The product I will be working on for the next 2 months, sustainable serveware, is not made for the environmentalist, the tree-hugger, or the person making daily sacrifices for the environment. It’s made for the person who compulsively buys products, creating a large ecological footprint. The brand appeal is not primarily related to sustainability, it’s just an underlying feature. My goal is for my bamboo bowls to be enticing enough to buy on a whim, and it just so happens that the ecological footprint is substantially less than other, less appealing options.
The purpose of my thesis project is to search for the fine line that mitigates throwaway culture, slows down the high rate of consumerism, and prepares products sustainably while expecting them to be thrown away by mindless consumers anyway. I look for design and contextual elements that add value to objects, questioning what values objects possess in hopes that consumers cherish their possessions, are less likely to throw them away, and are less likely to purchase other products as replacements. I will investigate ways to make the product itself sustainable based on material procurement.
Stay tuned for weekly updates!
J
