Civil society feedback loops as stimuli for sustainable product design
The lecture presents the final results of the research project SDGpro. It explores the question of the extent to which manufacturers can obtain information on sustainable and recyclable product design through bundled consumer feedback. Consumers take on a variety of roles: they not only use the products they buy, they also inform themselves about the intended purchases and include this in their decision-making horizon. In this way, they can pass on targeted information on ecological or health aspects.
These potentials are to be activated by apps from environmental and consumer organizations such as ReplacePlastic, Replace PalmOil and ToxFox. The lecture reflected on the scope of this information transfer. It was shown that these apps contribute to transmitting the experience knowledge of consumers in product use to the manufacturers and to give impulses. As a result, manufacturers can take adaptation, modification or avoidance measures in product development or design. The apps also have an effect on the political level by bundling political-regulatory demands in order to make the product development of companies more sustainable.
The lecture concludes with some indications of the need for further development on the part of app operators and companies as well as policy makers.
