Designing Product-Service Systems to Close Resource Loops: Circular Design Guidelines

Product-service systems (PSSs) are advocated consumption models in a Circular Economy as they have potential to reduce consumption’s dependency on resources. We proposed a set of guidelines to design PSSs that facilitate closed resource loops. The guidelines can be used to design PSSs that state and govern lifetime which improves the likelihood to establish a resource flow; enable the planning of flows; and can be used to optimise the value of resources. The guidelines also guide the design of PSSs that intercept and transition obsolete resources which is necessary and vital to close resource loops. This work starts to outline an agenda for research on obsolescence, take-back schemes and resource value in the context of closed-loop PSSs.