii) interviews. during the initiation and planning stage, conversations were held with the community and public partners – collectively defining the problématique; establishing a bidirectional dialogue for identifying the challenge and focus; co-designing a research plan and timeline, and inviting participants to sign the informed consent agreement and gain ethical approval from the institutions involved. semi-structured interviews and visits were then conducted to build rapport and trust, but also to begin understanding the personal context and motivations of participants. during the visits, we walked around the newbold property (figure 1), a victorian house and approximately seven acres of grounds. focused on seeing at first hand the spatial assets for renewal, design-researchers gathered accounts of the context of research while adopting a participant-observer role. touring around the newbold grounds, the research team and the newbold community began building mutual understanding. figure 1. route and map of the facilitated walk. 85 co-design situations this phase was the most intense and immersive engagement with participatory activities. it comprised several methods: catalysis workshop, co-design workshops, prototyping tests, semi-structured interviews, reflective group sessions, participant-observation, and tool delivery events. catalysis workshop designed to enhance the construction of group dynamics, the catalysis workshop brought participants together to share their personal experiences about the newbold services and spatial assets. twelve participants came from the newbold trust, the findhorn foundation and the forres local community. after introducing the project, the facilitated walk began. here the design-researchers adopted participantobserver roles. they mingled with the small group of people that moved naturally from one spot to another (see figure 1, and steps 1-9). we all walked in small groups, feeling comfortable, observing our surroundings and letting ourselves be embraced by the environment. two members of newbold provided an improvised narrative connecting the physical spaces with the past, present and future desires of newbold. eventually, the participants started imagining possible changes and alterations that could be made as they walked through those spaces; they wrote or drew on the tools that were designed for datagathering and analysis. people continued to organically form small groups. the act of walking closer together functioned as a way to initiate a conversation and the thread of the conversation became the way to connect the group until we reached the next spot (figure 2). walking was a means to break down the hierarchies of power between the members of the newbold community. in the next activity, a group reflective session, participant 1 said: “…i felt freedom when people were walking; we were not in this situation, staring at each other. here it is more difficult to express myself. when we were walking, we were talking at the same time freely.” figure 2. facilitated walk at newbold trust. 86 the catalysis workshop created horizontal group dynamics. the group reached the point where participants started building other types of relationships. working together, in this case, did not mean collaborating. each staff member in charge of each department tended to work independently and autonomously. in their work with the newbold community, the research team also observed a certain degree of intra-personal friction. there was an ideological split between two groups: those who pushed to turn newbold into a sustainable and self-sufficient business and others who resisted the change and longed for the return of a bohemian lifestyle. co-design workshop 1 during this workshop the participants went through four main phases: 1) a reflective session on previous engagements, 2) deepening understanding and reaching a collective agreement, 3) idea-generation and prototyping activities, and 4) presenting concepts/prototypes and selecting proposals. the first co-design workshop aimed to reflect collectively upon the previous walking experience, and, as a collective, to codesign ideas where walking could be adapted as the newbold trust method for engaging local communities in the long-term. there were ten participants. the day began with lunch and an opportunity to analyse the data collected during the catalysis workshop. using string hanging from side to side across the room, the participants began organising the insights according to their collective criteria, shaping a timeline of interventions based on the values of the group (figure 3). this helped them to consider what type of exchange they were looking for in engagement and the methods they might need to use to gather, interpret and act on information accumulated during the exchange. this activity sought to break with the hierarchical dynamics that the participants unconsciously brought to the workshop, an influence that would allow members to behave freely without wondering if they should agree with the ideas of a superior. this enabled participants to collectively identify different approaches to their strategic plan. figure 3. hang-it-up collective activity (priority building). 87 the participants were then divided into groups comprising three people and sent on a ‘discovery journey’ around the creative campus, glasgow school of art, in forres. the participants approached the activities with joy going with the flow and generally feeling comfortable. in turn, they gained the ability to put themselves in the place of their future walkers and built collaborative attitudes towards those they engaged within the co-design process. for instance, unconsciously, participants 3, 4 and 12 realised that they were not able to write their insights, so they used each other’s backs as improvised support to write their thoughts, showing a collaborative attitude (figure 4). figure 4. discovering activity. an interesting insight was the importance of somehow tailoring and planning the route of the walk into the purpose of the engagement. participant 3 commented: “the flow of the walk needs to be tied into how someone who does not know about this place may interact with it and how one feels. the reason why we are doing this is how to interact with the space. that would be also related within the experiences.” this session allowed them to gain a better understanding of their participation in the project. p6 said: “walking around the fields stimulated emotional responses. it is more about qualities. looking at that as a way to imaging the development of newbold”. participant 10 mentioned: “similar to when we were using the tool in newbold, we were imaging how the space could be transformed within the narrative. how do we develop that thing and how do we tell the story right from the entry gate? it is really the narrative, the story that we want to tell people.” 88 the narrative was a crucial component that needed to be addressed. the participants naturally began to imagine possibilities. the sharing of spatial and personal experiences shifted away towards co-producing ideas. the workshop produced three idea-prototypes and the group decided to focus on one. semi-structured interviews the interviews foregrounded how co-design situations were providing new conditions for them to learn more about their team. participant 2 said: “…in these two workshops i think i found the learning at watching us as a group, how the interactions happened, what formed the group dynamic and perspective”. the process was helping them to redefine their interpersonal relationships, an adjustment of behaviour. participant 1 said: “…because we are in a different environment, i am learning how they (staff) approach a problem, how they react when they have something new to build…”. prototype-test in-between co-design workshops, participant 5 facilitated a walk with a group of erasmus students and collected the observations written on the prototype. he brought his insights into the experience to initiate the following co-design workshop. co-design workshop 2 participant 5 outlined the use of walking as the method to offer the students an inclusive and comfortable atmosphere to spark informal conversations and so imagine through stimulating all the channels of learning. participant 5 said: “for me, it was a strong sense of engagement with the people. this was a tool (prototype) that helped me engage in more dialogue as we moved around with the people. the tool gave me a sort of structure to build the narrative.” researchers noticed no hierarchical relationships between the participants. next, participants were split into small groups of two or three people and spent the rest of the workshop co-designing new iterations of the tool (prototype) to enhance it. after collective selection focusing on a new prototype of the tool, the group decided to test it again, in a series of facilitated walks during the harvest festival. participant-observation the harvest festival was the biggest community event newbold organised and included sharing activities with other local communities. two facilitated walks were planned on the agenda of the community event. on average, both walks had around twelve participants, most of the visitors/eco-tourists. like the catalysis workshop, the walk sparked small groups who walked together, having conversations between themselves, asking questions and sharing their ideas about the spatial assets. they engaged with the narratives of the walk-in an informal atmosphere (figure 5). in the end, the participants spent some time writing their reflections about their experience and gave the prototypes back. the research-community team reflected on the activity and concluded that the prototype worked well, although some adjustments needed to be addressed. the design team developed a third version, more flexible and adaptable, according to the needs and purposes of the walk. 89 figure 5. facilitated walk at the harvest festival. tool delivery event the workshop began with a collective and reflective session. an insight emerged: the qualities of physical space and their rotation contributed to the emanation of interpersonal learning. participant 7 said: “when you go out of the house (newbold house) and you have conversations like these with the same people but out of your usual environment, you understand maybe better or from a different way. this becomes a tool to know each other better, differently.” they all agreed that the project helped them to know each other better and hence start working as a team. then they tested the final prototype and reported minor touches. by the end, all the participants had built their tools for renewal, which they took away with them. finally, the research team thanked them for their commitment during the project. this would not have been possible without all of their hospitality, kindness and open-minded approach, and the project drew to an end. follow-up the follow-up phase consisted of revisiting some of the participants once the case study was complete, using (i) participant-observation and conducting (ii) reflective interviews, observing the course and consequences of the co-design situations in perspective; perceiving a potential change in the agency. participant 1 said: “…you have to solve problems every day and sometimes you do not have time to stop and think about how to do things. on this, we learnt that we needed to stop and think and talk and create these conversations.” according to him, the co-design workshops foregrounded the beginning of a unique moment that impacted the way he perceived the other participants, unfolding hidden personal competencies and skills. it activated his learning and this led to reshaping the group dynamic. for 90 participant 3, the co-design project provided a learning outcome: the need to collaborate towards a common goal. he stated: "…going through that process and learning how it is not about roles, it is about the different perspectives that helped us solve problems, create new tools". he understood the relevance of merging different perspectives as a synergy that renegotiated the relational patterns of working together and their feelings about this way of working. the organisation had embedded the walks, held and facilitated regularly with wider communities. yet the tool needed more preparation and planning. they were in an evolving and transformative process. participant 6 expressed surprise about the process, however, he said: "…my only reservation is that it was too quick and i think we needed more time to expand on what we were doing…". he commented that they had embedded the hang-it-up activity in their meetings. he reflected, comparing both experiences and concluded: "…i might consider moving more, getting up and moving as a really important part of decisionmaking." findings this section presents the findings of the analysis phase (systematising learning) where affinity diagramming was adopted, an ethnographic method consisting of arranging pieces of paper-based data on a physical space like a wall and follows a three-phase process (each one illuminating a higher level of abstraction): item, pattern and structural analysis (lecompte & schensul, 1999). the process went through three phases of affinity diagramming, re-arranging the items by affinity, bottom-up, and consolidating theoretical structures. out of this process, three findings were identified: walking enabled changes: from hierarchical to horizontal organisational relationships the use of facilitated walks (ehrström, 2016; kanstrup, bertelsen, & madsen, 2014) animated an engagement process amongst participants. walking proved to be a useful method to read and imagine those physical spaces revealing opportunities and dilemmas through a process that reduced interpersonal conflict and foregrounded the third space (gutiérrez, 2008; muller & druin, 2012; muller 2009). in this, the disruptive aesthetic of design was a key dimension that opened a space between emotions and human agency, leading to consciousness-raising (markussen, 2013; fuad-luke, 2017, 2009; disalvo, 2012; rancière, 2010). the walk aimed to create the space for collective reflection about issues where social and physical dimensions converged. by discussing in small groups and letting the surroundings to embrace the conversations, the walk helped participants to see things differently. participant 11 shared: “the walk was a really good idea and the reasons i am giving are because we saw and spoke to each other about different perspectives. it also was fun to be with you and to understand your ideas both verbally and visually, and critically navigate throughout the space. it sparked loads of ideas. i liked it because it made me slow down, observe, and feel the spaces.” the activity generated an embracing atmosphere for the participants to reflect in situ and contribute to the focus of the project. the walk activated visual and kinaesthetic learning processes. it also broke down the hierarchies that sometimes can be found in traditional environmental conditions, such as round tables indoors. careri (2002) states that walking is an art form which discloses an interpretation of ourselves within the environment, and aesthetic recognition through the experience of understanding (rasmussen & wright, 2001) a production of collective meaning. sprouts of behavioural and organisational change 91 during the follow-up, participant 6 reflected on adopting “…moving as an important part of decisionmaking…”, denoting potential social change. about this, participant 2 said: “…i realised it is so important to have all that design planning before doing. i have just finished a permaculture design certificate. i think this project will help to inform that as well”. other evidence of change was to see that participants adopted walking and the hang-it-up activity in their community meetings. participant 1 shared: “…the process helped to open ourselves up and our relationship is a little different now. we are more comfortable. for instance, we used to have a non-flexible system. every week we had like a business meeting, and we decided, during the process, we would have meetings when we needed them.” the climate created during the workshops stimulated participants to behave differently and feel free to be themselves, acknowledging a change in their attitudes. participant 6 said: “…by the fact of us being a group, i felt like all the stuff of me having to perform or do something, just about me personally and my need to perform well, that just fell apart. that just did not happen, so i was comfortable and enjoyed it.” inter-personal learning this finding draws on 'people skills', comprising skills and competencies such as learning to listen to people, building trust and respect for different perspectives, changing perceptions and expanding mutual understanding towards working together. for example, participant 5 said: "…it taught me a little bit to just be open to other ideas, be able to contribute but be open to other ideas because it is a group". they learnt how to collaborate better by making their attitude more open to listening to others. participant 5 added: "…having the input of many people i realised is much more powerful, because everybody is involved, we can develop something which everybody is comfortable with…", raising awareness of collective ownership. participant 4 shared: "…i am interested in seeing how we are coming together as a team, working together and not just running the place…". participant 2: “…it helped me see that what i think is not always the most appropriate design, whereas with co-design most things are thought of and everyone feels ownership…”. participant 6: “…what i have learnt is the deeper level of trusting of the group process”. on changing perceptions, he added: “…i have learnt about other people, a couple of people who were able to see clearly and that helped me to have a different view of them”. discussions and conclusions this study has investigated the arguments pointing to co-design as a suitable methodology to confront socio-cultural challenges (meroni et al., 2018; fuad-luke, 2017, 2009; ehn, 2017; smith et al., 2016) that threaten and constrain our present and future qualities of life. today we live in turbulent times. the ripples of the recent recession are still spreading, globally re-moulding the socio-cultural and political-economic spheres. economic experts envision another significant recession, as a consequence of the pandemic, which will lead to the post-oil era (ahmed, 2017). the ipcc (2018) reports the socio-cultural need to urgently reshape our lifestyles and consumerist modes. internationally, we are witnessing movements arguing for egalitarian power-relationships (e.g. #blacklivesmatter) and social change that embrace sustainable ways of working and living together (e.g. #extinctionrebellion). the challenges at stake require networked communities and interdisciplinary expertise (meroni et al., 2018) to produce synergies and social innovations capable of adjusting and re-equilibrating the relationship between nature and the built environment, seeking for sustainable ways of inhabiting this world (manzini & meroni, 2014). our literature review has identified how design research approaches are increasingly present in the public sphere (fuad 92 luke, 2009; mulgan, 2014), and geared towards addressing complex social issues (fuad-luke, 2017; 2009). some approaches (see nygaard & bergo, 1975; gillinson et al., 2010) recommend governments to set up centralised strategies that empower and support local community-led initiatives, associating local knowledge-production, empathy, and horizontal relationships as key factors in the emergence of social innovations (ostrom & ahn, 2009). we argue that ‘centralised strategies and local actions’ require a greater understanding on how design can be a catalyst for supporting social change processes, and also the need for policies that create the legal framework of interaction, between local actions and centralised strategies. the challenges society faces are amorphous in their structure and characterised by emergence, nonlinearity, uncertainty, adaptation and constant change (silverman & patterson, 2015). we argue that design features in all these challenges. what we have suggested in this study is that co-design, as a socialisation act, has the means to configure boundary spaces (calvo, 2019a; edwards, 2011; gutiérrez et al., 1995; gutiérrez 2008; lally & sclater, 2013). these spaces have the potential to merge the nascent demands of participation (smith et al., 2017; disalvo, 2012; jenkins, 2006) and the divergence of expertise required to co-articulate the issues, a driving-force that can confront societal challenges. the notion of boundary space is not new in co-design. muller and druin (2012) mention it under the term 'third space', a concept built upon bhabha's (1994) argument that when two or more boundaries (two or more spaces) interact, a boundary space of overlap (a hybrid space) emerges. bhabha (1994), describes this boundary space as a combination of features coming from all the boundaries interacting. muller and druin (2012, p1129) explain that, within this space, "enhanced knowledge exchange is possible". lee (2008) names it the 'realm of collaboration' which describes a power-balanced space of convergence. björgvinsson et al. (2012) refer to 'infrastructuring' as the means to create a space for assembling the multiplicity of expertise and divergence (also in meroni et al., 2018; smith et al., 2016) regarding the need for co-developing a common design language (ehn, 2017). in this study, the notion of boundary space finds inspiration from gutiérrez's (2008) theorisations of the third space, which emerges from differences in the engagement and participation, as well as from the multiple social scenarios that informal situations provide, which are based on egalitarian structures of power-relations. therefore, the conversation flows under inclusive and comfortable social conventions. gutiérrez (2008) aligns with suchman's (2002) association of boundary crossing and mutual learning. the concept of boundary-crossing, developed in the 1990s, reflected the transition of individuals interacting between various practices (suchman, 1994). also considered in situated theories of learning (lave & wenger, 1991) and in communities of practice (wenger, 1998), it was particularly advanced in educational sciences and psychology. this study also argues that design-researchers and practitioners have the means to directly intervene in the social environment, through orchestrating and choreographing design activities, supported by techniques, engagement tools and design games (brandt, binder & sanders, 2013). this subtle yet complex designerly act should consider the aesthetic and the ‘political’ (mouffe, 2013) dimensions of design. it also requires design-researchers and practitioners to gain socio-emotional competencies to understand participants’ ways of feeling and doing (markussen, 2013) understanding and stimulating group dynamics and reading the group mood to reorient the flow of engagements as required. as markussen (2013) points out, the aesthetic dimension of design is disruptive because it opens up a boundary space, a third space, between the social and performative actions of the participants and the production of 'new' emotions. the aesthetics of a design stimulates emotional responses which cause a disruption by raising awareness of people's activities and how they may feel about it. in this regard, the facilitated walks were orchestrated and choreographed design activities. they were prepared, planned, and geared (designerly) social acts that triggered behavioural change among the participants by reducing 93 interpersonal conflict and foregrounding third spaces. about this, kierkegaard and bretall (1947) observe the benefits of walking, an act that frees simultaneously the body and the mind, enabling thinking. anderson (2004) builds upon kierkegaard's reflection on walking, and upon casey's (2001, p. 684) theorisation about the relationship between the self and place as a “constitutive coingredience”, to develop a walking method to harness 'the inherently socio-spatial character of human knowledge" (andreson, 2004, p. 254). he emphasises the relaxing effect that the bodily rhythmic moves have on both body and mind, which encourages the use of imagination and unfolds hidden memories and experiences. kanstrup et al. (2014) review several walking methods and their suitability for participatory and co-design approaches. they identify four key factors to take into account: (i) the relevance of preparing the sociomaterials of the walk to spark designerly interactions; (ii) walking methods are time-efficient regarding the enriched data they unfold; (iii) adaptability of walking methods to absorb spontaneous detours of the planned routes and/or of the conversations; and (iv) the importance of “post-walk activities” (anderson, 2004, p. 59). walking is a natural human activity, and in this case study, it was re-purposed as a design method to place the participants in a social environment with which most of them were familiar. yet the facilitated walks engendered boundary spaces, which disrupted participants' everyday thinking, reconfiguring their relationship with the physical and social attributes of newbold surroundings. the walks enabled the participants to connect in ways they did not connect before. this notion of relational aesthetics aligns with the notion of aesthetics developed by rancière (2010), a dialogic form of interacting (and learning) with the social environment, which "reorients perceptual space, thereby disrupting socioculturally entrenched forms of belonging in and inhabiting the everyday world" (markussen 2013, p. 44). giroux (2020) has recently argued that “hope is the affective and intellectual precondition for individual and social struggle”. emboldened with hope, educators can use theory to address pressing problems. to meet the challenges of social innovation and organisational change we are advocating the use of theorised co-design, drawing upon key theoretical concepts including, for example, boundary spaces. giroux also points out that civic courage is required to transform critique into political practice. co-design, in this sense, is, we think, a form of political practice and can be a catalyst for social change and social innovation. giroux comments: "hope as the desire for a future that offers more than the present becomes most acute when one’s life can no longer be taken for granted. only by holding on to both critique and hope in such contexts will resistance make concrete the possibility for transforming politics into an ethical space and a public act." we think that collective consciousness can be aroused through co-design activities, as evidenced in the case study presented in this paper. when combined with imagination, we contest that such consciousness has the potential to enable people to co-design new forms of community that, according to giroux (2020), "affirm the value of the social, economic equality, the social contract, and democratic values and social relations." references ahmed, n. m. 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(1991). participatory action research. newbury park: sage. winograd, t. (1996). bringing design to software. new york, usa: addison-wesley. zahedi, m. (2011). modèle novateur de conception d’interface humain-ordinateur centrée sur l’utilisateur: le designer en tant que médiateur [innovative user-centred human-computer interface design model: the designer as a mediator]. (phd), montreal, canada: university of montreal. 23 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework neha mathew, francesco mazzarella published online: november 2023 to cite this article: mathew, n. & mazzarella, f. (2023). upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(2), 22-41. 24 upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework neha mathewa, francesco mazzarellaa alondon college of fashion, ual abstract the international fashion industry is heavily reliant on asian manufacturers, and garment workers are predominantly south asian women, who work in deplorable conditions and face abuse from their employers. furthermore, despite the growing demand for british-made goods, the fashion and textile manufacturing industry in the united kingdom (uk) is facing a severe shortage of skilled machinists, also due to brexit and the increasing disinterest of young people in learning making skills. within this context, this paper reports on a project aimed at developing and testing a collaborative training framework for social enterprises wanting to upskill marginalised south asian women and support their employment within the fashion and textile industry. to meet this aim, semi-structured interviews, a series of co-creation workshops, and a focus group were conducted as part of participatory action research conducted in the uk. findings from the primary and secondary research validated the need for collaborative training programmes, while the delivery of the co-creation workshops aided in the development of a guidebook. the paper proposes a framework and discusses how it can be adopted and adapted by social entrepreneurs who want to upskill marginalised south asian women in the fashion and textile industry. in conclusion, the paper highlights the original contribution of the research to the theory and practice of social entrepreneurship and outlines recommendations for further work. keywords: ethical fashion, skills training, co-creation framework, social entrepreneurship introduction international clothing companies and high-end luxury brands frequently collaborate with manufacturers in countries such as india, bangladesh, china and vietnam (mccosker, 2023). however, this practice often gives rise to unethical supply chain issues, leading to the exploitation of disadvantaged artisan communities, primarily composed of women in these countries (lewis, 2021). despite public awareness of this situation, the problem persists. consumer attitudes towards unsustainable working conditions are changing, and companies risk falling behind and losing some of their customers if they do not embrace this shift. a growing number of people are interested in craft and design, especially considering requests to empower artisan communities and the devastating effects the pandemic has had on artisan labour (edited, 2021). the covid-19 outbreak compelled retailers to re-evaluate their operations, pushing them towards a more sustainable and ethical approach (edited, 2021). in today’s environment, simply purchasing artisanal goods is insufficient and can be seen as inauthentic. companies need to engage artisans from the outset of the design process and ensure that they receive a guaranteed living wage throughout the supply chain to empower the artisans who create their products (edited, 2021). 25 higher unemployment rates for ethnic minority women in london london has a higher unemployment rate for women from ethnic minority backgrounds. women from bame (black, asian, and minority ethnic) backgrounds experience an unemployment rate of 8.1% compared to a rate of 3.3% for women from a white ethnic group (devine, 2022). according to the office for national statistics (ons), the unemployment rate for bame women increased by two-thirds between the end of 2019 and 2020; that is from 5.8% to 9.5% (tuc, 2021). ethnic minority groups in central london forward (14.9%) and the south london partnership (13.3%) experience higher inequalities compared to white citizens in the same regions (6.9% and 5.3%, respectively) (volterra partners llp, 2021). central london forward (clf) is a sub-regional alliance representing 12 local authorities in central london, while the south london partnership is a sub-regional partnership of five london boroughs. exploitation of south asian artisans under invisible global supply chains the term ‘invisible’ is used as a metaphor for how supply chains are not transparent to consumers and the public. pledging to stop violating workers’ rights and making that happen are two different things in the fashion industry. the same brands that insist on the utmost ethical standards in front of the public then demand clothes to be manufactured at an unsustainable pace and overly low price and this leads to worker’s rights abuses (kent, 2020). the laws which are supposed to protect these artisans are commonly ignored or not implemented properly throughout the supply chain (kent, 2020). since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been increasing reports of wage theft and increased debt among artisans (kent, 2021a). in this regard, alexander kohnstamm, executive director at fair wear foundation stated: “i don’t think we should continue to do what we have done for the last twenty years. we need much more drastic and ambitious change. to do that, we need new business models” (kent, 2021a, p. 2). with this research context in mind, the project presented in this paper aimed to develop and test a collaborative training framework for social enterprises wanting to upskill marginalised south asian women and support their employment within the fashion and textile industry. to meet this aim, the following objectives were set out: to critically review theories and practices of social enterprises training disadvantaged women; to conduct co-creation workshops in order to elicit issues related to training/upskilling artisans/workers as well as opportunities for upcycling surplus fabrics; to develop a collaborative training framework and test it within the context of a home decor social enterprise. literature review today’s fast-paced mass market and globalised fashion industry have given rise to complex and unfair supply chains that are filled with labour infractions — ranging from low pay and overwork to dangerous working conditions, exploitation of child labour and modern-day slavery (kent, 2021b). addressing these supply chain issues requires a focus on understanding how businesses are engaging with local communities and labour organisations, while also ensuring the inclusion of the workforce and their representatives (kent, 2021b). in the future, there needs to be a system of collaboration and legally binding agreements with labour unions (kent, 2021b). the uk’s fashion sector has experienced significant growth, with retail sales of apparel quadrupling between 1998 and 2018, reaching £60 billion (fashion revolution, 2022). british brands and retailers must 26 adopt more sustainable and responsible practices, including transparent supply chains. surprisingly, no british brand or retailer made it to the top 10 in the fashion transparency index for 2022 (fashion revolution, 2022). the fashion transparency index is defined as the annual evaluation of 250 of the world’s biggest fashion retailers and brands graded according to their level of public transparency on human rights and environmental policies, practices, and impacts in their operations and supply chains (fashion revolution, 2022). in this regard, mostafiz uddin, owner and managing director of denim expert ltd., bangladesh, claims (fashion revolution, 2022, p. 32): ''i think transparency is the future because it has the power to establish trust among people in the supply chain which is essential for the existence of all of us on this planet”. transparency allows workers, labour unions, human rights organisations and others the ability to quickly notify clothing brands of labour violations occurring in the factories that are supplying them, allowing them the option to react, halt and resolve rights abuses at an early stage (fashion revolution, 2022). transparency facilitates brand collaboration and partnership working towards minimising, stopping and preventing labour exploitation within supply chains (robledo & triebich, 2020). however, consumers currently lack the information needed to make conscious choices and hold businesses accountable for labour conditions since the origin of their garments remains unknown. consumers are interested in learning where garment workers are employed in the supply chain as well as whether those who make their products are capable of advocating for themselves for better working conditions (muller, 2020). moreover, the fashion industry's complex and constantly changing global network of manufacturers poses significant challenges that cannot be tackled by any single entity alone (kent, 2020). despite public demands for stricter guidelines and companies’ claims of responsible sourcing, labourers still endure harsh conditions and meagre wages. in a report published in 2019, the uk house of commons environmental audit committee voiced concerns that e-commerce companies such as boohoo were pressuring uk manufacturers to agree to pay illegally low wages (kent, 2020). if brands want to address the issues of fair wages and labour exploitation in the fashion industry, they must re-evaluate how they negotiate with suppliers and maintain their value chains. everlane and other direct-to-consumer businesses have demonstrated how transparent pricing and suppliers may attract customers, but this business model has not yet been adopted by the majority of the industry (kent, 2019). manufacturers and sourcing professionals claim that companies continue to frequently change vendors to attain the cheapest bargain, commonly preferring countries having weak labour regulations (kent, 2020). nevertheless, there is growing recognition within the fashion industry that true transformation can only be achieved through collaboration and involvement of all relevant stakeholders, even if progress is gradual and challenging (amen et al., 2021). to tackle some of the above-mentioned challenges, designers are increasingly engaging in social innovation processes, acting as agents of change and collaborating with communities and other stakeholders to cocreate services, strategies and systems (mazzarella et al., 2021). social innovations can be defined as “new ideas (products, services, and models) that simultaneously meet social needs and create new social relationships or collaborations” (murray et al., 2010, p. 3). for such innovations to have a meaningful impact, they must be co-created with designers, artisans/workers, consumers and stakeholders. additionally, cultural translation is essential to ensure that these innovations align with contextual factors, 27 addressing the important aspects of social acceptance and preference, which are often overlooked (meroni & selloni, 2018). designers can play a role not only in developing social innovations but also in shaping new social entrepreneurial models for sustaining and scaling such initiatives (selloni & corubolo, 2017). social entrepreneurs play a significant role in the field of social innovation because their mission is to create opportunities for inclusion. their social impact activities are commonly focused on economic, social and community development; employment and training; and social services (drencheva & stephan, 2014). with these sustainability challenges in mind, the research presented in this paper focused on london, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the uk, whose fashion and textile industry is affected by social inequalities and limited access to good job opportunities. for instance, in boroughs like waltham forest, which has a diverse ethnic population and lower average income compared to the london average, there is an evident disparity in pay and employment rates among bame groups (a new direction, 2019). unfortunately, the creative sector in london, particularly the fashion industry in east london, lacks diversity and connectivity, leaving the asian community and former textile workers with limited employment prospects (a new direction, 2019). this emphasises the need for an encouraging network to foster collaborations between designers and makers (mazzarella & black, 2023). the rise of fast fashion has further contributed to the loss of specialised technical skills and a shortage of skilled labour, jeopardising the preservation of london's heritage fashion and textile expertise (mazzarella & black, 2023). therefore, upskilling potential employees and protecting existing skilled labour becomes imperative. in response to the problems faced by south asian workers in the fashion industry and the demand for a transparent supply chain, sustainable business models should focus on training workers locally and implementing ethical practices, ensuring safe working conditions. to understand these challenges and identify opportunities for empowering marginalised women, two case studies were conducted by reviewing business reports. images 1 and 2 synthesise the findings from the case studies on making for change and sewing friendship. making for change in the uk is an exemplary organisation based in london aimed at empowering disadvantaged women through skills training. the making for change fashion training and manufacturing unit was developed as a collaboration between london college of fashion, ual, and hm prison service (caulfield et al., 2018). the thusa batho sewing for africa community sewing project, which is based in durban, can be used to demonstrate how higher education and society can collaborate to challenge prejudice, tribalism and racism through community participation (mutero et al., 2021). the case studies showcase the importance of co-creation processes in eliminating workers’ exploitation and supporting local communities and highlight the need for collaborative training programmes in this context. 28 image 1: case study on making for change. image 2: case study on sewing friendship. research methodology the research project presented in this paper had an emancipatory and exploratory purpose (robson, 2002), as it aimed to create opportunities for disadvantaged south asian women in the uk and to drive social change. since limited research exists on upskilling this specific group, the project also explored the potential impact of collaborative training programmes in enhancing their skills and career prospects. the research adopted an interpretivist philosophy (saunders & tosey, 2013) to gain subjective insights into how local stakeholders can aid disadvantaged women in obtaining the necessary training for supporting secure livelihoods. this project employed an inductive research approach (strauss & corbin, 1998), as qualitative 29 data was collected to understand the impact of collaborative training programmes on upskilling underprivileged south asian women in the uk and subsequently used to inform the development of a conceptual framework. participatory action research (kemmis & mctaggart, 2005) was the chosen research strategy for this project, as it sought to develop a collaborative framework to empower disadvantaged south asian women with improved employment opportunities. the first author of this paper actively collaborated with stakeholders and facilitated a co-creation process to develop the training framework. the research employed a non-probability sampling strategy, specifically purposive sampling (mays & pope, 1995), to select organisations and social entrepreneurs in the uk based on specific criteria such as location, expertise and roles. however, unforeseen circumstances necessitated the inclusion of a new organisation in a different setting, leading to the use of opportunistic sampling (robson, 2002). to meet the research aim and objectives, multiple data collection methods were used in the project. four semi-structured interviews were conducted via ms teams with industry professionals with in-depth knowledge relevant to the research subjects, as summarised in table 1. table 1: industry professional participants. participant job role expertise olusola mckenzie founder and director – learn to recreate learn to recreate is a social enterprise which provides a bridge between the fashion industry and access to entrylevel opportunities. anna ellis head of business development – making for change making for change is an award-winning project offering women prisoners a route away from re-offending whilst addressing a skills shortage within the uk fashion manufacturing industry. dr seher mirza founder – s jo s jo is a social enterprise which creates original accessories, drawing inspiration from traditional textile craftsmanship handcrafted by artisans, mainly women from villages in pakistan. olivia weber creative director – olivia lara (previously, trashion factory) founder of a non-profit company that promotes upcycling and with experience in delivering free craft workshops to women, providing a safe space for women to meet up and get creative, as well as learn making skills. the researcher and first author of this paper also facilitated co-creation workshops over two days in collaboration with the eastleigh gurkha nepalese association (egna), a charity organisation based in southampton, uk. nepali women with no prior sewing experience participated in the workshops, receiving training in machine sewing and hand embroidery, and created upcycled home decor products using surplus fabrics. the workshops were conducted to validate the need for collaborative training programmes aimed at upskilling disadvantaged south asian women in the uk. this process contributed to the development 30 of a framework and explored how co-creation workshops can be used to effectively upcycle surplus fabrics and empower disadvantaged south asian women through upskilling. at the end of the workshop series, a focus group was conducted with the participating women, who shared their insights on the effectiveness, challenges and benefits of the training programme being developed. the focus group played a crucial role in testing and refining the collaborative training framework for a home decor social enterprise. the data captured for the research project (i.e. the audio recordings of the interviews and focus group, as well as field notes collected at the workshops and focus group) was thematically analysed, following the method described by miles and huberman (1994), encompassing data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification. nvivo software aided in coding the data, identifying main themes and sub-themes and colour-coding each theme and quote for clarity. findings the analysis of the data collected through the semi-structured interviews revealed five main themes and corresponding sub-themes, as depicted in image 3. image 3: themes and sub-themes emerging from the analysis of the data collected through interviews. collaboration collaboration was a concept consistently emphasised by all four social entrepreneurs; in fact, the word ‘collaboration’ was mentioned 36 times in the interviews. three participants highlighted the additional benefits gained through collaborating with other organisations, expressing their willingness to engage 31 in future partnerships. additionally, all four participants expressed their intent to continue collaborating with workers/artisans. the participants referred to the concept of collaboration in terms of partnership projects, co-creation, community and innovation. two participants mentioned that their collaborative approach involves disadvantaged women in product co-creation. participant 2 creates a safe space for women to connect and openly discuss issues, contributing to the meaningful co-creation of products that hold value for each community member: “we explored issues that we like to talk about and visuals that are connected to that. so, we have a lot of nice feminist mornings talking about things. and then, through that, they developed symbols, letters, writings and visuals, which they embroider on their t-shirts. in the end, everybody had a t-shirt that they embroidered, and then i put all of these on my website with pictures from them and said that these are designed and made by them. then, the community was able to vote [for] the t-shirts that they liked the most”. the collaborations aided three of the participants in forming a community of disadvantaged women who play a crucial role in their businesses. the interview findings revealed the feasibility of collaborating with multiple stakeholders simultaneously. some interviewees formed communities with artisans/workers before facilitating co-creation processes, while others collaborated with organisations solely for training or product co-creation purposes. it was also stated that, since many brands outsource their production in the uk and do not deliver any local training, collaborative training workshop spaces are in demand. participant recruitment and engagement the analysis of the interviews revealed that social entrepreneurs delivering training programmes and engaging in co-creation processes face challenges in recruiting and engaging with participants and need to tailor their offer to the skillset of the people they work with. the word ‘participants’ was mentioned 30 times across the interviews. all the interviewees, being social entrepreneurs working with disadvantaged groups of women, face unique challenges in participant recruitment. the interviewees highlighted the fact that sometimes participants do not complete the training programme or lose interest in the workshops. although the training sessions were offered free of charge by the interviewed individuals and organisations, there have been instances where participants lost interest, as participant 1 explained: “because those are disengaged at that point, just let them go, but engage other people who are committed. they will gain value from it and will use it to their own advantage. i say that because, anytime something is communicated as free, and if they feel like you are the one that’s going to be advantaged by it and not the other way around, then it’s easy for people to abuse it.” the interviewees emphasised the importance of having a structured training programme with engaging and desirable spaces, moving away from mundane classroom settings. effective communication and providing incentives can also foster participant commitment. creating an environment that encourages experimental co-creation enables participants to feel a sense of ownership over the products they contribute to. a challenge discussed by the interviewees is the need to accommodate participants with varying skill levels. training programmes often involve people who already have sewing skills and attend the sessions to reach 32 a professional level, alongside others who are beginners. interviewee 4 highlighted that participants seek to acquire skills in high demand due to the uk’s shortage of skilled machinists. structure of training programmes the analysis of the data collected via the interviews contributed to understanding how social entrepreneurs structure their training programmes and identifying various methods used by relevant organisations, along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. this theme was mentioned 27 times in the interviews. the different structures of training programmes included a community interest company, a ‘bilateral working model’, a social enterprise and a ‘contract-based working model’ which was further subdivided into grants and training programmes. each working model operates differently, yet they share similarities in terms of collaboration. however, working on contracts poses challenges, as participants are not financially committed, making it problematic if they lose interest and quit the training programme, impacting the facilitators. participant 1 provided valuable insights on delivering programmes supported by external grants: “our approach mainly entails delivering contract-based activities. […] if it was possible, i think we would always just settle for and work only with grants. grants that don’t put additional layers of contractual obligations. that would be our preferred way of working”. as stated by participant 2, a community interest company needs to have a social purpose to receive funding from larger organisations to support skills training workshops for women and community members. a bilateral working model was described by participant 3, who works in a social enterprise collaborating with artisans to co-create products. this approach ensures equal access to information, training workshops and a platform for feedback and discussion among the artisans. building personal relationships with the artisans fosters a supportive and comfortable space where they can share their stories and interact with others, enabling them to fit the training within their schedules. participant 3 described the ‘bilateral working model’ as follows: “if you think of it in terms of a diagram, it would be me directly interacting with all the artisans who i work with and doing workshops in the village where i work. i meet everybody, and we sit together. and there is a bilateral dialogue or communication. so, it’s not through a leader within the community. i mean, there are leaders within the community, those manage materials, or manage the petty cash and things like that”. participant 4 highlighted the fact that the social enterprise model offers training programmes and industryrecognised credentials through their collaboration with a university. this model also enables women to apply for jobs and secure employment in making products for commercial clients. according to participant 4: “we have many parts of making for change, working with the community, working with the prisons and also our manufacturing unit here at poplar works and at hmp downview, which is the women's prison. we take commercial orders, we manufacture for designers of small brands, or we collaborate with bigger retailers. the idea behind the social enterprise is really to enable us to employ some of the women that we train as part of our programme”. 33 the different approaches to collaborative training programmes, as shown in table 2, provided valuable insights into effective practices and potential pitfalls. each model has its advantages and disadvantages; understanding these aspects is crucial for developing an effective collaborative training framework, which should align with the organisation’s vision and strategy, cater to its specific context and community and ultimately benefit all the stakeholders involved. table 2: summary of findings from the interviews, which informed the development of the framework and the design of the structure of the co-creation workshop series. working model findings contract-based model working with grants that have fewer contract obligations is beneficial because it allows for greater flexibility when delivering training programmes. community interest company having a social purpose aids in obtaining funding and supporting disadvantaged people. bilateral model connecting with the people who receive training is effective because it fosters a sense of community and creates a safe environment in which everyone can exchange ideas within a co-creation process. social enterprise progression pathways are important within social enterprises which train trainers. this means recognising those participants in the training programme who have become skilled enough to be hired to train other women, amplifying the impacts of the work/project. challenges and opportunities the interviewees mentioned ‘challenges’ 23 times in the interviews. the data analysis contributed to understanding the challenges faced while delivering training programmes and collaborative projects. amongst the common issues faced during skills training programmes, the interviewees highlighted language barriers between participants (often non-english speakers) and workshop facilitators. attendance and participants' commitment to training programmes also resulted as recurring concerns. for instance, participant 2, who delivers training workshops for other organisations, faces challenges in terms of insufficient sewing machines or storage space when the workshops are delivered over several days. conversely, some challenges occurred in reverse when partner organisations had all the necessary resources, and the social entrepreneur’s role was solely to train people. additionally, one interviewee shared a negative experience while collaborating with ngos and larger organisations due to misalignment in values/objectives, as mentioned below: “with larger organisations, sometimes there is a danger of their agendas being quite different. what are their motivations? is it just for corporate social responsibility? why are they doing those things? i find that particularly difficult to navigate. so, i work directly with communities. having worked with ngos in the past, i’m not saying i wouldn’t be open to working with them again, but i think that we have to align our objectives”. 34 skills training programme the analysis of the data collected contributed also to understanding the concept of ‘training programme’, which was mentioned 14 times in the interviews and was further categorised into sub-themes: training programme highlights, the future of collaborative training programmes and the hybrid model. the interviewees provided feedback and advice on delivering effective collaborative training, and this input was considered during the development of the framework and the design of the co-creation workshop series. participant 1 stated: “go and speak with the individuals you want to work with, find out from them what they really want to do, and why. […] if you don’t ‘parachute’ something into a community or try and impose something on someone, and if they feel like there’s some ownership because they have had some involvement in the creation of the course/programme, i think they’re more vested”. understanding customer preferences is crucial in every business, and in this context, participant 1’s statement emphasises the importance of comprehending what people aim to achieve in a co-creation workshop series. the goal is to foster a sense of shared ownership and belonging to a community that values their ideas and thoughts. the primary research findings also highlighted the importance of setting clear expectations for participants at the outset of the training programme to ensure a smooth delivery process. designing the product to be created during the training and structuring the workshop format in advance ensures a successful and interconnected training programme. moreover, the interviewees confirmed the knowledge gap identified in the literature review. participant 4 highlighted a severe shortage of skilled machinists in uk fashion manufacturing, partly due to brexit impacting the workforce, as many workers were from eastern europe. furthermore, increasing demand for uk-made products necessitates bridging this skills gap. for instance, the social enterprise described by participant 4 is striving to address this issue: “there is a real shortage of skilled machinists in the uk fashion and textiles industry. that’s something that we want to try and change. […] we think it will also benefit the industry because we are basically able to supply it with people who’ve got the skills, starting to get the experience, but more importantly, are enthusiastic about pursuing a career in the industry. for us now engaging with other manufacturers, we could be a resource. […] at the same time, we have a shortage of skilled staff to be able to do that. so, hopefully, we will be able to build a bridge to fill that gap in the future”. feedback on co-creation workshops a series of workshops was conducted in collaboration with the eastleigh gurkha nepalese association (egna), which provides machine sewing and upcycling training to disadvantaged nepali women in southampton, uk (image 4). 35 image 4: facilitation of a co-creation workshop. the lead researcher and first author of this paper facilitated the workshops, providing references to support the creative process, while the participating south asian women had the freedom to choose their fabrics, colours and designs. these workshops provided a safe space for women to build relationships and gain confidence through learning new skills, like machine sewing and hand embroidery, leading to the cocreation of cushions using surplus fabrics (image 5). image 5: participants showing their upcycled products at the end of the workshop series. 36 the focus group with the participants contributed to validating and finalising the collaborative training framework developed to upskill marginalised south asian women in the uk and create home decor products. the thematic analysis of the data collected through the focus group revealed that the participants had no prior experience in machine sewing, upcycling cushions or co-creation processes. all the participants expressed the view that the training workshops provided them with new skills and boosted their confidence. they enthusiastically expressed a desire to attend similar workshops in the future, valuing the unique experience of co-creating products. the uplifting training atmosphere received high praise, emphasising the participants’ enjoyment and the success of this collaborative training initiative. collaborative training framework the developed framework addresses the knowledge gap identified through a literature review and confirmed by the industry professionals interviewed for the research presented in this paper. the framework underwent testing through co-creation workshops and refinement via feedback received at a focus group. this collaborative training framework is tailored to a uk-based home decor social enterprise, aiming to train and upskill disadvantaged south asian women. additionally, it serves as a valuable guide for other home decor brands or any companies interested in collaborative training for marginalised women in the uk. the framework aims to bridge skills gaps and meet the demand for collaborative training programmes in the country. inspired by the concept of jigsaw puzzles, the framework – as illustrated in image 6 – is divided into two phases. the first one represents the three key stakeholders in the fashion industry. in phase 2, the pieces come together to complete the puzzle, symbolising the resolution of the knowledge gap in this research project. 37 image 6: collaborative training framework. 38 the accompanying guidebook (image 7) offers further details on implementing the framework into practical training programmes and outlines potential developments for phase 3, which users can adapt to their needs. 39 image 7: guidebook. 40 conclusions this paper discussed a research project which made a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of the uk fashion industry. the project contributed to the development of an original collaborative framework (image 6) informed by findings from both primary and secondary research on social entrepreneurship. another key output of the project is a guidebook detailing the implementation of co-creation workshops as part of a collaborative training programme for upcycling surplus fabrics into home decor products. the guidebook can be adapted and adopted by social entrepreneurs aiming to upskill or train disadvantaged women in the uk. additionally, the research highlighted challenges and opportunities faced in the uk fashion manufacturing industry and artisan communities and generated information valuable to entrepreneurs and researchers concerned with the need for skilled machinists and collaborative training programmes. although the research presented in this paper made a valuable original contribution to knowledge, several limitations were faced throughout the project. despite efforts to collaborate with various organisations and local councils, specific participants, such as disadvantaged south asian women, could not be recruited for the co-creation workshop series. additionally, language barriers were faced during the co-creation workshops with nepali women, leading to minor communication challenges during the focus group. one significant constraint was the tight timeline, as the project was delivered over three months. only two cycles of participatory action research were completed instead of the desired three due to time restrictions. furthermore, the proposed framework could not be fully validated with existing social enterprises, as time limitations prevented further investigations. these limitations highlight areas for potential future research and improvement of the proposed framework. we acknowledge that the framework is in its early stages and requires additional analysis through testing with other established social enterprises to investigate and gather feedback on how it can support collaborative training with its stakeholders. it is suggested that the developed framework gets adapted, applied and explored further in other contexts to understand how it can help disadvantaged women outside of the uk’s south asian community. moreover, the guidebook for facilitating a series of cocreation workshops to create upcycled cushions could be extended to diverse product categories and applied in partnerships with organisations other than charities. references amen, i., berg, a., balchandani, a., hedrich, s., rolkens, f., young, r., jensen, j. e., & peng, a. (2021). the state of fashion 2021. mckinsey & company. https://tinyurl.com/2c9zpmxx a new direction. (2019). waltham forest fashion district: partnership plan. a new direction. caulfield, l., curtis, k., & simpson, e. (2018 ). making for change: an independent evaluation of making for change: skills in a fashion training & manufacturing workshop. london college of fashion, ual. https://wlv.openrepository.com/handle/2436/623304 devine, b. (2022). unemployment by ethnic background. house of commons library. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06385/ https://tinyurl.com/jupd5nup drencheva, a. m., & stephan, u. (2014). the state of social entrepreneurship in the uk: seforïs country report. seforïs https://tinyurl.com/h2wd467k edited. (2021). empowering artisans a market snapshot. https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/retail-tw-artisan2021-150421 fashion revolution. (2022). fashion transparency index 2022. https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fti_2022 kent, s. (2019, may 2). why fashion doesn’t pay fair. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/y7puaxsx kent, s. (2020, july 23). fashion says it can police its supply chain. so why are there so many scandals? the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/mrn7k7cm https://tinyurl.com/2c9zpmxx https://wlv.openrepository.com/handle/2436/623304 https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06385/ https://tinyurl.com/jupd5nup https://tinyurl.com/h2wd467k https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/retail-tw-artisan-2021-150421 https://app.edited.com/#retail/article/retail-tw-artisan-2021-150421 https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fti_2022 https://tinyurl.com/y7puaxsx https://tinyurl.com/mrn7k7cm 41 kent, s. (2021a, july 13). brands face new pressure on labour rights. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/mnu7x39y kent, s. (2021b, march 23). fashion is still failing on workers’ rights. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/ysyvffp3 kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (2005). participatory action research: communicative action and the public sphere. sage publications. lewis, m. (2021). breaking point wage theft, violence and excessive workloads are pushing garment workers to breaking point during the pandemic. clean clothes campaign. https://cleanclothes.org/breakingpoint volterra partners llp. (2021). a detailed study of unemployment in london. london councils. https://tinyurl.com/3aj8jbcy mazzarella, f., may, a., & mitchell, v. (2021). a methodological framework for crafting situated services. journal of service management, 32(5), 752–782. mazzarella, f., & black, s. (2023). fashioning change: fashion activism and its outcomes on local communities. fashion practice, 15(2), 230–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/17569370.2022.2095729 mays, n., & pope, c. (1995). rigour and qualitative research. bmj pub. group. meroni, a., & selloni, d. (2018). design for social innovators. in s. walker, m. evans, t. cassidy, j. jung, & a. twigger holroyd (eds.), design roots: culturally significant designs, products, and practices (pp. 305–318). bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474241823.ch-028 mccosker, j. (2023) the impact of fast fashion on garment workers. good on you. https://goodonyou.eco/impactfast-fashion-garment-workers/ miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). sage publications. muller, d. (2020). out of the shadows: a spotlight on exploitation in the fashion industry. clean clothes campaign. https://tinyurl.com/4v5vtjek murray, r., caulier-grice, j., & mulgan, g. (2010). the open book of social innovation. nesta. mutero, i., mchunu, k. and govender, i. (2021). sewing friendship: increasing inclusivity through creating shared social spaces for migrant and local populations in durban. critical studies in teaching and learning (cristal), 9(1), 1-18.https://www.cristal.ac.za/index.php/cristal/article/view/236 robledo, p., & triebich, m. (2020). position paper on transparency. clean clothes campaign. https://tinyurl.com/yfnv2v3w robson, c. (2002). real world research. blackwell publishing. saunders, m., lewis, p., & thornhill, a., (2019). research methods for business students. (8th ed). pearson education. saunders, m., & tosey, p. (2013). the layers of research design. rapport, (winter), 58–59. https://www.csd.uoc.gr/~hy109/resources/layers.pdf selloni, d., & corubolo, m. (2017). design for social enterprises: how design thinking can support social innovation within social enterprises. the design journal, 20(6), 775–794. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1372931 strauss, a. l., & corbin, j. (1998). basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. sage publications. tuc. (2021, february 27). tuc: bme unemployment is rising twice as fast as white workers during pandemic. https://tinyurl.com/h8twr4x3 https://tinyurl.com/mnu7x39y https://tinyurl.com/ysyvffp3 https://cleanclothes.org/breakingpoint https://tinyurl.com/3aj8jbcy https://goodonyou.eco/impact-fast-fashion-garment-workers/ https://goodonyou.eco/impact-fast-fashion-garment-workers/ https://www.cristal.ac.za/index.php/cristal/article/view/236 https://tinyurl.com/yfnv2v3w https://www.csd.uoc.gr/~hy109/resources/layers.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1372931 https://tinyurl.com/h8twr4x3 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework neha mathew, francesco mazzarella published online: november 2023 to cite this article: mathew, n. & mazzarella, f. (2023). upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework. discern: international journal of design for s... upskilling marginalised south asian women based in the united kingdom through a home decor social enterprise: a collaborative training framework neha mathewa, francesco mazzarellaa alondon college of fashion, ual abstract the international fashion industry is heavily reliant on asian manufacturers, and garment workers are predominantly south asian women, who work in deplorable conditions and face abuse from their employers. furthermore, despite the growing demand for ... keywords: ethical fashion, skills training, co-creation framework, social entrepreneurship introduction international clothing companies and high-end luxury brands frequently collaborate with manufacturers in countries such as india, bangladesh, china and vietnam (mccosker, 2023). however, this practice often gives rise to unethical supply chain issues... consumer attitudes towards unsustainable working conditions are changing, and companies risk falling behind and losing some of their customers if they do not embrace this shift. a growing number of people are interested in craft and design, especially... higher unemployment rates for ethnic minority women in london london has a higher unemployment rate for women from ethnic minority backgrounds. women from bame (black, asian, and minority ethnic) backgrounds experience an unemployment rate of 8.1% compared to a rate of 3.3% for women from a white ethnic group (d... exploitation of south asian artisans under invisible global supply chains the term ‘invisible’ is used as a metaphor for how supply chains are not transparent to consumers and the public. pledging to stop violating workers’ rights and making that happen are two different things in the fashion industry. the same brands that ... with this research context in mind, the project presented in this paper aimed to develop and test a collaborative training framework for social enterprises wanting to upskill marginalised south asian women and support their employment within the fashi... to meet this aim, the following objectives were set out: to critically review theories and practices of social enterprises training disadvantaged women; to conduct co-creation workshops in order to elicit issues related to training/upskilling artisans/workers as well as opportunities for upcycling surplus fabrics; to develop a collaborative training framework and test it within the context of a home decor social enterprise. literature review today’s fast-paced mass market and globalised fashion industry have given rise to complex and unfair supply chains that are filled with labour infractions — ranging from low pay and overwork to dangerous working conditions, exploitation of child labou... the uk’s fashion sector has experienced significant growth, with retail sales of apparel quadrupling between 1998 and 2018, reaching £60 billion (fashion revolution, 2022). british brands and retailers must adopt more sustainable and responsible pract... transparency allows workers, labour unions, human rights organisations and others the ability to quickly notify clothing brands of labour violations occurring in the factories that are supplying them, allowing them the option to react, halt and resolv... moreover, the fashion industry's complex and constantly changing global network of manufacturers poses significant challenges that cannot be tackled by any single entity alone (kent, 2020). despite public demands for stricter guidelines and companies’... everlane and other direct-to-consumer businesses have demonstrated how transparent pricing and suppliers may attract customers, but this business model has not yet been adopted by the majority of the industry (kent, 2019). manufacturers and sourcing p... to tackle some of the above-mentioned challenges, designers are increasingly engaging in social innovation processes, acting as agents of change and collaborating with communities and other stakeholders to co-create services, strategies and systems (m... with these sustainability challenges in mind, the research presented in this paper focused on london, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the uk, whose fashion and textile industry is affected by social inequalities and limited access to good... to understand these challenges and identify opportunities for empowering marginalised women, two case studies were conducted by reviewing business reports. images 1 and 2 synthesise the findings from the case studies on making for change and sewing fr... image 1: case study on making for change. image 2: case study on sewing friendship. research methodology the research project presented in this paper had an emancipatory and exploratory purpose (robson, 2002), as it aimed to create opportunities for disadvantaged south asian women in the uk and to drive social change. since limited research exists on ups... four semi-structured interviews were conducted via ms teams with industry professionals with in-depth knowledge relevant to the research subjects, as summarised in table 1. table 1: industry professional participants. the researcher and first author of this paper also facilitated co-creation workshops over two days in collaboration with the eastleigh gurkha nepalese association (egna), a charity organisation based in southampton, uk. nepali women with no prior sewi... at the end of the workshop series, a focus group was conducted with the participating women, who shared their insights on the effectiveness, challenges and benefits of the training programme being developed. the focus group played a crucial role in te... findings the analysis of the data collected through the semi-structured interviews revealed five main themes and corresponding sub-themes, as depicted in image 3. image 3: themes and sub-themes emerging from the analysis of the data collected through interviews. collaboration collaboration was a concept consistently emphasised by all four social entrepreneurs; in fact, the word ‘collaboration’ was mentioned 36 times in the interviews. three participants highlighted the additional benefits gained through collaborating with ... the participants referred to the concept of collaboration in terms of partnership projects, co-creation, community and innovation. two participants mentioned that their collaborative approach involves disadvantaged women in product co-creation. partic... “we explored issues that we like to talk about and visuals that are connected to that. so, we have a lot of nice feminist mornings talking about things. and then, through that, they developed symbols, letters, writings and visuals, which they embroid... the collaborations aided three of the participants in forming a community of disadvantaged women who play a crucial role in their businesses. the interview findings revealed the feasibility of collaborating with multiple stakeholders simultaneously. s... participant recruitment and engagement the analysis of the interviews revealed that social entrepreneurs delivering training programmes and engaging in co-creation processes face challenges in recruiting and engaging with participants and need to tailor their offer to the skillset of the p... “because those are disengaged at that point, just let them go, but engage other people who are committed. they will gain value from it and will use it to their own advantage. i say that because, anytime something is communicated as free, and if they f... the interviewees emphasised the importance of having a structured training programme with engaging and desirable spaces, moving away from mundane classroom settings. effective communication and providing incentives can also foster participant commitme... structure of training programmes the analysis of the data collected via the interviews contributed to understanding how social entrepreneurs structure their training programmes and identifying various methods used by relevant organisations, along with their respective advantages and ... “our approach mainly entails delivering contract-based activities. […] if it was possible, i think we would always just settle for and work only with grants. grants that don’t put additional layers of contractual obligations. that would be our preferr... as stated by participant 2, a community interest company needs to have a social purpose to receive funding from larger organisations to support skills training workshops for women and community members. a bilateral working model was described by part... “if you think of it in terms of a diagram, it would be me directly interacting with all the artisans who i work with and doing workshops in the village where i work. i meet everybody, and we sit together. and there is a bilateral dialogue or communic... participant 4 highlighted the fact that the social enterprise model offers training programmes and industry-recognised credentials through their collaboration with a university. this model also enables women to apply for jobs and secure employment in ... “we have many parts of making for change, working with the community, working with the prisons and also our manufacturing unit here at poplar works and at hmp downview, which is the women's prison. we take commercial orders, we manufacture for designe... the different approaches to collaborative training programmes, as shown in table 2, provided valuable insights into effective practices and potential pitfalls. each model has its advantages and disadvantages; understanding these aspects is crucial for... table 2: summary of findings from the interviews, which informed the development of the framework and the design of the structure of the co-creation workshop series. challenges and opportunities the interviewees mentioned ‘challenges’ 23 times in the interviews. the data analysis contributed to understanding the challenges faced while delivering training programmes and collaborative projects. amongst the common issues faced during skills trai... “with larger organisations, sometimes there is a danger of their agendas being quite different. what are their motivations? is it just for corporate social responsibility? why are they doing those things? i find that particularly difficult to navigate... skills training programme the analysis of the data collected contributed also to understanding the concept of ‘training programme’, which was mentioned 14 times in the interviews and was further categorised into sub-themes: training programme highlights, the future of collabor... “go and speak with the individuals you want to work with, find out from them what they really want to do, and why. […] if you don’t ‘parachute’ something into a community or try and impose something on someone, and if they feel like there’s some owner... understanding customer preferences is crucial in every business, and in this context, participant 1’s statement emphasises the importance of comprehending what people aim to achieve in a co-creation workshop series. the goal is to foster a sense of sh... moreover, the interviewees confirmed the knowledge gap identified in the literature review. participant 4 highlighted a severe shortage of skilled machinists in uk fashion manufacturing, partly due to brexit impacting the workforce, as many workers w... “there is a real shortage of skilled machinists in the uk fashion and textiles industry. that’s something that we want to try and change. […] we think it will also benefit the industry because we are basically able to supply it with people who’ve got ... feedback on co-creation workshops a series of workshops was conducted in collaboration with the eastleigh gurkha nepalese association (egna), which provides machine sewing and upcycling training to disadvantaged nepali women in southampton, uk (image 4). image 4: facilitation of a co-creation workshop. the lead researcher and first author of this paper facilitated the workshops, providing references to support the creative process, while the participating south asian women had the freedom to choose their fabrics, colours and designs. these workshops... image 5: participants showing their upcycled products at the end of the workshop series. the focus group with the participants contributed to validating and finalising the collaborative training framework developed to upskill marginalised south asian women in the uk and create home decor products. the thematic analysis of the data collect... collaborative training framework the developed framework addresses the knowledge gap identified through a literature review and confirmed by the industry professionals interviewed for the research presented in this paper. the framework underwent testing through co-creation workshops ... inspired by the concept of jigsaw puzzles, the framework – as illustrated in image 6 – is divided into two phases. the first one represents the three key stakeholders in the fashion industry. in phase 2, the pieces come together to complete the puzzl... image 6: collaborative training framework. the accompanying guidebook (image 7) offers further details on implementing the framework into practical training programmes and outlines potential developments for phase 3, which users can adapt to their needs. image 7: guidebook. conclusions this paper discussed a research project which made a theoretical and practical contribution to the field of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of the uk fashion industry. the project contributed to the development of an original col... although the research presented in this paper made a valuable original contribution to knowledge, several limitations were faced throughout the project. despite efforts to collaborate with various organisations and local councils, specific participant... these limitations highlight areas for potential future research and improvement of the proposed framework. we acknowledge that the framework is in its early stages and requires additional analysis through testing with other established social enterpri... references fashion revolution. (2022). fashion transparency index 2022. https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fti_2022 kent, s. (2019, may 2). why fashion doesn’t pay fair. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/y7puaxsx kent, s. (2020, july 23). fashion says it can police its supply chain. so why are there so many scandals? the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/mrn7k7cm kent, s. (2021a, july 13). brands face new pressure on labour rights. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/mnu7x39y kent, s. (2021b, march 23). fashion is still failing on workers’ rights. the business of fashion. https://tinyurl.com/ysyvffp3 kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (2005). participatory action research: communicative action and the public sphere. sage publications. lewis, m. (2021). breaking point wage theft, violence and excessive workloads are pushing garment workers to breaking point during the pandemic. clean clothes campaign. https://cleanclothes.org/breakingpoint mazzarella, f., may, a., & mitchell, v. (2021). a methodological framework for crafting situated services. journal of service management, 32(5), 752–782. mazzarella, f., & black, s. (2023). fashioning change: fashion activism and its outcomes on local communities. fashion practice, 15(2), 230–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/17569370.2022.2095729 mays, n., & pope, c. (1995). rigour and qualitative research. bmj pub. group. meroni, a., & selloni, d. (2018). design for social innovators. in s. walker, m. evans, t. cassidy, j. jung, & a. twigger holroyd (eds.), design roots: culturally significant designs, products, and practices (pp. 305–318). bloomsbury. https://doi.org/... mccosker, j. (2023) the impact of fast fashion on garment workers. good on you. https://goodonyou.eco/impact-fast-fashion-garment-workers/ miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). sage publications. muller, d. (2020). out of the shadows: a spotlight on exploitation in the fashion industry. clean clothes campaign. https://tinyurl.com/4v5vtjek murray, r., caulier-grice, j., & mulgan, g. (2010). the open book of social innovation. nesta. mutero, i., mchunu, k. and govender, i. (2021). sewing friendship: increasing inclusivity through creating shared social spaces for migrant and local populations in durban. critical studies in teaching and learning (cristal), 9(1), 1-18.https://www.cr... robledo, p., & triebich, m. (2020). position paper on transparency. clean clothes campaign. https://tinyurl.com/yfnv2v3w robson, c. (2002). real world research. blackwell publishing. saunders, m., lewis, p., & thornhill, a., (2019). research methods for business students. (8th ed). pearson education. saunders, m., & tosey, p. (2013). the layers of research design. rapport, (winter), 58–59. https://www.csd.uoc.gr/~hy109/resources/layers.pdf selloni, d., & corubolo, m. (2017). design for social enterprises: how design thinking can support social innovation within social enterprises. the design journal, 20(6), 775–794. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1372931 strauss, a. l., & corbin, j. (1998). basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. sage publications. tuc. (2021, february 27). tuc: bme unemployment is rising twice as fast as white workers during pandemic. https://tinyurl.com/h8twr4x3 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures francesco mazzarella, seher mirza published online: may 2024 to cite this article: mazzarella, f., & mirza, s. (2024). decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 1-10. 2 decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures francesco mazzarellaa, seher mirzaa acentre for sustainable fashion, university of the arts london, london, united kingdom. f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk; s.mirza@arts.ac.uk introduction historically, the textile heritage of minorities has often been subjected to cultural appropriation practices (young, 2008) or systematically undervalued and ‘othered’ as ‘non-fashion’, as such ‘sacrifice zones’ do not sit within the confines of specific fashion systems (niessen, 2020). designers are often ‘parachuted’ into marginalised or disadvantaged communities premised on bringing their knowledge and expertise to solve other people’s problems. however, there is growing recognition of the need to ‘decolonise’ such dominant approaches in collaborative design practice (escobar, 2018; mignolo, 2018; tunstall, 2023). different methods have been applied, sometimes in tandem, to tackle the challenges that face us as well as define new roles for the designer under different contexts, such as design activism (fuad-luke, 2009, 2017), design for social justice (constanza-chock, 2020), social entrepreneurship (martin & osberg, 2007) and policy design (bason, 2014; kimbell et al., 2023). while guest editing this special issue, we were undertaking the research project ‘decolonising fashion and textiles: design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities’, which addresses some of these multiple-level challenges in the uk (mazzarella & mirza, 2023). in line with walker et al. (2018) and kozlowski et al. (2019), we advocate for adding a cultural dimension to the three most recognised pillars of sustainability: environment, economy and society. cultural sustainability refers to tolerant systems that identify and cultivate diversity of cultural heritage, beliefs, practices and histories in connection with places, resources and ancestral lands (williams, 2022). starting from the premise of not re-enacting dominant power narratives, we are engaging london-based refugees and asylum seekers in storytelling sessions, textile co-creation workshops and roundtable discussions as part of participatory action research aimed at understanding what cultural sustainability and community resilience mean in this context. these liminal and peripheral communities actively search for a new voice and identity as they rebuild their lives and resettle in a new place. our research contributes to understanding the lived experiences of refugees, mapping ways to build resilience within the local community and collectively framing a sustainable future vision. our ambition is also to shift narratives around refugees, amplify the participants’ voice and agency and foreground an alternative fashion and textile system based on equality, diversity, inclusion and sustainability of cultures. it is essential to highlight that our project team presents a mix of cultural backgrounds, and we speak at least one language other than english, overlapping with our research participants. this position of ‘credible messengers’ contributes to the varied frames of cultural and social reference, which are crucial in projects of this nature. we also acknowledge the different forms of privilege each of us brings to the project. at the same time, we strive to challenge power dynamics and adopt a critical self-reflective approach, leveraging our lived experiences to foster empathy and inclusion within the collaborative design process. mailto:f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk mailto:s.mirza@arts.ac.uk 3 with our project team, we engaged with 41 participants having either refugee or asylum-seeking status and who had come to london from 13 different countries (e.g. eritrea, india, iran, nigeria, pakistan and sudan, to name but a few) for very different reasons (fleeing from war, gender-based violence or discrimination due to racial, religious or political reasons). we conducted the research activities in community centres in east london, an area with centuries of fashion and textile manufacturing heritage and home to diverse migrant communities. we adopted an embedded and situated approach to designing (mazzarella et al., 2021) and explored cultural, social, economic, and environmental issues faced by refugees within the fashion context of east london. insights against the backdrop of our ongoing project, key themes have emerged from the research observations and public discussions corroborated through the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium we held at the london college of fashion, ual, in january 2024. these themes capture the multifarious meanings attributed to cultural sustainability and community resilience, which help frame the parameters of fashion in this context and to which the authors of the papers published in this special issue have responded. the themes presented here relate to cultural sustainability and community resilience and are defined more specifically in the context they resonate with. this special issue is organised by correlating papers to these themes. the discussion on decoloniality foregrounded in this special issue aims to invert power in how knowledge is presented. in discussing the themes below, we highlight the voices of the participants and ma students from the london college of fashion, ual, who were involved in a collaborative project brief aligned with our research. we have chosen to use direct quotes from the participants and others involved in the project to give voice to their concerns and the space they deserve, which they are often denied. reframing fashion our project and the papers published in this special issue exemplify ways in which the practice of textiles and fashion design can be used as the catalyst for conversations around colonial legacy and lived experiences. in our project, we learnt that participants might be far from articulating or relating to definitions in a conventional way, and this made us think about accessible terminology and how to invert narratives by listening and recording what the participants defined as fashion, cultural sustainability and community resilience. in this special issue, we also intend to unpick and lay out the definitions from a non-dominant perspective. the visual data – textile artworks and fashion artefacts – produced by the participants in our project show a better articulation of cultural sustainability and community resilience than the words used to describe them. in her paper ‘designed for life: fashioning emergent futures’, erica de greef reviews the exhibition ‘designed for life’ at london college of fashion, ual, from october 2023 to january 2024. de greef examines the various elements of the exhibition and how the projects’ teams engaged with the lived experiences of refugees and migrants, involving them directly in the design process to bring forth untold stories of silenced communities and discuss the inequalities inherent in the world of design and fashion. de greef also foregrounds a space in which design and conflict intersect at ‘the meeting of art with the extreme scale of human suffering’ as the unusual and challenging context from which some of the projects exhibited in ‘designed for life’ originated. 4 as we understand it in our research context and the papers published here, fashion is a system of what and who we interact with, not just an industry, which it is often reduced to or associated with in the mainstream narrative. besides the fact that every garment we wear is made by a pair of hands, in the global south, what we have understood from our diverse project participants’ decentred narratives about fashion is that it can provide an accessible, desirable medium to all. therein, ‘fashion’ exhibits a divergence in its perceived privilege of access to some while others are excluded. in this context, fashion provides a vehicle through which participants from different levels of society, even those with no prior experience, education or training in fashion, are still keen to learn and pursue a career in fashion to build their new life in their new place of resettlement. here, we see a glimpse of the less-defined spaces of inclusion for diverse players. for instance, a participant in our project stated that fashion ‘is about finding yourself, learning new skills, bringing together people from diverse cultures’. fashion is conceived as ‘a tool to tell a story’, and the project ‘creates values and feelings … beyond the idea that fashion is something worn on the outside’. in her paper, de greef also discusses the practice of making fashion and textiles to enable refugee participants to enact ‘practical negotiations between the local, global, past, present and future’, undertake a process of ‘becoming whole again’, engage with more established residents and, in so doing, influence the place where they resettle. decentring fashion this special issue illustrates ways in which fashion can provide a different access platform in a decentred context. historically, it has been used as a political and social symbol of defiance to colonial power, notably in gandhi’s personal choice of dress and the swadeshi movement (bean, 1991; gonsalves, 2012). through the handmaking of clothing, cheaper industrially made imported european textiles were boycotted as a metaphor for liberty from colonial oppression in south asia. in our project’s context, amplifying a peripheral fashion system tied to ‘othered’ identities is also examined through the lens of clothing that is separated from the dominant stance of the ‘fashion’ industry. in decolonising dominant design practices, it is vital to adopt a listening-first perspective, unlearning inherent knowledge and relearning new viewpoints. in her article ‘the decentralisation of fashion education in the northeast of england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry’, gayle cantrell et al. report on initiatives to relocalise the fashion system through collaboration with various stakeholders. with the ambition to move away from the established centralised (london-based) fashion sector in england and contribute to a social diversification of the industry, such counter-initiatives are aimed at bringing benefits to the local system, having design education at the heart of this process. such a system is grounded on values of localism, degrowth, circularity, sustainability, repair, activism, community engagement and social innovation. in this context, fashion is presented as a vehicle for the regeneration of the local industry and community through engagement with local fashion brands and the creative industries more broadly. the paper illustrates uk universities’ role in engaging with local communities to foster place-making and decentralise the fashion system, which has the potential to shift power dynamics and contribute towards decolonisation. through engagement with the diverse groups in our project, we argue that language must also be decentred. it became evident that using native languages in the artefacts created can promote diverse cultures. embracing a multitude of knowledge and approaches, this decentred process entails working in solidarity ‘with’ marginalised communities rather than assuming a ‘helper’ attitude. 5 cultural sustainability our project defines cultural sustainability as a strong sense of identity attached to an emotional sense of belonging, such as comfort in the space of two cultures and redefining fashion through nonconformity. sustaining textile heritage and making spaces for its discussion can contribute to fostering a sense of belonging, especially for refugees who are displaced and live transient lives, as highlighted by one of our project participants: ‘this project made me love my culture more. no matter where i go, my culture will remain with me’. on the other hand, it is also important to note that some refugees have traumatic memories of their home countries and may want to erase some of their heritage while absorbing cultural elements of the place of resettlement. hence, sustaining the past is not always appropriate, especially when it might echo the dominating narratives of imperial colonialism. this resonates with hall’s (1997) definition of culture, not as a return to our fixed ‘roots’ but as ‘routes’ through which we travel; therefore, our culture changes and develops. from this perspective, cultural sustainability means continuing certain traditions while allowing certain elements to evolve and embracing change to design ‘regenerative cultures’ (wahl, 2016). our research shows that the dominant fashion system is making people from cultural minority backgrounds believe that their material culture and way of dressing may be less valuable. with this in mind, we argue for the designer’s role as an advocate for foregrounding personal and cultural identity and the need to feel safe in embracing native and new cultures to express shifting identities. equally, we advocate for the need to facilitate co-creation processes and enable the necessary conditions for all cultures to thrive in their own right, and this includes leveraging the power of cultural activism – through design, art, craft and making (corbett, 2017; fuad-luke, 2009; hackney, 2013) – to challenge social injustices and dismantle the many layers of dominant and oppressive forces that prevent equality of all cultures. our research also revealed that the reconciliation between values and economic differentials must be considered in any definition. this was highlighted at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium. for instance, professor stuart walker highlighted that regional and central government policies in the uk for economic development are often aimed at fostering innovation and change, which are at odds with the values of tradition and conservation on which the principle of cultural sustainability is grounded. furthermore, mainstream western cultures are grounded on individualism and consumerism, and such values are socially and environmentally damaging and should not be sustained. shifting narratives the plight of people whose identity is instantly stripped away and replaced with a quick label when arriving in a new place, resounds in a quote shared by artist laura nyahuye at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium: ‘i became a black woman when i came to the uk’. this statement illustrates the resistance to her strong sense of identity; she felt that ‘there is no room for me because of what i look like’ as the space ‘resisted who i was’. culturally, educationally, and linguistically, diverse people with differing backgrounds may be reduced to a single label, which confines them as the ‘other’ and, in many cases, as ‘unwanted’ in the dominant culture and power narratives. moreover, listening to the stories of our project participants one on one and asking them to share culturally and personally meaningful textiles led to a reflection on identity and the juxtaposition of presumed identity and representation in a new context. it shed light on the human qualities and values necessary to diverse 6 participants in meaningful ways. for instance, the making space offered our project participants the opportunity to rebuild shattered self-confidence as well as relocate themselves within a vastly different social structure and as valuable contributing members of society whilst raising awareness of ‘others’ and the other ‘self’: “i’m here to find myself. we can pray for this to happen every day and night … the reason why i do this is because i know [that] a picture can send a message to the outside world. if someone sees this [referring to her textile artwork], they know that this lady is still fighting for her freedom”. the current prevailing narratives around refugees are reductive and limit the multidimensional aspect of being human. our research highlights that refugees, similar to other groups, are neither a collective entity nor identify with the same things despite the collective grouping ascribed by general perception and often even those in power, such as the top tiers of governments. the refugee label might reduce the experiences of diverse individuals. nevertheless, the labelling or exoticising or commodising of ‘native culture’ or people is not a new phenomenon. pallavi chamarty’s paper ‘kalamkari and chintz: a decolonial reassessment of entangled textile histories’ in this special issue critiques the absence of artisanal subjectivity and the persistence of eurocentric and orientalist assumptions within the existing historiography pertaining to specific indian textile crafts. chamarty demonstrates and highlights the dialectic relationship of colonisation with traditional crafts in south india through its commodification. the paper underlines the significance of the relationships of power that may historically define spaces for cultures from non-dominant sources. as designers and practitioners working towards social change, our role is to question and identify the gaps by which we are endangering human values of creativity, resilience, resourcefulness and collaboration that form the basis of culture and ways of being. regeneration of cultures what is culture in this context? culture here can be defined as a multi-layered living reality that evolves with people as they travel, integrate, learn, unlearn and make meaning. in the paper ‘exploring the extraordinary design motifs of wollo gabi in ethiopian textiles and design development of women’s fashion accessories’, hazal gümüş çiftçi, tewodros tenagne, temesgen agazhie and michael reta discuss a traditional textile worn by both ethiopian men and women. the paper discusses a commercial gap for product design in international markets and the potential for adopting co-design methods for an inclusive approach to brand development. the authors provide insight into traditional crafts that are less known in mainstream fashion and which contribute towards informing consumers against cultural appropriation practices and aesthetics. importantly, it also frames the discussions around overlapping cultures where native material culture may have to adapt and regenerate towards a dominant one to survive. this raises questions about balancing power and values where diverse cultures meet. our research connected people who would not have otherwise met and focused on finding cultural commonalities that create a bridge between different worlds. while engaging with participants living transient lives and bringing together people from different countries, we were aware of potential conflicts and tensions that could have emerged across cultures. we felt our responsibility was to facilitate dialogue, co-existence, and connection. as one of our project participants shared, they were ‘exposed to the sensitivities and perspectives of other people’. another participant has consistently used a pair of jeans and 7 a t-shirt as symbols to campaign for unity and equity among different people, arguing that less division is created through reduced ring-fencing of cultures and cultural heritages. our approach encourages participants to practise empathy for one another’s struggles, respect diverse cultural heritages and engage in respectful and mindful conversations based on active listening. community resilience community resilience is highlighted in a description of lived experiences, as some forms of culture are carried while others are left behind in the cause of survival. resistance is one basis of resilience in the face of extreme adversity. similarly, one of our project participants pointed to the fantasy-like association with the uk as the home of shakespeare and other positive western narratives, which were in stark contrast to arriving in london as an asylum seeker where she felt unwelcomed and ‘hated’. whilst we advocate for leveraging the power of communities (as groups of people with a shared matter of concern) to achieve social justice, we acknowledge the importance of also creating spaces for ‘agonistic pluralism’ (disalvo, 2010; mouffe, 1999) to avoid the risk of creating echo chambers of the same ideas, seeking consensus instead of challenging existing power structures and activating social change. our research highlights the resilience built by refugees in the face of experienced oppression and exploitation. however, it also critically challenges the notion of resilience, pointing towards the need for well-working systems and services instead of having no other choice than reacting to external shocks, as stated by one of our project participants: “people from the global south are resilient, although … they should not have to always be resilient, because they also deserve tenderness and loving care, instead of violence and resilience. … sometimes, resilience is worshipped because it’s easier to worship resilient people rather than deconstructing and dismantling the system that oppresses them. many of them do not even want to be resilient or face this violence, but they have no choice”. while resilience is a positive quality to have to react to adverse situations, it should not be used – for instance, by local authorities, which have a duty of care towards their residents – to deflect responsibilities. the power of participatory practices in social and political theory, foucault (1994) notes power as a form of domination, while bourdieu (1984; 1986) describes a kind of power in social and cultural distinctions. it is essential for design researchers to constantly reflect on their positionality, challenge their privilege and consider the power dynamics at play in collaborative processes. in their paper ‘sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation’, daniele busciantella-ricci, marco berni, andrea del bono and rita duina discuss an experimental collaboration between a circular fashion company and a local third-sector entity promoting co-design for social innovation and adopting a design ladder model. this is an example of design’s role in fostering sustainability within the fashion industry by identifying new business strategies and systematically adopting co-design tools for social change. active engagement in a reciprocal process of making and learning ‘with’ project participants rather than studying ‘them’ underlines the power of participatory practice. wherever possible, enabling opportunities for shifting roles, such as empowering refugees to progress from participants to facilitators of design activities, fosters spaces for personal growth and the development of new perspectives. active listening is 8 crucial in such collaborative processes to not impose one’s beliefs and design ideas and not elicit traumatic memories, as highlighted by one student participating in the collaborative project brief we set up: ‘listening with mind, not just with ears’. as brought forth in the discussions at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium and in the co-creation process with our project participants, making things together contributes to restoring lost connections (with people, places and practices), building support networks and fostering community resilience (gauntlett, 2011; hirscher, 2020; sennett, 2008). making things together also unlocks meanings and narratives that cannot be expressed through words but become evident in the choice of fabrics, the enactment of movements such as mark-making on cloth and the building of new relationships (mirza, 2020). transformative learning decolonising fashion implies unlearning inherent knowledge and engaging wholeheartedly in learning new viewpoints. this points to the crucial role that design education and reflexive practice play in this process. in their paper ‘drum magazine: a decolonial shift in teaching fashion theory and history,’ khaya mchunu and kiara gounder discuss a cross-institutional project which offers a new perspective on decolonising fashion pedagogies. mchunu considers fashion within the social, cultural and political landscape of south africa in the 1950s and 1960s and illustrates – through biographical essays and magazine covers – students’ responses to the brief, with a focus on creative individuals who, although featured in drum magazine, are not widely documented in fashion theory. the project presented in this paper critically acclaims untold stories and shapes new narratives centred on alternative fashion histories and imaginaries, contributing to – necessary and yet uncomfortable – shifts towards decoloniality. by proposing context-specific examples within fashion education, the paper offers a poignant call for engaging in an ongoing process of ‘renewing, stretching, and decentring the teaching of fashion theory and history’. education implies a journey of learning and transformation through self-discovery, new skills, gaining new knowledge and finding one’s role in society. two main contributors to adult learning, mezirow (2000) and freire (1970; 1973) advocate for transformation through critical reflection and raising critical consciousness. both mezirow’s meaning making and freire’s experiential learning approaches are relevant to people’s transformation, but our project points towards contextually relevant material culture as central to triggering transformative learning in participants. in particular, our project has contributed towards the development of a wide range of technical and soft skills (design, sewing, pattern cutting, embroidery, critical reflection, ethical thinking, listening and communicating, teamwork, systems thinking, creativity and advocacy) as well as personal qualities (such as empathy, flexibility, resilience, resourcefulness and activism), as stated by one of our refugee collaborators: ‘i improved many skills in myself, like communication, teamwork and finding mutual goals whilst we stay creative’. most importantly, drawing on miller and veneklasen’s (2006) social sciences framework for power relations, we are witnessing that the refugees participating in our project are undertaking a transformative journey, from the feeling of being powerless while power is exercised by top-down institutions ‘over’ them, towards gaining power ‘within’ themselves (in terms of self-worth), power ‘with’ people (as collective strength) and power ‘to’ shape their own lives and make a difference in society. for instance, reflecting on her transformative journey of empowerment, one of our refugee collaborators stated: ‘as a refugee, i felt like a stone. you need to find a way to share your pain, and this project is giving me an opportunity to get closer to my feelings and turn my pain into something beautiful’. 9 closing reflections while findings from our research point towards the invaluable lived experience of refugees and what it truly means to be human, we hope that the papers included in this special issue will inspire you – the reader – with multiple ways in which design and fashion can be used to challenge perceptions and narratives around marginalised groups and to engage in participatory and decolonised processes aimed at fostering cultural sustainability and community resilience. we would like to invite you to join us on a collaborative journey to develop practices of resistance to the hostile environment in which we live, nurturing ethics of care and repair and contributing towards unlocking people’s freedom to express their shifting identities and their abilities to access 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(2008). cultural appropriation and the arts. blackwell publishing about the authors: dr francesco mazzarella is design for social change reader at the london college of fashion, ual. francesco’s research spans the fields of design activism, textile craftsmanship, decolonising fashion, design for sustainability and social innovation. he is currently principal investigator on the ahrc-funded ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’ project. dr seher mirza is a cross-cultural design practitioner, researcher and facilitator. her research focuses on power in design and making contexts, spanning 15 years of work with marginalised craft communities. seher works at the centre for sustainable fashion, ual, as a postdoctoral research fellow in ‘decolonising fashion and textiles’. acknowledgement: we gratefully acknowledge funding from the arts and humanities research council (ahrc) and the invaluable support from the centre for sustainable fashion, ual. we are infinitely grateful to our research team, project partners and refugee collaborators for joining us on this journey towards decentring fashion while fostering cultural sustainability and community resilience. we would like to express our gratitude to the authors of the papers published in this special issue for sharing invaluable insights on their participatory practices aimed at shifting narratives and regenerating cultures. finally, our gratitude goes to the discern journal co-editor nicos souleles for his ongoing support in this process and all the reviewers (danah abdulla, tanveer ahmed, spyros bofylatos, serkan delice, reina lewis, paul micklethwaite, lucy orta, cory rodgers, laura santamaria, kirsten scott and tim stephens) who have so generously shared their experience and expertise to craft this special issue with us. https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/20562/1/iasdr2023_textile%20autobiographies_full%20paper.pdf https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/20562/1/iasdr2023_textile%20autobiographies_full%20paper.pdf https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2479/chapter/1191552/forwardon-pluriversality-and-multipolarity https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2479/chapter/1191552/forwardon-pluriversality-and-multipolarity https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/4479/ https://www.fashionseeds.org/_files/ugd/ed0694_8f92d71d49ab46329cf26872d02c38f5.pdf https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures francesco mazzarella, seher mirza published online: may 2024 to cite this article: mazzarella, f., & mirza, s. (2024). decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepren... decentring fashion – participatory practices for shifting narratives and regenerating cultures francesco mazzarellaa, seher mirzaa acentre for sustainable fashion, university of the arts london, london, united kingdom. f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk; s.mirza@arts.ac.uk introduction historically, the textile heritage of minorities has often been subjected to cultural appropriation practices (young, 2008) or systematically undervalued and ‘othered’ as ‘non-fashion’, as such ‘sacrifice zones’ do not sit within the confines of speci... while guest editing this special issue, we were undertaking the research project ‘decolonising fashion and textiles: design for cultural sustainability with refugee communities’, which addresses some of these multiple-level challenges in the uk (mazza... it is essential to highlight that our project team presents a mix of cultural backgrounds, and we speak at least one language other than english, overlapping with our research participants. this position of ‘credible messengers’ contributes to the var... with our project team, we engaged with 41 participants having either refugee or asylum-seeking status and who had come to london from 13 different countries (e.g. eritrea, india, iran, nigeria, pakistan and sudan, to name but a few) for very different... insights against the backdrop of our ongoing project, key themes have emerged from the research observations and public discussions corroborated through the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium we held at the london college of fashion, ual, in january 2024. these t... the discussion on decoloniality foregrounded in this special issue aims to invert power in how knowledge is presented. in discussing the themes below, we highlight the voices of the participants and ma students from the london college of fashion, ual... reframing fashion our project and the papers published in this special issue exemplify ways in which the practice of textiles and fashion design can be used as the catalyst for conversations around colonial legacy and lived experiences. in our project, we learnt that p... in her paper ‘designed for life: fashioning emergent futures’, erica de greef reviews the exhibition ‘designed for life’ at london college of fashion, ual, from october 2023 to january 2024. de greef examines the various elements of the exhibition and... as we understand it in our research context and the papers published here, fashion is a system of what and who we interact with, not just an industry, which it is often reduced to or associated with in the mainstream narrative. besides the fact that ... decentring fashion this special issue illustrates ways in which fashion can provide a different access platform in a decentred context. historically, it has been used as a political and social symbol of defiance to colonial power, notably in gandhi’s personal choice of ... in her article ‘the decentralisation of fashion education in the northeast of england through collaborative practice between education, communities and industry’, gayle cantrell et al. report on initiatives to re-localise the fashion system through co... through engagement with the diverse groups in our project, we argue that language must also be decentred. it became evident that using native languages in the artefacts created can promote diverse cultures. embracing a multitude of knowledge and appro... cultural sustainability our project defines cultural sustainability as a strong sense of identity attached to an emotional sense of belonging, such as comfort in the space of two cultures and redefining fashion through nonconformity. sustaining textile heritage and making sp... on the other hand, it is also important to note that some refugees have traumatic memories of their home countries and may want to erase some of their heritage while absorbing cultural elements of the place of resettlement. hence, sustaining the past ... our research shows that the dominant fashion system is making people from cultural minority backgrounds believe that their material culture and way of dressing may be less valuable. with this in mind, we argue for the designer’s role as an advocate fo... our research also revealed that the reconciliation between values and economic differentials must be considered in any definition. this was highlighted at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium. for instance, professor stuart walker highlighted that regi... shifting narratives the plight of people whose identity is instantly stripped away and replaced with a quick label when arriving in a new place, resounds in a quote shared by artist laura nyahuye at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium: ‘i became a black woman when i came... this statement illustrates the resistance to her strong sense of identity; she felt that ‘there is no room for me because of what i look like’ as the space ‘resisted who i was’. culturally, educationally, and linguistically, diverse people with differ... “i’m here to find myself. we can pray for this to happen every day and night … the reason why i do this is because i know [that] a picture can send a message to the outside world. if someone sees this [referring to her textile artwork], they know that... the current prevailing narratives around refugees are reductive and limit the multidimensional aspect of being human. our research highlights that refugees, similar to other groups, are neither a collective entity nor identify with the same things des... pallavi chamarty’s paper ‘kalamkari and chintz: a decolonial reassessment of entangled textile histories’ in this special issue critiques the absence of artisanal subjectivity and the persistence of eurocentric and orientalist assumptions within the ... regeneration of cultures what is culture in this context? culture here can be defined as a multi-layered living reality that evolves with people as they travel, integrate, learn, unlearn and make meaning. in the paper ‘exploring the extraordinary design motifs of wollo gabi i... our research connected people who would not have otherwise met and focused on finding cultural commonalities that create a bridge between different worlds. while engaging with participants living transient lives and bringing together people from diffe... community resilience community resilience is highlighted in a description of lived experiences, as some forms of culture are carried while others are left behind in the cause of survival. resistance is one basis of resilience in the face of extreme adversity. similarly, o... whilst we advocate for leveraging the power of communities (as groups of people with a shared matter of concern) to achieve social justice, we acknowledge the importance of also creating spaces for ‘agonistic pluralism’ (disalvo, 2010; mouffe, 1999) ... “people from the global south are resilient, although … they should not have to always be resilient, because they also deserve tenderness and loving care, instead of violence and resilience. … sometimes, resilience is worshipped because it’s easier to... while resilience is a positive quality to have to react to adverse situations, it should not be used – for instance, by local authorities, which have a duty of care towards their residents – to deflect responsibilities. the power of participatory practices in social and political theory, foucault (1994) notes power as a form of domination, while bourdieu (1984; 1986) describes a kind of power in social and cultural distinctions. it is essential for design researchers to constantly reflect on their posit... active engagement in a reciprocal process of making and learning ‘with’ project participants rather than studying ‘them’ underlines the power of participatory practice. wherever possible, enabling opportunities for shifting roles, such as empowering r... as brought forth in the discussions at the ‘shifting narratives’ symposium and in the co-creation process with our project participants, making things together contributes to restoring lost connections (with people, places and practices), building sup... transformative learning decolonising fashion implies unlearning inherent knowledge and engaging wholeheartedly in learning new viewpoints. this points to the crucial role that design education and reflexive practice play in this process. in their paper ‘drum magazine: a deco... education implies a journey of learning and transformation through self-discovery, new skills, gaining new knowledge and finding one’s role in society. two main contributors to adult learning, mezirow (2000) and freire (1970; 1973) advocate for transf... most importantly, drawing on miller and veneklasen’s (2006) social sciences framework for power relations, we are witnessing that the refugees participating in our project are undertaking a transformative journey, from the feeling of being powerless w... closing reflections while findings from our research point towards the invaluable lived experience of refugees and what it truly means to be human, we hope that the papers included in this special issue will inspire you – the reader – with multiple ways in which design a... references bason, c. 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(2008). cultural appropriation and the arts. blackwell publishing 1 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzi, anne mastamet mason, nalini moodley-diar published online: may 2023 to cite this article: mollel-matodzi, n., mastamet mason, a., & moodley-diar, n. (2023). south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 1-11. 2 south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzia, anne mastamet masonb, nalini moodley-diarc afaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. nailamollel@gmail.com. bfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. masona@tut.ac.za cfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. moodleydiarn@tut.ac.za abstract the textile and clothing industry intensifies pollution through the production of fast fashion clothes. the increase in fast fashion clothes imports in south africa has led to the closure of textile factories and consequent loss of jobs. sustainable development is a pathway to reducing socio-environmental, cultural and economic harm. sustainable processes and products create new employment. fashion design entrepreneurs are often involved and have influence in every supply chain of their business and are thus in one of the best positions to implement sustainable fashion supply chain operations. this qualitative study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. participants were selected purposively, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. the results indicated that most of the participants were aware of sustainable fabrics through personal research. half of them source and produce sustainable garments on a small scale due to the high price of sustainable fabrics. all the participants had limited knowledge of sustainable design methods. all the participants save their fabric offcuts, and only half of them are motivated by environmental concerns. furthermore, the results indicated a lack of systems to manage the recycling of fabric offcuts. given that there are few sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs in south africa, the study recommends that textile and clothing industry leaders, especially sustainability practitioners, disseminate knowledge and training across the board on sustainable supply chain operations. keywords: fashion design entrepreneurs, sustainable supply chain operations, sustainable fabric sourcing, sustainable garment design, sustainable garment manufacturing introduction entrepreneurship is linked to sustainable development because entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, generates employment, influences economic development, betters social issues and assists in dealing with environmental issues (un, 2015). sustainable operations in businesses entail those businesses integrating sustainable values into the creation of new merchandise (zu, 2014) and reconsider their core processes and productions (fisk, 2010). given the fact that the textile and clothing industry (tci) has contributed to the current socio-environmental challenges, fashion design entrepreneurs cannot afford to have sustainable operations as a separate element in their business. sustainable operations ought to be at the core of their business. the inability to address socio-environmental challenges endangers businesses’ capacity to build wealth and to be viable in the future (zu, 2014,). businesses that incorporate sustainable practices have a competitive advantage (bomgardner, 2018). for the south african textile and clothing industry (satci) to be sustainable and improve its sustainability efforts, sustainable supply chain operations need to be integrated into business practices and processes to ensure and increase the production of sustainable clothes. south african fashion week (safw) is a platform for south african fashion designers 3 to showcase their work. may (2019) reports that safw has a record of 580 fashion designers. however, only a small number of fashion designers are socio-environmentally sustainable. within this research context, this study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. table 1 presents the objectives of this study. table 1: sub-aims of the study. sub-aim 1 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods sub-aim 2 explore and describe how fashion design entrepreneurs balance economical sustainability and socioenvironmental sustainability while sourcing fashion materials, designing garments and manufacturing garment sub-aim 3 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ current practices while sourcing fashion fabrics and manufacturing garments sub-aim 4 explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ current practices towards economic sustainability in sourcing fashion materials, designing garments and manufacturing garments literature review the emergence of sustainability has led numerous fashion businesses into altering their organisational approaches in their supply chain (choi & li, 2015; shen, 2014). it is worth bearing in mind that altering supply chain operations is a gradual process. this requires fashion design entrepreneurs to evaluate their supply chain operations and identify gaps and opportunities where sustainable supply chain practices and processes can be integrated. this study focused on three stages of fashion supply chain: sourcing, design and manufacturing. sustainable fabric sourcing sustainable sourcing firstly involves sourcing sustainable fabrics and secondly sourcing locally manufactured fabrics. it is important to note that every fabric has its individual socio-environmental threats (fletcher, 2014). sustainable fabrics include organic cotton, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rpet), wool, linen, hemp, tencel or lyocell and bamboo. some of the sustainable fabrics that can be sourced in south africa (sa) are cotton produced by the sustainable cotton cluster (cotton sa, 2016), rpet, linen hemp (del monte, 2021), wool, cashmere and mohair (twyg, 2020). it is important to note that some of these fabrics are sometimes sourced in sa and processed outside the country and vice versa (del monte, 2021). sourcing locally is reasonably costed and sustainable because it benefits the country’s economy through job creation, reduces shipping costs and reduces carbon emissions (cadigan, 2014; fontes, 2016; ho & choi, 2012; sprague, 2015). over previous years, leading retailers sourced fabrics and clothes from china, and this has negatively affected south african textile manufacturers’ capacity (daniel, 2022). chinese imports 4 have weakened the south african textile, clothing, leather and footwear industries (satclf) (mahlati, 2017). in 1996, the satci had about 1,600 clothing factories. in 2015, the industry had approximately 900 functional clothing factories (reuters, 2015). the drop in the number of factories indicates the urgent need for south african retailers and fashion design entrepreneurs to source and manufacture locally to improve the economic well-being of the industry and society. to date, leading retailers have committed to sourcing locally produced fabrics (daniel, 2022). when large businesses boost the demand of sustainable fabrics, it will help boost production demand from smaller manufacturers and will make sustainable products more reasonably priced and enable customers to purchase more products (lee, 2014). sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs often struggle to find reasonably priced sustainable fabrics (kawana, 2017; may, 2019). given that the satci struggles with adequate mainstream fabric production for its market, it is logical that there would also be a shortage of sustainable fabric production. thus, where sustainable fabrics are not readily available and are beyond the fashion design entrepreneur’s financial capacity, purchasing sturdy polyester should be an alternative. polyester is a controversial fabric because it is harmful to the environment, yet it is one of the two most used fabrics in the world (dehaan, 2016; fletcher, 2014). it is made from non-renewable resources and pollutes the environment (niinimäki, 2013; olajire, 2014). however, polyester manufacturing uses less water than cotton manufacturing (fletcher, 2014), it is durable and has stronger fibres than cotton (norway geographical, 2019). the popularity of polyester, due to its affordability and other characteristics, makes it difficult to stop using this fabric completely. in the fashion supply chain, the sourcing stage is followed by the garment design stage. sustainable garment design sustainable garment design involves careful consideration of the type of fabric and its effects, the manufacturing, the customer-use phase and disposal of garments to reduce harmful global socioenvironmental impacts (zoltkowski, 2022). sustainable garment design must consider, among others, “economic, social, and environmental values” (niinimäki, 2013) and cultural values. fashion design entrepreneurs determine the look of sustainable garments (sherburne, 2009), as well as the processes and practices that the garment will experience. fashion design entrepreneurs can use various methods to design sustainable garments, including, among others, zero-waste design methods, design for multifunctional garment design and design for emotional durability. zero-waste design methods do not separate the design stage from the manufacturing stage. zero-waste design is a method of reducing fabric waste at the design stage by considering the cost of the fabric, balancing garment aesthetics, fit and cost and pattern cutting (rissanen, 2013). zero-waste design methods consist of and are not limited to draping, zero-waste pattern layout or jigsaw puzzle methods and subtraction pattern cutting (the cutting class, 2013; ecochic design award, 2017). the jigsaw puzzle method refers to laying pattern pieces like a jigsaw puzzle to avoid fabric wastage (the cutting class, 2013). the subtraction pattern-cutting method is like the draping method in that both subtraction and draping require the fashion designer to “twist, displace, and feed the fabric back to itself” (the cutting class, 2013). multifunctional garment design – also known as transformable design and convertible design – involves designing a garment that can be reversible, consisting of various elements that can be added or removed by the wearer depending on the occasion or season (li et al., 2018). multifunctional garments provide customers with one garment that can be worn in multiple ways, with each look consisting of a different 5 aesthetic identity and function. it is possible to reduce customers’ purchases of new fashion (lang & wei, 2019), extend the life cycle of a garment and thereby reduce the number of garments in landfills (koo et al., 2014). emotional durability is a design concept that intends to create a long-lasting emotional connection between the garments and the users (chapman, 2015). involving customers at the garment design stage can contribute to creating an emotional bond with the garment (durrani et al., 2016) and tackling consumption behaviour (durrani et al., 2016). the sustainable garment design methods discussed above all focus on reducing fabric waste at either the pre-consumer or post-consumer phase. the garment design stage in the fashion supply chain is followed by the manufacturing stage. sustainable manufacturing in this study, sustainable manufacturing refers to the treatment of fabrics at the pre-consumer phase and of garments at the post-consumer use phase. fashion design entrepreneurs can employ various methods in the treatment of both fabrics and garments at the pre-consumer and post-consumer phases that can contribute to the sustainability of the tci in sa. this study focuses on a closed loop approach consisting of reuse and recycling practices. according to cuc and vidovic (2011) and holm (2013), reuse and recycling have environmental, social and economic benefits. the closed-loop approach, also known as the “circular economy”, refers to the treatment within the clothing factory of fabric offcuts, waste fabrics and merchandise once the garment is no longer useful to the client (niinimäki, 2013; pervez, 2017). given that the closed-loop approach seeks to reduce landfill and extend the life cycle of fabrics (norwich university, 2020), it is important to note that this approach can be applied both to fabrics that are considered sustainable and those that are not considered sustainable. reusing and recycling are approaches conceived to reduce waste and require fashion design entrepreneurs to re-think their entire manufacturing processes and practices. reuse approaches also involve reselling, renting and swapping (hendriksz, 2016). in some cases, before garments can be reused, they need to be repaired, which means providing a repair service to customers. renting clothes enables companies to increase their profit (hendriksz, 2016). recycling means modifying the original attributes of fabrics to make new items (ho & choi, 2012). one of the ways fashion design entrepreneurs can implement a closed-loop system is by encouraging customers to bring back their used and unwanted clothes. in addition, south african fashion design entrepreneurs can also practise product-centric recycling. product-centric recycling means that clothing manufacturers recycle their own textile waste (sherburne, 2009); this approach is intended to generate profit. in sa, the rising cost and limited access to landfill sites indicate the need for the satci to strengthen its reusing and recycling systems (enviroserv, n.d). according to hendriksz (2016), many overseas businesses and manufacturers join forces with their local governments to reduce carbon emissions, energy and water consumption, waste and their general environmental impacts. it is crucial that the south african government aids the satci in obtaining technologically advanced equipment to improve the industry’s recycling capacity. a few fashion design entrepreneurs identify themselves as sustainable. furthermore, the current climate challenges facing the world and the state of the satci denote the need for more fashion design entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable supply chain operations. 6 methodology in this study, qualitative methods were used to explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and their current sustainable fashion supply chain practices. the six participants for this study were selected purposively based on the following four criteria: 1. must produce clothes for men or women. 2. must have been in business for at least three years. 3. must have an online and a physical store 4. must not be primarily producing sustainable clothes. the data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation found on the participants’ websites or social media pages and was conducted in 2020. due to financial constraints, telephone interviews were conducted. the participants were informed ahead of time that the interview would be recorded. the interviews were recorded using the another call recorder application. the semistructured interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised and arranged for analysis (babbie, 2016). credibility, dependability and confirmability were the categories used to maintain the trustworthiness of this study. credibility was maintained by transcribing the recorded interviews, submitting the transcribed interviews to another researcher and by data triangulation. evaluation of the data collection, data analysis, and interpretation was maintained through continual consultation and discussion with supervisors. this ensured that the dependability and confirmability of the data were maintained. the results and discussion are provided below. results and discussion the findings of this study are discussed based on the sub-aims as shown in table 1. fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods regarding awareness of sustainable practices at the fabric sourcing stage, participant c was the only participant who indicated that she is not aware of sustainable fabrics, stating, “i’m not clued up about sustainable fabrics, and i’ll need to be educated more on their benefits. smal (2016) pointed out that the local tci is in the early stages of addressing sustainable practices, so there is not widespread awareness in the local tci. this may explain why participant c is not knowledgeable about sustainable fabrics. participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that their knowledge on sustainable fabrics and their benefits was based on personal research. these participants revealed that they found sustainable fabrics to be more expensive than other fabrics. may (2019) and kawana (2017) report that sustainable fabrics are indeed expensive. to make sustainable fabrics affordable to micro and small businesses, large retailers must continue to source these fabrics. regarding awareness of sustainable operations at the design stage, all the participants showed minimal awareness of various sustainable design methods. participants b, d and f indicated they are conscious that reducing fabric offcuts is environmentally sustainable. although participants a, c and e save fabric offcuts, they were not aware that this is a sustainable design method, and their motivation for saving fabric offcuts was economic. participant b indicated that he experiments with draping, and this is motivated by the plethora of style options that this method offers. participant is the only participant who uses the design for emotional durability method. however, this participant is unaware of this terminology and that this 7 is a sustainable design method. this participant’s motive for using this method is to increase sales. all the participants were unaware of the other three remaining sustainable design methods: zero-waste pattern layout, subtraction pattern cutting and multifunctional garment design. fashion design entrepreneurs balance economic sustainability and socio-environmental sustainability in sourcing, design and manufacturing regarding balancing environmental sustainability and profitability, participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are connected. participant a indicated that making a profit while disregarding environmental sustainability is counterproductive. according to brubaker (2015), entrepreneurs can fix catastrophes by innovating sustainable business models that can influence customers and increase profit. participant d indicated that a designer must be able to solve problems and produce garments that bring in profit. some of the participants concurred that balancing environmental sustainability and economic sustainability is a process that requires intentional development and time. some of the methods that participants use to balance environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are reducing fabric waste, using waste for sellable products and producing garments based on orders only. participant b stated that profit and environmental sustainability is a process that involves both research and collaboration with other professionals who are knowledgeable about environmental sustainability. with regards to balancing social sustainability and economic sustainability, all the participants indicated that it is possible to balance these. some of the methods that the participants use to balance social sustainability and economic sustainability are as follows: • intentionally producing garments that are affordable to the target market; • developing employees’ skills through training workshops; • providing rent-free space in the retail store for emerging designers’ products; and • providing factory space for employees’ private clients on weekends. regarding balancing employees’ salaries and social sustainability, three participants indicated that they pay their employees based on existing systems such as the basic employment act, the bargaining council, the companies intellectual property commission (cipc) and union regulations. one participant indicated that his employees are paid above the existing minimum wage standard. two participants indicated that they use their standard based on the current cost of living in sa, the daily operational cost of the business, the level of employee work experience and overtime. overall, the various avenues that the participants use to empower their employees demonstrate a value for human life and the services rendered by their employees. fashion design entrepreneurs’ current socio-environmentally sustainable practices at the sourcing and manufacturing stages participants b, d and f source sustainable fabrics such as linen, sustainable cotton and wool on a small scale. these participants manufacture sustainable clothes on a small scale for their upper-class customers because most of their customers cannot afford the clothes. all the participants revealed that they manufacture their garments in-house. as mentioned, all participants in this study save their fabric offcuts. participants a and c reuse their fabric offcuts to make accessories. the remaining four participants indicated that they donate their fabric offcuts to their employees, charity organisations and local 8 communities. participants d and f indicated that there should be better systems to manage fabric offcuts. the participants are not always able to donate their fabric offcuts, which results in unused fabric offcuts filling up their studios, and these may end up in landfills. participant f pointed out that as a small business, it is difficult to prepare fabric offcuts and garments for recycling due to a lack of recycling services in the area they operate in. this may suggest that there is a need for more accessible recycling services to streamline recycling for fashion design entrepreneurs. this study found that garment reuse and renting are not common practice among the participants. participant a reports redesigning and reusing garments that do not sell. participant d reported that they occasionally rented runway garments and found that there is no market for renting clothes. this may suggest that fashion design entrepreneurs can initiate and build a renting culture among customers. fashion design entrepreneurs' current economically sustainable practices at the sourcing, design and manufacturing stages exploring participants’ various economically sustainable practices in fashion supply-chain operations was the fourth sub-aim of this study. economically sustainable practices in this study were threefold, namely sourcing locally manufactured fabrics, businesses making profit consecutively and overall economic contribution to the tci. several international authors cadigan (2014), ho and choi (2012), sprague (n.d.) and fontes (2016) acknowledge that sourcing fabrics in the country where your business is situated is one way of improving the local economy. participant a indicated that they source locally manufactured conventional cotton. participant b indicated that the socio-environmentally friendly cotton and hemp they source are manufactured locally. based on participant c’s website, some of their african print fabrics are produced by south african fabric manufacturers. participant f sources linen and conventional cotton in sa. participants d and f pointed out that the industry needs more textile mills to increase local production. in addition, participant d indicated that they source wool fibres locally, and the fibres are then sent overseas to be woven and finally imported back to sa. thus, more wool and leather mills are needed in sa to increase the local tci production capacity, reduce pollution incurred in shipping and alleviate poverty by providing jobs. participants b, c, d, e and f source their synthetic fabrics from south african wholesalers who stock imported fabrics. these findings suggest that imported fabrics are readily available in sa and that there are not enough fabric factories to cater to local demand. importation of fabrics is not economically friendly because it does not benefit the local tci and the country and impedes the growth of textile and clothing factories. given that the satci has few textile factories, it is understandable that the fabrics that participants source are often imported. although south african fabric wholesalers may employ a few people, the countries that produce these fabrics have greater economic benefits (in terms of fabric production), good production capacity for their tci and employment opportunities for their local communities. with regards to consistently making a profit, participants a, b, c and f revealed that they have been consistently making a profit, and this has allowed them to remain in business. participant f indicated that having multiple businesses in one location is one of the ways he manages financially. this may suggest that for some small and medium enterprises, it may be necessary for them to expand their services to deal with tougher business seasons. participants d and e indicated that they were only able to make a profit after three years, and this was due to assistance from a business rescue specialist. both participants highlighted 9 the importance of business skills in managing a business. this suggests that without the right sets of business skills, it is difficult to remain sustainable and make a positive contribution to the local tci and the country. regarding economic contributions to the tci, all the participants in this study indicated they are making an economic contribution to the tci because they manufacture their garments locally. conclusion and recommendations this study has revealed that fashion design entrepreneurs incorporate minimal sustainable practices in one to two stages of their supply chain operations. the minimal sustainable practices are not solely motivated by the desire to contribute to a sustainable tci and reduce socio-environmental harm. regarding sourcing, the study revealed that there is a need to educate fashion design entrepreneurs on sustainable fabrics and where to source them. sustainable fabric manufacturers and stockists need to be visible in the marketplace, as this will further increase awareness and purchases of the fabrics. the data uncovered the knowledge and skills gap at the garment design stage. it is crucial to empower fashion design entrepreneurs with sustainable garment design knowledge and skills training in the advancement of a sustainable satci. sustainable design methods may increase the quantity and variety of sustainable clothes in the south african retail environment and provide customers with more options. the participants in this study have shown that saving fabric offcuts for reuse and donation is a widespread practice while renting and redesigning garments is rare. garment renting, repair and redesigning are sustainable manufacturing methods that can decrease clothing consumption and the production of new fabric and reduce landfills. the findings of this study reveal that there is a need to promote garment renting and repair among fashion design entrepreneurs and customers. additionally, fashion design entrepreneurs can practise sustainable manufacturing by redesigning garments that do not sell or by donating them to charitable organisations. incorporating minimal sustainable practices and processes in one or two stages of the supply chain operations is a starting point towards building a sustainable tci. for fashion design entrepreneurs to increase their sustainable contribution to the industry, moderate to maximum sustainable practices and processes need to be implemented at every stage of supply chain operations. this study had a limited criterion. first, we suggest that future research should include clear target market criteria (upper class, middle class and lower class). second, future studies should have an equal number of participants who have been operating for the same number of years. participant b stated that sustainability is a journey that takes years to implement. it can be deduced that as a business progresses, there are unique supply-chain operations that must be modified, adapted and preserved accordingly. third, a longitudinal study will provide in-depth insight into methods that fashion design entrepreneurs can use to transform their businesses in a sustainable manner. in conclusion, this study is not representative of the entire south african tci. this study offers valuable insight into the current practice of microto-small businesses of mainstream fashion design entrepreneurs’ sourcing, designing and manufacturing operations. acknowledgements this paper is based on a thesis from tshwane university of technology, south africa. the financial assistance of the national research foundation (nrf) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. references anson, r. 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(2023). south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. discern: international journal of design for ... south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations nailejileji mollel-matodzia, anne mastamet masonb, nalini moodley-diarc afaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. nailamollel@gmail.com. bfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. masona@tut.ac.za cfaculty of arts & design, tshwane university of technology, pretoria, south africa. moodleydiarn@tut.ac.za abstract the textile and clothing industry intensifies pollution through the production of fast fashion clothes. the increase in fast fashion clothes imports in south africa has led to the closure of textile factories and consequent loss of jobs. sustainable ... keywords: fashion design entrepreneurs, sustainable supply chain operations, sustainable fabric sourcing, sustainable garment design, sustainable garment manufacturing introduction entrepreneurship is linked to sustainable development because entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, generates employment, influences economic development, betters social issues and assists in dealing with environmental issues (un, 2015). sustain... within this research context, this study aimed to investigate south african fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. table 1 presents the objectives of this study. table 1: sub-aims of the study. literature review the emergence of sustainability has led numerous fashion businesses into altering their organisational approaches in their supply chain (choi & li, 2015; shen, 2014). it is worth bearing in mind that altering supply chain operations is a gradual proce... sustainable fabric sourcing sustainable sourcing firstly involves sourcing sustainable fabrics and secondly sourcing locally manufactured fabrics. it is important to note that every fabric has its individual socio-environmental threats (fletcher, 2014). sustainable fabrics inclu... sourcing locally is reasonably costed and sustainable because it benefits the country’s economy through job creation, reduces shipping costs and reduces carbon emissions (cadigan, 2014; fontes, 2016; ho & choi, 2012; sprague, 2015). over previous year... to date, leading retailers have committed to sourcing locally produced fabrics (daniel, 2022). when large businesses boost the demand of sustainable fabrics, it will help boost production demand from smaller manufacturers and will make sustainable pro... sustainable garment design sustainable garment design involves careful consideration of the type of fabric and its effects, the manufacturing, the customer-use phase and disposal of garments to reduce harmful global socio-environmental impacts (zoltkowski, 2022). sustainable ga... zero-waste design methods do not separate the design stage from the manufacturing stage. zero-waste design is a method of reducing fabric waste at the design stage by considering the cost of the fabric, balancing garment aesthetics, fit and cost and p... multifunctional garment design – also known as transformable design and convertible design – involves designing a garment that can be reversible, consisting of various elements that can be added or removed by the wearer depending on the occasion or se... emotional durability is a design concept that intends to create a long-lasting emotional connection between the garments and the users (chapman, 2015). involving customers at the garment design stage can contribute to creating an emotional bond with t... sustainable manufacturing in this study, sustainable manufacturing refers to the treatment of fabrics at the pre-consumer phase and of garments at the post-consumer use phase. fashion design entrepreneurs can employ various methods in the treatment of both fabrics and garment... reusing and recycling are approaches conceived to reduce waste and require fashion design entrepreneurs to re-think their entire manufacturing processes and practices. reuse approaches also involve reselling, renting and swapping (hendriksz, 2016). in... a few fashion design entrepreneurs identify themselves as sustainable. furthermore, the current climate challenges facing the world and the state of the satci denote the need for more fashion design entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable supply chain oper... methodology in this study, qualitative methods were used to explore and describe fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and their current sustainable fashion supply chain practices. the six participants for this study were selected purposively based on the follo... 1. must produce clothes for men or women. 2. must have been in business for at least three years. 3. must have an online and a physical store 4. must not be primarily producing sustainable clothes. the data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation found on the participants’ websites or social media pages and was conducted in 2020. due to financial constraints, telephone interviews were conducted. the parti... credibility, dependability and confirmability were the categories used to maintain the trustworthiness of this study. credibility was maintained by transcribing the recorded interviews, submitting the transcribed interviews to another researcher and b... results and discussion the findings of this study are discussed based on the sub-aims as shown in table 1. fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness of sustainable fabrics and garment design methods regarding awareness of sustainable practices at the fabric sourcing stage, participant c was the only participant who indicated that she is not aware of sustainable fabrics, stating, “i’m not clued up about sustainable fabrics, and i’ll need to be edu... regarding awareness of sustainable operations at the design stage, all the participants showed minimal awareness of various sustainable design methods. participants b, d and f indicated they are conscious that reducing fabric offcuts is environmentall... fashion design entrepreneurs balance economic sustainability and socio-environmental sustainability in sourcing, design and manufacturing regarding balancing environmental sustainability and profitability, participants a, b, d, e and f indicated that environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are connected. participant a indicated that making a profit while disregarding en... with regards to balancing social sustainability and economic sustainability, all the participants indicated that it is possible to balance these. some of the methods that the participants use to balance social sustainability and economic sustainabilit... • intentionally producing garments that are affordable to the target market; • developing employees’ skills through training workshops; • providing rent-free space in the retail store for emerging designers’ products; and • providing factory space for employees’ private clients on weekends. regarding balancing employees’ salaries and social sustainability, three participants indicated that they pay their employees based on existing systems such as the basic employment act, the bargaining council, the companies intellectual property commi... fashion design entrepreneurs’ current socio-environmentally sustainable practices at the sourcing and manufacturing stages participants b, d and f source sustainable fabrics such as linen, sustainable cotton and wool on a small scale. these participants manufacture sustainable clothes on a small scale for their upper-class customers because most of their customers cannot ... this study found that garment reuse and renting are not common practice among the participants. participant a reports redesigning and reusing garments that do not sell. participant d reported that they occasionally rented runway garments and found tha... fashion design entrepreneurs' current economically sustainable practices at the sourcing, design and manufacturing stages exploring participants’ various economically sustainable practices in fashion supply-chain operations was the fourth sub-aim of this study. economically sustainable practices in this study were threefold, namely sourcing locally manufactured fabrics, ... participants b, c, d, e and f source their synthetic fabrics from south african wholesalers who stock imported fabrics. these findings suggest that imported fabrics are readily available in sa and that there are not enough fabric factories to cater to... with regards to consistently making a profit, participants a, b, c and f revealed that they have been consistently making a profit, and this has allowed them to remain in business. participant f indicated that having multiple businesses in one locatio... conclusion and recommendations this study has revealed that fashion design entrepreneurs incorporate minimal sustainable practices in one to two stages of their supply chain operations. the minimal sustainable practices are not solely motivated by the desire to contribute to a sust... this study had a limited criterion. first, we suggest that future research should include clear target market criteria (upper class, middle class and lower class). second, future studies should have an equal number of participants who have been operat... acknowledgements this paper is based on a thesis from tshwane university of technology, south africa. the financial assistance of the national research foundation (nrf) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. references anson, r. (2012). editorial: can the shift of textile and clothing production to asia be reversed? textile outlook international, 159, 4–9. babbie, e. r. (2016). the basics of social research (7th ed.). cengage learning. bomgardner, m. m. (2018, june 15). these new textile dyeing methods could make fashion more sustainable. chemical & engineering news. https://tinyurl.com/4e2stve6 brubaker, r (2015, september 9). the next big thing for entrepreneurs: sustainability. forbes. https://tinyurl.com/3wazpzmy cadigan, e. (2014). sourcing and selecting textiles for fashion: sourcing and selection. fairchild books. chapman, j. (2015). prospect, seed and activate: advancing design for sustainability in fashion. in k. fletcher & m. tham (eds.), routledge handbook of sustainability and fashion (pp. 74-81). routledge. choi, t. m., & li, y. (2015). sustainability in fashion business operations. sustainability, 7 ,15400-15406. https://doi.org/10.3390/su71115400 cotton sa. (2016, march 10). cotton is making a comeback. https://tinyurl.com/32rvyvbs cuc, s., & vidovic, m. (2011). environmental sustainability through clothing recycling, operations and supply chain management. operations and supply chain management, 4(2), 108-115. http://doi.org/10.31387/oscm0100064 the cutting class. (2013, october 25). subtraction pattern cutting with julian roberts. https://tinyurl.com/yexakyxk daniel, l. (2022, september 1). pick n pay clothing aims for 60% local by 2028 – years of cheap chinese imports make that tough. business insider. https://tinyurl.com/4425y4zd dehaan, e. (2016, july 01). fast fashion: environmental and social impact. the eco guide. https://theecoguide.org/fast-fashion-environmentaland-social-impact durrani, m., ravnløkke, l., & niinimäki, k. (2016, november 23-24). shared emotional values in sustainable clothing design approaches. in r. early & k. goldsworthy (eds.), circular transitions proceedings: a mistra future fashion conference on textile... ecochic design award. (2014, may 27). reconstruction design technique. the ecochic design award. https://tinyurl.com/yfemtjj4 ecochic design award. (2015). building a sustainable fashion business. the ecochic design award. http://www.ecochicdesignaward.com/s/learn_business_eng_2015.pdf ecochic design award. (2017, june 15). zero-waste design technique. the ecochic design award. https://tinyurl.com/yk8f7zm2 enviroserv. (n.d.), textile, leather and wood. http://www.enviroserv.co.za/industries/textile-leather-wood del monte, c. (2021, january 11). part two: preferred south african plant fibre textiles. twyg. https://twyg.co.za/part-two-preferred-south-african-plant-fibre-textiles/ fisk, p. (2010). people, planet, profit: how to embrace sustainability for innovation and business growth. kogan page publishers. fletcher, k. (2014). sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys (2nd ed.). routledge. fontes, j, (2016, january 25). sourcing locally is better: myth or not? pré sustainability. https://tinyurl.com/36xwm2tv gwilt, a. (2014). a practical guide to sustainable fashion. bloomsbury publishing. hendriksz, v. (2016, may 25). (re) defining sustainability: repair, recycle, reuse and reduce. fashion united. https://tinyurl.com/4um9a6xe hill, r. p. (2017, september 5). did you know? non-biodegradable clothes take 20 to 200 years to biodegrade. edge. https://tinyurl.com/5xxs9fez ho, h. p. y., & choi, t. m. (2012). a five-r analysis for sustainable fashion supply chain management in hong kong: a case analysis. journal of fashion marketing and management, 16(2), 161–175. holm, l. s. (2013). innovative fashion concepts and the communication of sustainability. in k. niinimäki (ed.), sustainable fashion: new approaches (pp. 146-159). aalto university. kawana, j. (2017, november 1). eco fashion with four local designers, fashion handbook. fashion handbook. https://fashionhandbook.co.za/eco-fashion/ koo, h. s., dunne, l., & bye, e. (2014). design functions in transformable garments for sustainability. international journal of fashion design, technology and education, 7(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2013.845250 lang, c., & wei, b. (2019). convert one outfit to more looks: factors influencing young female college consumers’ intention to purchase transformable apparel. fashion and textiles, 6(26),1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-019-0182-4 lee, j. (2014, february 25). the latest in sustainable textiles. triple pundit. https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/latest-sustainable-textiles/58881 li, m. m., chen, y., & wang, y. (2018). modular design in fashion industry. journal of arts & humanities, 7(3), 27-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.18533/journal.v7i3.1271 mahlati, v. (2017, march 16). local textile industry needs support to be safe. independent online. https://tinyurl.com/2mr9vw8e martinko, k. (2017, april 12), which fabrics are most sustainable? treehugger. https://tinyurl.com/ab2fwvur may, j. (2019, april 21). nipped in the waste: why sustainable fashion is a big ask for local designers. timeslive. https://tinyurl.com/w4f23ph niinimäki, k. (ed.). (2013). sustainable fashion: new approaches. aalto university. norway geographical. (2019, july 11). polyester vs cotton: differences and comparison. https://norwaygeographical.com/polyester-vs-cotton/ norwich university. (2020, october 20). how creating a closed-loop supply chain can make businesses greener. https://tinyurl.com/bdc932y3 olajire, a. a. 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(2023). a review of community and connectivity strategies for the acceleration of sustainable transitions. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 4(2), 42-57. 43 a review of community and connectivity strategies for the acceleration of sustainable transitions mike murraya, emina kristina petrovićb ate herenga waka – victoria university of wellington, wellington, 6011, new zealand. bte herenga waka – victoria university of wellington, wellington, 6011, new zealand. emina.petrovic@vuw.ac.nz abstract in the face of the escalating climate crisis, a cross-disciplinary understanding of strategies for stimulating transitional change is critical (newell et al., 2022). to meaningfully stimulate and accelerate transitions toward more sustainable practices, it is essential to foster broad community action, which requires connectivity within and across disciplines. this article presents the findings of a literature review on physical and digital community organization and connectivity strategies, articulating the potential of participation and knowledge sharing within communities to stimulate meaningful change. eight physical, community-based strategies are reviewed and analysed, alongside four digital strategies. the selection of physical strategies conveys a range of tried-and-tested methods of stimulating change, while the review of digital strategies explores how traditional methods have been adapted to the digital age. middle-out approaches to change are particularly focused upon, as middle actors hold a balance of both agency and capacity to drive sustainable transitions, compared to top or bottom actors (janda & parag, 2011; simpson et al., 2020). awareness of the value of middle-out action is growing, with an example being the european union’s introduction of formal support for ‘transition brokers’ capable of providing middle-level facilitation for change (cramer, 2020). by bringing together into one place an analysis of a range of existing concepts and strategies, this review takes an initial step toward establishing a cross-disciplinary source of community organizing and connectivity strategies, which may be implemented by middle actors. keywords: community and connectivity strategies, middle-out, sustainable transitions, acceleration introduction and background in the face of the escalating climate crisis, there is an urgent need to accelerate transitions toward more sustainable practices, and a recognition that better support for the social infrastructure and processes needed for behavioural change would help (newell et al., 2022). supporting that, some european union countries have started introducing formal support for ‘transition brokers’ capable of providing middle-level facilitation for the necessary transitions (cramer, 2020). however, better understanding of how to stimulate the collective acceleration of sustainable transitions is still needed (feeney et al., 2023; newell et al., 2022). this article presents the findings of a literature review on 12 physical and digital community organization and connectivity strategies, articulating the potential of participation and knowledge sharing within communities to stimulate meaningful change. the strategies analysed originate from a wide variety of disciplines, including education, economics, policy, business, grassroots activism and organizing. this review synthesizes the acquired knowledge into a cross-disciplinary understanding of methods for accelerating sustainable transitions. a brief historical background of these strategies, including their disciplines of origin, 44 is provided. the identified strategies are analysed through the lens of a middle-out approach, to identify effective strategies for middle actors seeking to influence transitional change (janda & parag, 2011; simpson et al., 2020). top-down, bottom-up and middle-out approaches approaches to change are often discussed as either ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’ and attract a range of slightly different definitions. the strengths of bottom-up approaches include the potential to identify local issues through participatory community involvement and the ease with which local disciplinary or indigenous knowledge bases can be tapped into (panda, 2007). top-down approaches also have their merits within the broad ecosystem of change but also attract some valid criticisms. finger and princen (1994) critique the failure of top actors (whether they be corporations or states) to prioritize climate over capital, observing that economic growth often trumps ecological constraints. finger and princen (1994) further caution that the bottom-up focus on decentralized, community-led responses makes it harder to influence widespread societal change – hence the importance of using a range of approaches. as an alternative to this dichotomy, janda and parag (2011) proposed a middle-out approach to sustainable transitions. they asserted that through middle-out activity, one might influence actors upstream (i.e. at the ‘top’), downstream (i.e. at the ‘bottom’) or sideways – influencing actors in adjacent or competitive positions (janda & parag, 2011; simpson et al., 2020). a series of case studies by simpson et al. (2020) found that middle actors within the industry often had less upstream influence and that sideways influence amongst professionals was common. janda and parag (2011) discuss the relationship between individuals as ‘bottom’ actors and governments or corporations as ‘top’ actors. compared to top or bottom actors, middle actors hold a balance of both the agency to drive and the capacity to support sustainable transitions (janda & parag, 2011; simpson et al., 2020). middle actors are therefore workers or professionals engaged in any field or discipline below government level (mindell et al., 2021). this review does not focus on middle actors in any discipline, but instead draws and synthesizes knowledge from a range of disciplines – toward a broader range of tangible middle-out strategies to support transitional change. historical context during the 20th century, there have been some radical expansions and re-conceptions of this area (sites et al., 2007). community organization has been viewed as a multi-paradigm field that does not privilege any one strategy (sites, et al., 2007). on the other hand, it has been recognised that community organizations tend to share four key concepts: development, organizing, planning and change (weil, 2012). although activities during and after the 1960s are often seen as the point of origin of numerous community organization strategies, the beginnings were earlier (fisher, 1984). in the 1920s and 1930s, following the red scare of 1918, the professionalization of social work led to community organization (fisher, 1984; lubove, 1975). this is when a distinctive social work practice area became recognised, and these early developments often used mass mobilization (fisher, 1984; sites et al., 2007). further expansion of community organization took place after world war two when academics and activists called for an increase in equality and improvements in working conditions (fisher, 1984; sites et al., 2007). this was 45 followed by further expansion during the 1960s as part of the civil rights movement and general resistance to western influence (fisher, 1984), continuing into the 1970s with the anti-war and early second-wave feminist movements (evans, 2014; fisher, 1984). early conceptions of what is now known as social entrepreneurship emerged in the 1970s (nicholls & collavo, 2019). fisher (1984) discusses the transition in the mid-1970s from mass mobilization to grassroots organizing. social entrepreneurship is often critiqued for its reliance on collective action and community organizing methods (nicholls & collavo, 2019; sud, vansandt & baugous, 2008), which can be interpreted due to its roots in the post-fordist economic restructurings of the late 1970s (sites et al., 2007). the term ‘game changer’ can be traced to baseball commentary from 1982, before an expanded uptake in economic and political commentary in the 1990s (safire, 2008). today, game changers are often discussed with social change and innovation (avelino et al., 2017), constituting another often-financed approach to social change (sites et al., 2007; westley et al., 2016). the framework of intersectionality was introduced by the combahee river collective in 1983 and later expanded upon as intersectional activism by kimberlé crenshaw in 1989 (loopmans et al., 2021). this preceded third-wave feminism, which began in the 1990s (evans, 2014). the 1990s also saw the introduction of several other strategies. community of practice (cop) was introduced by jean lave and etienne wenger in 1991 as a framework for understanding how knowledge is shared in professional communities (lave & wenger, 1991). furthermore, in 1997 the term ‘disruptor’ emerged out of the harvard business school (christensen, 1997), and in 1999 the community of inquiry framework was introduced (garrison et al., 1999). this shows that there is a range of approaches in this area, which may employ a broad variety of actors. before determining which concepts or strategies would be most useful for acceleration of pro-sustainable transitions, a literature review was undertaken. methodology the purpose of the review was to explore discussions of communities of practice, game changers, disruptors and similar strategies. literature was sought based on shared keywords, authors and publications. communities of practice, game changers and disruptors were identified as three initial strategies to review, with the remainder of the strategies identified throughout the review process. the following series of literature reviews explores the background, functionality, variations and key parameters of the 12 identified strategies. considerable variation is identified in the status and function of the strategies. they also address whether the strategies can be characterized as top-down, middle-out or bottom-up approaches. quantification of the list of identified strategies was conducted by citing data from the altmetric database, which breaks down ‘mentions’ of the search term by source type, separating research outputs and publications from other sources of mentions. this quantification was undertaken to ensure that the concepts being reviewed were not too emergent or peripheral to later inform valuable and deployable strategies. the altmetric database was selected for its broad coverage and variety of analytical metrics for interpreting search results. the results of the physical and digital strategies are listed in table 1. the prominence of each term in the literature is primarily indicated by the ‘research outputs’ column, while the 46 ‘mentions in policy documents’ column indicates how much uptake strategies may have had in political spheres. unsurprisingly, the more recent digital strategies tended to return fewer results. table 1: mentions of strategies across the literature (data source: altmetric explorer). strategy research outputs mentions in policy documents mentions in peer reviews community of practice 14,162 2,290 156 social entrepreneurship 2,551 195 16 mass mobilization 2,331 1,518 69 disruptors 1,699 880 33 game changers 867 99 5 community of inquiry 722 49 7 community capacity building 470 96 8 intersectional activism 207 37 2 digital mobilization 1,889 1,608 15 digital storytelling 940 26 4 virtual community of practice 225 8 1 digital artefacts 210 70 1 analysis two levels of analysis were undertaken: a content analysis and a vosviewer analysis. the content analysis examined the whole body of literature for critical differences and was used to compile most parts of this review. vosviewer is a data visualization software, and for that part of analysis, the same 53 texts were used in order to further understand key themes in the body of literature. vosviewer was used because of the comprehensiveness of the software, which provides immediate digital 2d bibliometric graphs. according to viswalekshmi et al. (2023) and elshaboury et al. (2022), vosviewer is emerging as a widely used network mapping tool. to prepare the data for use in vosviewer, the bibliographical data for these texts was compiled using the zotero reference manager application for input into the vosviewer data visualization software. vosviewer clusters and maps connections between keywords as indicated by the cluster colour and visualizes their frequency through the size of the nodes. results of the literature review community of practice (cop) a cop is a group with a shared profession or field of activity, which comes together with a mutual desire to share knowledge, typically regarding a collective concern (li et al., 2009; wenger, 1999). these communities are typically informal, ever evolving and bound by mutually valued knowledge production (wenger et al., 2002), as well as inter-generational participation between newcomers and older members (lave & wenger, 1991). the concept originates from education theory (lave & wenger, 1991; wenger, 1998), but has been developed across a range of other disciplines since. if considering architects as middle actors (janda & parag, 2011) and acknowledging the proven need for further knowledge sharing to activate the agency of the profession (simpson et al., 2020), it becomes clear that the cop is an optimal middle-out strategy for a range of improvements. 47 in-person workshops, coaching, roundtable discussions and storytelling are tools which support the operation of a cop (lave & wenger, 1991; wenger, 1999; wenger et al., 2002). a community coordinator is typically needed to guide the development of a cop (wenger et al., 2002). where members wish to gain knowledge from a range of sources, dividing the workload is often successful, with members then reporting back to the group – documentation and recording of information is also critical (wenger et al., 2002). social entrepreneurship the field of social entrepreneurship integrates and appropriates a variety of methods from the broader practice of community organization to generate positive and effective outcomes (nicholls & collavo, 2019). a social entrepreneur acts as a change agent within society, generating opportunities through transformative action (maas & grieco, 2017) and following a similar structure to standard entrepreneurship, but to generate social value over financial capital (maas & grieco, 2017). the concept of social entrepreneurship originates from business studies (nicholls & collavo, 2019) that note a common critique of social entrepreneurship and the capitalization on collective action. approaches to social entrepreneurship may be collaborative and even interdisciplinary (de bruin et al., 2017); however, these still constitute top-down approaches and as such are of less significance to the middle actor. mass mobilization checkoway (1995) defines mass mobilization as the process of unifying people around a cause through a collective mass activity, such as protests, boycotts or strikes. mass mobilization is one of the oldest strategies, and its origin cannot be attributed to any discipline. shultziner and goldberg (2018) argue that mass mobilization is comprised of three phases: origin, protest and outcomes. grassroots movements which deploy mass mobilization tactics can be considered bottom-up actors, as the organizing, decisionmaking and activity come directly from the community, putting pressure on top actors (finger & princen, 1994). finger and princen (1994) argue that established organizations are functionally no longer grassroots movements but that their inability to dictate downward clearly rules out any top-down intervention. grassroots movements which deploy mass mobilization tactics may indeed be considered bottom-up actors, as the organizing, decision-making and activity come directly from the community (finger & princen, 1994). mobilization organized or sponsored by established organizations may not be more effective than grassroots efforts by default, as the use of resources and the effectiveness of leaders are still critical factors (shultziner & goldberg, 2018). social media, digital forums, planning workshops and visual artefacts are tools which support organization-led mass mobilization (shultziner & goldberg, 2018). disruptors disruptors are agents that materially disrupt the status quo of their given industry through entrepreneurial action, acting as a force for change across one or more sectors toward a more equitable society (burgelman & grove, 2007; nicholls & collavo, 2019). the concept originates from the business sector (christensen, 1997). burgelman and grove (2007) also discuss the cross-boundary disruptor, whose entrepreneurial actions significantly impact the status quo of an adjacent industry. alpkan and gemici (2016) caution that disruptors must exercise ambidexterity and be capable of adapting different capabilities to enjoy the most success in driving innovation and change. from a business perspective, newcomers typically take the form 48 of start-ups (burgelman & grove, 2007). this may not be the case for all disciplines, as disruption may also be prompted by shifting discourse or social action (seglem & bonner, 2022). internal disruptors or cross-boundary disruptors may use a range of discipline-specific tools as available to them (burgelman & grove, 2007; christensen, 1997). disruptors and their capacity to drive change across one or more sectors (nicholls & collavo, 2019) are alluded to by simpson et al. (2020), who discuss middle actors’ potential to act as disruptors across interconnected disciplines. simpson et al. (2020) discuss middle-out disruption as something which actors may stimulate through their everyday activities. game changers in the context of social change, a game changer can be defined as a macro trend or shift which shapes the trajectory of an industry or practice (avelino et al., 2017). the concept, as it is discussed, originates from economic and political discourse (safire, 2008). innovative ideas or concepts which catalyse social innovation are seminal game changers, while external events which disrupt social innovation are exogenous game changers (avelino et al., 2017; westley et al., 2016). the endogamous game changer is the most significant approach for generating change, as it is the only variation to be developed and deployed by the actors themselves (avelino et al., 2017; westley et al., 2016). as endogamous and seminal game changers are generated directly and indirectly by the activity of actors in or adjacent to a given field, they can be employed as middle-out approaches. a seminal game changer is typically driven by new research, policies, theories or concepts, which typically result from a range of efforts (avelino et al., 2017; westley et al., 2016). one could also consider conferences, seminars and publications as tools which enable such aggregation. due to this nature, a seminal game changer cannot be perfectly targeted at a specific audience. awareness of the phenomenon is still useful, however, as researchers can use their best efforts to predict and contribute to future seminal game changers (westley et al., 2016). community of inquiry the community of inquiry is an organizing framework for groups within communities who share a mutual interest in a problematic issue and work to investigate, understand and overcome the issue (shields, 2003). the framework is rooted in educational theory (garrison et al., 1999) and can be defined as an intersection between cognitive, social and teaching presences; however, the presence of disciplinary experts is not required to facilitate the presence of teaching in a community of inquiry (garrison et al., 1999; sharp, 2017). as the community of inquiry forms organically without the presence of a shared domain or profession, the strategy lends itself to the bottom-up approach outlined by panda (2007), with a focus on learning and participation. tools employed by a community of inquiry may include focus groups, storytelling, mapping exercises to gauge opinions and understanding and other accessible research tools (shields, 2003). as a community of inquiry may have members from broad backgrounds, it may be necessary to test and develop methods during an intervention (shields, 2003). tools employed should support participatory democracy so all members can contribute (shields, 2003). like the cop, a ‘leader’ is typically needed to guide discourse and support the group (sharp, 2017; shields, 2003). 49 community capacity building community capacity building is a practice which has been interpreted in a myriad of ways since its conception in 1992 and may also be referred to as community capacity development or capacity strengthening (craig, 2007; mcginty, 2003; sarapura, 2009). the strategy originates from a policy context, specifically environmental policy (craig, 2007). nonetheless, the practice principally centres around collaborating with communities to strengthen their capacity to engage with and inform social, political, economic or environmental change – often through policy development and the upskilling of community members (craig, 2007). community capacity building is often driven by top-down forces such as government agencies (varcoe et al., 2011), unlike the more community-driven community of inquiry. in response to this, varcoe et al. (2011) propose a two-way approach, where the sharing of knowledge and experience is welcomed in both directions. varcoe et al.’s (2011) two-way approach to community capacity building embodies a middle-out approach, as both upstream and downstream influence is generated (simpson et al., 2020). two-way community capacity building may employ two-way interviews, roundtable discussions, storytelling or visual artefacts as tools (varcoe et al., 2011; singh, 2011). visual artefacts, whether they be physical or digital, can support this strategy as tools for collaborative research and knowledge sharing (singh, 2011). the inclusion of incentives may strengthen capacity-building initiatives within professional environments (sarapura, 2009). with a two-way approach, integrating back-and-forth discussion into the methods employed is critical (varcoe et al., 2011). intersectional activism ortiz-wythe et al. (2022) characterize intersectional activism as activism which consciously considers the intersectional dynamics between social hierarchies such as race, gender, class or sexuality. intersectional activism does not originate from a given discipline, but instead from black feminist activism (crenshaw, 1989; loopmans et al., 2021). from a decolonial perspective, apostolopoulou et al. (2021) argue the importance of analysing intersectional dynamics to equitably advance climate justice, environmental policy and conservation policy. as a framework, intersectionality may be meaningfully employed by both top and bottom actors, who naturally would employ different methods (heaney, 2021). while intersectional activism originates from bottom-up grassroots organizing, the core principles can and should be extrapolated and applied to any method of community organizing (apostolopoulou, et al., 2021). digital mobilization digital mobilization refers to collective action catalysed by social interaction on digital forums, often regarding a political issue (koc-michalska & lilleker, 2017). collective action occurring due to digital mobilization may happen physically rather than digitally – often digital organizing tactics strengthen the coherence and turnout of physical action (koc-michalska & lilleker, 2017; morgan & davis iii, 2019). earl and kimport (2011) characterize digital mobilization as operating similarly to standard mass mobilization, but without the organizational demand of co-presence, due to the flexibility afforded by the internet. like mass mobilization, digital mobilization may be considered a bottom-up approach if initiated by individuals or groups of individuals (oyedemi, 2020), or middle-out if initiated by an existing organization (finger, 1994). 50 social media, digital forums, surveys, videos and digital artefacts are tools which may support organizationled digital mobilization (shultziner & goldberg, 2018). if the result is in-person action, a hybrid approach may be appropriate, utilizing traditional mass mobilization methods as well (koc-michalska & lilleker, 2017). despite the educational and organizational value of digital tools, it has been observed in some contexts that the opportunity for direct digital engagement with political actors may be limited or even non-existent (koc-michalska & lilleker, 2017). digital storytelling digital storytelling refers to the act of delivering information in the format of a short story through various forms of digital media, such as video audio, and static imagery (pasupa & pasupa, 2017; robin & mcneil, 2019; rossiter & garcia, 2010). pasupa and pasupa (2017) argue that digital storytelling can play a critical role in influencing behavioural change toward sustainable outcomes, due to the strategy’s persuasive capabilities when well-executed. gubrium and scott (2010) also explore examples where digital storytelling has been used as a workshop tool, in which participants are empowered to communicate stories from their positionality and worldview. as digital storytelling is typically conducted by actors in any given field (robin & mcneil, 2019), it can be employed as an effective middle-out approach. digital storytelling may also be employed as a tool to support broader strategies referred to in this paper. a virtual cop a virtual cop reflects the traditional community of practice as defined by lave and wenger, in that participatory learning among a group with a shared profession is the focus (lave & wenger, 1991; thoma et al., 2018; wenger & lave, 1999). dubé et al. (2005) stress that the structuring characteristics of physical and virtual communities of practice are different, and one looking to deploy these concepts must be aware of the differences. research before the covid-19 pandemic indicated that in-person meetings were typically critical to the success of a virtual cop, as they better facilitate the development of relationships (hildreth et al., 2000; dubé et al., 2006). there is still a limited body of literature exploring shifts which have occurred since the covid-19 pandemic. however, lehr and vaughan (2023) found virtual communities of practice to be a critical tool for improving adaptability and resilience in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. fayez et al. (2023) similarly found that a virtual cop supported teachers to adapt to pressure and uncertainties during the covid-19 pandemic. due to the discussed similarities to the traditional cop, the virtual alternative can also be considered a middle-out approach. typical tools which may be employed to support a virtual cop include video calling, email, digital storytelling and discussion forums or threads (dubé et al., 2005, 2006). the virtual cop may often be more fluid than the traditional cop, due to the nature of digital systems (li et al., 2009). in-person methods used in a standard cop may also be employed to supplement digital methods (dubé et al., 2005). a shared database both for the viewing and recording of information is also critical when operating a virtual cop (dubé et al., 2006). digital artefacts digital artefacts, also commonly referred to as digital objects, have been conceptualized in various and often complex ways throughout the literature (hron et al., 2022). the clearest definition of a digital artefact is an entity generated by computing practices (ekbia, 2009), with examples including social media profiles, blogs, webpages and repositories or databases (ekbia, 2009; kallinikos et al., 2013). regarding social change, mitchell et al. (2017) discuss the value of visual digital artefacts for disseminating knowledge 51 beyond publications to reach broader communities and support sustained participatory dialogue. as such, visual digital artefacts may facilitate a two-way approach in research scenarios, and examples of such artefacts include digital images, paintings, maps and slideshows (mitchell et al., 2017; singh, 2011). a digital artefact can be considered more a tool than a strategy of its own (ciriello et al., 2019) and therefore may feed into a variety of approaches to stimulate change. analysis groupings and content analysis from the literature review, content analysis determined a list of 16 strategies (table 3). of these, 10 have been identified which embody middle-out approaches. the positionality of each strategy in terms of topdown, bottom-up and middle-out approaches has been established in the literature review. for the middleout approaches reviewed, strategies with upstream and downstream influences are differentiated from those with sideways influences (janda & parag, 2011; simpson et al., 2020). it became evident during the literature review that not all the strategies hold the same status, for example digital artefacts are tools (ciriello et al., 2019) and digital storytelling is a mediatic activity (gubrium & scott, 2010), both of which may support broader strategies or practices. furthermore, intersectional activism is omitted here, as it is more appropriate to apply as a fundamental principle for any method of organizing (apostolopoulou, et al., 2021). a cop is notable for its capacity to influence upstream and downstream, as well as sideways. some strategies may be characterized as middle-out approaches, dependent on the actors responsible for carrying them out. for example, community capacity building is typically a top-down measure, but a twoway approach empowers middle actors to exert influence from the middle upwards (varcoe et al., 2011). the game changer may be a middle or top actor, and mass mobilization may manifest as bottom-up action, or middle-out action if driven by an established organization. these variations of strategies offer a greater nuance of middle-out approaches than initially expected, as well as several notable bottom-up and topdown strategies. while different approaches, strategies and tools will naturally suit different actors, causes and contexts, this review provides a base point for future research and the development of more detailed frameworks. an additional analysis is shown in table 3, based on simpson et al. (2020), who categorize the actions of groups based on their function into enabling, mediating or aggregating. enabling refers to actions which promote the adoption of something, mediating refers to actions which facilitate knowledge sharing, and aggregating refers to the process of knowledge accumulation or development across multiple projects or scenarios (simpson et al., 2020). overall, these show limited patterns, as most directions of influence can have the most functions. however, it also shows that aggregating is challenging from the bottom-up approach, just as middle-out approaches are most likely to engage in mediating. 52 table 3: positioning of strategies based on direction of influence. direction strategy enabling/ disabling mediating aggregating bottom-up grassroots mass mobilization grassroots digital mobilization • • community of inquiry • middle-out: up/down organization-led mass mobilization organization-led digital mobilization • • internal disruptors • digital storytelling • • community of practice* • two-way community capacity building • middle-out: sideways cross-boundary disruptors • community of practice* virtual community of practice • • seminal game changers • top-down endogamous game changers • one-way community capacity building social entrepreneurship • • • accessibility analysis accessibility is still recognised as a considerable issue for digital methods of organizing and mobilization, in that digital activists are more likely to be financially and racially privileged, to speak english and to belong to the middle class or above (fenton, 2016). when planning entrepreneurial action, it may be more impactful to function as a game changer, but acting successfully as a disruptor may be less complex and more accessible (alpkan & gemici, 2016; westley et al., 2016). the literature review touched on the rapid development of digital organizing strategies and tools following the covid-19 pandemic, primarily for virtual communities of practice, which had historically relied on ancillary in-person meetings (dubé et al., 2006; hildreth et al., 2000). however, the accessibility of digital community and connectivity practices is likely to continue to shift and improve drastically. another aspect of accessibility is physical accessibility, and there is an existing body of evidence of certain groups tending to be more represented in various in-person formats (bora et al., 2017; meyer et al., 2021). such formats might unintentionally privilege able-bodied people in retirement, while lower representation can easily happen for groups with reduced mobility or neuroatypical sensory needs, or those experiencing higher demands on their time, such as parents, and especially single parents. the issues associated with access to digital media should be considered against the historical issues associated with access to events in person. further innovation is needed in this area to achieve effective and truly inclusive approaches. vosviewer analysis the vosviewer analysis focused on the frequency and interconnectivity of the keywords in the reviewed articles (image 1). the most significant cluster is depicted in red and groups key terms relating to the recurring themes of organization, strategy, concept, knowledge, focus on change and mechanisms to 53 achieve change or even specifically protest as one of the mechanisms, but it also includes innovation as an important aspect. of the strategies listed amongst this cluster’s key terms, the majority can be classified as enabling/disabling strategies, based on the framework presented by simpson et al. (2020). moreover, these concepts relate to how to organize and facilitate change. the green cluster focuses on learning, storytelling, philosophy, inquiry and perspective, which explain the importance of shared knowledge and dissemination of that knowledge. the blue cluster contains terms related to the actors of the change such as the organizers, members and social entrepreneurs and their experience and understanding. the yellow and purple clusters are small and appear to deal with a methodology for social change (yellow), impact measurement, social innovation and game changers (purple). jointly, these clusters describe the key practices which any actors need to engage with in this area. image 1: vosviewer keyword clusters and co-occurrence in the reviewed literature. discussion this article situates community organization and connectivity strategies within their historical context from the start of the 20th century. in some ways, efforts to form groups and drive change through those can be seen as an antithesis of western individualism, which was over the same period starting to exercise global domination (siedentop, 2014). this collection of the different methods can be useful for scholars in any of the areas interested in fostering and accelerating change but is especially useful within the context of the contemporary understanding of the immediate and urgent need for climate action. the review considers a range of disciplinary approaches which have helped with localised development, but also indicates a possible lack of connectivity between and across the approaches. there is also similarity in the methods and tools used by diverse groups when pursuing social change. of these, communities of practice, mass mobilization and, to a lesser extent, communities of inquiry stand out as the most used. meanwhile, most digital methods can be seen as more recent additions to this body of knowledge. the content analysis undertaken shows that middle-out approaches might be especially critical for climate action because of the limited capacity for bottom-up approaches to aggregate or even mediate, and because there is a limited capacity to drive all the needed change using top-down approaches. this is where the range of middle-out approaches can be critical for transitions. the example of the introduction of ‘transition brokers’ in some european countries (cramer, 2020) signals a recognition of the importance 54 of supporting middle-level facilitation for change. this shows that even the leading top-down initiatives are starting to recognise the importance of using middle-out strategies to increase the quality of recruitment, engagement and participation of large communities of actors. such a broad range of participation is necessary for the much-needed acceleration towards climate action. the vosviewer analysis summarizes the needed competencies for action to consist of three main dimensions: organizational strategy and mechanisms, shared perspectives and learning and a set of actors with a shared understanding. these key components are complemented by the methodological approaches and impact factors and measurements. finally, the accessibility analysis shows mixed trends with the potential for both a decrease and increase in accessibility for organizational activities due to the introduction of digital media. further research is needed in this area to evaluate these evolving patterns. conclusion the selection of strategies reviewed in this article offers a range of approaches for individuals or groups of individuals wishing to stimulate the acceleration of sustainable transitions within their field of practice. these strategies originate from a range of disciplines. this review has taken an initial step toward establishing a cross-disciplinary repository of community organizing and connectivity strategies for the collective benefit of all disciplines seeking to accelerate sustainable transitional change. the emphasis on middle-out approaches builds upon prior literature, acknowledging the importance of empowering middle actors to influence sustainable transitions through diverse methods instead of relying on the perhaps outdated bottom-up versus top-down dichotomy. further research in this area may include the application of these principles to specific disciplines, further analyses of the practical requirements of the strategies or the development of detailed deployment frameworks and field guides. references alpkan, l., & gemici, e. 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(2016). how game changers catalyzed, disrupted, and incentivized social innovation: three historical cases of nature conservation, assimilation, and women’s rights. ecology and society, 21(4), 13. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26270034 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2007.00363.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2007.00363.x https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9939-1 https://doi.org/10.1097/sih.0000000000000284 https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262x.2022.2047871 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26270034 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. a review of community and connectivity strategies for the acceleration of sustainable transitions mike murray, emina kristina petrović published online: november 2023 to cite this article: murray, m., & petrović, e. k. (2023). a review of community and connectivity strategies for the acceleration of sustainable transitions. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entr... a review of community and connectivity strategies for the acceleration of sustainable transitions mike murraya, emina kristina petrovićb ate herenga waka – victoria university of wellington, wellington, 6011, new zealand. bte herenga waka – victoria university of wellington, wellington, 6011, new zealand. emina.petrovic@vuw.ac.nz abstract in the face of the escalating climate crisis, a cross-disciplinary understanding of strategies for stimulating transitional change is critical (newell et al., 2022). to meaningfully stimulate and accelerate transitions toward more sustainable practice... keywords: community and connectivity strategies, middle-out, sustainable transitions, acceleration introduction and background in the face of the escalating climate crisis, there is an urgent need to accelerate transitions toward more sustainable practices, and a recognition that better support for the social infrastructure and processes needed for behavioural change would he... this article presents the findings of a literature review on 12 physical and digital community organization and connectivity strategies, articulating the potential of participation and knowledge sharing within communities to stimulate meaningful chang... top-down, bottom-up and middle-out approaches approaches to change are often discussed as either ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’ and attract a range of slightly different definitions. the strengths of bottom-up approaches include the potential to identify local issues through participatory community i... as an alternative to this dichotomy, janda and parag (2011) proposed a middle-out approach to sustainable transitions. they asserted that through middle-out activity, one might influence actors upstream (i.e. at the ‘top’), downstream (i.e. at the ‘bo... janda and parag (2011) discuss the relationship between individuals as ‘bottom’ actors and governments or corporations as ‘top’ actors. compared to top or bottom actors, middle actors hold a balance of both the agency to drive and the capacity to sup... this review does not focus on middle actors in any discipline, but instead draws and synthesizes knowledge from a range of disciplines – toward a broader range of tangible middle-out strategies to support transitional change. historical context during the 20th century, there have been some radical expansions and re-conceptions of this area (sites et al., 2007). community organization has been viewed as a multi-paradigm field that does not privilege any one strategy (sites, et al., 2007). on ... although activities during and after the 1960s are often seen as the point of origin of numerous community organization strategies, the beginnings were earlier (fisher, 1984). in the 1920s and 1930s, following the red scare of 1918, the professionaliz... early conceptions of what is now known as social entrepreneurship emerged in the 1970s (nicholls & collavo, 2019). fisher (1984) discusses the transition in the mid-1970s from mass mobilization to grassroots organizing. social entrepreneurship is oft... the framework of intersectionality was introduced by the combahee river collective in 1983 and later expanded upon as intersectional activism by kimberlé crenshaw in 1989 (loopmans et al., 2021). this preceded third-wave feminism, which began in the 1... this shows that there is a range of approaches in this area, which may employ a broad variety of actors. before determining which concepts or strategies would be most useful for acceleration of pro-sustainable transitions, a literature review was unde... methodology the purpose of the review was to explore discussions of communities of practice, game changers, disruptors and similar strategies. literature was sought based on shared keywords, authors and publications. communities of practice, game changers and dis... quantification of the list of identified strategies was conducted by citing data from the altmetric database, which breaks down ‘mentions’ of the search term by source type, separating research outputs and publications from other sources of mentions. ... table 1: mentions of strategies across the literature (data source: altmetric explorer). analysis two levels of analysis were undertaken: a content analysis and a vosviewer analysis. the content analysis examined the whole body of literature for critical differences and was used to compile most parts of this review. vosviewer is a data visualization software, and for that part of analysis, the same 53 texts were used in order to further understand key... results of the literature review community of practice (cop) a cop is a group with a shared profession or field of activity, which comes together with a mutual desire to share knowledge, typically regarding a collective concern (li et al., 2009; wenger, 1999). these communities are typically informal, ever evol... in-person workshops, coaching, roundtable discussions and storytelling are tools which support the operation of a cop (lave & wenger, 1991; wenger, 1999; wenger et al., 2002). a community coordinator is typically needed to guide the development of a ... social entrepreneurship the field of social entrepreneurship integrates and appropriates a variety of methods from the broader practice of community organization to generate positive and effective outcomes (nicholls & collavo, 2019). a social entrepreneur acts as a change ag... mass mobilization checkoway (1995) defines mass mobilization as the process of unifying people around a cause through a collective mass activity, such as protests, boycotts or strikes. mass mobilization is one of the oldest strategies, and its origin cannot be attribu... mobilization organized or sponsored by established organizations may not be more effective than grassroots efforts by default, as the use of resources and the effectiveness of leaders are still critical factors (shultziner & goldberg, 2018). social me... disruptors disruptors are agents that materially disrupt the status quo of their given industry through entrepreneurial action, acting as a force for change across one or more sectors toward a more equitable society (burgelman & grove, 2007; nicholls & collavo, ... internal disruptors or cross-boundary disruptors may use a range of discipline-specific tools as available to them (burgelman & grove, 2007; christensen, 1997). disruptors and their capacity to drive change across one or more sectors (nicholls & colla... game changers in the context of social change, a game changer can be defined as a macro trend or shift which shapes the trajectory of an industry or practice (avelino et al., 2017). the concept, as it is discussed, originates from economic and political discourse (... a seminal game changer is typically driven by new research, policies, theories or concepts, which typically result from a range of efforts (avelino et al., 2017; westley et al., 2016). one could also consider conferences, seminars and publications as ... community of inquiry the community of inquiry is an organizing framework for groups within communities who share a mutual interest in a problematic issue and work to investigate, understand and overcome the issue (shields, 2003). the framework is rooted in educational the... tools employed by a community of inquiry may include focus groups, storytelling, mapping exercises to gauge opinions and understanding and other accessible research tools (shields, 2003). as a community of inquiry may have members from broad backgrou... community capacity building community capacity building is a practice which has been interpreted in a myriad of ways since its conception in 1992 and may also be referred to as community capacity development or capacity strengthening (craig, 2007; mcginty, 2003; sarapura, 2009).... two-way community capacity building may employ two-way interviews, roundtable discussions, storytelling or visual artefacts as tools (varcoe et al., 2011; singh, 2011). visual artefacts, whether they be physical or digital, can support this strategy ... intersectional activism ortiz-wythe et al. (2022) characterize intersectional activism as activism which consciously considers the intersectional dynamics between social hierarchies such as race, gender, class or sexuality. intersectional activism does not originate from a g... as a framework, intersectionality may be meaningfully employed by both top and bottom actors, who naturally would employ different methods (heaney, 2021). while intersectional activism originates from bottom-up grassroots organizing, the core principl... digital mobilization digital mobilization refers to collective action catalysed by social interaction on digital forums, often regarding a political issue (koc-michalska & lilleker, 2017). collective action occurring due to digital mobilization may happen physically rathe... social media, digital forums, surveys, videos and digital artefacts are tools which may support organization-led digital mobilization (shultziner & goldberg, 2018). if the result is in-person action, a hybrid approach may be appropriate, utilizing tra... digital storytelling digital storytelling refers to the act of delivering information in the format of a short story through various forms of digital media, such as video audio, and static imagery (pasupa & pasupa, 2017; robin & mcneil, 2019; rossiter & garcia, 2010). pas... a virtual cop a virtual cop reflects the traditional community of practice as defined by lave and wenger, in that participatory learning among a group with a shared profession is the focus (lave & wenger, 1991; thoma et al., 2018; wenger & lave, 1999). dubé et al. ... typical tools which may be employed to support a virtual cop include video calling, email, digital storytelling and discussion forums or threads (dubé et al., 2005, 2006). the virtual cop may often be more fluid than the traditional cop, due to the na... digital artefacts digital artefacts, also commonly referred to as digital objects, have been conceptualized in various and often complex ways throughout the literature (hron et al., 2022). the clearest definition of a digital artefact is an entity generated by computin... analysis groupings and content analysis from the literature review, content analysis determined a list of 16 strategies (table 3). of these, 10 have been identified which embody middle-out approaches. the positionality of each strategy in terms of top-down, bottom-up and middle-out approach... a cop is notable for its capacity to influence upstream and downstream, as well as sideways. some strategies may be characterized as middle-out approaches, dependent on the actors responsible for carrying them out. for example, community capacity buil... an additional analysis is shown in table 3, based on simpson et al. (2020), who categorize the actions of groups based on their function into enabling, mediating or aggregating. enabling refers to actions which promote the adoption of something, media... table 3: positioning of strategies based on direction of influence. accessibility analysis accessibility is still recognised as a considerable issue for digital methods of organizing and mobilization, in that digital activists are more likely to be financially and racially privileged, to speak english and to belong to the middle class or a... another aspect of accessibility is physical accessibility, and there is an existing body of evidence of certain groups tending to be more represented in various in-person formats (bora et al., 2017; meyer et al., 2021). such formats might unintentiona... vosviewer analysis the vosviewer analysis focused on the frequency and interconnectivity of the keywords in the reviewed articles (image 1). the most significant cluster is depicted in red and groups key terms relating to the recurring themes of organization, strategy, ... image 1: vosviewer keyword clusters and co-occurrence in the reviewed literature. discussion this article situates community organization and connectivity strategies within their historical context from the start of the 20th century. in some ways, efforts to form groups and drive change through those can be seen as an antithesis of western in... the review considers a range of disciplinary approaches which have helped with localised development, but also indicates a possible lack of connectivity between and across the approaches. there is also similarity in the methods and tools used by diver... the content analysis undertaken shows that middle-out approaches might be especially critical for climate action because of the limited capacity for bottom-up approaches to aggregate or even mediate, and because there is a limited capacity to drive al... the vosviewer analysis summarizes the needed competencies for action to consist of three main dimensions: organizational strategy and mechanisms, shared perspectives and learning and a set of actors with a shared understanding. these key components ar... finally, the accessibility analysis shows mixed trends with the potential for both a decrease and increase in accessibility for organizational activities due to the introduction of digital media. further research is needed in this area to evaluate the... conclusion the selection of strategies reviewed in this article offers a range of approaches for individuals or groups of individuals wishing to stimulate the acceleration of sustainable transitions within their field of practice. these strategies originate fro... references sarapura, s. (2009). the feminist capacity development approach: a methodology to gender analysis in development programs. https://tinyurl.com/yd685yzp seglem, r. and bonner, s. (2022). igniting social action in the ela classroom: inquiry as disruption. teachers college press. sharp, a. m. (2017). what is a ‘community of inquiry’? in m. r. gregory & m. j. laverty (eds.), in community of inquiry with ann margaret sharp: childhood, philosophy and education (pp. 38–48). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315625393 66 https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/discern-j issn 2184-6995 this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives 4.0 international license. sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation daniele busciantella-ricci, marco berni, andrea del bono, rita duina published online: may 2024 to cite this article: busciantella-ricci, d., berni, m., del bono, a., duina, r. (2024). sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation. discern: international journal of design for social change, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, 5(1), 66-87. 67 sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation daniele busciantella-riccia, marco bernib, andrea del bonob, rita duinab ainnovation in design & engineering (idee) laboratory, department of architecture (dida), university of florence, florence, italy. daniele.busciantellaricci@unifi.it bcodesign toscana, prato, italy. marco@codesigntoscana.org; andrea@codesigntoscana.org; rita@codesigntoscana.org abstract the potential role of co-design in the fashion industry and system toward a more sustainable future and as a critical action for social change can be addressed through the role design assumes in an organisation. this article describes a strategy to develop a sustainable consumption culture through participatory design activities. it does so by reconstructing the collaboration between a company and a local third-sector entity promoting co-design for social innovation. the methods used to drive this collaboration included ideation techniques and intensive co-design workshops aimed at developing a recognisable sustainable brand and understanding sustainability-related topics for the company’s customers. strategies, design probes and replicable design tools emerging from the workshop were applied as innovative actions. this collaboration provided several experiences that, on the one hand, allowed the identification of new company strategies for supporting sustainability in the fashion industry and, on the other hand, created the condition to systematically adopt co-design instruments for providing social change through company actions. keywords: co-design, circular economy, co-design for sustainability, fashion co-design, service-system co-design, co-design ladder, user research, community design, organisational design, design for innovation introduction in this article, the case study of an experimental collaboration between a third-sector entity and a company is used to illustrate (i) how co-design for social change can contribute to redefining the fashion industry system towards more sustainable horizons and (ii) the processes that can be applied to promote cultural sustainability within contemporary entrepreneurship in the fashion field. these two aspects are the core of the research question addressed in the presented study. the article opens with a literature review to introduce the theoretical focus through which the case study has been observed. the context of the collaboration between the two main actors is then examined. this central part of the paper highlights how co-design activities and research can be applied to an industry rethinking itself. it also describes the adopted toolkit and how the main findings emerged. the paper closes with recommendations and future steps to undertake for design research to stimulate the development of sustainable cultures through design, particularly in the fashion industry. sustainability and fashion and their intersections with co-design and participation are crucial themes discussed at the beginning of the next paragraphs. then, the research context of the case study is introduced. this is also decisive for understanding the background for where the two entities collaborated to explore how to embed co-design in fashion systems for sustainability purposes. mailto:andrea@codesigntoscana.org 68 co-design, fashion culture and sustainability the theoretical positioning adopted in this paper revolves around the debate concerning sustainability, participation, co-design and fashion. with regards to the entanglements between the first two, participatory sustainability has often been analysed in the literature concerning urban governance and policymaking (certoma et al., 2015) as a filter through which to assess the quality of decision-making exercises (dawodu et al., 2021) and as an approach for triggering effective actions for environmental protection (fritsch & newig, 2012; grifoni et al., 2014). crucial, in this context, is the notion of ‘community’, not only as the unit to assess the adoption of evidence-based practices for social change (hacker et al., 2012; marschalek, 2008), but also as an increasingly complex ecology entangled in different types of social and technological transformations (smith & iversen, 2018). participation, sustainability and design are also increasingly analysed in the literature within sustainability governance strategies (esguerra & van der hel, 2021) or, to put it differently, as methods of inquiry capable of stimulating new conversations towards innovative policies (gaziulusoy & ryan, 2017). adding the broad concept of ‘fashion’ within the sustainability-oriented design research literature opens the discussion to concepts of sustainable fashion designs and innovations (claxton & kent, 2020; hur, 2015; hur & beverley, 2023). terms such as ‘sustainable fashion design’ (hur, 2015; cf. claxton & kent, 2020) can also be difficult to define because they embed a unique concept with complex components within a broad discussion. by and large, even though the fields of application of these concepts seem to stretch from fashion activism (hirscher & niinimäki, 2013) to cloth-making practices (townsend & sadkowska, 2020), sustainability, design and fashion also appear to be often investigated within the education field (fletcher & williams, 2013; lam et al., 2022). fully aware of the expanding field of application of these concepts, in this paper, we attempt to contribute to the debate by providing first-hand evidence of how co-design methods can be applied to contribute to fashion industry companies’ attempts to gear towards more sustainable modes of operation. we refer to co-design as a resource for participatory design research (e.g., busciantella-ricci & scataglini, 2024; wilde, 2020), as an essential process for designing social innovations and sustainability (manzini, 2015) and as a facilitator to balance powers among the different actors and knowledge (cf. freire et al., 2011). in the field of sustainable fashion, co-design can facilitate the relationship between service designers and local textile artisans (as in a uk study), where service co-design tools and outcomes help to visualise and share possibilities for future sustainable directions (mazzarella et al., 2017). at the same time, processes driven by ‘design activism’ and co-design are assuming a crucial role in creating counternarratives in fashion towards sustainable solutions (mazzarella et al., 2019) and exploring more open and democratic approaches to fashion manufacturing, such as ‘social manufacturing’ (hirscher et al., 2018). also, according to a socio-ecological perspective (white & van koten, 2016), co-creation and co-design can help find a better sustainable future by disrupting current fashion consumption patterns and addressing environmental and social sustainability concerns. it means understanding how to provoke sustainable fashion innovation through co-design by also adopting new instruments such as the sustainable fashion bridges (hur & beverley, 2023) toolkit to support ideation processes (hur et al., 2013). co-design also helps exploit technical and technological innovations in the fashion industry. for instance, it can help understand how to use intelligent textiles to create more harmonious solutions and avoid the technology’s mere adjunct strategy (cf. fairburn et al., 2016). in the realm of fashion for social change, participatory design helps to use techniques such as patternmaking and garment-making in a framework of fashion design for social innovation (monteiro, 2023). at the same time, co-design is also seen as an ethical 69 key in design pedagogy for fashion design education, where future designers can establish relationships with fashion artisans (cf. ghai, 2022). co-design’s potential value as a strategy for sustainable futures and social changes can also be addressed by exploring its role in fashion industry organisations. to reflect on these aspects, literature on design ladders may help frame a background for future sustainable design processes in the fashion industry. in the early 2000s, the danish design centre research team introduced a design ladder with four steps, from ‘no use of design’ (step 1) to ‘design as a strategy’ (step 4) (ramlau, 2004), to describe how design is present in organisations. while it is still challenging to find a specific connotation of the design ladder in fashion industry-related changes towards sustainability and co-design, this ladder has been interpreted in several ways, such as understanding the relationship between design and the public sector (design council, 2013); design capabilities in the nonprofit context with a specific design ladder (nusem et al., 2017); the pedagogy of design thinking with an educational design ladder (wrigley & straker, 2017); and design culture in the industrial context (palmares et al., 2022). these references describe a potential background for understanding how co-design and sustainability can impact the fashion industry with a distinct perspective and culture. research context the adoption of co-design-inspired methodologies that we describe in this article in the business activities of a brand that is active in the fashion industry (and that subscribes to a particular ethic in the textile domain) is shaped by the social, economic and cultural trajectories inscribed in the history of the city – prato – and its recent reconfigurations. the city, the second largest in the italian region of tuscany and one of the most important world textile clusters, is where the presented company and association are based. the case study presented in this article is titled co-rifò. it emerged from the joint work between rifò (i.e. a small to medium-sized company that aims to create a line of quality clothing and accessories produced entirely in prato and the surrounding areas with regenerated and regenerable fibres; see rifò, n.d.) and codesign toscana (a collective of professionals animated by multidisciplinary research and codesign inspired methodology for social innovation and the creation of eco-sustainable communities). the case study has been developed by the authors of this paper, who are both members and co-founders of the aforementioned association. all are engaged in forms of research through co-design activities by working on the edge between the voluntary association and academia. indeed, despite the authors’ very different backgrounds, they all hold design education and research positions in academia (i.e. an assistant professor, a professor with a temporary appointment, a post-doc researcher and a research fellow). the work of codesign toscana has been applied to that of rifò (hereafter ‘the company’) over two years (figure 1), adapting the contextual needs of growing the sustainable fashion brand with tools and methodology inspired by co-design. two phases of the collaboration between the two entities are considered: in the first stage, co-design has mainly been conceived as a lever for community building and as a support for rifò's start-up phase. in this phase, co-design functionality was used to co-create local promotional events, and design tools qwew employed as boundary objects to raise awareness within different user categories and concerning the company’s core leverage (i.e. a circular process, ecological thinking, sustainable transition and advocacy in the fashion industry). in the second stage, the co-design dimension acquired space as a transversal tool among the organisation’s departments: processes, tools and results were used for user research, testing 70 and concept validation of products, communication and sales strategies and as a relationship management tool with the community of users. regarding the first stage, we refer to two practices conceived in 2017 and 2018, respectively: rifò next and circular fashion map. rifò next was the title of an envisioning session organised by rifò and codesign toscana in december 2017 at the iconic textile museum of prato. this was conceived as a collective discussion with enthused local stakeholders about sustainability. relational design was used on this occasion as a methodology for collective envisioning and ideation through the ‘how might we…‘ tool (nicolai & thompson, 2023). the circular fashion map, developed and optimised from 2018 to 2020 by codesign toscana, is the name of the co-design tool used by rifò team members to spread the concept of sustainable fashion among schools, practitioners and within the fashion revolution context – a global movement formed by activists who believe in a different fashion industry that respects human rights and the environment at all stages of the supply chain. here, the collaboration between designers and textile and communication experts has been essential in shaping some assumptions and delivering the principles underlying the social entrepreneurship project. the second stage of design-driven application to rifò's brand development toward a recognised sustainable fashion brand, using design-based and collaborative tools, led to the launch of the co-rifò project. co-rifò can be understood as a research process that integrated gamified elements, including playful and interactive parts within the user research processes, favouring peer learning and the emergence of strategic insights. thus, the collaborative design approach and a playful dimension sought to balance economic sustainability in favour of the social sustainability of the people participating. through co-rifò gamified research workshops (grws), codesign toscana put in place a double objective: on the one hand, the organisation of relational moments that represent the basis on which social design can deliver value; on the other hand, involvement of and listening to users through hybrid qualitative-quantitative methodologies provide strategic insights for different company departments. figure 1: sequence of the main activities and related tools of the presented case study. 71 methodology rifò next and circular fashion map in the first phase of collaboration between codesign toscana and rifò, ideation techniques such as the how might we …’ tool (nicolai & thompson, 2023) were mostly used. the following are some of the design questions and challenges (defined a priori), themes and issues that rifò wanted to address: • how might we help the company overcome the problem of overproduction and overconsumption by having a social impact in the territory? • how might we help the company create jobs for the associations’ users to be the natural bearers of social inclusion? • how might we help the company solve the problem of overproduction of clothes by adopting circular economy strategies? • how might we support the company in creating social value for prato and its citizens? • how might we contribute to the company project in an active way? • how might we decrease the purchase of clothes that would otherwise remain unused? • how might we include needy, marginalised or differently-abled people in the company project? • how might we adopt a homemade process to recycle clothes we no longer wear? referring to the circular fashion map, design tool portions from distinctive design thinking phases (dam & siang. 2021) were adopted. functional pieces were later embedded in a unique canvas to depict an overall process for the co-design of an engage-collect-recycle sustainable chain. portions of personas, ecosystemic maps, scenario design and business model canvases from the codesign toscana open-source learning toolkit (codesign toscana, n.d.) were used. co-rifò in the second stage, design-driven application to rifò's brand went towards developing a recognised sustainable brand and understanding sustainability-related topics for rifò's customers. the work structured in 2022-2024 focused on intertwining engagement strategies with user research on sustainable consumption and beliefs, fashion industry communication perceptions and fashion-consuming habits. three main actions of co-rifò can be synthesised as pillars of this design-based application for sustainable fashion brand development: contextual analysis through internal diagnostics, engagement with the users through a grw and long-lasting research through design probes. an initial phase of semi-structured interviews with employees was conducted to understand the main topics shared in the exploration. this qualitative method of listening and dialogue (parker & tritter, 2006) created common ground for collaboratively developing participatory activities with stakeholders and consumers. thanks to the touchpoint matrix (figure 2), a tool specifically designed for debriefing the interviews and intertwining these results with quantitative post-purchase questionnaires, sustainability-related themes emerged that were used for the following phase. second, going deep into the grw, we could depict a process design focused on user research and co-design techniques adapted to the thematic clusters identified in the contextual analysis phase. on this occasion, a set of personalised co-design tools were designed to match the results of the preliminary qualitative research. 72 figure 2: touchpoint matrix and stakeholders map canvas. first tool development: brand-pillar tool this aimed to deconstruct the main elements of the rifò brand. it connected them to sustainability trends and allowed its users to evaluate their relevance concerning their brand attitude. based on the contextual analysis phase, the tool was co-created with the rifò team, and the pillars of the brand were recognised as regenerated fibre, collection service, artisanal and local production, young project, garment design, recovery textile tradition, social impact, material quality and durability of the garments. the tool (figure 3) is visualised as a spider graph (with scores from 1 to 3, where 1 indicates weak points and 3 strong points) designed to be compiled collaboratively with thread, tacks and cardboard. 73 figure 3: example scheme of brand-pillar canvas and activity interaction. second tool development: rifò-play tool and co-llage the rifò-play tool aimed to simulate an individualised purchasing experience calculated on the average expenditure declared when completing the questionnaire. the participants were called to make expenses 74 catalogued in two macro-areas: the first, based on an actual calculation of the resources available; the second on a choice dictated by one’s desire and regardless of economic availability. image 1: example scheme of rifò-plafigurey canvas and activity interaction. image 2: focus group in action. in parallel, the participants were stimulated to provide a collage namely co-llage by taking inspiration from fashion magazines according to (i) a chosen or preferred kind of clothing, (ii) perception of the rifò company, and (iii) their definition of the term ‘sustainability’. 75 third tool development: focus group as a final exercise of the grw, through a focus group, exploratory open questions and debate focused on some specific topics related to the macro-concept of sustainability: • topic 1 sustainability and eco-anxiety o what is your perception of climate change? o what specific consequences of climate change worry you most? o as a consumer, what types of purchases and consumption choices make you feel like you have a positive impact on the environment and others? • topic 2 information o when does a company prove to be genuinely sustainable in your opinion? o what are the main elements that distinguish sustainable clothing brands for you? o what information do you look for to assess the sustainability of a brand and/or a product? fourth tool development: design probes finally, during the first co-rifò phase in 2022, codesign toscana and rifò agreed on the usage of cultural probes (halpern et al., 2013) as design means that can dilate – i.e., long-lasting research – the listening and co-design process through self-reflection by users and their potential close community. adopting the shape of an audiobook and a logbook, the assumptions at the basis of these have been to test the legacy (berni & del bono, 2022) of the co-design approach by engaging users through forms of care and reflection on sustainability issues during their daily lives. using observation, self-reflection and research tools that complement traditional digital strategies, we assumed probing as a potential example of design-driven and community-oriented innovation. image 3: examples of probes covers and their calls to action. 76 figure 4: example scheme of probes analysis operations and extrapolation of results. results the main results of the presented case study can be framed through the outputs provided during the three main initiatives: (i) the rifò next session, (ii) the work with the circular fashion map and (iii) the co-rifò experience. these moments of the case study provided specific results that can be clustered together according to the following paragraphs. rifò next and circular fashion map first, the session named rifò next (2017-2018) provided a series of visions that can be clustered together according to the following categories: • promotion and offline/online engagement: engaging users through social media and digital volunteering, organising sartorial hackathons and discussing the rifò project on various occasions. • sustainability and clothing recycling: in this set of ideas, creative ways to recycle unused clothing are proposed, such as transforming them into new garments, donating or exchanging them. • involvement of associations and local entities: this cluster emphasises needs, values and opportunities to collaborate with local entities, international associations and user associations through tailoring training, sustainable deliveries and exchange of experiences. • education and awareness: from this set of ideas emerges the possibility of promoting conscious shopping, educating on fashion taste and organising scheduled pickups for clothing recycling. these categories have been used to design the canvas of the circular fashion map (2018-2020) (figure 4). the canvas itself is one of the early results that emerged from the joint work between the two involved entities. the circular fashion map has been employed as a collaborative design tool in different environments, including outside the company to introduce students (e.g. of design or economics) to circular thinking and circular business models. this canvas embeds the main aspects that need to be considered systematically in a unique framework to assume a circular economy perspective. technically, it is the logical and sequential combination of well-known design tools such as personas, eco-systemic maps, scenario design and business model canvases. however, they are arranged and redesigned in a manner that favours connected and strategical reasoning for assuming a circular fashion perspective. the map emerged from the early activities arranged during the encounter between the fashion company and the voluntary associations, considering the participation of the local communities in public events. 77 exploratory strategies the development of the rifò next session and the application of the circular fashion map provided insights that contributed to centring rifò’s 2021-2023 strategy. specifically, the collaboration between the company and codesign toscana led to some strategies emerging that were applied as innovative actions to be explored. the actions implemented by rifò can be divided into the following strategic areas: ● improving multi-channel community management activities with social impact and the ability to drive sustainability principles to the community of users. this strategic line was developed through the following actions: o the co-rifò/gamified research workshops explore new forms of collaboration between the company and their potential clients through ‘gamified research’ activities. o the textile tours are guided tours to discover the companies involved in textile regeneration in prato. o the ‘nei nostri panni’ project is a course for textile artisans and spinners involving migrant people in prato. ● embedding a series of communication and advocacy contents. this strategy was developed by the ‘rifolution’ tagline of the brand that delivers the message of ‘the [sustainable] revolution of rifò’. ● providing complementary innovative services. this strategy has been developed with the rifò takeback service, which is a diffused system to gather used clothes. figure 5: circular fashion map canvas obtained by assembling parts of different design tools. 78 co-rifò results and practice the activities performed in the co-rifò phase (2022-2024) provided five sets of results. they emerged both from the internal activities within the company and through the development of the grw sessions that involved more than 80 participants. the first set of results is nine categories of themes to be addressed and developed as they are crucial to addressing sustainable fashion processes. as emerged from the internal exploration of the co-rifò activities, these categories are considered crucial for the company. they are (i) product and fibre quality; (ii) brand recognition; (iii) prices of products; (iv) daily sustainability choices; (v) sense guilt/indulgence toward (un)sustainable choices; (vi) active participation; (vii) style; (viii) sales channels, engagement and distribution; and (ix) complementary services. the second set of results is persona profile elements obtained by intertwining quantitative data from sixmonthly questionnaires with qualitative results from focus groups. the assemblage of these elements shapes the personas profile (image 4). the elements that describe each persona profile are as follows: ● age range (20-30; 31-40; 41-50; 50+); ● social status (married; parents; single); ● first purchase/purchase frequency (rifò; general brand); ● 7 gamified personas cluster (4 women 3 men): o green freaks are sustainability-conscious women, primarily self-assessing themselves as consumers of sustainable products and services. o safe fall/winter safe spring/summer are the most represented group among women, with an average age of 36 (min. 23, max. 56). the majority have no children, almost all have bought rifò in the last year, half buy presale and very few use the used garment collection service. o stylish are the least represented group, with an average age of 37. the majority have bought rifò in the last year 4+ times. only one uses the garment collection service, and another uses the presale. o for non-primary users, bit primary users and super basic users, men represent a minority. all of them, although with different degrees of ‘basicness’, do not stand out in terms of attention and care to their style and sustainable choices. average age 38, largely childless. image 4: gamified persona data visualisation examples. the third set of results is the design probes, both as a template and a set of contents that emerged in their early application. the design probes ask for self-reflection and daily reporting from users. through open 79 questions and mood boards, design probing has been striking for exploring aspects of the user’s culture that may: • influence rifò's sustainable design choices; • suggest design insights by reading the user's characteristics and peculiarities; • probe the cultural, personal, and intimate context of the user; and • empathise with the design context through the user’s vision. in total, 10 participants were involved in compiling design probes, but only 4 effective compilers delivered the probes (see the example in image 5). image 5: logbook and audiobook probes compiled by the users. the fourth result is linked to the three replicable design tools used during the grw of the co-rifò processes. as described above, the three tools are brand-pillar, co-llage and rifò-play (images 6–9). below are some explanatory images of their use during the participatory activities. 80 image 6: brand-pillar tool compiled by a group of participants. 81 image 7: co-llage tool compiled by a group of participants. image 8: rifò-play single-page tool compiled by a group of participants. 82 image 9: rifò-play debriefs canvas tool compiled by a group of participants. these tools report valuable insight from the perspectives of the involved participants. as tangible results, they worked both as valuable canvases in a collaborative process and as facilitators to address complex topics around sustainability, fashion and strategic thinking. more than 40 completed canvases for each template were collected among the initiatives presented in this study. the fifth set of results are two strategic reports produced for co-rifò at the end of the participatory processes. they represent concrete documentation for sharing the research process, tools and results and co-design pathways. it is important to note that dynamics produced with these activities go beyond strategic business insights but include training on collaborative design approach for the rifò staff employed and disseminating a culture of care and sustainability for the fashion brand’s involved community. similarly, although such reports represent the traditional and most widespread form of ‘legacy’ for participatory and design-based processes, these represent only the beginning, the visible and immediately understandable part of the value of co-design, which needs further research, monitoring and continuous triggers in financial and design terms to bring potential forms of innovation to life. in practical terms, the reports are the tangible output containing tools, processes, instructions and analysis of the applied cases to build the legacy of the process presented in this study. they serve to exploit the results obtained with the joined experience among the two entities. the reports make tangible the possibility for the company to use the results strategically. for instance, the co-rifò results have been described by the company as a decision-making support for strategic choices. the reports help to use this legacy. 83 discussion according to the experience presented in this paper, it is possible to provide answers to the research questions. consequently, it is possible to frame three aspects that highlight both (i) the contribution of design for social change to the redefining of the fashion system and (ii) the related processes and instruments that can favour the growth of a cultural sustainability trend in companies in the fashion field. first, combining the encounter between a third-sector entity and a fashion company with social advocacy is a vital and strategic action that can contribute to applying design for social change in a challenging sector. these encounters can facilitate counter-narratives to the mainstream fashion processes and provide valuable actions for developing forms of fashion design for social innovation (mazzarella et al., 2017, 2019; monteiro, 2023). as we emphasise in the present study, these aspects can be formalised by applying the research through co-design approach (busciantella-ricci & scataglini, 2024). however, we argue that this process can allow us to identify a new perspective that is readable by the models of the design ladders (nusem et al., 2017). consequently, we can propose a co-design ladder for sustainability by generalising the process we followed in the case. second, we note that co-design provokes reflections on how addressing socially relevant issues can benefit both the company and society. this is evident in the legacy that emerged in the encounter between an entity that adopted design for social change and the company presented in the case. third, tools, processes and strategies adopted in the case are replicable instruments that may impact the company’s development strategies in the fashion industry. the application of these instruments provided valuable insights into understanding how to frame a better sustainable future for the company and the related community of users. the following paragraphs provide an overview of these three aspects. co-design ladder for sustainable fashion entrepreneurship the different interpretations of the design ladder (design council, 2013; nusem et al., 2017; palmares et al., 2022; ramlau, 2004; wrigley & straker, 2017) inspired an interpretation of the co-rifò experience. indeed, co-design assumed a different role as a social changer in the company’s context. essentially, co-design assumed the same role that it generally assumes in design for social innovation contexts or in contexts where co-design is a strategy to provoke social encounters (e.g. manzini, 2015). however, co-design processes, tools, strategies and mechanisms assumed a different role concerning sustainability values during the progress of the co-rifò experience. consequently, it is possible to frame the ladder as in figure 5, where the steps are as follows: • step 1: no application of co-design and a very low possibility of reaching sustainable advancements; • step 2: a condition where co-design is present and adapted for specific needs or for a minimal one-step action to reach a very specific and limited sustainable objective; • step 3: a condition where sustainability is perceived with an ethical purpose; co-design is assumed as a collaborative-based practice to develop capabilities on this topic within the company; • step 4: a situation where sustainability is the policy of the company, and co-design is assumed as an instrument to identify strategies to follow the policy purposes; 84 • step 5: a context where sustainability is adopted as the main goal and co-design is used for provoking transformations of the company’s structure; • step 6: an ideal condition where co-design is an embedded practice of the company to be used for developing and taking care of the company’s culture; in this step, sustainability is the company’s culture. co-design is the instrument, and sustainability is the engine value to climb the steps and make sustainability tangible within the company. figure 6: co-design ladder for sustainability strategies in fashion realms. legacy and sustainability through co-design according to the co-rifò experience, adopting co-design in a fashion company helps assume a sustainable attitude toward socially relevant aspects and, at the same time, frame possible more sustainable futures (e.g. see mazzarella et al., 2017, 2019) for the company. despite several co-design tools, processes and strategies being positively adopted in the co-rifò process, the legacy of the process is an emerging problem to consider. specifically, voluntary associations traditionally act to promote social change. this vocation has been transferred in the fashion industry by focusing on (i) the value of co-design as a design for social change essential practice, (ii) the advocacy of a design activism approach in fashion (hirscher & niinimäki, 2013; hirscher et al., 2018), (iii) reframing the scopes for co-designing (from at least steps 2 to 4 of the ladder). on these points, the legacy of the association for rifò is represented by (i) the direct experience of the involved participants, (ii) the results and insights that emerged (e.g. see the reports among the results), with their relevant reusable and scalable outputs and (iii) the processes and tools as embedded in the company culture. all these factors, if carefully collected, applied and embedded in the company, according to the presented experience, can create a culture of care. it means a culture where both the problems and challenges emphasised by the company and the voluntary association are reciprocally addressed via the ladder shown above (figure 5). step 6 of the co-design ladder for sustainability is reached if this happens. 85 co-design instruments and strategies the steps in the ladder (figure 5) describe how co-design may impact the fashion company organisation by considering sustainability values. each step describes a way to adopt co-design tools and strategies. these co-design resources are adaptable as an organisation climbs the steps. the act of climbing also defines how the organisation intends to position the company concerning sustainability. conceptually, the ladder can be used as a toolbox with co-design tools for developing strategies for sustainable fashion design and innovation (cf. claxton & kent, 2020; hur & beverley, 2023). adaptable co-design instruments (including tools, strategies, processes and professionals) give a sense of how the organisation may or may not climb the ladder and thus reach different sustainability objectives. according to this view, sustainability is interpreted with the three canonical dimensions (i.e. economic, social and environmental), and co-design is a flexible research instrument (cf. busciantella-ricci & scataglini, 2024; wilde, 2020) to help the company understand and making these dimensions and instruments their own – step by step. conclusion this paper provided findings on (i) how design for social change can contribute to redefining the fashion system towards more sustainable horizons and (ii) how co-design-based instruments can be applied to promote cultural sustainability in the fashion industry. to demonstrate this, the paper presented a case study that describes the collaboration between a third-sector entity and a fashion company. they collaborated to embed co-design and improve the company’s strategies toward innovative processes for sustainable fashion. this collaboration provided several experimental co-design experiences that allowed the authors to identify and discuss a co-design ladder for sustainability strategies for the fashion sector. despite the ladder being a synthesis of a single case, it can be a reflective model for those companies that want to assume a more sustainable attitude through co-design by climbing the ladder. replicating the operative model presented in this paper with the same kind of entities is the primary recommendation for adopting the ladder and creating new cases among fashion companies. in terms of limitations, as topics for further research, it is worth mentioning the need to (i) build new cases for applying co-design in fashion manufacturing and consumption; (ii) provide the presented experiences to other stakeholders (e.g. distributors and manufacturers) of the production chain; and (iii) scale the codesign ladder for sustainability strategies to challenge those 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(2024). sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation. discern: international journal of design for social change... sustainability culture and fashion enterprises: from creating questions to co-creating participation daniele busciantella-riccia, marco bernib, andrea del bonob, rita duinab ainnovation in design & engineering (idee) laboratory, department of architecture (dida), university of florence, florence, italy. daniele.busciantellaricci@unifi.it bcodesign toscana, prato, italy. marco@codesigntoscana.org; andrea@codesigntoscana.org; rita@codesigntoscana.org abstract the potential role of co-design in the fashion industry and system toward a more sustainable future and as a critical action for social change can be addressed through the role design assumes in an organisation. this article describes a strategy to de... keywords: co-design, circular economy, co-design for sustainability, fashion co-design, service-system co-design, co-design ladder, user research, community design, organisational design, design for innovation introduction in this article, the case study of an experimental collaboration between a third-sector entity and a company is used to illustrate (i) how co-design for social change can contribute to redefining the fashion industry system towards more sustainable ho... sustainability and fashion and their intersections with co-design and participation are crucial themes discussed at the beginning of the next paragraphs. then, the research context of the case study is introduced. this is also decisive for understandi... co-design, fashion culture and sustainability the theoretical positioning adopted in this paper revolves around the debate concerning sustainability, participation, co-design and fashion. with regards to the entanglements between the first two, participatory sustainability has often been analysed... by and large, even though the fields of application of these concepts seem to stretch from fashion activism (hirscher & niinimäki, 2013) to cloth-making practices (townsend & sadkowska, 2020), sustainability, design and fashion also appear to be often... co-design also helps exploit technical and technological innovations in the fashion industry. for instance, it can help understand how to use intelligent textiles to create more harmonious solutions and avoid the technology’s mere adjunct strategy (c... co-design’s potential value as a strategy for sustainable futures and social changes can also be addressed by exploring its role in fashion industry organisations. to reflect on these aspects, literature on design ladders may help frame a background f... research context the adoption of co-design-inspired methodologies that we describe in this article in the business activities of a brand that is active in the fashion industry (and that subscribes to a particular ethic in the textile domain) is shaped by the social, e... the case study has been developed by the authors of this paper, who are both members and co-founders of the aforementioned association. all are engaged in forms of research through co-design activities by working on the edge between the voluntary asso... two phases of the collaboration between the two entities are considered: in the first stage, co-design has mainly been conceived as a lever for community building and as a support for rifò's start-up phase. in this phase, co-design functionality was u... the second stage of design-driven application to rifò's brand development toward a recognised sustainable fashion brand, using design-based and collaborative tools, led to the launch of the co-rifò project. co-rifò can be understood as a research proc... figure 1: sequence of the main activities and related tools of the presented case study. methodology rifò next and circular fashion map in the first phase of collaboration between codesign toscana and rifò, ideation techniques such as the how might we …’ tool (nicolai & thompson, 2023) were mostly used. the following are some of the design questions and challenges (defined a priori), ... • how might we help the company overcome the problem of overproduction and overconsumption by having a social impact in the territory? • how might we help the company create jobs for the associations’ users to be the natural bearers of social inclusion? • how might we help the company solve the problem of overproduction of clothes by adopting circular economy strategies? • how might we support the company in creating social value for prato and its citizens? • how might we contribute to the company project in an active way? • how might we decrease the purchase of clothes that would otherwise remain unused? • how might we include needy, marginalised or differently-abled people in the company project? • how might we adopt a homemade process to recycle clothes we no longer wear? referring to the circular fashion map, design tool portions from distinctive design thinking phases (dam & siang. 2021) were adopted. functional pieces were later embedded in a unique canvas to depict an overall process for the co-design of an engage... co-rifò in the second stage, design-driven application to rifò's brand went towards developing a recognised sustainable brand and understanding sustainability-related topics for rifò's customers. the work structured in 2022-2024 focused on intertwining engag... figure 2: touchpoint matrix and stakeholders map canvas. first tool development: brand-pillar tool this aimed to deconstruct the main elements of the rifò brand. it connected them to sustainability trends and allowed its users to evaluate their relevance concerning their brand attitude. based on the contextual analysis phase, the tool was co-create... figure 3: example scheme of brand-pillar canvas and activity interaction. second tool development: rifò-play tool and co-llage the rifò-play tool aimed to simulate an individualised purchasing experience calculated on the average expenditure declared when completing the questionnaire. the participants were called to make expenses catalogued in two macro-areas: the first, base... image 1: example scheme of rifò-plafigurey canvas and activity interaction. image 2: focus group in action. in parallel, the participants were stimulated to provide a collage namely co-llage by taking inspiration from fashion magazines according to (i) a chosen or preferred kind of clothing, (ii) perception of the rifò company, and (iii) their definitio... third tool development: focus group as a final exercise of the grw, through a focus group, exploratory open questions and debate focused on some specific topics related to the macro-concept of sustainability: • topic 1 sustainability and eco-anxiety o what is your perception of climate change? o what specific consequences of climate change worry you most? o as a consumer, what types of purchases and consumption choices make you feel like you have a positive impact on the environment and others? • topic 2 information o when does a company prove to be genuinely sustainable in your opinion? o what are the main elements that distinguish sustainable clothing brands for you? o what information do you look for to assess the sustainability of a brand and/or a product? fourth tool development: design probes finally, during the first co-rifò phase in 2022, codesign toscana and rifò agreed on the usage of cultural probes (halpern et al., 2013) as design means that can dilate – i.e., long-lasting research – the listening and co-design process through self-r... image 3: examples of probes covers and their calls to action. figure 4: example scheme of probes analysis operations and extrapolation of results. results the main results of the presented case study can be framed through the outputs provided during the three main initiatives: (i) the rifò next session, (ii) the work with the circular fashion map and (iii) the co-rifò experience. these moments of the ca... rifò next and circular fashion map first, the session named rifò next (2017-2018) provided a series of visions that can be clustered together according to the following categories: • promotion and offline/online engagement: engaging users through social media and digital volunteering, organising sartorial hackathons and discussing the rifò project on various occasions. • sustainability and clothing recycling: in this set of ideas, creative ways to recycle unused clothing are proposed, such as transforming them into new garments, donating or exchanging them. • involvement of associations and local entities: this cluster emphasises needs, values and opportunities to collaborate with local entities, international associations and user associations through tailoring training, sustainable deliveries and excha... • education and awareness: from this set of ideas emerges the possibility of promoting conscious shopping, educating on fashion taste and organising scheduled pickups for clothing recycling. these categories have been used to design the canvas of the circular fashion map (2018-2020) (figure 4). the canvas itself is one of the early results that emerged from the joint work between the two involved entities. the circular fashion map has bee... exploratory strategies the development of the rifò next session and the application of the circular fashion map provided insights that contributed to centring rifò’s 2021-2023 strategy. specifically, the collaboration between the company and codesign toscana led to some str... the actions implemented by rifò can be divided into the following strategic areas: ● improving multi-channel community management activities with social impact and the ability to drive sustainability principles to the community of users. this strategic line was developed through the following actions: o the co-rifò/gamified research workshops explore new forms of collaboration between the company and their potential clients through ‘gamified research’ activities. o the textile tours are guided tours to discover the companies involved in textile regeneration in prato. o the ‘nei nostri panni’ project is a course for textile artisans and spinners involving migrant people in prato. ● embedding a series of communication and advocacy contents. this strategy was developed by the ‘rifolution’ tagline of the brand that delivers the message of ‘the [sustainable] revolution of rifò’. ● providing complementary innovative services. this strategy has been developed with the rifò take-back service, which is a diffused system to gather used clothes. figure 5: circular fashion map canvas obtained by assembling parts of different design tools. co-rifò results and practice the activities performed in the co-rifò phase (2022-2024) provided five sets of results. they emerged both from the internal activities within the company and through the development of the grw sessions that involved more than 80 participants. the first set of results is nine categories of themes to be addressed and developed as they are crucial to addressing sustainable fashion processes. as emerged from the internal exploration of the co-rifò activities, these categories are considered cr... the second set of results is persona profile elements obtained by intertwining quantitative data from six-monthly questionnaires with qualitative results from focus groups. the assemblage of these elements shapes the personas profile (image 4). the el... ● age range (20-30; 31-40; 41-50; 50+); ● social status (married; parents; single); ● first purchase/purchase frequency (rifò; general brand); ● 7 gamified personas cluster (4 women 3 men): o green freaks are sustainability-conscious women, primarily self-assessing themselves as consumers of sustainable products and services. o safe fall/winter safe spring/summer are the most represented group among women, with an average age of 36 (min. 23, max. 56). the majority have no children, almost all have bought rifò in the last year, half buy presale and very few use the used g... o stylish are the least represented group, with an average age of 37. the majority have bought rifò in the last year 4+ times. only one uses the garment collection service, and another uses the presale. o for non-primary users, bit primary users and super basic users, men represent a minority. all of them, although with different degrees of ‘basicness’, do not stand out in terms of attention and care to their style and sustainable choices. average ag... image 4: gamified persona data visualisation examples. the third set of results is the design probes, both as a template and a set of contents that emerged in their early application. the design probes ask for self-reflection and daily reporting from users. through open questions and mood boards, design p... • influence rifò's sustainable design choices; • suggest design insights by reading the user's characteristics and peculiarities; • probe the cultural, personal, and intimate context of the user; and • empathise with the design context through the user’s vision. in total, 10 participants were involved in compiling design probes, but only 4 effective compilers delivered the probes (see the example in image 5). image 5: logbook and audiobook probes compiled by the users. the fourth result is linked to the three replicable design tools used during the grw of the co-rifò processes. as described above, the three tools are brand-pillar, co-llage and rifò-play (images 6–9). below are some explanatory images of their use du... image 6: brand-pillar tool compiled by a group of participants. image 7: co-llage tool compiled by a group of participants. image 8: rifò-play single-page tool compiled by a group of participants. image 9: rifò-play debriefs canvas tool compiled by a group of participants. these tools report valuable insight from the perspectives of the involved participants. as tangible results, they worked both as valuable canvases in a collaborative process and as facilitators to address complex topics around sustainability, fashion ... the fifth set of results are two strategic reports produced for co-rifò at the end of the participatory processes. they represent concrete documentation for sharing the research process, tools and results and co-design pathways. it is important to not... in practical terms, the reports are the tangible output containing tools, processes, instructions and analysis of the applied cases to build the legacy of the process presented in this study. they serve to exploit the results obtained with the joined ... discussion according to the experience presented in this paper, it is possible to provide answers to the research questions. consequently, it is possible to frame three aspects that highlight both (i) the contribution of design for social change to the redefinin... first, combining the encounter between a third-sector entity and a fashion company with social advocacy is a vital and strategic action that can contribute to applying design for social change in a challenging sector. these encounters can facilitate c... second, we note that co-design provokes reflections on how addressing socially relevant issues can benefit both the company and society. this is evident in the legacy that emerged in the encounter between an entity that adopted design for social chang... third, tools, processes and strategies adopted in the case are replicable instruments that may impact the company’s development strategies in the fashion industry. the application of these instruments provided valuable insights into understanding how ... co-design ladder for sustainable fashion entrepreneurship the different interpretations of the design ladder (design council, 2013; nusem et al., 2017; palmares et al., 2022; ramlau, 2004; wrigley & straker, 2017) inspired an interpretation of the co-rifò experience. indeed, co-design assumed a different rol... • step 1: no application of co-design and a very low possibility of reaching sustainable advancements; • step 2: a condition where co-design is present and adapted for specific needs or for a minimal one-step action to reach a very specific and limited sustainable objective; • step 3: a condition where sustainability is perceived with an ethical purpose; co-design is assumed as a collaborative-based practice to develop capabilities on this topic within the company; • step 4: a situation where sustainability is the policy of the company, and co-design is assumed as an instrument to identify strategies to follow the policy purposes; • step 5: a context where sustainability is adopted as the main goal and co-design is used for provoking transformations of the company’s structure; • step 6: an ideal condition where co-design is an embedded practice of the company to be used for developing and taking care of the company’s culture; in this step, sustainability is the company’s culture. co-design is the instrument, and sustainability is the engine value to climb the steps and make sustainability tangible within the company. figure 6: co-design ladder for sustainability strategies in fashion realms. legacy and sustainability through co-design according to the co-rifò experience, adopting co-design in a fashion company helps assume a sustainable attitude toward socially relevant aspects and, at the same time, frame possible more sustainable futures (e.g. see mazzarella et al., 2017, 2019) f... co-design instruments and strategies the steps in the ladder (figure 5) describe how co-design may impact the fashion company organisation by considering sustainability values. each step describes a way to adopt co-design tools and strategies. these co-design resources are adaptable as a... conclusion this paper provided findings on (i) how design for social change can contribute to redefining the fashion system towards more sustainable horizons and (ii) how co-design-based instruments can be applied to promote cultural sustainability in the fashio... replicating the operative model presented in this paper with the same kind of entities is the primary recommendation for adopting the ladder and creating new cases among fashion companies. in terms of limitations, as topics for further research, it is worth mentioning the need to (i) build new cases for applying co-design in fashion manufacturing and consumption; (ii) provide the presented experiences to other stakeholders (e.g. distrib... references becattini, g. 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