Robert Crocker

Research Interests

Consumer behaviour Consumption and Everyday Life Design History and Theory Sustainable design Waste management, reduction, reuse and recycling

Teaching Strengths

Design for Sustainability, Research Methods

Dr Robert Crocker

Senior Lecturer

School of Architecture and Built Environment

College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

With an Oxford doctorate in early modern history of science and philosophy, Robert's research for the last decade has focused on the social and environmental problems associated with consumption and waste. He has published widely on waste, consumption and design for sustainability, and more recently on the potential role of design in developing and implementing a circular economy. He is the author of two sole-authored books and co-editor of six collections of essays. He is currently co-editing a volume of essays on reuse and the response of art and design to our global waste crisis, Rethinking Waste through Design: The World is already Full (Intellect). He is also working on a second edition of his Somebody Else's Problem: Consumerism, Sustainability and Design (Routledge: Greenleaf), a book that won gold in the Axiom Best Business books list of 2017.

Robert's research is focused on the problem of consumption and waste and the challenge to design presented by today's escalating environmental crisis. He is currently writing about the circular economy as the latest in a long series of attempts to solve the 'wicked problem' of overproduction for overconsumption presented by the 'growth' economy. He is involved in a number of collaborative research projects relating to this theme, including co-editing a book deriving from the Unmaking Waste conference which he convened in 2018, called Rethinking Waste Through Design (Intellect 2022) and a second, expanded edition of his book, Somebody Else's Problem: Consumerism, Sustainability and Design (Routledge 2016, to be completed in 2022). He  led a collaborative research project on 'Implementing the Circular Economy in Regional South Australia' (2021) which was funded by Green Industries SA. He is actively engaged with the problem of sustainable consumption and the waste crisis.

Date Position Institution name
1997 - 2026 Senior Lecturer University of South Australia
1990 - 1995 Lecturer Flinders University

Language Competency
French Can read and understand spoken
Italian Can read and understand spoken

Date Institution name Country Title
1979 - 1987 University of Oxford United Kingdom Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil)
1976 - 1978 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Arts (Honours Ist Class)

Year Citation
2025 Walker, A., Lovell, B., Rozitis, S., Caldwell, A., Callus, V. Z., Collis, P., . . . Böhm, C. (2025). Ecopoetic encounters: unsettling anthropocentric assumptions via constraint-based anthologethnography. New Writing, 22(1), 1-18.
DOI
2021 Sandhu, S., Lodhia, S., Potts, A., & Crocker, R. (2021). Environment friendly takeaway coffee cup use: individual and institutional enablers and barriers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 291(125271), 1-11.
DOI
2021 Papastamoulis, V., London, K., Feng, Y., Zhang, P., Crocker, R., & Patias, P. (2021). Conceptualising the circular economy potential of construction and demolition waste: An integrative literature review. Recycling, 6(3, 61), 1-20.
DOI Scopus38 WoS27
2018 Crocker, R., Saint, C. P., Chen, G., & Tong, Y. (2018). Introduction. Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption Towards the Circular Economy, 1-10.
DOI Scopus4
2004 Crocker, R. W. (2004). Henry More and the restoration. Parergon.

Year Citation
2019 Wallace, N., & Crocker, R. (2019). Beyond greener things: sustainability within communication design practice. In G. Muratovski, & C. Vogel (Eds.), Source details - Title: Re: Research: Design and the Creation of Social Value (Vol. 3, pp. 131-144). UK: Intellect Books.
2018 Crocker, R., Saint, C. P., Chen, G., & Tong, Y. (2018). Introduction - Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption: Towards The Circular Economy. In R. Crocker (Ed.), Source details - Title: Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption: Towards The Circular Economy (pp. 1-10). UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
DOI
2018 Crocker, R., & Chiveralls, K. (2018). Introduction - Subverting Consumerism: Reuse in an Accelerated World. In R. Crocker, & K. Chiveralls (Eds.), Source details - Title: Subverting Consumerism: Reuse in an Accelerated World (pp. 1-10). UK: Routledge.
DOI
2018 Crocker, R. (2018). From 'Spaceship Earth' to the circular economy: the problem of consumption. In R. Crocker (Ed.), Source details - Title: Unmaking waste in production and consumption: towards the circular economy (pp. 1-28). UK: Emerald Publishing.
DOI
2018 Crocker, R. (2018). Acceleration, consumerism and reuse: a changing paradigm. In R. Crocker, & K. Chiveralls (Eds.), Source details - Title: Subverting consumerism: reuse in an accelerated world (pp. 11-33). UK: Routledge.
DOI
2017 Liu, N., Kirk, E., & Henriksen, T. (2017). Introduction. In N. Liu, E. Kirk, & T. Henriksen (Eds.), The European Union and the Arctic (pp. 1-7). Leiden/Boston: Brill Nijhoff.
DOI
2017 Crocker, R. (2017). Unmaking waste. In J. Chapman (Ed.), Source details - Title: Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design (pp. 250-265). UK: Taylor and Francis.
2016 Crocker, R. (2016). Acceleration in consumerism, technology and sustainability. In G. Muratocski (Ed.), Source details - Title: Consumer Culture (pp. 197-213). Bristol, UK: Intellect.
2016 Crocker, R. (2016). The 'Good' corporation: the uneasy relationship between reputation and responsibility. In G. Muratovski (Ed.), Source details - Title: Consumer culture: selected essays (pp. 173-194). Bristol, UK: Intellect.
2015 Crocker, R. (2015). The Haunted interior : memory, nostalgia and identity in the interior interiority. In D. Daou, D. Huppatz, & D. Q. Phuong (Eds.), Source details - Title: Unbounded : on the Interior and Interiority (pp. 103-129). UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
2014 Crocker, R. W. (2014). 'Ethicalization' and greenwashing: business, sustainability and design. In G. Muratovski (Ed.), Source details - Title: Design for business (Vol. 2, pp. 162-177). Bristol, UK: Intellect.
2013 Crocker, R., & Lehmann, S. (2013). Prologue: motivating change in consumption and behaviour. In R. Crocker, & S. Lehmann (Eds.), Source details - Title: Motivating change: sustainable design and behaviour in the built environment (pp. 1-8). US: Routledge.
2013 Lehmann, S., & Crocker, R. (2013). Epilogue: the consumption dilemma: from behaviour change to zero waste. In R. Crocker, & S. Lehmann (Eds.), Source details - Title: Motivating Change: Sustainable design and behaviour in the built environment (pp. 419-427). US: Routledge.
2013 Crocker, R. (2013). From access to excess: consumerism, 'compulsory' consumption and behaviour change. In R. Crocker, & S. Lehmann (Eds.), Source details - Title: Motivating change: sustainable design and behaviour in the built environment (pp. 11-32). US: Routledge.
2012 Crocker, R., & Lehmann, S. (2012). Conclusion: the culture and politics of zero waste: looking ahead. In S. Lehmann, & R. Crocker (Eds.), Source details - Title: Designing for zero waste: consumption, technologies and the built environment (pp. 385-393). UK, United Kingdom: Earthscan.
DOI
2012 Crocker, R. (2012). Getting closer to zero waste in the new mobile communications paradigm: a social and cultural perspective. In S. Lehmann, & R. Crocker (Eds.), Source details - Title: Designing for zero waste: consumption, technologies and the built environment (pp. 115-130). Oxon, England: Earthscan.
2012 Crocker, R. (2012). 'Somebody else's problem': consumer culture, waste and behaviour change - the case of walking. In S. Lehmann, & R. Crocker (Eds.), Source details - Title: Designing for zero waste: consumption, technologies and the built environment (pp. 11-34). Oxon, England: Earthscan.
2012 Crocker, R. (2012). Transforming consumerism by design: reconsidering sustainability and behaviour change. In G. Muratovski (Ed.), Event/exhibition information: AGIDEAS Design for Business and Industry: International Research Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 21/05/2012-25/05/2012
Source details - Title: AgIdeas Research: Design for Business (Vol. 1, pp. 44-55). UK: Intellect.
2012 Lehmann, S., & Crocker, R. (2012). Introduction: people, policies and persuasion: the future of waste reduction and resource recovery in households and urban settings. In S. Lehmann, & R. Crocker (Eds.), Source details - Title: Designing for zero waste: consumption, technologies and the built environment (pp. 1-7). Oxon, England: Earthscan.
2005 Crocker, R. W. (2005). A 'sanative contagion': Henry More on faith healing. In Corporate body:University of South AustraliaSource details - Title: The Practice of Reform in Health, Medicine and Science 1500-2000: Essays for Charles Webster (pp. 107-123). United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
2001 Crocker, R. W. (2001). Henry More and the Pre-existence of the soul. In R. Crocker (Ed.), Source details - Title: Religion, Reason and Nature in Early Modern Europe (pp. 77-96). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Year Citation
2018 Shrestha, R., Sivam, A., Karuppannan, S., Crocker, R., Gu, N., & KC, C. (2018). Waste management in developing low carbon precincts. In Unmaking Waste (pp. 1-13). Australia: Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour, School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia Zero Waste.
2015 Crocker, R. (2015). Hyper-consumption, authenticity, value and the resurgence of reuse. In T. Thornton, & K. Katharine (Eds.), Unmaking waste : transforming production and consumption in time and place (pp. 317-323). Adelaide, South Australia: Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour.
2015 Crocker, R. (2015). Locating custodial possession in a consumer society. In T. Cooper (Ed.), PLATE: Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference Proceedings (pp. 81-87). UK: Nottingham Trent University.
2015 Fitzgerald, G. B., & Crocker, R. (2015). Pro-environmental 'spill-overs' in community settings three years on. In C. Crocker, & R. Robert (Eds.), Unmaking Waste 2015 Conference Proceedings (pp. 524-532). Australia: University Of South Australia.
2012 Crocker, R. (2012). Vistas on the past : tapestries and the period style interior (c. 1900-1940). In F. Marcello, & A. White (Eds.), Interspaces : Art and Architectural Exchanges from East to West : conference proceedings (pp. 1-19). Australia: University of Melbourne.
2010 Crocker, R. (2010). What is history and theory for sustainable design education?. In G. Forsyth (Ed.), Proceedings of ConnectED 2010 2nd International Conference on Design Education (pp. 1-4). Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.
2010 Palmer, J., & Crocker, R. (2010). Beyond un-sustainability: multi-disciplinarity in sustainable design education. In F. Graham (Ed.), Proceedings of ConnectED 2010 2nd International Conference on Design Education (pp. 1-5). Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.
2010 Crocker, R. (2010). Re-assembling the past: tradition and modernity in the Anglo-American period-style interior. In M. Taylor (Ed.), Interior spaces in other places: 2010 IDEA Symposium (pp. 1-11). Brisbane, Qld.: Queensland University of Technology.
2009 Palmer, J. S., & Crocker, R. W. (2009). Seeking scenarios for sustainability. In ACUADS 2009 Conference: Interventions in the Public Domain (pp. 1-11). Australia: Australian council of University Art & Design Schools.
2001 Crocker, R. W. (2001). An Italian story: design, craft and manufacture. In R. Croker (Ed.), Designing Minds: Contemporary Issues in Craft, Design and Industry. Adelaide.
1998 Crocker, R. W. (1998). Walksafe SA : Pedestrian Advocacy and the Community. In K. Smith, B. Aitken, & P. (EDS) (Eds.), Conference on Pedestrian Safety.
1997 Crocker, R. W. (1997). 'Tea and Sympathy': Pedestrians in South Australia. In Australian Cycling Conference Velozity.

  • AHURI - Sustainable housing at a neighbourhood scale (21/PRO/32281), Australian Housing & Urban Research Institute, 01/04/2021 - 21/11/2022

  • Implementing the Circular Economy in SA: Developing partnerships and identifying targets (EASS URIPA 2020), Green Industries SA, 28/05/2020 - 30/04/2021

Courses I teach

  • ARCH 6001 Consumer Culture, Technology and Sustainable Design (2025)
  • ARCH 6001 Consumer Culture, Technology and Sustainable Design (2024)

Programs I'm associated with

  • DMSP - Master of Design
  • MPHD - Doctor of Philosophy

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ray Mines
2023 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Roxane Adams

Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country
2023 - 2025 Government of South Australia Green Industries SA Conservation and environment Australia

Date Engagement Type Partner Name
2012 - 2025 Collaboration Green Industries SA

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