DISCo: Digital infrastructures for sustainable consumption: Redirecting, reorganizing, reducing and reimaging consumption
Alternative title: DISCo: Digitale infrastrukturer for et bærekraftig forbruk. Retningsendring gjennom reorganisering, reduksjon og nytenkning av forbruk.
The overarching goal of DISCo is to produce both theoretically informed and practically oriented knowledge on how sustainable consumption — meaning consumption that is less resource- and carbon-intensive and/or less environmentally harmful — can be enabled through digital technologies. Previous research has shown that although households are motivated, they face several barriers in transitioning to more sustainable consumption practices. This project builds on practice theories and employs multiple methods to systematically redirect, reorganize, and reduce consumption. Ethnographic methods are used to understand everyday life, life cycle analysis (LCA) to assess the impacts of proposed solutions, and product design methods to initiate positive change. The focus is both on i) understanding how and under what conditions digital technologies that promote sustainable consumption (both explicitly and implicitly) are integrated into household practices and ii) evaluating the sustainability effects of these efforts. The empirical focus will be on the consumption of food and mobility services. These areas are of interest both because of their significant carbon footprint and their central importance in daily consumption.
This will, in turn, enable us to discuss how these digital technologies can be better designed to achieve change and sustainable transitions, and the role that consumers, platform owners, and policymakers can play in making this possible.
The project's progress in its first year has proceeded as planned without significant deviations, as data collection in all work packages has been completed without delays. In terms of implementation, DISCo has been allocated additional resources through a grant from SIFO in 2024, amounting to 450 000 NOK, which will allow SIFO to expand its role in work package 3 through a survey in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, comparing the propensity to use shared mobility services in Misaka and Oslo. This will support the importance of the LCA analysis outlined in the project description, which will be conducted in relation to alternative transportation modes. The project has been significantly strengthened by the inclusion of Ruter as a stakeholder in August 2024. Their contribution will consist of providing expert input and sharing transport data relevant to the project. There are no final results from the project yet, but preliminary findings have been presented at two scientific conferences:
Although online shopping of products and services have increased in general, there are relatively few platforms promoting sustainable solutions as part of their business model.
Most of the countries' food and mobility platforms are profit-oriented and target individual consumers or households which highlights the commercial viability of sustainable consumption.
Convenience and cost savings were important reasons for consumers using these food/mobility platforms – many times more important than sustainability
Food platforms are used as a complement to other (non-sustainable) food practices rather than a replacement.
Inconvenience were important barriers for platform use.
Global consumption and production volumes have increased for years and are now at a non-sustainable level. This has resulted in over-exploitation of natural resources, loss of biodiversity and climate change. DISCo aims to produce knowledge on how consumption can move in a more sustainable direction by applying digital technologies. While many would agree that it is important to transition to more sustainable lifestyles to address the problems we are facing, changing current consumption patterns has proved difficult. Part of this has to do with the difficulties associated
with being a sustainable consumer. Lack of information, multiple sustainability labels, and green washing create confusion among consumers. Furthermore, practices such as repairing, reusing, purchasing second hand and recycling require knowledge and can be time consuming. Digital technologies can solve many of these problems. Smartphone applications and digital platforms can assist consumers to choose sustainable products in-store, support peer-to-peer sharing networks, and facilitate the reselling of goods. Digital technologies contain thus great promise for promoting sustainable consumption. However, if this potential is to be realised, we must have a better understanding of how and with what environmental consequences these "greening" technologies become part of households' everyday practices. What is involved in the successful introduction of these digital technologies? Do they really bring about more sustainable modes of consumption? DISCo draws on theories of practice and makes use of multiple methods to systematically investigate digital efforts reconfigure consumption in the areas of food and mobility. Ethnographic methods are put to use to understand everyday life, life cycle analysis to understand the impacts of proposed solutions, and design methods to instigate positive change. Empirical focus will be on the consumption of food and mobility.