Title: Characterising elements of practice: the contours of altruistic material divestment

Authors: Andrew Glover

Addresses: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Building 9, Level 4, Victoria, Australia

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.

Keywords: material divestment; materiality; waste; charity; material reuse; consumption; altruism; distancing; delegation; social practice theory; design role; product design; charitable donations; clothing reuse; durables; household goods; charity bins.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2015.071461

Journal of Design Research, 2015 Vol.13 No.3, pp.265 - 277

Accepted: 17 Apr 2015
Published online: 28 Aug 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article