Participatory Design for Sustainable Product Innovation of Banana Fiber in Thailand

The intersection of design creativity and sustainable innovation represents a key domain in addressing contemporary societal challenges. As global concerns about environmental sustainability continue to mount, the need for creative design solutions that balance ecological preservation with social and economic viability becomes increasingly urgent. Within this context, participatory design (PD) emerges as a particularly suitable approach for sustainable product innovation for several compelling reasons.

First, sustainable product innovation inherently requires the integration of multiple knowledge domains - from technical understanding of materials and processes to local cultural wisdom and market insights. Recent research by Zhang et al. [1] demonstrated that successful sustainable innovation depends on effectively combining diverse knowledge types through structured collaborative processes. PD provides a systematic framework for facilitating the integration of diverse knowledge domains, enabling stakeholders to contribute their unique perspectives and expertise to the innovation process.

Second, contemporary research in sustainable design emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement throughout the innovation process [2, 3] and highlights how early stakeholder involvement leads to more environmentally and socially sustainable outcomes. PD's emphasis on democratic participation and collective creativity aligns perfectly with this requirement, providing structured methods for engaging diverse stakeholders from the earliest stages of the design process.

Third, sustainable product innovation often involves navigating complex trade-offs between environmental, social, and economic objectives. Recent work by Wang and Su [4] illustrated how participatory approaches can help balance these competing demands by bringing multiple perspectives into the decision-making process. PD's collaborative framework enables stakeholders to collectively explore and resolve these tensions, leading to more holistic and sustainable solutions.

The current research addresses significant gaps in our understanding of how PD can effectively drive sustainable product innovation. While existing literature acknowledges the potential of participatory approaches, empirical evidence remains limited regarding how PD processes can be structured to facilitate sustainable innovation in traditional craft contexts. Furthermore, while scholars such as Aibar-Guzmán et al. [5] have examined sustainable product innovation in industrial contexts, the application of PD approaches to traditional craft-based production systems remains understudied.

This research makes several unique contributions to addressing these gaps. First, it develops and validates a comprehensive framework for implementing PD in sustainable craft innovation, providing practical guidance for similar initiatives. Second, it offers detailed empirical evidence of how different stakeholder groups contribute to sustainable innovation through structured participatory processes. Third, it introduces the Creative Knowledge Integration (CKI) framework as a theoretical tool for understanding and facilitating collaborative innovation in sustainable design contexts.

Recent developments in design thinking and participatory design have highlighted new opportunities for sustainable innovation. Studies by Fajarwati et al. [6] and Zannoun et al. [7] demonstrate how collaborative design approaches can unlock new possibilities for sustainable product development. This research builds on these recent insights while addressing the specific challenges of integrating traditional craft knowledge with contemporary design approaches through participatory methods.

3.1 Innovative sustainable product development

Sustainable product innovation is the development of new goods, services, technologies, processes, and business models that improve environmental and social performance while producing profit for companies [2]. Attaining development, competitive advantage, and sustainability using environmental and social issues [3] is the focus. To control and improve general sustainability, sustainable product innovation calls for an analysis of the whole life cycle of the product—that includes its creation and service phases [4]. Environmental, financial, and social elements should all be given attention; the social factor should especially be given more priority [1]. Significant but difficult is the communication of environmental and socioeconomic performance of sustainable goods and services to customers [5].

Traditionally, design students have helped to preserve unsustainable lifestyles and have addressed problems that call for answers. Future designers have to change both practically and culturally to properly help to provide answers. New conceptual and methodological tools must be developed to improve sustainable design practices; however, they should also actively engage in the societal conversation on the vision and development of a sustainable future [17]. Innovation in many different fields, including industry, government, and social groups including local communities, depends critically on design. Inspired by pioneers like Buckminster Fuller and Victor Papanek, it has occasionally participated in sustainability debates and practices since the mid-twentieth century. Early in the 1980s, systematic involvement started, driven by growing industrial concern in social and environmental concerns [18-21].

Using the combination of classical, transforming, patterned, multi-material, and ornamental aspects, sustainable product innovation in craft design may be accomplished, therefore improving the product value in a sustainable way [6]. By creating ecologically friendly interior goods from waste products using the circular economy framework, artists may thus promote social, economic, and environmental benefits [2]. Classical Italian design may guide the development of sustainable goods using creative combinations of materials from several sources, therefore producing visually beautiful and emotionally resonant things [7]. By using eco-friendly materials like banana fiber, one helps to create ecologically friendly goods that satisfy the expectations of ethical customers and, therefore advance sustainable industrial practices. Using these techniques helps craftsmen create commercially feasible, socially conscious, and ecologically friendly goods.

Research on appropriate approaches is lacking in studies and the development of goods linked with sustainable product innovation. Referring to three dimensions—environmental, social, and financial impacts—the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) helps one to evaluate the sustainability of goods. Applied with an industry first, this framework is used in service goods and product design. It does not, however, include the assessment of local craft products—more especially, local craft materials—especially in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, which has plenty of natural resources fit for the creation of different crafts. This would greatly improve the availability on Earth of craft supplies. This work has used this idea as a structure for further investigation of related plant fibers.

3.2 Participatory development

Participatory design is putting people in charge of their created and natural environments [22]. The project aims to include people in the planning and design decision-making process thereby transcending traditional professional limits and cultures. Participation mostly seeks to improve people's trust and confidence in organizations, polish plans and choices, and strengthen a feeling of community [23]. Using a variety of approaches, participatory design makes use of group mapping [24], interactive group decision-making strategies, and field methodologies like surveys and interviews. Among designers, this area of study is evolving and becoming more and more sophisticated. Beyond simple consultation and idea testing, participatory design combines researchers, designers, users, and other specialists to understand and express issues, create strategies and ideas, and build, test, and evaluate treatments [25, 26]. From start to finish, participatory design (PD) is a technique involving stakeholders all through the design process. This approach depends mostly on the participants. Rooted in Scandinavian heritage, participatory design is based on workshops and design sessions [27].

For designers, academics, businesspeople, and the production community PD offers several benefits. It helps people to participate in the creation and management of their created and natural environments, therefore overcoming traditional professional limitations and cultural differences [22]. This involvement helps people to have more faith in companies, which raises the possibility of their involvement in current systems when handling problems [28]. Second, participatory design helps people to participate in planning, design, and decision-making procedures thereby producing improved plans, choices, service delivery, and generally better environmental quality [29]. Moreover, it strengthens the community by bringing people together with common goals [30]. For students, participatory design techniques provide great chances to interact as informed contributors as well as learners. This engagement helps people to affect the consequences of design and promotes responsibility for their study involvement [31].

3.3 Cooperation in the method of professional development regarding craft advancement: Banana fiber

Reiteration or recombination of current knowledge in fresh and creative ways is what defines craft design [32, 33]. According to the present knowledge of a craft, one has innated specialized talents either personally or throughout local communities. Tacit knowledge is distinguished by the idea that people know more than they can express. Practical and personal interaction between master and student allows one to mostly absorb the tacit knowledge held by the indigenous artists from the great experience of dealing with materials and techniques. Within families or close-knit groups, certain methods and artisan styles might be passed on through generations. Chuenrudeemol et al. [34] suggested two strategies for obtaining local craftspeople’s expertise to create new goods targeted at commercialization. The two models are the co-creation model and the master/apprentice one. Designers looking to progress local crafts have to actively engage themselves in the local setting using interactions and cooperative projects with the artisan community. These circumstances clearly show collaborative innovation; some instances show the cooperation of designers and artisan groups in creating new items with the possibility of reaching fresh consumers [35-37]. This cooperation implies that the development of local handicaps would benefit not only designers but also craftsmen. One of her initiatives [38], including native bamboo artists in India and designers, shows how teamwork leverages the skill and knowledge contributions of every participant in the invention process.

Working together in product creation between designers and craftspeople uses group inventiveness to progress regional craft. This supports the case made by Sanders and Stappers [39], which holds that designers are expected to solve problems that cannot be handled by people acting alone. They underline the need for the first phases, also known as the "fuzzy front end," before the traditional design process starts to encourage group innovation. The name "Fuzzy" describes the intangible and uncertain qualities of this stage. In the first phases, all parties have to cooperate to create a clear design plan and express suggestions for further development. Aimed at exposing design issues, seeing possibilities, and deciding on a suitable design solution, this stage offers several different pathways for investigation. Before the design development process, the fuzzy front end shapes product ideas into concepts, and prototypes, and then polished into finished products. The much the

Sanders and Stappers' co-creation approach may be modified to fit craft-design teamwork. The method acts as a learning tool, enabling designers and craftspeople to choose knowledge and abilities from this group experience. Design and work merge to call for reciprocal learning among practitioners in both disciplines. The design-craft cooperation offers a multidisciplinary approach that helps participants gain more skills and knowledge, thereby improving their competence [40].

Working with the nearby producer community, the author and 10 young designers—design students—are part of this cooperative effort. The aim was to develop a product design and acquire an understanding of the cooperation involving banana fibers in a useful context. The trial ran for around six months. Leading the group and in charge of supervising the cooperative effort was the author, a researcher.

Product research and development using participatory design show a dearth of studies targeted at inclusive approaches including all stakeholders, including design students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and local producer communities. Usually, research involves only designers and communities, thereby including just two people. This constraint results in inadequate connectedness of ideas, sharing of experiences, and cooperative learning and functioning. This study uses a participatory design approach to create integrated, beneficial ideas fit for all stakeholders, compliant with target group demands, and realistic for manufacturing and distribution. The results of design arise from group ideas and behavior.

3.4 Design with banana fiber

One quite well-known fruit is the banana. Every part of the banana plant—fruit, leaves, flower bud, stem, pseudostem—is useful. Along with their good air permeability and water absorption qualities, banana fibers are known for their light weight and stiffness. Although bananas have less fiber than hemp, their chemical makeup includes notable levels of lignin and cellulose; so, their reduced softness results from their poorer spinnability. Banana planks [41, 42] may be bulk-produced from the pseudostem of the banana, a main agricultural waste produced following harvest.

Using Bananatex, a waterproof material made entirely of natural banana fibers derived from a particular species of bananas endemic to the Philippines, Swiss backpack company QWSTION creates backpacks. Recognized as an intangible cultural asset by the Taiwanese government due to their cultural relevance and ecological sustainability, the Kavalan people of Taiwan, an indigenous group living in eastern Hualien County, have kept their traditional banana-silk weaving techniques [43]. Because ramie threads were only seasonal, the Kavalan people switched to banana silk as another resource for livelihood crafts. This change allowed traditional clothes, backpacks, tote bags, straw capes, straw mats, and ornamental screens [44]. Leveraging its beneficial qualities and ecologically benign nature, banana fiber may be used in creative and sustainable design. Studies show that banana fibers may be used alone or mixed with other fibers to substitute for traditional textiles [45]. In craft traditions, banana fibers help to integrate cultural legacy with modern architecture thereby supporting ecological sustainability [44]. Product design benefits much from banana fibers. Economically wise, easily available, and ecologically sustainable [46] they are. Superior tensile characteristics and fit for manufacturing a variety of products—textiles, carpets, pillow coverings, bags, and tablecloths—are shown by banana fibers [47]. Breaking down into water and carbon dioxide in the soil, they are biodegradable and ecologically benign [45]. Combining banana fibers with other fibers—such as cotton—helps to create consistent textiles [48]. Moreover, banana fibers show improved tensile strength and surface shape after alkaline treatment, thereby acting as a substitute for synthetic fibers in composite creation [49]. Banana fiber composites show improved mechanical qualities in automotive uses, which qualifies for modern needs. Because of its practicality, durability, and biodegradability, banana fiber has become somewhat well-known as an environmentally beneficial material. Usually regarded as agricultural trash, banana stalks provide most of these elements. Several techniques for using banana fibers have been studied, including the creation of composites for use in domestic goods and textiles [50].

 According to Lin and Lin [44], research on Taiwan Kavalan Banana Fibers sought to translate banana fibers into a sustainable material for modern goods. Material Driven Design (MDD) helped to create a material-tinkering loop meant to provide fresh design ideas using banana fibers. Significant motifs related to banana fibers and creative design thinking were found using a grounded theory study. Using special insights, technical knowledge, digital tools, and methodical practice of their trade, designers created original designs using banana fibers using these instruments. Banana fibers find use in many Thai products. Characterized by their lightweight nature, great strength, and environmental sustainability [51], these materials work as substitutes for typical synthetic fibers for noise absorption. Lightweight blocks are made from banana fibers, which replace cement and sand to provide reasonably priced, lightweight building materials [52]. Furthermore, used in the sun drying process for bananas are banana fibers, thus improving the drying temperature and time to produce dried banana goods with ideal moisture content and color [53].

Mostly focusing on material science—more especially, durability, strength, and flexibility—the research and development of banana fiber products follows laboratory experiments and then reports. Research on the social, financial, and environmental effects emphasizing the value of participatory design (PD) lags much. Professional growth is a group effort that includes all the stakeholders. Using design students, academics, entrepreneurs, and local producer groups in the design process, this project applies the PD approach. Once the design is finalized, mass manufacturing is simplified and results in useful goods. Direct field experience lets students see actual manufacturing techniques, which produce ideas combining design concepts with the pragmatic needs of product prototypes guided by actual capabilities. Production and marketing of these goods may provide money for the neighborhood and, hence support its sustainability. This strategy offers a framework for sustainable craft-based community development and may be a model for other towns using banana fiber or related craft materials development.

This case study's results, data collected, and the products that emerged from the collaboration conclude that they are sustainable, following the processes as follows:

Knowledge: Experts in botany, specifically banana plants, provide design students with comprehensive information about banana plants. This includes the types of banana plants, their benefits, and the processes involved in converting them into useful products. The transformation process starts from the roots and stems, which can be boiled to quench thirst or used to make traditional herbal medicines. The trunk sheaths can be processed into fibers for making ropes, woven materials, animal feed, and even human food. Banana leaves serve as wrappers for Thai food and sweets or are crafted into traditional offerings like floating lanterns. The banana blossom can be used as a side dish in Thai cuisine. Strips from the banana stalks can be used for tying things together or crafted into children's toys like hobby horses. The fruit itself offers numerous health benefits due to its fiber, vitamins, and mineral content, aiding in digestion, reducing stomach acidity, and more. Design students can use this understanding of material properties as a basis for innovating product designs that blend creativity with practicality, integrating reality with imagination in the field of design.

Sharing: Entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience in processing, producing, and marketing under their brands shared their knowledge with design students. They discussed product design, processing, design thinking, production, and distribution processes. This insight serves as a guide for design students to develop their product designs and understand the consumers of craft industry products. It enables them to apply this knowledge in designing banana fiber products and collaborating with community producers to create prototypes for actual production and future distribution. Both activities are shown in Figure 2.

12-2.png

Figure 2. (a) A banana plant botany expert transfers knowledge to design students; (b) An entrepreneur lectures to design students and shares ideas; (c) Design students are studying banana fiber products

Study: Researchers and design students visited raw material sources and collaborated with the banana fiber weaving group in Ban Hua Khwai, Moo 9, Khu Tao Sub-district, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, Thailand. They collected data and studied the production methods to inform the design and development of banana fiber products. The process included the following steps:

• Study the context of products made from banana fiber.

• Learn the production process of banana fiber products.

The context of banana fiber products in Ban Hua Khwai, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, Thailand, reflects a deep-rooted connection between the community's agricultural practices and its craft traditions. The community, primarily composed of elderly individuals, has found innovative ways to utilize every part of the banana plant, demonstrating an exemplary model of sustainability and local wisdom.

1. Banana Leaves: Utilized both fresh and dried for creating food packaging and decorative items. This practice not only reduces waste but also provides an eco-friendly alternative to plastic.

2. Banana Latex: Employed as a natural dye for textiles, offering a durable and colorfast solution that enhances the value of local fabrics.

3. Banana Bark and Stem: Crafted into durable ropes and artistic carvings, showcasing the versatility of banana plant materials.

This community initiative started from the simple, agricultural lifestyle of the village, where banana plants were grown around homes for their utility. Every part of the banana plant was used, ensuring zero waste and maximizing the plant's benefits. The initiative to create banana fiber products stemmed from recognizing the abundance of raw materials within the community, coupled with a desire to augment household income through sustainable practices. Over time, with the support of government agencies, the private sector, and local administration, the community has successfully transformed its local wisdom into a thriving craft, producing high-quality, durable, and aesthetically pleasing banana fiber products. This transformation was driven by a blend of inspiration from available resources, hard work, love for the craft, and the ability to learn and innovate. The community's efforts have not only led to economic benefits but have also ensured the preservation and transmission of local knowledge and skills. The success story of Ban Hua Khwai's banana fiber products is a testament to the power of community collaboration, sustainability, and innovation. It serves as an inspiration for design students and professionals to explore and integrate local materials and traditional techniques into contemporary design, thereby creating products that are both meaningful and marketable on a global scale, this activity is shown in Figure 3.

12-3.png

Figure 3. Producers weaving banana plant fibers is mostly elderly

5.1 Production process of banana fiber products

1. Cutting: Use banana stems that have been cut from the plant. Trim the stem, leaving about 15 centimeters from the base of the leaf stem.

2. Peeling: Peel off the outer layers of the stem, which are green in color, leaving about 2-3 layers until reaching the white inner layers. Peel off one layer at a time until reaching the core.

3. Stripping: Take the white layers and strip them into thin strips, approximately 1 inch wide, using a sharp knife. Strip along the length of the banana stem to create straight strips.

4. Drying: After stripping, hang the banana strips to dry in the sun on racks or in a clean, dry area. Once dried, the banana strips will have a slightly white color.

5. Bake the partially dried banana strips in a well-ventilated wooden drying box or an oven. Arrange the strips in a single layer and bake for about 2 to 3 hours. The banana fibers will become lighter in color after baking.

6. Pressing and weaving: Use a pressing machine to press the baked banana strips and then weave them into various products as desired. Once woven, allow them to dry in the sun.

7. Applying lacquer: For added beauty and durability, apply lacquer to the woven products before drying them in the sun again. This ensures that the final products are not only beautiful and durable but also made from materials sourced within the community.

The production process reflects the community's ingenuity in utilizing locally available resources to create sustainable and aesthetically pleasing banana fiber products, as shown in Figure 4.

12-4.png

Figure 4. (a) Cutting; (b) Peeling; (c) Stripping; (d) Pressing and weaving; (e) Banana fiber before and after drying; (f) The existing banana fiber products

After conducting fieldwork and studying the characteristics of banana fiber materials with the group of producers, the Buffalo Head Banana Fiber Weaving Group, the following collaborative guidelines were summarized:

5.2 Summary of guidelines for designing and developing products from banana fiber

Material Characteristics:

Natural: The material is naturally sourced.

Flexible and stretchable: The material has a fibrous texture that can be divided into various sizes.

Molding: The material can be molded both independently and with the use of a frame.

12-5.png

Figure 5. Mood board for designing and developing products from banana fiber

5.3 Product development guidelines

Based on the characteristics of banana plant fibers, which possess excellent elasticity and flexibility, with natural, gentle, and vibrant colors. These fibers can be segmented into various sizes, and the molding process can either be self-molded or require a framework. They are used to manufacture and experiment with products suitable for both practical use and decoration. For this research project, new production and weaving processes are experimented with, alongside traditional production methods and new design concepts, to meet the current consumer demands shown in the mood board in Figure 5. The products can be industrialized, and importantly, stakeholders in the community can genuinely participate in the production process.

Decorative household product set 1 experiment with a new manufacturing process by tearing banana fibers into threads and alternating the inner surface to the outside, which is a highlight and difference from the same type of traditional craftsmanship. Then, weaving in various patterns to experiment with suitability for the next product design is shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8.

12-6.png

Figure 6. Mood board for decorative, utility, fashion, and lifestyle products

12-7.png

Figure 7. Design draft: decorative household products set 1

12-8.png

Figure 8. Experiment with various methods of banana fiber weaving

12-9.png

Figure 9. Design draft: decorative household products set 2

Decorative utility product set 2 draws inspiration from coral reefs, experimenting with a new manufacturing process and swapping the inner surface to the outer surface, distinguishing itself from similar types of craftsmanship. By tearing banana fibers into threads and wrapping them around variously sized small sub-shapes, it aims to be used as components for assembling into product shapes. Its highlights lie in the differing sizes and the ability to connect into various freeform shapes according to the imagination, as shown in Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12.

12-10.png

Figure 10. (a) Wrapping banana fibers around variously sized sub-shapes; (b) Using banana fibers of various colors to compose between the pieces; (c) Composing the sub-shapes into the form of the product

12-11.png

Figure 11. (a) Small vase shape: height 53 cm, width 25 cm, depth 25 cm; (b) Large vase shape: height 76 cm, width 32.5 cm, depth 32 cm; (c) Mirror: height 101 cm, width 76 cm, depth 5 cm; (d) Prototype of decorative household products set 1, titled “Still”

12-12.png

Figure 12. (a) Small tray diameter 50 cm, height 25 cm; (b) Medium tray diameter 70 cm, height 20 cm; (c) Large tray wall art, diameter 113 cm, height/depth 31.5 cm; (d) Prototype of decorative household products set 2, titled “Coral”

Fashion Lifestyle Products:

12-13.png

Figure 13. Design draft: fashion lifestyle product set 1

From experimenting with creating fashion prototype products, specifically in the form of bags, using traditional weaving methods, and showcasing banana fiber threads and natural raw materials, it was found that the shape of the bag woven with traditional methods could be completed quickly, with strong flexibility and durability. However, at the end of the banana fiber thread, where the natural feel of the raw material was desired, by allowing the banana fiber to remain natural, the resulting product was unable to communicate its quality effectively. It appeared incomplete, so this approach was discontinued, as shown in Figure 13.

The focus is on the characteristics of the traditional banana fiber weaving method as set number 2 because it is sticky, durable, and strong. Enhancing the interest and highlights of the set, graphic patterns are woven and stitched onto the surface of the banana fiber using natural dark brown colors from the banana fiber of the Tanee variety. Two sets of stories are created, consisting of large and small bags and hats, designed with two underwater themes: fish and stingray, shown in Figures 14, 15, 16, and 17.

12-14.png

Figure 14. Design draft: Fashion lifestyle product set 2

12-15.png

Figure 15. Development prototype of fashion lifestyle product (a) “fish collection”; (b) “coral collection”

12-16.png

Figure 16. (a) Small bag; (b) Large bag; (c) Hat; (d) Prototype of fashion lifestyle product “fish collection”

12-17.png

Figure 17. (a) Small bag; (b) Large bag; (c) Hat; (d) Prototype of fashion lifestyle product “coral collection”

5.4 The impact of participatory design on sustainable product innovation

Participatory design methodology

This research has adapted the framework of Christiaans [15], which summarized Knowledge and Design Activity as the separation of Process Knowledge, Design Knowledge, and Basic Knowledge. When collaborating in participatory design (PD) to develop banana fiber ropes, everyone gained new insights from this study. Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, a new flowchart summarizing the process was created, as illustrated in Figure 18.

The impact on the community and stakeholders

Throughout ideation, design, and development, all of the stakeholders worked together under this participatory design approach. Working together, cooperative manufacturing addressed problems and produced a prototype fit for commercialization. This program helped manufacturers create income, therefore encouraging sustainability in the neighborhood. Three dimensions—environmental, social, and economic impacts—collectively known as the triple bottom lines (TBL) of sustainability—that is, product sustainability—are evaluated in Figure 19.

From an economic standpoint, Revenue, profitability, and returns from sales of banana fiber products define the impact on community financial performance. Four stakeholder groups—design students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and the local producer community—have cooperatively conceived and produced the items.

The social component: The impact on society about social justice, equality, and human rights. Elkington emphasizes the need for companies to improve their working environments and promote diversity and inclusion in their operations. Many of these areas produce goods using banana fiber. advanced age.

The environmental feature has consequences on local ecosystems and resources. This results in less pollution. Save water and electricity while reducing trash creation. Products co-designed with banana fiber. Everybody should adopt ecologically friendly habits to minimize negative consequences on the surroundings and advance the long-term viability of the earth. At every level of product development, the locally produced material comes from natural sources and uses sun-drying, tying, and twisting. There is little environmental effect.

12-18.png

Figure 18. Knowledge and participatory design activity

12-19.png

Figure 19. The impact on the community and stakeholders