Abstract

The paper presents results of a research related to the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) materials and the possibilities that this phenomenon supposes for social innovation. In Portugal and Chile, countries involved in this experience, social innovation is considered as a positive tool to improve the potential of a community, using local resources. It is associated with obtaining economic resources and a benefit for the environment, with local waste. An approach is developed that contributes to building positive relationships between people and their environment. For the design of sustainable materials, a current practice is the DIY approach, characterized by reduced economic investments, because it requires low-cost technology, suitable for small-scale production and low demand. The perfect integration of such practices requires a deep knowledge of social and cultural dynamics, in terms of acceptance, appreciation, deployment and use of local materials. The objective is to define a collaborative symbiosis model to enhance the development of communities, through the assessment of waste and low-cost local production systems. The approach considers the generation of new sustainable materials and their application in objects. It is integrated into the chain of generation and transfer of knowledge, to individuals from primary, secondary and university education sectors. It is considered that educating at a systemic level and defining roles, allows a change of mentality through a transversal management that chains progressive, long-term and sustainable achievements. The methodology is developed in stages to define a management model and knowledge transfer to the integrated education system, generating a value chain between primary, secondary and university education. The research takes place in two stages. The first dedicated to the Design of new materials: a) Collection of information to define the types of waste in a territory; b) Selection of possible waste collection systems and volumes of distributed population, using territorial mapping software in accordance with existing data; c) Design of new materials, through prototypes; d) Physical-mechanical characterization studies; e) Application of methodologies to define the quality of perceived and prospecting applications of the new materials; f) Determination of the factors that influence the symbiosis between the location of the waste, the transfer to the transformation sectors (waste to new materials); g) Prototyping of products with new materials. A second stage considers the Determination of a symbiosis model for collaboration between the levels of primary, secondary and university education, defining roles and their implications at the management level in the community. The results correspond to a proposal for a collaborative symbiosis model, for the transfer of knowledge to the communities. This proposal considers the results of the methodologies applied in Portugal and Chile, which have allowed us to establish conclusions to define the applications of the new DIY material and establishing a comparison between the answers obtained in both territories. Conclusions refer to the valuations regarding the management that integrates various actors, as well as their participation in a chain that effectively reduces the amount of waste and reinterprets them to prolong their useful life; as well as the importance of transversal education, in order to achieve sustainable changes in community benefits.