Product-Services for a Resource-Efficient and Circular Economy: An Updated Review

Rita Henriques (), Filipa Figueiredo and João Nunes
Additional contact information
Rita Henriques: Association CECOLAB—Collaborative Laboratory towards Circular Economy, Rua Nossa Senhora da Conceição n2, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
Filipa Figueiredo: Association CECOLAB—Collaborative Laboratory towards Circular Economy, Rua Nossa Senhora da Conceição n2, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
João Nunes: Association CECOLAB—Collaborative Laboratory towards Circular Economy, Rua Nossa Senhora da Conceição n2, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: The development of product-service systems (PSSs) has become one of the most prominent ways in which to promote a circular and resource-efficient economy. These systems shift the focus from selling products as commodities to offering solutions that fulfil customers’ needs and provide added value. PSSs have gained attention due to their potential to foster sustainability, particularly in the context of the circular economy and resource efficiency. This review article analyzes the literature on PSSs for the period of 2016–2022, aiming to explore the links between PSSs, sustainability, circular economy, and resource efficiency. Close to 160 relevant articles were identified and examined. The overall findings reinforce contributions from previous studies, which denote a tendency towards sector-specific studies, barriers, and stimuli to implementation and adoption, and PSS design methodologies in specific industries and sectors. The overall results show a steady growth of PSS literature, as well as consistency in its definition, despite variations according to the perspective from which the topic is analyzed. This study focuses on eight main trends in PSS research, along with eight challenges that arise in its design, implementation, and adoption, identifying avenues for future research.

Keywords: product-service system; sustainability; circular economy; resource efficiency; literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/12077/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/12077/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:12077-:d:1212100

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().