Purpose This article synthesises the extant literature on sustainable product-service systems (PSS) by exploring their multidimensional structure and detailing interconnections among emerging themes. It also aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the field. Design/methodology/approach Following PRISMA guidelines for systematic literature review, bibliographic data were extracted from the Scopus database. A dual-method analytical approach was employed: bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny (RStudio) mapped intellectual and publication trends, while Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)-based topic modelling identified latent thematic clusters. Findings Bibliometric analysis revealed notable publication trends, influential journals, authors, countries and core thematic clusters. Topic modelling identified key themes such as sustainable design, Circular Economy (CE) integration, stakeholder engagement, digital-enabled technology and green innovation. These interconnected themes collectively impact the evolving discourse on sustainable PSS. Research limitations/implications The possible limitations of the study are the use of a single database and abstracts for topic modelling. Though it is effective for thematic extraction, it may limit the depth of contextual understanding. Despite these limitations, the findings and the conceptual model offer a comprehensive understanding of sustainable PSS literature. Originality/value This study contributes a novel dual-method approach that bridges bibliometric mapping with topic modelling to systematically synthesise the fragmented sustainable PSS literature. It proposes a conceptual model that integrates the interconnected themes of sustainable PSS. The results and discussions of topic modelling widen the opportunities for practitioners and policymakers for their decision-making related to sustainable PSS.
Chandra et al. (Tue,) studied this question.