VIRTUOUS CONSUMPTION - Sylvain Labs › wp-content › uploads › 2018 › 06 › ...resources are finite, that accelerated extraction reduces the opportunity for resource regeneration,

VIRTUOUSCONSUMPTION

A golden path toward society-wide impact

JANUARY 2018

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A C C E L E R A T I N G S Y S T E M I C I M P A C T

Let’s start with a bit of soul-searching. From a Western perspective, regardless of political ideologies or personal values, all of us experience a series of complex feelings when purchasing any kind of material goods. Whether it’s buying that dream car or selecting a mundane toothbrush, whether it’s a year-long or five-second decision process, a variety of competing motivations makes the line between rationality and impulse achingly concrete: Self control, desire, necessity, usefulness, habits, social status, ethics, guilt and relief are just a few of the emotional factors informing whether we’ll take out our wallets and commit to investing a portion of our budget.

Not far behind the practical decisions affecting our daily lives, lurks another less tangible yet unavoidable consideration: How do our purchases fit into the global picture? How are we, as consumers, impacting the planet? Since the seventies, the notion of sustainability - both socio-economic and environmental - has effectively permeated the collective consciousness of heavily industrialized

societies. Some make a conscious effort to ignore it, others happily let it shape daily habits and life philosophies; most of us integrate moderate yet intentional responsible acts within our routines. Ultimately, all of us somehow negotiate the uncomfortable reality that natural resources are finite, that accelerated extraction reduces the opportunity for resource regeneration, and that intensive consumption in one part of the globe leads to scarcity in another.

There is undeniable proof that intensive production and consumption dramatically impact the world. At the individual level, having a specific phone might make you feel less or more of a person than your colleague Johnny who, for some reason, alters your sense of self-worth. This unhealthy competition certainly pays a toll on your psychological well-being. At a geo-political level, unethical labor, environmental and fiscal conduct on manufacturing countries, where this cherished phone is produced can cement a cycle of poverty on these communities. Finally, at the global level, intensive

TO CONSUME OR NOT TO

CONSUME?

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material extraction disrupts the innate heartbeat of the planet and makes our natural habitat increasingly and terrifyingly less hospitable.

Despite these dark facts, however, we can’t deny that consumption has been one of the main motors of economic and social activity, nor that consumption is here to stay. As frugal as one may be, we all need ‘things’ to go about our daily lives. Despite the healthy boom of the sharing economy and the re-purposing and maker movements, many of these ‘things’ still need to be purchased. Simply put, brands and products are necessary.

Most people in the West wake up in the morning and go to workk so they can use a portion of their income to purchase goods. Most of the jobs in the market - that of a CEO, a marketing genius or a retail specialist - are part of the millions of value chains producing these goods. And, the government’s mandate is to regulate the production, accessibility and quality of these goods. So it is fair to state that societies are strongly anchored in the production, acquisition and distribution of goods.

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“...Consumption has been one of the main motors of economic and social activity...”

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C o r p o r a t e m o m e n t u m t ow a r d responsibility is not only imperative but also extremely stimulating as it provides a wonderful sandbox to explore new strategies to bring about ethical, large-scale and resilient socio-economic benefits to society. For the past decades innovation firms have been dedicated to increasing productivity, efficiency and user friendliness through intentional product design. Social innovation firms have also directed their attention into developing products that are adapted to the contextual or physical needs of their users. For example, we have seen the emergence of bags that transform into tents for migrants, straws that purify water in places where fresh sources are scarce, computers that are almost unbreakable for low income students living in the Global South. But there is an area that remains uncharted: beyond utility and special needs, how can consumption and our daily use of products unlock our greatest potential as people?

Today’s corporations are forced to address the delicate balance between production and its negative externalities. They have to abide by governmental regulations and are increasingly accountable to their customers, who vote with their dollars and reward the companies that reflect their personal beliefs.

This reality has led private companies to come up with incredibly creative and innovative ideas to juggle commerce and social impact; Value chains and business models have been fertile terrain for positive interventions. The most progressive companies are adopting cradle-to-cradle value chains, others are building socio-economic and environmental responsibility into their business models through triple bottom lines and B Corps labels. Even the most conservative businesses are developing robust corporate social responsibility departments.

A DELICATE BALANCE

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Let’s zoom into the dynamics that shape the relationship between product and consumer. A first connection is created when the consumer selects the product. As we saw earlier, this choice is anything but arbitrary and purchases come with a set of expectations. When buying a car or a toothpaste, we expect it to provide us with optimal or at least the advertised utility: a car needs to take us safely where we need to be, and a toothpaste must thoroughly clean our teeth and prevent cavities without irritating our gums.

In addition to utility, another powerful element binds us to the products we purchase. Remember your colleague Johnny? Beyond utility, products need to be aligned with self-perception. The products we purchase are powerful social signifiers: they both yield validation, and help navigate complex webs of communities and social strata. For example, Johnny’s luxury car proves that he’s successful, and his organic toothpaste is a token of his allegiance to environmentalism.

PRODUCTS AND THEIR MANY PURPOSES

“The products we purchase are powerful social signifiers. . .”

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If products satisfy our needs, shape our daily habits, and enable us to define ourselves vis-a vis society, they play a powerful and far-reaching role in our daily lives. So, how can we leverage and maximize this multi-layered impact opportunity? More precisely, how can we leverage products to bring about direct positive impact on consumers? What if products helped us reach our greatest potential, and trigger positive behavior change?

Imagine a grandpa who teaches his grand-daughter how to brush her teeth. They brush their teeth together every night, it’s their ritual. She will never forget this

ACCELERATING SYSTEMIC IMPACT

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WHAT IF…

“A fundamental behavioral shift is needed”

special moment and he is proud to be sharing his knowledge. The toothpaste that they choose to use is really effective, and it is made specifically to avoid waste. Its ergonomics, don’t allow you to squeeze from the top, and force you to use the whole product, until the end.

In addition to sharing a special moment, the grandpa is teaching his grand-daughter good hygiene and instilling in her the value of conservation. Positive behaviors will be triggered each time they use tube-shaped objects.

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A C C E L E R A T I N G S Y S T E M I C I M P A C TACCELERATING SYSTEMIC IMPACT

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WHAT THE MARKET ALREADY PROVIDES ? POTENTIAL

VALUE CHAIN UTILITY ENCOURAGING POSITIVE BEHAVIORS

TOOTHPASTE

Organic material Clean your teeth well

Teaches you how to

- reduce wasteful habits - creates a family ritual - teaches your thoroughness

CAR

Environmentally Savvy Safe, fast, comfortable

Teaches you - patience - reinforces good memories

LAMP

Triple bottom line Brightens your room and improve eyesight

Teaches you how to - focus - compromise - save energy

IMAGINE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO:

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inanimate object that performs a task to a teacher, a well-intentioned soul that accompanies the child as they learn how to take better care of themselves.

If products have the potential to instill and monitor good behaviors,they can play a powerful role ingenerating substantial and far-reaching social impact. Under the premise that our current lifestyles and propensity toward extreme production have negative social, economic and env i ronment a l impl ica t ions , a fundamental behavioral shift is needed. The list of positive behaviors that need to be adopted to make the world better is infinite -- while we share universal values, good behaviors are context specific. The menu of desired behaviors should therefore be defined according to the demographic and the understanding of ultimate impact goal: conservation, solidarity, public health etc.

What if some of the objects that we mundanely use in our everyday life had the potential to trigger and make us adopt positive behaviors?

Product designers have been responding to emerging consumer demand to monitor and reinforce behaviors that enhance their well-being. We can now find electric toothbrushes for children that vibrate at 30-second intervals during the recommended two minutes brushing time to signal that it is time to focus on a different section of their teeth. Similarly, some cars give drivers feedback on their driving style and whether they can reduce gas consumption. This trend is leveraging the interaction of consumers with everyday products to add positive feedback as an additional function to their original utility. The product is given a role that personifies it, that deepens its relationship to its user. This has the potential to create a psychological reaction that reinforces the power of the object to trigger and enforce behaviors. If a toothbrush is reactive to how a child brushes its teeth, it goes from being an

PRODUCTS THAT ARE

WELL-INTENTIONED

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Once the behavior changes intentionality is set, and the new behavior adopted through the use of the product, there is an incredible possibility for its rapid spread in communities.

Social learning theory provides a framework to understand how individuals pick up behaviors from members of their immediate circle, creating a ripple effect that extend to the group at large. The first step for behavior mimicking happens when an individual notices someone from their immediate circle engaging in specific actions or displaying a particular propensity. A child will pick-up if their parents recycle, wash their hands after using the restroom, speak kindly to neighbors. After observing these specific behaviors from family or community members, they become organically inscribed in psyches and are remembered. The next step is for these habits to be adopted and integrated into everyday lives. They become automatisms.

Beyond the immediate family unit, individuals tend to mimic the behavior of those that they are close to emotionally or who have an impact in their lives. For example, if teenagers witness their friends washing their hands after using the bathroom at school, they will most likely do the same thing, even if - god forbid - their parents don’t do it at home.

Social learning is the basics of culture creation and codes. We subconsciously pick up the habits and ways of others, and they constitute our sense of self. If products are designed to instill or enhance positive behaviors, the chance for these behaviors to spread at a fast pace throughout societies is extremely likely.

As we mentioned earlier, behaviors are adopted through habits and repetition; objects that we use on a regular basis and that are part of our daily rituals are par excellence shaping our habits. So, if products were programmed to shift behaviors for the better, pursuing those that would increase our wellbeing and spread to others, this would dramatically accelerate impact.

BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS CONTGIOUS


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Firms that develop and sell consumer goods touch billions of customers everyday. Product design firms have shaped culture through marketing and design. They have focused on making consumers more productive, more entertained, more fashionable. What about subverting this knowledge to create products that have a positive impact on consumers behaviors, enhancing their positive traits and triggering their ability to interact with their communities in an healthy and productive way?

If each pack of toothpaste sold in the US had the potential to teach non-wasteful habits, it could influence hundreds of millions of people, everyday. And if hundred of millions of people started to conserve resources and energy through such a simple daily habit just imagine the impact that this would have on our planet.

MASS CONSUMPTION

INCREASES THE AMPLITUDE

OF SOCIAL IMPACT.

“Imagine the impact that this would have on our planet”

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Garance Choko, Founder and CEO at Coda SocietiesAUTHORED BY

ACCELERATING SYSTEMIC IMPACT

Coda Societies and Sylvain Labs combine their expertise in product design and social impact to help partners inject behavioral change into consumer goods and services.

We believe brands can be more intentional in their role in civic engagement; one that turns each consumer into an agent of positive change.

To learn more, contact [email protected]

OUR PATH FORWARD

www.sylvainlabs.com

Sylvain Labs is an innovation and brand design consultancy.By applying our imagination to complex business problems and opportunities, we develop brands and re-imagine products.

www.codasocieties.com

Coda Societies is a firm that drives the design and development of citizen-centered infrastructures, services and organizations worldwide.

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VIRTUOUS CONSUMPTION - Sylvain Labs › wp-content › uploads › 2018 › 06 › ...resources are finite, that accelerated extraction reduces the opportunity for resource regeneration,