Rethinking Demand: An Active Design Framework and Tools for Sustainability from ‘Demand-Side’ Perspective

Abstract

The famous three principles of circular economy design, promoted by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, provide valuable guidance for design practice mainly from perspective of “Supply Side”. However, this paper finds that the performance is hardly ensured if the impact from “Demand Side” is ignored. A Human Needs Satisfaction Area (HN-SA) Model is proposed in this paper through deconstructing human needs into Material-Necessary Needs (MNN) and Material-Unnecessary Needs (MUN), providing a whole view of sustainability challenges from both “Supply Side” and “Demand Side”. And based on this model we identified three zones for addressing sustainability challenges: A. Enhancing the recycle of material; B. Satisfying more Material-Unnecessary Needs in Non-material systems; C. Managing the growth of needs and wants. Moreover, they correspond to five design principles (extension of the three principles of circular economy), Zone A: 1. Design out waste and pollution; 2. Keep products and materials in use; 3. Regenerate natural systems. Zone B: 4. Design Material Out. Zone C: 5. Design a system that stimulating self-actualization and contribution.