LCF PT session 2 May 2015 no images

14/05/2015Image: Beijing based urban organic Fashion and Introductionbrand, NEEMIC sustainability About me Week 2 – Associate lecturer – Freelance project Part-time courses 2015 manager, researcher and facilitator Liz Parker [email protected] About you – Different disciplines and Image: Lalesso briefs – Different background knowledge Image: ASOS Africa, produced by SOKO Kenya.Beautiful Clothes, Ugly Reality Interact | Ask questions | Challenge• Heather Stilwell http://ejfoundation.org/shopforejf/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=124• https://vimeo.com/ 96797296• https://vimeo.com/ 83905992 • What’s the Consider these situations difference? Suppose: • Suppose we use • A hospital tries to make people well but feeds them with these as metaphors for the way we think. nutritionally poor food during their stay Now, what is the • A group of tourists go to find an unspoilt holiday destination, difference? but manage to spoil it through insensitive behaviour. • Why might these be • You want to ‘green’ your house, but first throw away apt and useful metaphors? serviceable machines, furniture and materials in order to buy all-new ‘green’ goods and materialsSterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWF • A brand tries to address workers’ rights in its supply chain butScotland ends up causing the factory to subcontract some of the work to other factories because it doesn’t pay enough Sterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWF Scotland 1

14/05/2015It’s good to eradicate child labour from Consider thiscotton production. H&M use of lyocell in•Agree? their Conscious•Disagree? Collection £6.99 100% Lyocell. Wash at 30 degrees Contradict or complement The world isn’t a box How can we do things in such a way that: The problem is that • we don’t contradict what we intended in the first metaphorically, we tend to stick labels on things place? and ‘put them in a box’ • the effects of actions complement rather than such as ‘housing’, ‘employment’, ‘crime’, cancel out – or conflict with each other? ‘health’ and so on. But in • we can minimise unintended negative the real world, all issues are interconnected. They consequences of actions or policies? don’t exist conveniently in closed boxes! Can you think of other examples of contradictions or unintended consequences of actions? Sterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWF ScotlandSterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWFScotland So how can we cope Systems thinking better with interconnection? The key • Do you look for connections between things? is to think a bit differently, • Do you often look at ‘the big picture’, that is, and ask some different questions. the wider context of some event or decision? • Do you anticipate or notice causes or In short, we need to think ‘out of the box’ and look consequences beyond the immediate and much more at the obvious ones, either with respect to your relationships between actions, or others’? things, and between • Do you think about the long term as well as events. the short term?Sterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWF Sterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWFScotland Scotland 2

14/05/2015 Boxed thinking assumptions - Boxed thinking handout Benefits: Match these words on your • Cost handout • Convenience A. reductionism • Speed B. narrow boundaries • Starting point C. cause-effect • Sends out a message D. atomism E. dualism Limitations F. objectivism • Contradictions / Side effects G. determinism • Problem displacement H. problem solving • Slows down, but doesn’t halt or prevent I. rationalism • Doesn’t deal well with complexity, instability, extreme pressure on natural resource J. analysis base or overload/stressSterling, S., Maiteny, P., Irving, D. and Salter, J. (2005) Linking thinking: New perspectives on thinking and learning for sustainability. WWF • Cost-effectiveness rather than social or environmental impact tends to be driverScotland • Addresses symptoms not root causes :“works within the same system that caused the problem in the first place’ (McDonough and Braungart, 2002; 62) Systems thinking approach to What are the benefits? sustainability Limitations?“To understand things systemically In terms of social literally means to put them into a and environmental context, to establish the nature of impact of fashion their relationships.” All Walks Beyond the Capra, The Web of Life, 1996, p27 Catwalk• Looks at the whole rather than parts of a system• Whole is greater than the sum of its parts• Considers how to change a system, not only fix a problemA. Resecond Clothing Library B. Nudie JeansFilm Nudie Jeans gives advice for yourhttp://tinyurl.com/mpbapsl jeans: • break in your jeans - don’t http://kladoteket.se/ wash for 6 months • repair them at the concept shops inc in Shoreditch • re-use – create something new or hand them in at a store for re-sale as second hand and get 20% off on a new pair. • recycle the cotton. http://www.nudiejeans.com/ 3

C. People Tree - 14/05/2015Producer led design D. AntiformWorking one season ahead. • Antiform clothesConsider the time needed for setting up made fromof handlooms before requesting reclaimed materialssamples. in Yorkshire, made in Leeds, with onlyDesign process starts from an one size to fit 8-14.understanding of the suppliers capacityand capabilities (supplier selection • http://www.antifortakes place before product monline.co.uk/development)Pay 50% in advance an balance ondeliveryStaggered orderingCommit to increasing orders year onyear.Ongoing development of personalrelationshipsE. Marks and Spencer What are… Schwopping • The benefits of systems thinking? • The limitations? Systems thinking solutions What prevents some solutions being taken up?Benefits• Effectiveness • Size 16• Coherence mannequins?• Increases the possibilities of • Paying a living coherence / limits contradictions wage?• Can deal with complexity, instability, All Walks Diversity Now 2015 extreme pressure on natural resource competition shortlisted base or overload/stress,Limitations• Tension between sustainability and economic benefits• Can be complex to identify root causes• There may be many barriers to making the necessary changes. 4

14/05/2015 Comments and [email protected] Image: Antithesis 5