Characterising elements of practice: the contours of altruistic material divestment
by Andrew Glover
J. of Design Research (JDR), Vol. 13, No. 3, 2015

Abstract: This paper seeks to further contribute to the existing body of literature on social practice theory, by discussing the designed divestment practices of charitable donation of clothing and durable household goods into charity bins. It also proposes a supplementary theoretical framework for social practice theory describing the characteristics of elements of practice as topography, intensity, trajectory and form. The role of design in underlying everyday practices is recognised, both at the level of evolved precedent, as well as potential deliberate intervention. This includes the material design of the bins as enclosed containers that conceal their contents, as well as their embeddedness into the local geography and adjacent institutions. Opportunities for intervention in donation practices are discussed, as a means to reduce the impact of waste items through the charity sector, which undermine their capability to redistribute usable goods to those in need.

Online publication date: Fri, 28-Aug-2015

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the J. of Design Research (JDR):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com