Author: Kristin Støren Wigum
System Oriented Design is a natural approach in Design for Sustainability. Products must be designed and evaluated in a longer time-lap, as well as in a wider perspective of human needs, desires, culture, and material lifecycles (andmore).Hence, the choices of non-material values are also critical, although not seldom a neglected factor. On the one hand, during the last five yearsthesocietyingeneralhasbecomestrongerawareofthechallengeshumanityisfacingin ecological care and social development. Public economic support has been increased for environmental profiled projects. On the other hand, solutions asked for and suggested by the businesses, researchers and government are not always convincing. Are we actually able to design for change within the same value-frame as before? A researcher and pioneer within Industrial Ecology, John Ehrenfeld, pinpoints that a new care-structure within design and developmental so is critical for us to succeed(Ehrenfeld,2008).What does this actually mean? This article describes how two projects include design of a value platform as guideline for co-designwithallstakeholders.Abottomupandresearchrelatedapproachisnecessaryforstrong individual and organisational ownership to the success criteria and challenges.
