Bridging Cultural Heritage and Sustainability: Implications for Collectible Design

This study aims to deepen the understanding of collectible design (CD) by examining its intersections with cultural heritage and sustainability. Through in-depth, open-ended qualitative interviews with selected experts, we explored foundational perspectives on CD. The topic of sustainability surfaced only tangentially and was rarely addressed directly or explicitly. To validate this initial qualitative phase, we conducted a first-round questionnaire for a Delphi study. Findings showed a more frequent and nuanced emergence of sustainability themes, highlighting how different question approaches influenced the responses. These insights revealed a clear research gap in connecting cultural heritage and sustainability with CD. The relationship between cultural heritage and sustainability has gained increasing attention in recent years (ONU, 2015; UNESCO, 2002). Researchers have explored various dimensions of sustainability in the context of cultural heritage management, including economic (Eppich & Grinda, 2019), social (Li et al., 2022), and environmental (Foster, 2020). This study argues that there are potentially significant implications in the field of CD, particularly in relation to the peculiar nature of its items (Codignola, 2025). For integrating sustainability into CD, this study suggests considering the following key areas: Holistic sustainability integration; Lifecycle approach; Unique CD characteristics; Sustainability implications; Stakeholder engagement; Impact Assessment; Innovation and research; Market dynamics. By bridging the sustainability principles from cultural heritage management with the distinct attributes of CD, this study advances the literature on sustainability in creative fields. It offers theoretical contributions and practical insights for marketers and practitioners, emphasizing CD’s role in promoting sustainable consumption. References CODIGNOLA, F., (2025). The symbolic power of collectible design. Mapping a multifaceted field. Ethics International Press, Bradford (UK) (forthcoming). EPPICH R., GRINDA J.L.G. (2019). Sustainable financial management of tangible cultural heritage sites. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 9(3,) pp. 282-99. FOSTER G. (2020). Circular economy strategies for adaptive reuse of cultural heritage buildings to reduce environmental impacts. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 152, pp. 1-14. LI P., XIAO X., SEEKAMP E. (2022). Climate adaptation planning for cultural heritages in coastal tourism destinations: A multi-objective optimization approach. Tourism Management, 88, 104380. ONU (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations, New York, NY, USA. UNESCO (2002). Budapest declaration on World Heritage. Paris, Retrieved from: https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/1217/.