Informal Sharing and Heritage

What?

Users that share products in a self-driven and un-systematised manner.

Why?

This approach taps into the current sharing paradigm that focuses on prolonging the lifespan of a product. Sharing and heritage can be:

1. An economic advantage.
2. A way of passing on/creating emotional value in a product.

Challenges

• Products may not fit new users.
• Unwanted traces of time and use in product may occur such as i.e. smell and stains.

Examples

• People tend to share products that possess value; emotionally, economically or both such as garments made of fur or baby clothes that are frequently shared due to the short use time and thereby lack of wear and tear.
• Swapping ‘parties’ are similarly seen as a growing phenomenon. See for example Copenhagen Fashion Exchange.

Further Reading

Fletcher (2016). Craft of Use. Routledge.

Skjold & Ræbild (2016). Fur Design as Mediator of Sustainability. Nordcode Conference, Kolding.