Product-Service Systems and Sustainability: Analysing the Environmental Impacts of Rental Clothing

Emma Johnson and Andrius Plepys
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Emma Johnson: International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Andrius Plepys: International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-29

Abstract: Business models like product-service systems (PSSs) often recognise different sustainability goals and are seen as solutions for the impacts of consumption and fast fashion, but there is a lack of evidence supporting the environmental claims of such business models for clothing. The research aimed to understand if rental clothing business models such as PSSs have the environmental benefits often purported by quantifying the environmental impacts of rental formal dresses in a life-cycle assessment (LCA) in a case study in Stockholm, Sweden. The effects of varying consumer behaviour on the potential impact of a PSS vs. linear business model are explored through three functional units and 14 consumption scenarios. How users decide to engage with clothing PSSs dictates the environmental savings potential that a PSS can have, as shown in how many times consumers wear garments, how they use rental to substitute their purchasing or use needs, as well as how consumers travel to rental store locations.

Keywords: product-service system; life cycle assessment; rental clothing; environmental impact; sustainable business model; consumer behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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