ABSTRACT

The research project Eco-services for Sustainable Development in the European Union, founded by the European Commission (DG XII Science, Research and Development), concentrates on the consumer sector, asking how far and under what conditions non-property-related consumption can become for consumers an alternative to purchasing a product, thus contributing to sustainability. The focus is on ecologically oriented services on the basis of leasing, renting, sharing and pooling systems as well as on result-oriented services that do not offer the use of a certain product but offer one service exclusively. The following questions are asked: