Exploring the Lived Meaning of Sustainability in Rural Artisans’ Community-Based Plastic Waste Processing in Indonesia

Abstract

Sustainability in waste processing technology has increasingly become a central concern in environmental science, emphasizing the relationship between human experience, material transformation, and ecological responsibility. Within this field, limited attention has been given to the subjective and lived dimensions of sustainability, particularly among rural communities engaged in plastic waste transformation as part of community-based recycling initiatives. Despite the growing body of research on circular economy practices, little is known about how individuals experience and interpret sustainability as part of their everyday ecological engagement. In this study, we employed a clearly structured interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) to examine not only participants’ lived meanings but also the methodological rigor underlying the inquiry. Data were generated through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twelve rural artisans involved in plastic waste processing, supported by systematic procedures of transcription, coding, and thematic validation to ensure credibility and dependability. The analysis identified three core experiential themes—empowerment through ecological agency, strengthened communal identity, and adaptive creativity in managing resource limitations. The findings reveal that sustainability is lived as an existential and moral phenomenon, reflecting cycles of personal empowerment, collective solidarity, and creative adaptation rather than purely environmental behavior. Participants described recycling as both an act of ecological care and a process of social renewal, reshaping their relationship with nature, community, and self. These findings are contextually bounded to small rural artisan groups in Indonesia, and interpretations are shaped by the cultural and socio-economic characteristics of these communities. These insights extend the understanding of sustainability from a technical paradigm toward a human-centered framework that integrates emotional, moral, and cultural meaning, offering a phenomenological foundation for developing socially grounded sustainability policies and practices.