Product-Service Systems applied to reusable packaging systems: a strategic design tool

Abstract

Environmental sustainability is under the threat of the excessive single-use plastic packaging waste which current waste management fails to address. Therefore, the issue has led to an identification of the solution which can curb the packaging waste without sacrificing the social needs. Reusable packaging systems (RPSs) represents 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) is widely regarded as a sustainable business model innovation for embracing circular consumption. As a result, applying PSSs to RPSs should be promising to address the packaging waste issue. However, there is limited knowledge regarding adopting this approach to address the packaging crisis. This paper aims to understand how to apply PSSs to RPSs for supporting professionals to address the packaging crisis for the food and household products industry. The methodology of this paper is a combination of case studies and expert interviews. 57 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 number of 24 experts, who are 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 the understanding of the RPSs, analyzing the markets, identifying new opportunities, and generate RPSs. The implication of this research is to provide insights for academics and businesses in terms of tackling single-use packaging waste and build a foundation to further develop the design tool for generating RPSs.