Sustainable waste management is commonly promoted through environmental awareness, recycling campaigns, and circular economy principles. In Thailand, however, local beliefs and merit-making practices have increasingly been integrated into waste management, encouraging public participation and creating new value from discarded materials. Rather than relying solely on environmental messages, waste is reinterpreted through cultural meanings that are familiar to Thai society. This study explores how belief-based design strategies promote sustainable waste management in Thailand. A qualitative content analysis was conducted using 17 Thai case studies, including public campaigns, upcycled and recycled products, and community initiatives that transform everyday waste into opportunities for merit-making, religious practices, and cultural participation. Rather than examining individual products, the study investigates how design utilises local beliefs across different contexts. The paper proposes a three-level framework of belief-based design strategies. The first level, Behaviour Design, examines how communication campaigns encourage waste separation and public participation through merit-making concepts. The second level, Product Design, investigates how discarded materials are transformed into culturally meaningful products associated with religious beliefs and ritual practices. The third level, System Design, explores how multiple stakeholders; including temples, communities, government agencies, and private organisations, collaborate to establish sustainable waste management systems rooted in local cultural values. The findings demonstrate that local beliefs can function as design strategies across behavioural, product, and system levels to promote sustainable waste management. The proposed framework offers practical guidance for designers, entrepreneurs, communities, and policymakers seeking to develop culturally grounded, belief-based approaches to sustainable waste management.

Authors:
Montida Lertnimanoradee, Khon Kaen University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Montida Lertnimanoradee is a Lecturer in Design at Khon Kaen University. Her research interests include sustainable and participatory design. She is currently researching upcycling and circular design for community development.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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