Product–Service Systems Applied to Reusable Packaging Systems: A Strategic Design Tool

Abstract

Fabrizio Ceschin Design College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London Environmental sustainability is under the threat of excessive single-use plastic packaging waste, which current waste management fails to address. Therefore, the issue has led to an identification of the solution that can curb packaging waste without sacrificing social needs.Reusable packaging systems (RPSs) represent a circular approach to close the loop of consumption in which packaging can stay longer in the system to satisfy social needs. However, the implementation of reusable packaging is limited. Product–service systems (PSSs) are widely regarded as a sustainable business model innovation for embracing circular consumption. As a result, applying PSSs to RPSs should be promising in addressing the packaging waste issue. Even so, there is limited knowledge regarding adopting this approach to address the packaging crisis. This paper explores how to apply PSSs to RPSs to support professionals in addressing the packaging crisis in the food and household products industry.Themethodology of this paper is a combination of case studies and expert interviews. Fifty-seven case studies are collected, analyzed, and formulated into 15 archetypal models that represent all types of RPSs in the current market. In parallel, a classification is developed to embrace those 15 archetypal models, and a total of 24 experts— packaging consultants, NGO professionals who address plastic waste, and reusable packaging entrepreneurs—were invited for the evaluation of the design tool.This research provides a strategic design tool to support packaging professionals to design RPSs. The application of the tool is to support understanding RPSs, analyzing the markets, and identifying new opportunities, and to generate RPSs. The implication of this research is to provide insights for academics and businesses in terms of tackling single-use packaging waste and to build a foundation to further develop the design tool for generating RPSs.