Product Attachment and Sustainability: A Transitional Method to Extend Product Lifespan

Abstract

The consequences of the unconstrained production and manufacturing undertaken during the 20th century by the Western world are numerous and worrisome. Sustainable solutions to these problems involve not only reducing resource and energy usage, but increased product benefits such as lifespan. Product attachment can be used to offset reductions in the more traditional value propositions of a product. The two main definitions of product attachment and the associated research are investigated. Two strong attachment types are identified from the literature and a transitional method for using the two in tandem is proposed. Guidelines for using the method and specific strategies are discussed. The application of design for product attachment strategies is demonstrated with a mobile device design project.