Why have ‘Sustainable Product-Service Systems’ not been widely implemented?

Abstract

The pressure of human beings on the environment has profoundly modified natural systems, and today the planet is reaching its limits in the capacity of assimilating environmental effects caused by anthropic activities. In the last few decades the reaction of humankind to sustainability problems has produced a series of approaches that has gone from relying upon end-of-pipe solutions to cleaner production and product eco-design strategies. A promising way to begin to address these challenges is the Product-Service System (PSS) approach. A PSS is a value proposition oriented to provide satisfaction to customers/users through the delivery of an integrated system of products and services. If properly conceived, a PSS can offer an economic and competitive incentive for stakeholders involved to continuously foster improvements in sustainable resource management, thus delinking creation of equitable economic value from intensive material and energy use within ecologically sustainable boundaries.