Återbruk – Shedding light on the use of the concept of sustainability
The concept of sustainability has a strong position in today’s society. It is a trendy USP, which can be used to increase the market value of something. This has created the phenomenon of greenwashing. When, for example, companies claim to make a positive difference to the climate without actually doing so. As a result, the purpose of sustainability is diluted and can be treated as a marketing ploy to increase consumption, which is in itself harmful to the environment.
Actors with different profit interests, from economic to political, like to use concepts like ‘reuse’, because everyone can think it is good. This kind of consensus-oriented approach creates the illusion of unity and common direction and hides underlying conflicts. It essentially depoliticizes political issues and discourages political mobilization.
Återbruk (meaning reuse) is an artistic representation of greenwashing. During the project period, all receipts from my consumption were saved and reused to create the lampshades. Although it primarily pretends to be a lamp, its main function is not to illuminate a room, but the conflict that arises when we treat sustainability as a market commodity, to be sold.
