Education for sustainable clothing consumerism? A critical examination of educational material for design and craft education

• Published in: Formakademisk Vol. 16; no. 5; p. 1
• Main Authors: Hofverberg, Hanna, Franzén, Johnny, Maivorsdotter, Ninitha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oslo Formakademisk 2023
• Subjects: Aesthetics; Behavior; Case studies; College students; Consumerism; craft; Design education; Design literacy; education; educational material; Educational materials; Epistemology; Handicrafts; Hållbarhetsstudier; Literacy; Medborgarcentrerad hälsa (Mech); Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US); Social marketing; Sustainability; Sustainable consumerism; Sustainable studies; sustinable consumerism; Sweden
• ISSN: 1890-9515; 1890-9515
• DOI: 10.7577/formakademisk.5234

This paper sheds light on how aesthetic judgments govern actions in education for design literacy and sustainability behaviours. Educational material is examined by asking: (1) What meanings regarding becoming a sustainable consumer are made available to students in the educational material? (2) How are these narratives communicated to change students’ behaviours? The material in question consists of 17 design projects intended to be used in the Swedish school subject, Educational Sloyd. Using a practical epistemological analysis, two ways of becoming a sustainable consumer are identified: to have fun and to feel clever. The paper also shows how social marketing is used as a strategy in communicating how to change student behaviours. In the discussion, we turn to design literacy research to discuss the results from an educational perspective.