Sustainable production and consumption by upcycling: understanding and scaling-up niche environmentally significant behaviour

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Sung, K. ORCID: 0000-0001-9570-7225, 2017. Sustainable production and consumption by upcycling: understanding and scaling-up niche environmentally significant behaviour. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

Upcycling is the creation or modification of a product from used materials, components and products which is of equal or higher quality or value than the original. Scaling-up upcycling, in theory, contributes ultimately to reducing carbon emissions by extending lifetimes of used materials, components and products, and thereby decreasing embodied energy. This PhD focuses on the emerging household behaviour of upcycling as niche environmentally significant behaviour. It aims to understand the current upcycling behaviour and factors that influence behaviour in order to develop design and policy interventions to influence behaviour in order to
upscale upcycling. Interviews, a short questionnaire study, a survey and use of a 'semi-Delphi' method (a questionnaire study followed by a workshop with experts) were employed. The interviews provided insights into current upcycling behaviour (e.g. approaches to and context for upcycling), behavioural factors influencing upcycling, and potential
differences arising from demographic characteristics. The short questionnaire study showed that upcycling has potential to create high attachment leading to product
longevity. The survey revealed UK-specific key behavioural factors of upcycling (intention, attitude and subjective norm) and the potential target groups for scaling up (people in art and design aged 30 years or older) based on group differences. Synthesising the data from the interviews and surveys, 15 promising design and policy interventions for upscaling upcycling were formulated. These interventions
were subsequently explored and evaluated through the semi-Delphi study. The outcome pinpointed the suitable actor(s) for each intervention and sets of important
and feasible interventions for short-term and long-term success in scaling-up. This research contributes further to knowledge in design for sustainable behaviour by suggesting interventions beyond product and communication design to influence behaviour, and demonstrating novel use of mixed methods consumer research based on a behaviour model and an existing framework for behaviour understanding and
intervention. The research also contributes to knowledge in upcycling theory and practice by providing behavioural insights, factors influencing upcycling and promising interventions for upscaling upcycling in the UK. Finally, a contribution was made to consumer behaviour theory by suggesting and testing a new combination model to understand behaviour.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Sung, K.
Date:	May 2017
Rights:	This work is the intellectual property of Kyungeun Sung. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	27 Jun 2017 14:20
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2017 14:29
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/31125