Maria Fernandez Marinovic

Research project: Designing a product-service systems' framework for sustainable consumption of children's products

Abstract

This research will investigate the opportunities and challenges of implementing collaborative product-service systems for children's product consumption, analysing examples of sharing practices in the UK. Its aim is to identify, compare and classify sustainable strategies toward the design, production, and consumption of children's products, and afterwards apply such strategies to develop and test a framework for product-service systems. The study will contribute to the investigation of innovative and sustainable frameworks for consumption, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations for 2030.

The study proposes explorative and analytical enquiry, combining mid-level (organisational) and micro-level (personal and interpersonal) case study approach. The methodology intended consist on working side-by-side with stakeholders in several playful and experimental primary research activities throughout the investigation, as well as secondary research regarding consumption as a social practice and its relationship with the design discipline. With respect to the outcome of the investigation, it will be the creation and prototyping of a product-service system strategy that could be implemented by public or private organisations in the UK context. Consequently, the different participatory design activities will define the characteristics of the service experience and products involved, with a strong user-centred approach and a focus on social innovation.