Approaching the ethics of sustainability in an area of deprivation

There is an increasing recognition of the need for sustainable shifts in consumption in order to address the climate crisis. Yet, too often, ethical consumption is taken to reflect the narrow concerns of certain individuals pursuing an identity and lifestyle. Based on our work with a UK junk-yard playground, we reflect on the methodological and thematic provocations that emerge from such a context. We focus on the need to build trust and to recognise existing behaviours with a different pathway to sustainability that is nonetheless socially valuable. The sharing behaviours and resource redistribution found in our case study, offered a model of sustainable behaviours outside of current framings, enabling a questioning of how we understand and look for less carbon-intensive ways of life in an urban context. Thus, we highlight the need for further research focused on deprived consumers and associated policy and practice implications.