Opinion: Julie Hjort
Chapter 5
Making the sustainable choice irresistible
Unlocking desire
Human behaviour is a significant factor and challenge in the sustainable and circular transition. Our imagination, empathy, and aesthetics must play a vital role in mobilising people, businesses, and organisations to truly fuel the lifestyle transformation. Try to look back and consider: what has inspired you to make some of your life's most significant lifestyle changes? I bet that many of us make crucial decisions based on much more than rational incentives such as price and practical considerations. While these are important and do, of course, weigh in, the irrationality of human behaviour is a significant influence on the climate crisis, and is often underexposed in the general sustainability debate. 73 percent of Danes are aware of sustainability in their purchasing decisions. 62 percent say that they often talk to friends and family about climate problems (Sustainability Index 2022). At the same time, Danes have an outsized climate footprint per capita. If everyone had the same behaviour and consumption as the Danes, it would require 4.5 Planet Earths to have enough resources for everyone. If we are to fuel this lifestyle transformation, it is not sufficient to provide more data on the necessity for change – we have an abundance of that. The products and services of tomorrow must trigger our individual and collective needs and unspoken dreams.
Portrait photo: Oliver Hertlitschek
Julie Hjort Director of Sustainable Transitions DDC - Danish Design Center
The creative industries of design, architecture, culture, arts, and the humanities hold a massive potential in this transformation due to three crucial factors that thrive in their industries. 1. Imagination Science has told us what to move away from. Our imagination must tell us where to go next. We must dare to imagine a living, sustainable, and circular
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Creativity as a driver for green transition
Chapter 5
Unlocking desire
society where people and the planet thrive. This means creating tangible and visual images of a shared future that appeals to people across all societal layers. Here, all corners of the creative industries have a role to play. 2. Empathy A key ingredient in unlocking new circular consumer and lifestyle patterns is the ability to deeply empathise with our diverse user groups’ needs, fears, hopes, and ideas to build solutions that genuinely care for people. Designers and anthropologists have developed well-tested methods and approaches to place humans and the planetary boundaries at the centre of our new solutions something that is critical in this transformation. 3. Aesthetics Adjusting to a new circular and sustainable future pushes consumers to accept and adopt new materials, solutions and aesthetics. In this transition, designers and architects will play an essential role with their abilities to make the sustainable choice a beautiful and desirable one. Let’s not downplay the power of beauty in decision-making and behaviour. The power of imagination, empathy, and aesthetics is vital not just as innovative modes of expression within the creative industries but across society as a whole. Businesses, organisations, and the creative industries must continue to reach out to each other and collaborate as they find and develop new ways to make the sustainable and circular choices ahead of us irresistible.
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