Abstract
Popular concepts such as “circular economy”, “sharing economy”, and “service economy”, often promote that more sustainable businesses can be created when offering product performance (e.g. lighting as a service) rather than selling products (e.g. light bulbs). These types of offerings are often termed Product/Service-Systems (PSS). However, offering or buying a PSS does not necessarily lead to environmental improvements, as highlighted by several examples (such as car sharing). Due to a set of challenges with the current methodologies, the actual environmental performance of PSS is traditionally rarely quantified. The guidelines developed in this research (Figure 1) are intended to support studies that aim to explore if or when a PSS is leading to environmental improvements.
The guidelines are built on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and can be applied at different stages and by different users, e.g. designers and decisionmakers. They aim at guiding the user to perform a study, where the environmental performance of a PSS is objectively evaluated and quantified; taking a holistic perspective when comparing different options for needs fulfilment. Focus is on analysing the environmental impact changes when a PSS is compared to a reference system.
The guidelines are built on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and can be applied at different stages and by different users, e.g. designers and decisionmakers. They aim at guiding the user to perform a study, where the environmental performance of a PSS is objectively evaluated and quantified; taking a holistic perspective when comparing different options for needs fulfilment. Focus is on analysing the environmental impact changes when a PSS is compared to a reference system.
Original language | English |
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Publication date | 2016 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Event | Sustain-ATV Conference 2016: Creating Technology for a Sustainable Society - Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark Duration: 30 Nov 2016 → 30 Nov 2016 http://www.sustain.dtu.dk/about/sustain-2016 |
Conference
Conference | Sustain-ATV Conference 2016 |
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Location | Technical University of Denmark |
Country/Territory | Denmark |
City | Kgs. Lyngby |
Period | 30/11/2016 → 30/11/2016 |
Internet address |