Abdull, Danah (2022) On the Contradictions of Sustainability. In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design, RSD11, 3-16 Oct 2022, Brighton, United Kingdom.

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Abstract

Overproduction and waste are crucial to the function of neoliberal capitalism (Bauman, 2009), and even though we watch as the earth burns and drowns in front of us due to the consequences of our overconsumption, and with increased awareness and discourse on designing for a better world, we carry on with business as usual.

In an era of instant gratification—made easier by access to cheap credit and contactless societies—designers are utilising their power to conflate need and desire more than ever, but branding it as sustainable to evade responsibility.

This talk explores the contradictions of sustainability: the way brands greenwash their practices to signal their good and ethical practices and how they continue to create products and services branded as sustainable that we just do not need, but never challenging the systems that created the problems to begin with. The talk will conclude by considering how we can design over time and confront the effects these products and services we think we need have on the world (and the worlds within that world).

Item Type:	Conference/Workshop Item (Keynote)
Divisions:	Faculty of Design
Related URLs:	https://vimeo.com/813417019
Date Deposited:	20 Mar 2024 13:27
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2024 13:27
URI:	https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4209

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