Understanding the role of product attachment with a view to enabling sustainable consumption: A study of household furniture

Abstract

Product obsolescence for technological and fashion reasons continues to be a concern for sustainable consumption. Research shows that consumers dispose of household items, which are still functional, for various reasons, including the lack of an emotional bond between users and products.

This study focuses on lounge and sofa seating to investigate the role of product attachment with a view to reducing premature product replacement. A framework of four distinct product attachment and detachment factors in relation to the stages of ownership was devised for this research. The framework is used to analyse consumers attachment and detachment around their possessions. It was applied to an online survey and two sets of interviews among Australian householders to determine behaviour in relation to furniture usage, maintenance and disposal.

Results of the online survey suggest that consumer purchase and maintenance behaviour connected with their current lounge and sofa seating is influenced by self-identity, life style, affordability and social factors. The first set of interviews suggests that product attachment can be fostered by satisfying interaction between consumers and their possessions. The second set of interviews identified quite different furniture maintenance behaviour with sustainability-minded interviewees. Similarly, the charrette indicated that product attachment can be enhanced by improving product function, personalisation and facilitating social interaction.

The research discusses product obsolescence, extension of psychological product lifetime, product attachment, consumer behaviour, sustainable consumption and design strategies to promote the optimization of product lifetimes, including household furniture.

Sustainable consumption aims to reduce unnecessary product replacement behaviour. Sustainability can be facilitated with extensive participation of different sectors of society such as designers, manufacturers and consumers. Long-term product attachment has implications for product lifetimes and should be understood by product designers.