an exploratory study on the links between individual upcycling, product attachment and product...

Kyungeun Sung, Sustainable Consumption Research Group, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Kyungeun Sung Supervisors: Tim Cooper and Sarah Kettley

Sustainable Consumption Research Group School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

An Exploratory Study on the Links between Individual Upcycling, Product

Attachment and Product Longevity


Table of contents

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussions and conclusion


Introduction


Product attachment

The emotional bond experienced with a product (Schifferstein & Pelgrim, 2003)

Emerging concept for sustainable consumption (Cooper, 2004; Mugge, et al., 2004;

Van Hinte, 1997)

When attached to any product:

1. handle the product with care 2. postpone its replacement/disposal 3. repair it when it breaks down (Cramer, 2011; Ramirez, et al., 2010; Mugge, 2007;

van Hinte, 1997)

4. not necessarily requiring people to commit themselves to pro-environmental behaviour (van Nes, 2010)


Past studies on product attachment

Little attention to ‘everyday creativity’ activities

Consumers’ favourite or most cherished possessions (Schultz, et al., 1989;

Wallendorf & Arnould, 1988)

Mass-produced, ordinary consumer durables (Mugge, et al., 2010; 2006; 2005)

Product personalisation, mass customisation and participatory design as design strategies to increase product attachment sustainable consumption (Cramer, 2011; Mugge, et al., 2009; Fletcher, 2008; Chapman, 2005)


Individual upcycling

Creation or modification of any product out of used materials in an attempt to result in a product of higher quality or value than the compositional elements (Sung, et al., 2014)


Individual upcycling and product attachment

Individual upcycling: relevant to product attachment and product longevity

Utilise old products with an emotional bond

Creative, engaging user activity (1) self-expression; (2) group affiliation; (3) special memories; and (4) pleasure possible product attachment determinants (Mugge, et al., 2006)

likely to create strong product attachment product longevity


Increasing number of people who upcycle things

contemporary Maker Movement (Anderson, 2012; Lang, 2013)

readily available physical resources (e.g. Hackspaces)

shared digital resources (e.g. Instructables, Etsy)


Research need in individual upcycling

Despite:

Visible growth in practice/behaviour

Potential as a strategy for product longevity + sustainable consumption

Individual upcycling has not yet been fully investigated in terms of its relation to product attachment and product longevity.


Aims of the paper

1. address the links between individual upcycling, product attachment, and its determinants and consequences

2. Pinpoint possible group differences in the strength of the variables according to demographic characteristics and product categories


Method


Method

A questionnaire

23 UK-based consumers with upcycling experiences

between April and July 2014

Select up to 3 most emotionally attached, upcycled products

Fill in up to 3 questionnaires 44 questionnaires completed

Advertisement on Google groups/forums of public workshops

10 cities in 9 regions of England


Respondents

Total: 23 (13 direct response + 10 snowball)

Age: between 24 and 66 years old

Nationality: British (74%; 17); non-British (26%; 6)

Gender: male (65%; 15); female (35%; 8)

Occupation: (1) science and engineering (52%; 12); (2) art and design (30%;7); (3) other areas (heath service, business and management) or unemployed (17%; 4)


Measures

Product attachment + product attachment determinants + product attachment consequences + aesthetic and functional satisfaction: 7-point Likert scale (1 = “strongly disagree”, 7 = “strongly agree)

Expected product lifetime years: absolute figure

Variable items: based on past studies by Mugge et al.


Analysis

Descriptive statistics

Correlational analysis (Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation)

Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis H Test)

SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 22.0.


Results


Product attachment determinants and consequences

Expected lifetime years: range between 1 and 50 years with mean value of 11.67 years (SD =13.23)

Descriptive analysis


Product attachment, product attachment determinants and satisfaction Correlational analysis (Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation)

1

2

3


Product attachment and product attachment consequences Correlational analysis (Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation)

1

2

3


Gender difference Non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U Test)

All PA determinants

PA

PA consequences except for disposal

tendency

Satisfaction


Age difference Non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis Test)

Gp1: below 30 Gp2: between 30 and 49 Gp3: 50 and over

Product attachment

determinants

Product attachment

Product attachment consequences

Satisfaction


Occupational difference Non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis Test)

Gp1: art and design Gp2: science and engineering Gp3: other

PA determinants except for group

affiliation and pleasure

PA consequences except for disposal

tendency

Product attachment

Satisfaction


Product category difference Non-parametric test (Kruskal-Wallis Test)

Difference in irreplaceability levels

Small home products and/or decorations: highest median (6.5)

Other personal belongings (Md=5.5)

Inside-the-home furniture (Md=3.5)

Experimental and/or artistic projects (Md=2)

Garden, shed, workshop and/or outdoor products (Md=1.5)

Gp1: experimental and/or artistic projects

Gp2: inside-the-home furniture

Gp3: garden, shed, workshop and/or outdoor products

Gp4: small home products and/or decorations

Gp5: other personal belongings


Discussions & Conclusion


Summary

Corroborate the past studies

1. Correlation between product attachment and its determinants

2. No correlation between product attachment and satisfaction

3. Women and older consumers more relevant to attachment determinants

4. Product attachment higher for ornaments than functional products

New findings

1. Pleasure correlated only with functional satisfaction

2. Irreplaceability may mediate the effect of attachment on product care and expected product longevity

3. Occupational difference: product attachment determinants & consequences


Limitations + future research

Limited sample

more research for verification

Proportion of all upcycled products exhibiting meaningful levels of product attachment

possible rebound effect + actual environmental impact


Contributions

Individual upcycling has the potential to contribute towards sustainable production and consumption at the household level through strengthening product attachment

Demographic characteristics and product categories to consider for possible scaling up


Thank you! Any question?

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