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Transition Towards Sustainability: The Need of Radical Innovations

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Sustainable Product-Service Systems

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology ((BRIEFSPOLIMI))

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Abstract

This chapter describes the nature of the problem addressed in this research. It shows that sustainability problems needs radical innovations, and it argues that Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to steer the current structure of production and consumption towards sustainability. The chapter then illustrates the research goals: to understand how sustainable PSS innovations can be introduced and scaled-up, and how strategic design may contribute in triggering and supporting this process. The chapter then describes the research methodology adopted to answer the research questions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Translated into English from the Italian version of the book.

  2. 2.

    In 2007 the CO2 level reached the 400 ppm, increasing by 40 ppm in ten year. This change of magnitude over only a decade has not been seen since the most recent ice age ended around 10,000 years ago (May 2007).

  3. 3.

    Energy consumption soared by 68 % from 1990 to 2010 (Enerdata 2011).

  4. 4.

    Some critical resources will run out within 10 years (REKTN 2008).

  5. 5.

    The Living Planet Index reflects changes in the health of the planet’s ecosystems by tracking trends in nearly 8,000 populations of vertebrate species. The last Living Planet Report (WWF 2010) shows that vertebrate species populations declined of around 30 % from 1970 to 2007.

  6. 6.

    For example see the cases collected by Goedkoop et al. (1999), UNEP (2002), Mont 2004), Vezzoli (2007).

  7. 7.

    It must be stressed out that not all PSSs are sustainable. They have a potential to contribute to sustainability only if carefully designed. This will be better explained in Chap. 2.

  8. 8.

    Social innovation is a process of change whereby new solutions emerge from a variety of actors directly involved in the problem to be solved: communities, grass roots technicians and entrepreneurs, local institutions and civic society organizations. Some of the solutions emerged (some examples are: self-managed services for the care of children and the elderly; new forms of exchange and mutual help; alternative mobility systems; networks linking consumers directly with producers, etc.) present interesting potentialities in generating and diffusing new and more sustainable ways of living. This kind of innovation has always existed. But now there are good reasons to say that its role is expanding and will expand in the near future. For details see Manzini (2005), Meroni (2007), and Jégou and Manzini (2008).

  9. 9.

    Distributed economies are activities organized in the form of small scale, flexible units that c synergically connected with each other (e.g. distributed energy systems). They are potentially able to make optimum use of local resources, both physical and social ones, and therefore to reduce their environmental impact and increase social inclusion and democratic participation. For details see Johansson et al. (2005).

  10. 10.

    In particular the contributions from Strategic Niche Management (SNM) and Transition Management (TM) approaches.

  11. 11.

    For an in depth discussion of the research methodology see Ceschin (2012), pp. 53–70.

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  1. School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK

    Fabrizio Ceschin

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  1. Fabrizio Ceschin
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Correspondence to Fabrizio Ceschin .

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Ceschin, F. (2014). Transition Towards Sustainability: The Need of Radical Innovations. In: Sustainable Product-Service Systems. SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03795-0_1

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