### Record Type:: [[Claims]] ValueofCraft:: [[Economic value of craft]] [[Environmental value of craft]] ### Outline It’s widely acknowledged that mass production has contributed significantly to environmental degradation. Mass production tends to value economic efficiency that in turn privileges automated processes and devalues human effort. Research from Lund University (Rennstam and Paulsson, 2024) suggests that craft offers alternative processes of production that are better for the environment. At the same time craft practices offer an antidote to degrowth because of its labour-intensive nature and focus on manual effort, necessitating more human rather than mechanical intervention.  Craft offers versatile opportunities for employment for skilled and unskilled workers alike. As automation and artificial intelligent replace more human workers, craft remains as an intrinsically humanistic occupation. The unemployment predicted in scenarios of de-growth can also be countered by meaningful craft employment. Italy has an estimated 500,000 artisans with a rich tradition in various craft trades (in automobiles, ceramics, tailoring, and jewellery). The country is experiencing a resurgence of craft industries that had previously moved abroad, contributing to Italy’s "green transformation" and enhancing its role in global craftsmanship. There is a growing trend towards valuing manual production skills that machines can't replicate. A study of India’s traditional, rural handloom weaving industry shows that craftspeople are embedded in dense social networks that they draw on to mobilise resources and opportunities. Master weavers, in particular, leverage social, human and technical capital to benefit the craft communities at large.  ### References %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ```dataview list summary from [[Claim - Craft provides employment at a time of de-growth]] where contains(file.path,"Warp") ``` %% - [[Warp/Craft and degrowth -An exploration of craft-orientation as a mode of organizing production and consumption.md|Craft and degrowth -An exploration of craft-orientation as a mode of organizing production and consumption]]: As a labour-intensive practice, craft can compensate one of the key problems with de-growth: unemployment. - [[Warp/Making the Most of Materials Africa’s Skills in Repair and Repurposing Point the Way for the Global North.md|Making the Most of Materials Africa’s Skills in Repair and Repurposing Point the Way for the Global North]]: There are many examples of recycling ventures in Africa today. - [[Warp/The Organization of Craft Work - Identities, Meanings, and Materiality.md|The Organization of Craft Work - Identities, Meanings, and Materiality]]: "Plaid-collar" jobs in the craft sector promise to revitalise the US manufacturing sector. %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %%