Integrating Traditional Saudi Textile Arts into Eco-Conscious Product Design for Sustainable Product Innovation: A Mixed-Methods Study in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aimed to propose a framework integrating traditional Saudi textile arts into eco-conscious product design for sustainable product innovation. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a workshop with observation, semi-structured interviews, and a survey conducted in four regions of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh/Najd, Asir, Makkah/Hejaz, and Eastern Province) across three consecutive phases between September 2024 and February 2025. A total of 416 usable survey responses were obtained alongside 26 interviews and six co-design workshops involving master artisans, emerging artisans, designers, and consumers of craft products. Quantitative analysis (descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, principal components analysis) and reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative data were triangulated through a joint-display matrix. Four latent design principles emerged from the data — Cultural Faithfulness, Material Locality, Economic Viability, and Circularity & Renewal — together explaining 67.3% of variance in stakeholder attitudes. Three integrative qualitative themes (Motif as Covenant, the Forgotten Greenness of the Old Ways, and Co-Design as Intergenerational Workshop) enriched these findings. Although many sustainable design frameworks have been proposed in the literature, none addresses artisan sovereignty as a core organising principle. The main contribution of this study is the Saudi Eco-Craft Design Framework (S-ECDF), which positions the four operational design principles around a core commitment to artisan sovereignty over cultural knowledge. The framework offers an empirically grounded, culturally faithful pathway for the integration of Saudi craft heritage into Vision 2030’s creative industries and circular-economy agenda.