El Juego del deporte.

4. Product renting/ sharing 5. Product pooling

6. Pay per unit use

7. Activity management

8. Functional result 3

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that most case studies in the literature were qualitative, with insufficient information to do comparisons between case studies. Beuren et al., (2013) point out that most of the PSS examples in the literature focus strictly on economic gains, despite the broader potential. They suggest that future studies should focus on the environmental and social aspects of the field.

Very limited research has been undertaken into the use of PSS in developing countries. Stahel (Stahel, 1997b, 1997a) describes the potential for development of an advanced service economy or a functional economy, where value is derived from the function of a product or service received, and would significantly reduce resource consumption. This contrasts with the industrial economy, where value is derived from the exchange of products and economic growth is strongly linked to increased material consumption (Ceschin, 2013; Manzini and Vezzoli, 2002; Stahel, 1997a). The potential for this theoretical shift from industrial to functional economy to occur and minimize resource consumption has not be confirmed in either developed or developing countries.

The product-service system literature typically focuses on business to business

examples (B2B), due to a lack of uptake of business to consumer (B2C) options in the past. However, many collaborative consumption and sharing economy businesses appear to represent the popular manifestation of product-service systems as B2C options. In this thesis, we focus on product-service systems that have the greatest potential for sustainability benefits. From Tukker and Tischner’s (2006a) typology, these are: product renting / sharing; product pooling; pay per unit use; and functional result. We consider these in light of the recent popular movement for collaborative consumption and with regard to established or traditional PSS.

Summary

Resource depletion is being driven by rising consumption of natural resources, which in turns leads to waste generation, pollution and dispersal of important resources. E-waste is a particularly problematic waste stream that is increasing globally. The tight coupling of economic growth with material consumption and environmental degradation creates a tension between the goals of sustainable development and political determination to pursue economic growth. Growth and increased material consumption may be required to alleviate poverty, but growth alone does not guarantee poverty alleviation.

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poor that still lack access to basic goods. The rising demand for consumer goods in emerging economies of Asia will have major implications for resource use, pollution and emissions.

Political interventions for sustainability in Asia and elsewhere have been characterised by an ecological modernisation approach, which typically focuses on the production side and eco-efficiency aspects of sustainability at the expense of the consumption side. Sustainable consumption approaches tend to focus on consumer education and fostering green consumerism. The topics of sufficiency and reducing wasteful consumption are rarely addressed. A strong sustainable consumption approach recognises that

consumption patterns are socially embedded and influenced by societal norms,

institutions and infrastructure. Reports promoting sustainable lifestyles appear to reflect this strong SC approach. In emerging economies, it may be possible to leapfrog

resource intensive western lifestyles and avoid the worst excesses of consumer culture. The circular economy movement is gaining momentum globally, and new business types such as collaborative consumption and product-service systems are frequently cited as innovative ways to implement a circular economy.

The popularity of collaborative consumption and the sharing economy has risen in the last decade. These new business types offer alternative consumption options, such as periodic rental of goods and sharing goods between consumers. These business types offer a major shift away from individual consumption, towards a more sufficient approach, where consumers can share resources when they are needed. Many of these popular new business types reflect a product-service system business model, which has historically been more popular for business to business (B2B) exchanges. Collaborative consumption may represent the popularisation of PSS business models for use in households (B2C), which could be an important leverage point for driving more sustainable consumption.

There are numerous claims that PSS and collaborative consumption businesses offer lower impact consumption options; however, sustainability outcomes are influenced by context and culture. There is a lack of empirical literature addressing questions of sustainability for CC and PSS and a lack of literature examining the use of these businesses in emerging economies. In this thesis, I investigate the use of collaborative consumption business models for households in Southeast Asian cities. The aim is to

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identify the prospects and challenges for CC to contribute to lower impact consumption, bearing in mind the importance of social, cultural and institutional contexts to their uptake and success.

In the next chapter, I review the theoretical foundations of interventions for both sustainable production and consumption, and explain the theoretical framing for this thesis. Following this, I describe the research design and methods I have used for this research.

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CHAPTER THREE:

Key concepts, theories and methods

In Chapter 2, I reviewed the sustainability interventions targeting global environmental issues arising from production and consumption. Interventions have tended to focus on technological or efficiency improvements in the production of goods. However, the literature in Chapter 2 highlighted the importance of addressing the consumption side, where social and institutional settings play a critical role in influencing consumption practices, in addition to individual choices. In this Chapter, I review the theoretical rationale of both production and consumption side interventions and explain the

theoretical framework that we have used for this research. Finally, I explain the research design and methods used in this thesis.