ABSTRACT
People in the western world are now living in a service economy due to a general economic shift from making products to providing services. In addition, services are being increasingly embodied in the products we buy. Thus far this has been driven by business motives rather than environmental concerns, as by adding services to their products companies can obtain higher producer-customer interaction and increase competitive advantage. But, there are a growing number of practitioners who are looking to systems and service approaches as a means of achieving consumer value alongside greater sustainability improvements. In these approaches consumer need and value is addressed in place of product functions. Impacts that affect the sustainability of a product occur across its entire life cycle, including material selection, use and end-of-life. Systems and services provide an opportunity to reduce life-cycle impacts. This chapter provides an overview of systems and service design in the circular economy as well as case studies from the field.
