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Sara Renström

Senior Forskare

Tel

+46 10 228 42 14

Email

sara.renstrom@ri.se

Location

Norrköping

ORCID

0000-0002-5108-3948

Sara is intrigued by the interplay between people and artefacts - material as well as immaterial artefacts, digital as well as non-digital. With insights into this interplay, artefacts can be designed that better support sustainability in everyday life. Sara has been designing for a more sustainable everyday life in relation to different areas, for example domestic energy and circular economy/consumption.

During spring 2019 Sara defended her PhD thesis entitled "Participating in Energy Systems through Everyday Designs - Exploring roles for households in a more sustainable energy future".

Sara has a MSc in in Industrial Design Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology/Delft University of Technology and a PhD in Human - Technology - Design completed at the division Design & Human Factors at Chalmers University of Technology

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Publications

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Exnovation for a sufficiency-oriented circular economy

The project explores pathways to a sufficiency-oriented circular economy. Rather than only focusing on stopping and slowing resource flows, the project explores ways to reduce resource use and thus contribute to a circular economy…

Exploring pathways to low-impact consumption futures

Sustainable design and circular innovations are often promoted as solutions to our unsustainable consumption. But what if the solution actually lies in removing, rather than inventing something new? This project explores how exnov…

Household energy resilience in crisis and sustainable transition

Households need to be able to cope with disruptions in energy supply or price of energy, regardless of whether crises, climate change or the energy transition causes the disruption. In this project, we use design methods to invest…

Plan B: Biodiversity in future mobility

In urban environments, biodiversity is important for the stability and functioning of ecosystems. However, urbanisation and the increasing use of hard surfaces for mobility are reducing biodiversity. We need to strike a balance be…

The Circular Car

Transport accounts for almost a third of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions and the car industry has ambitious targets to reduce the emissions. The project Circular Car project aims to support new and established actors in the…

Efficient water use in households

Climate change has resulted in water shortages in several places in Sweden, and lack of capacity in the drinking water supply systems can also lead to a shortage of water. Resource-efficient water use is becoming important. Househ…

Enough!? Exploring sufficient and fair energy use through design

In order to reach energy- and climate goals, we need to understand and apply “sufficiency” – a concept that takes needs, social justice, and planetary boundaries into consideration. But it is difficult for both individuals and org…

Sun for everyone – solar from a gender and service design perspective

The solar industry is growing, but so far it is mainly men with an interest and knowledge in technology who buy solar panels. Why is this the case and how can more customer groups be involved? We use norm-critical analysis and ser…

Circular Co-Creation Games

Can games be used to co-create new circular business model ideas with customers? And for circular companies to find each other and start collaborating? That is what we are exploring in the project “Game-Based Approaches to Create …

Effective decrease of water consumption in households

The water and wastewater industry in Sweden has historically not focused on measures to reduce water consumption, but climate change, among other things, has created a driving force to implement measures to reduce water consumptio…

Digital platform to promote mental well-being and health

Being one step ahead and supporting young people, one can help to increase mental health. We are developing a digital platform that offers various services that can promote mental health in several areas. In this way we can contri…

Where the landscape meets infrastructure

The pre-study (LAVIS) "Where the landscape meets infrastructure: Integrated visualization with the help of GIS and BIM" aimed to create a more efficient, flexible, user-friendly, and scalable platform with clear integration with G…

Don't miss the mark – here's what it takes to make your circular business fly

Circular products and services that are received with little interest are not doing much for the green transition. New research shows what it takes to create circular offers that customers actually want.

Designing circular products and services customers want

Consumers have a key role to play in a circular economy. They can contribute to circular flows in a variety of ways, but it is important that the circular alternatives are easier to apply and more attractive than the linear. Compa…

Design methodolody for sustainability in everyday life

How can design create conditions for people to act sustainably in their daily lives and at work? Using design methodology inspired by psychology and sociology, we explore people's behaviours, everyday activities and social practic…

Design for circular use

A circular transition requires changes in user behaviours. But acting in a circular way is challenging; it can be more cumbersome, more time-consuming, and sometimes more expensive compared to the linear alternatives. We can help …

Regenerative Business and Design

Regenerative Development is increasingly salient with society and a strategic focus for industry, both within and beyond Sweden. Through regenerative business and design, companies can restore and enhance social and ecological sys…

Democratic participation

Citizen inclusion and engagement are important to support societal transformation in the development of a democratic, inclusive and sustainable society for everyone.

Design for Systemic Transformation

Value-based, design-driven processes to enable transformation that creatively handles societal challenges from a system perspective.

Design for sustainable living

Products, services, systems, and built environments can with a user-centered design approach be developed with the intention to support sustainable everyday behaviours, activities, and choices.

User-centred circular design

With user-centred circular design, products and services can be adapted so that users more easily can circulate resources in a circular economy.

Eco design

The environmental impact of a product is largely dependent on the early stages of product development, where design is decisive. Therefore, the use of eco design is of importance.

Behaviour and behaviour change

Why do we humans behave the way we do? How do we understand, are impacted by, and use technology, products and services? How can technology be a support to changing a behaviour? Parallel to developing new (technical) solutions, it…

Publications

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