Core Sustainable Values: Examining the Consideration and Influence of Social Factors within Sustainable Technologies.

Sustainable technologies appears to focus, as the name suggests, on the technological considerations, following more of a 'how it works' or 'can do' approach to sustainability. As sustainable concerns appear increasingly prevalent within engineering and design developments, immense practical knowledge is being developed which advances this area further. Moreover, users are progressively aware of the importance of sustainability and are driving demand further, commercially, to develop outcomes with a sustainable label attached. This paper draws from various multi-disciplinary research and theoretical concepts to examine the social influence within sustainable technologies. From this, debate surrounding sustainability can be opened up to a more rounded and responsible perspective. Social considerations are seen in this paper as fundamental to sustainable technology, not only in being classified as sustainable but also producing effective and understandable technical solutions for users.