Design for Sustainability Transitions in practice: Reflections from the field through two case studies in organizations

Design for Sustainability Transitions (DfST) is a relatively recent design approach gaining traction to support systems innovation. However, this remains a high-level approach, and there is limited experience in translating elements such as visions into concrete outputs (e.g., products or services). Furthermore, designers and researchers have only access to theoretical knowledge, which they use to translate frameworks and processes into specific contexts. For this reason, the article aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, describing two transition projects within companies and contextualising the processes described theoretically, thereby facilitating their understanding and the reinterpretation of the DfST process. The research adopts an exploratory and inductive approach, based on Grounded Theory. It uses qualitative data collected through two longitudinal case studies, analysed through Reflection on Action and Open Coding. The results emphasise the importance of interpreting the process with flexibility to interpret and contextualise the theoretical frameworks present in the literature. Furthermore, the results highlight two macro-categories of factors (Contextual and Human) that act at different levels and during all process stages, influencing strategic and operational choices and outcomes. Indeed, the factors emerged change the importance of each stage and the methods and tools adopted.