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Design, lifestyles and sustainability. Aesthetic consumption in a world of abundance
Author(s) -
Dobers Peter,
Strannegård Lars
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
business strategy and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.123
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1099-0836
pISSN - 0964-4733
DOI - 10.1002/bse.495
Subject(s) - sustainability , conceptualization , consumption (sociology) , identity (music) , meaning (existential) , sociology , aesthetics , sustainable consumption , abundance (ecology) , environmental ethics , business , marketing , social science , epistemology , computer science , art , ecology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , biology
This paper strives for a conceptualization of sustainability, design and contemporary consumption. By sketching out how effective production systems have created an abundance of products, the paper links this development to the aestheticization of society and an increased interest in design. In market economies characterized by profusion, corporations engage in activities filling their offerings with aura, aesthetics, symbols and meaning. In such lands of plenty, conspicuous consumption becomes a thoroughly expressive activity and highly problematic for actors with ambitions to design a sustainable future. Our conclusion is that sustainability must ultimately be seen as intertwined with social processes such as fashion, identity and identity construction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.