System Design for Sustainability in Practice. Methods, tools and guidelines to design Sustainable Product-Service Systems applied to Distributed Economies

Transitioning towards sustainability requires radical changes in the way we produce, consume and live. System innovations are therefore necessary for achieving sustainable transitions. The aim of this book is to describe and support the practice of System Design for Sustainability (SDS) focused on two promising models: Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) and Distributed Economies (DE). Sustainable Product-Service Systems offer win-win opportunities by combining the three pillars of economic, environmental, and socio-ethical sustainability. Whereas Distributed economies are promising models for locally based and resilient sustainability. When coupled together and appropriately designed, they result in resilient solutions that could reduce the environmental impact with an economic benefit for the providers, while extending the access to goods and services to the low and middle-income contexts as well. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the practice of designing Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Economies (DE). It describes practical strategies, guidelines, and examples to support the design of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable Product-Service Systems. In addition, it presents strategies and guidelines enabling the design of Distributed Economies as Sustainable Product-Service Systems. Finally, it showcases the Method for System Design for Sustainability (MSDS) and its main tools, which are developed for designers to support the design of S.PSS and DE.