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Sustainable Product-Service Systems in Practice Interdisciplinary Perspectives

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 8553

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kimita Koji

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Guest Editor

Department of Technology Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: product–service systems; servitization; design; circular economy

Dr. Monique Retamal

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Guest Editor

Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Interests: sharing economy; circular economy; product–service systems; social practices; sustainable consumption

Dr. Eri Amasawa

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical System Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: sustainable consumption and production; sharing economy; life cycle assessment; emerging technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rise of the circular economy and the sharing economy during the past decade has led to a resurgence of interest in product–service systems (PSSs) that create value by integrating a physical product and a service. PSSs are now being heralded as one of the most effective instruments for the transition to a circular economy. There are high expectations for PSSs, in terms of their potential to enable simultaneous environmental and economic benefits. However, in practical terms, many companies have struggled to implement PSSs that achieve the expected environmental and economic benefits. Furthermore, there are few evaluations of PSS performance in practice. Evaluations of real-life PSSs are essential for confirming their benefits and for identifying potential improvements. If PSSs are to make a significant contribution towards a circular economy, then the barriers to widespread uptake need to be understood. Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, and frameworks that consider the broader systems influencing the uptake of PSSs, such as socio-technical systems or social practices, can help to identify the reasons for their success or failure, including design, consumer practices, and institutional factors. This special issue is focussed on solving such challenges by examining real-life PSSs, their performance, and factors influencing their uptake and implementation.

Dr. Kimita Koji
Dr. Monique Retamal
Dr. Eri Amasawa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

PSS design and analysis for circular economy
evaluating PSS in practice
sustainability assessments of PSS
consumer perspectives or acceptance of PSS
institutionalization of PSS
social practices
socio-technical transition to sustainability

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Methodology for the Design and Engineering of Smart Product Service Systems: An Application in the Manufacturing Sector

by Veronica Arioli, Giovanni Ruggeri, Roberto Sala, Fabiana Pirola and Giuditta Pezzotta

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 64; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15010064 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1880

Abstract

The combination of servitization and digitalization is increasingly changing the economy and society at the global level towards sustainability goals. Companies are shifting their business models, typically oriented to selling products, towards providing bundles of products and services and integrating them with technologies enabling data collection and analysis, resulting in the so-called smart Product Service Systems (PSS). Different approaches and techniques have been put forth to design PSS and, more recently, smart PSS, but they continue to primarily concentrate on establishing value propositions and ignore the question of what sort of operational data can be gathered and used to deliver the PSS solution. Therefore, manufacturing companies willing to expand their portfolio with new advanced services nowadays still face multiple challenges. To address this gap, this study proposes the Service Engineering Methodology for the engineering of smart PSS (SEEM-Smart), which takes into account the trade-off between customer satisfaction and internal efficiency with a focus on data gathering and information flow. The methodology is then applied in a real-world setting. The case study shows the application of the SEEM-Smart for engineering a new data-driven service offering enabled by a cloud-based platform supporting the service provision. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product-Service Systems in Practice Interdisciplinary Perspectives)

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17 pages, 716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Choice between Ownership and Sharing: Qualitative and Quantitative Survey Results on Car Sharing Service Users Conducted in Japan

by Tamao Miura and Shoji Yamamoto

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12886; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912886 - 09 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1751

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to propose new conditions with which to classify consumers who choose new modes of consumption other than ownership that influence the growth of the sharing economy in Japan. Our findings highlight the characteristics of consumers who choose the new consumption mode from a consumer behavior perspective, which is different from previous studies that have focused on ownership to date. By analyzing the results of a qualitative survey of car sharing services (CSS) users through group interviews, hypotheses were formulated regarding the dimensions that classify the characteristics of consumers who choose to use CSS, and these hypotheses were verified by analyzing the results of a quantitative survey. CSS is considered a substitute for the private car and is expected to contribute to the effective use of resources, but it is used as a complement to the private car and to realize a commitment to the car. The method proposed in this study to categorize and understand the factors that influence consumers’ decisions to choose new modes of consumption other than ownership may have implications for marketing strategies, allowing them to respond to the growth of the sharing economy in other countries as well. This will support sustainability and the various experiences of consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product-Service Systems in Practice Interdisciplinary Perspectives)

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16 pages, 1495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Applicability of the Circular Economy and the Product-Service System Model in a Bearing Supplier Company

by Christian Chiarot, Robert Eduardo Cooper Ordoñez and Carlos Lahura

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12834; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912834 - 08 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1984

Abstract

Today, for most applications in industry, the overall goal of manufacturers and users is to completely rethink and improve reliability and sustainability. In relation to the performance of rotating equipment, examples of ongoing trends and related activities driven by major machine manufacturers include, among other things, saving resources by extending the service life and intervals of individual components on machines, increasing use of the minimum amount of lubrication and the growing focus on reusing, retrofitting and upgrading equipment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the Circular Economy model of a bearing manufacturing company (Product as a Service: SKF Rotation for Life) using the ReSOLVE framework and five sustainability factors for PSS (Product-Service System) business models. Through the data obtained in the case study, it is possible to observe the link that exists between the models of the Circular Economy and PSS and how, through the reconditioning of bearings as one of the key strategies to achieve a Circular Economy, to reduce, reuse and recycle material, the company can provide services rather than products, focusing on optimizing asset performance and helping to improve the sustainable performance of industrial equipment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product-Service Systems in Practice Interdisciplinary Perspectives)

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Review

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17 pages, 2626 KiB

Open AccessReview

Design for Well-Being and Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework of the Peer-to-Peer Sharing and Reuse Platform in the Circular Economy

by Meng-Xun Ho and Hideyoshi Yanagisawa

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8852; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15118852 - 31 May 2023

Viewed by 1647

Abstract

To regain overall well-being in the post-pandemic era, the priorities should not be only economic growth but also human physical and mental health. This study investigates how to incorporate the concept of well-being into the circular economy to facilitate the pursuit of individual/personal and social growth, and sustainable consumption. We begin with a systematic search of the literature on well-being and sustainable product–service systems, model the well-being components in peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing and reuse platforms, and propose design guidelines for platform development. According to our findings, (1) allocentric well-being components (such as gratitude, contribution, and altruism) serve as the antecedents of sharing behaviors, while egocentric components (such as pleasure and attachment) serve as the consequences, and (2) information sharing is crucial to initiating the flow of well-being perceptions and sustainable sharing and reuse behaviors. Based on the findings, we suggest a data-driven approach and active inference theory to facilitate related studies. This study sheds light on the potential to develop well-being within the circular economy and facilitate the sustainable working of the sharing and reuse ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product-Service Systems in Practice Interdisciplinary Perspectives)

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