This is a qualitative study of consumers aged 50+ and their daily practices connected to wearable devices (smartwatches and fitness trackers). Drawing on the practice theory, we seek to uncover how participation in such practices might enhance users’ well‐being as an integral part of social sustainability. We assume that both ageing and well‐being are not pre‐given but they rather co‐evolve when users of wearables engage in situated practices. Hence, wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers might positively reconfigure the existing practices of consumers over 50, or even recruit them into new ones, resulting in higher well‐being and social sustainability. The phenomenon is examined in Russia and Finland, as ageing has been high on the agenda in these countries due to controversial pension and social welfare reforms. Though these countries are different in terms of possibilities (access to medical help, employment, social participation and so forth) for their ageing populations, an active ageing framework with an emphasis on individual responsibility over one’s well‐being has been gaining popularity in both Russia and Finland. This framework is compatible with the use of wearable devices that measure physical activity and basic health characteristics. Based on data elicited through 17 semi‐structured interviews with Russians and Finns aged between 50 and 73 y.o., this study suggests that engagement in practices with wearables might have a positive effect on consumers’ well‐being. This is achieved, for instance, by helping manage one’s daily tasks, reducing stigma that is sometimes attached to ageing individuals and/or boosting feeling of togetherness in social interactions that might decrease with ageing. In addition, an important difference between the two countries lies in how ageing consumers see themselves in relation to other ageing people when using a wearable: in Russia, the use of a wearable can signal one’s social distance from an “average” ageing person, while Finnish consumers regard themselves as doing what everyone of the same age does.

Wearable technologies involve the integration of technology into clothing or accessories to bring new functionalities for people on the move. Many examples of wearables are emerging, from simple fitness tracking watches to electronics deeply embedded into garments for multi-touch sensing and control for personal music players. Without careful development, wearables can have a negative impact on the environment due to increased production of electronic components, increased e-waste from abandoned devices, and increased energy usage. We examine environmental sustainability issues through a review of recent research and cases across three broad areas including the fashion industry, information and communications technology (ICT), and wearable technologies. In the analysis, we examine stages in the product life cycle and identify the unique issues for each sector, including the extraction of materials, production process, distribution of products, use, and disposal of products that have reached the end of their life. The findings are gathered as implications for design so that researchers, educators, designers, developers, and product managers will gain an overview of the issues related to environmental sustainability. Related examples of products and prototypes are provided to enable informed choices during the design and development of wearables that are more environmentally sustainable.

This article takes the idea of a critical approach to sustainable fashion and applies it to the practices of clothing designers and seamstresses in the Kallio neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland. These practices are described by the umbrella term ''sustainable fashion.'' The main questions are how do clothing designers and seamstresses practice sustainable fashion, what challenges do they face, and how do they interpret these challenges. The article offers an empirical definition of ''sustainable fashion,'' discusses innovative practices of sustainable fashion design in an urban context, considers the tensions within this production concept, and examines ways in which designers address and resolve such tensions. The article contributes to the discussion of a critical approach to fashion, sustainability, and entrepreneurialism in contemporary urban culture.

No abstract

No abstract