Design at the intersection: Reconciling older consumers’ practices with circular economy principles in ready-to-cook fish products

The seafood industry faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices while meeting consumer demands, presenting a significant design challenge. Designers must reconcile circular economy principles with the established practices of older consumers, who represent a significant market segment with unique needs and distinct consumption patterns. This article addresses the design challenge of bridging sustainable innovation with consumer acceptance through a practice-based investigation of older UK consumers’ engagement with ready-to-cook fish products. Using an innovative qualitative approach combining in-person workshops and digital ethnography, we examined how material arrangements, competences and meanings shape seafood consumption practices among adults aged 55 and above. Our findings reveal critical design tensions that emerge when sustainable innovations intersect with established practices. While convenience and accessibility are valued, concerns about processing methods, additives and lack of transparency create barriers to adoption. Participants demonstrated awareness of sustainability issues but struggled to integrate environmental concerns with personal health considerations and established habits. Innovative circular economy approaches, such as algae-based packaging, generated interest but raised significant concerns about safety and practicality. From these findings, we derive four design principles for sustainable seafood product development: (1) designing for transparency to build trust, (2) incremental innovation that respects established practices, (3) leveraging trusted intermediaries in communication design and (4) creating multisensory experiences that reinforce sustainability benefits. These principles constitute a framework for designers seeking to create products that successfully integrate circular economy approaches while respecting the established practices of older consumers. This research contributes to the field of food design by demonstrating how practice theory can inform product development that effectively balances sustainability imperatives with consumer acceptance, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidelines for designers working at this critical intersection.