"Making better by design - translating NetZero+ in a craft SME context"
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Brighton
Department Name: Sch of Art and Media (SAM)
Abstract
'As agreed with AHRC please see the Case for Support attachment for the full application information'
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Nick Gant (Principal Investigator) |
| Title | 'Wabi-sabi' Net Zero product range |
| Description | This is a product range developed and successfully introduced and sold by the partner industrial organisation and is representative of a net zero product resulting from the research. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Publically accessible and successful product range that applies the research co-devised by partners |
| URL | https://www.poshtottydesigns.com/jewellery/shop-by-collection/wabi-sabi.html |
| Description | A key value to this business (an potentially other businesses in this sector) was the (re)framing of the business to include the principle of being a 'social service' that promotes a circular economic model for their products. This engages users / customers in sustained 'subject / object' interactions and interventions in support of carbon retention through the application of sustainable design theory to prolong product lifespans. |
| Exploitation Route | This model can be deployed and referenced as a means to re-determine the role of objects / products as mediating social (service) interactions of meaning and value as distinct from 'selling' the inherent material value associated with the weight, quality and volume of 'precious' materials. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Other |
| Description | - New Job Role: Sustainability Jeweller: 'Actively work on the sustainability of our jewellery components by minimising those sent to be melted down and re-using them to make new products lines or refill stock. - Redefined company values, research and develop any existing processes to be more sustainable.' - Introduction of Wabi Sabi Net Zero product range, using 'file not fire' to reuse 'waste' materials. - Reframed the business to include the principle of being a 'social service' that promotes a circular economic model of their products. - Revisiting their marketing strategy to share NetZero+ narratives, promote 100% transparency and encourage enhanced service nature of the business. - New/temporary job role of videographer to work on visual promotion of Net Zero narratives to consumers. - Introduction of 'regifting and forever' boxes, products and facilities to increase lifespan of products. - Reduction of a number of waste streams including: pallets/postage labels/plastic bags/silica gel. - Introduction of new 'green objectives' for every member of staff during appraisals inclsuing a NetZero+ Guide to be incorporated in staff handbook and printed for communal kitchen area. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Title | "Life support' jewellery box |
| Description | 'Life support' jewellery box - This is a jointly developed box of physical material artefacts that represent the 'life support' methodology and findings that were co-designed through the funded research and act as props for the dissemination of findings for net zero jewellery products. The jewellery box follows a successful linage of propositional objects as 'in-forming things' that are used to convey complex systems and support material literacy when applied with other industry and academic audiences in a format that relevant and engaging to diverse audiences in the future. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | It has been used at The Design Museum / Future Observatory presentation and two masters and PHD teaching events to articulate and disseminate findings in ways that are relative to the 'material literacy' of arts based research. |
| Title | 'Sole Searching' propositional material research objects |
| Description | This is a collection (circa 12) pairs of shoes made from wide range of waste materials; from dog-hair, to human breast milk, coal slag to broken glass collected from weddings. The shoes serve to articulate and disseminate previous research findings regarding the valorisation of waste and the 'meaning making' that can occur in the process of re-evaluating waste materials, revealing and accentuating their social and cultural meaning as well as their physical attributes. As both output and on-going method for developing qualitative data and for promoting reflection on the potential valorisation of waste they provide a useful entry point to the complexity of assessing material values through 'in-forming things'. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The use of these tools has elevated the understanding of the partner / subject business as to how it can adopt methods to engage circular economy thinking and make tangible the means to materialise this process. The objects have helped the company to identify key materials and their potential social and cultural meanings and values and devise ways to optimise and amplify the benefits of the reuse and recycling of materials in pursuit of NetZero+ gains, more circular business practices and marketable service offers for customers and the business' identity. |
| URL | https://community21.org/casestudies/16086_re_making_material_meanings |
| Title | Cultural probe - 'Charms' |
| Description | The team have fabricated a set of 'charms' appropriate to the jewellery design business that is the subject of the project. The charms distil down the broad ranging elements that can be considered part of the NetZero+ agenda into manageable and accessible entry points for staff to engage with the topic and provide new insights and interpretations. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | It has helped to broker understandings between the partner / subject business and the 'overwhelming' and 'impenetrable' complexity of NetZero+ as a mission and set of metrics and / or objectives. The condensed content and presentation through an object that carries the design language of the organisation has helped to situate the research within the company and help develop engagement with the staff team. |
| URL | https://community21.org/casestudies/29915_ahrc_design_museum_future_observatory |
| Description | 'Meaning Making' Circular Economy interactive presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Using propositional design research objects made from a range of waste materials we engaged with members of our partner SME product development and marketing team to explore what a 'circular economy' means for their business - exploring both the technical, scientific, objective and quantitative aspects as well as identifying the cultural, values-based, subjective elements that make up circular material cultures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Co-making material workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Using lo-fi modelling techniques we build on the material mapping and reflections engagement events to formulate material representations of our NetZero+ ambitions and identity - in the form of physical 'charms'. Each charm manifests an observation, opportunity and material method in support of NetZero+ ambitions and / or material processes. The material representation forms part of a motivating marketing and communication device as well as serving as a 'propositional' (Walker, 2013) artefact of research. Each charm embodies a material act and / or process that integrates both technical and cultural service offers that support more sustainable behaviours through narrowing loop, closed loop and product life extension processes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Data presentation workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of NetZero+ staff survey data and analysis of results with working group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Future Observatory Roundtable |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Members of the award research team presented the initial developments of the project at mid-way stage in the project to other awardees. The team shared their distinctive engagement and design reflection, dissemination and research processes that involve material and printed objects and artefacts as well as the development of tabulated data on SME workforce perceptions of NetZero+. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Getting to know you get together |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Engagement between research team and industry partner business to meet staff and the core company management and working group, tour facilities and discuss the operation and current approaches to reduction of carbon emissions related activity and sustainability initiatives. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Mapping Materials - circular economy workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This workshop with partner SME practitioners used material mapping techniques to reflect on and identify the material flows and lifespans running through the business operation. It sought to highlight specific material journeys and how they how they may (or may not) represent the (NetZero+) values of the organisation, how they relate to people (supplies, customers and the wider public) and how they may support the transition to a business that is primarily a social and cultural service offer, underpinned by more circular and sustainable products. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Wastehouse presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of research group and project team's historical research and practice work in sustainable design and development including a tour of the Wastehouse - Brighton's unique fully planning regulations built exemplar dwelling made entirely from waste from the city. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |