PSS Strategies

Development of strategies for designing and implementing sustainable Product-Servicesystems

The project developed and implemented strategies for sustainable product-service-systems innovations in workshops with companies and other stakeholders. Focus was placed on implementation and possible restricting factors.

Over 30 stakeholders from politics, economy and science attended the event “What You Always Wanted to Know About Product Service Innovation” on January 22, 2008, rounding up the project “PDL Strategies – Development of Strategies for Designing and Implementing Sustainable Product Service Systems” within the research and technology program Fabrik-der-Zukunft. See the SERI-News about the event.

The aim of the project was to elaborate innovations and strategies for product service systems (PSS) in defined demand areas along the value creation chain. A special focus was put on the development of ideas that can be put into practice in the different demand areas. The experience of other companies with successful implementation (“Best Practice”) and the expertise of the project team resulting from previous PSS projects were used. The experiences of the project “PDL Leuchttürme” (http://seri.at/projects/completed-projects/pss/) fort the specific demand areas were summarized in two books: “PRODUKTE UND DIENSTLEISTUNGEN VON MORGEN – Nachhaltige Innovationen für Firmen und KonsumentInnen” Volume 1 and 2. More about the books here

Company specific and demand area specific framework conditions (e.g. legal, financial and organisational) were examined, possible obstacles assessed and strategies on how to overcome them elaborated. Research and development on the topic of PSS throughout the last years has led to a large number of examples and analysis on sustainable demand areas and branches as well as on factors for success and failure. To further strengthen the approach of sustainable PSS, it was now necessary to gather know-how, experiences and competences and to develop a “business plan” for the implementation of PSS-innovations within companies. Best Practice examples play a crucial role for the dissemination of PSS in all demand areas. Therefore it is important to improve the information and availability of best practice collections within existing channels of information and innovation. The project aimed to overcome existing and already analysed obstacles in the implementation of sustainable PSS. This was done through a structured discussion process which was accompanied by a supervised strategy-development-process.

The focus of this project was placed on supervised expert talks in the course of single workshops with companies and other stakeholders (e.g. branch specific associations) along product chains. The aim was to discuss the questions raised and to develop specific strategies for single demand areas for the implementation of sustainable PSS. About 5000 companies and other actors from research, policy and business organisations were contacted and informed. About 500 people participated in the strategy development process.

For each of the following demand areas a specific workshop was held:

• Housing

• Energy

• Mobility and transport

• Reuse and Recycling

• Chemicals-based processes, cleaning of buildings, containers, machines and facilities and running machines and facilities

National and international Best Practice examples and their success factors were presented. After that follows a discussion of the research questions of the project and of success and failure factors together with and from the view of the participants. In the end specific strategies for strengthening and implementing sustainable product-service-systems were elaborated.

SERI was project coordinator and responsible for the organisation of the workshop on energy.