Fabrizio Ceschin

The role of public policy in stimulating radical environmental impact reduction in the automotive sector: The need to focus on product-service system innovation

Product-service system (PSS) innovation is a promising approach to address sustainability challenges in the automotive industry. Starting form this assumption, this paper presents and discusses the potential contribution that policy measures can have in fostering the automotive sector in innovating on a PSS level. A set of policy instruments (general instruments and specific PSS-targeted ones) are presented and classified, underlining the effects they could produce at the company and environmental levels. In order to effectively support sustainable PSS diffusion in the automotive industry, the paper suggests the integration of general policy measures (such as internalisation of external costs, extended producer responsibility programmes and informative policies), with the PSS-targeted ones (such as Green Public Procurement focused on sustainable PSS, support of companies in acquiring information related to PSS, support of demonstrative pilot projects). In addition, the paper suggests the necessity to involve actively universities and research centres.

Product-Service System Innovation: A Promising Approach to Sustainability

This chapter provides an overview of the Product-Service Systems (PSS) field. It introduces the PSS concept, describes its potential benefits (in terms of economic, environmental and socio-ethical sustainability), and its main drivers and barriers. The PSS concept represents a promising economic model to decouple economic value from material and energy consumption. However, the adoption of sustainable PSSs by industry is still very limited. The reason is that this kind of innovations can be considered, in most of the cases, radical ones, because they challenge existing customer habits, organisational structures and regulative frameworks. Therefore, the challenge is not only to conceive sustainable PSS concepts (several methods and tools can in fact be used to support this task), but also to understand which strategies and development pathways are the most appropriate to favour their introduction and scaling up.

The Learning Network on Sustainability: an e-mechanism for the development and diffusion of teaching materials and tools on design for sustainability in an open-source and copy left ethos

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 Inderscience

A Consumer-Centric Open Innovation Framework for Food and Packaging Manufacturing

Closed innovation approaches have been employed for many years in the food industry. But, this sector recently perceives its end-user to be wary of radically new products and changes in consumption patterns. However, new product development involves not only the product itself but also the entire manufacturing and distribution network. In this paper, we present a new ICT based framework that embraces open innovation to place customers in the product development loop but at the same time assesses and eventually coordinates the entire manufacturing and supply chain. The aim is to design new food products that consumers will buy and at the same time ensure that these products will reach the consumer in time and at adequate quantity. On the product development side, our framework enables new food products that offer an integrated sensory experience of food and packaging, which encompass customization, healthy eating, and sustainability.

The Influence of work placement on the academic achievement of undergraduate design students

Abstract The aim of this paper is to investigate the contribution of work placement in enhancing the academic performance of undergraduate design students. A statistical analysis was carried out on a population sample which comprised design students who had graduated at Brunel University London in four different academic years. All the required (anonymous) data were obtained from the university electronic records system. The data-set comprises a total of 411 students, of which 323 were placement students and 88 non-placement students. Students were also classified as higher achievers (students whose second year average mark was 60 per cent or above) and lower achievers. The results seem to suggest that for both higher and lower achievers the placement experience enables students to achieve on average a greater final year mark and a greater improvement from the second to the final year. The study also established that these grade gains were of a similar magnitude irrespective of the students overall academic standing. Finally, the results of this study seem to suggest that the work placement experience give students a particular advantage in the final year project and in the modules characterized by design-focused assessment components.

The role of socio-technical experiments in introducing sustainable Product-Service System innovations

Product-Service System (PSS) innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability, but their implementation and diffusion are hindered by several cultural, corporate, and regulative barriers. Hence, an important challenge is not only to conceive sustainable PSS concepts, but also to understand how to manage, support, and orient the introduction and diffusion of these concepts. Building upon insights from transition studies (in particular, the concepts of Strategic Niche Management and Transition Management), and through an action research project, the chapter investigates the role of design in introducing sustainable radical service innovations. A key role is given to the implementation of socio-technical experiments, partially protected spaces where innovations can be incubated and tested, become more mature, and potentially favor the implementation and scaling up process.

Small Scale Socio-Technical Experiments as Stepping Stones for Eco-Efficient Product-Service Systems Diffusion: a New Role for Strategic Design for Sustainability

Eco-efficient PSS innovations represent a promising approach to sustainability. However the adoption of such business strategies is still limited because often involves significant corporate, cultural and regulatory barriers. Changes in basic belief, values, and interpretative frames (in other words higher order learning) are required. One way to facilitate this type of learning is through socio-technical experiments. Starting from these considerations, and bringing together insights from innovation sciences, the paper investigates the potential contribution that a strategic design approach can have in designing small scale socio-technical experiments as a way to stimulate and favor the adoption and diffusion of eco-efficient PSS.

Towards a New Way of Designing and Managing the Societal Embedding of Sustainable Product-Service System

This chapter investigates the potential contribution that a strategic design approach can make in triggering and orienting the societal embedding of sustainable PSSs. A new strategic design role emerges. A role in which the ideation and development of sustainable PSS concepts is coupled with the designing of appropriate transition paths to gradually incubate, introduce and diffuse these concepts. Starting from these considerations the chapter outlines and discusses the new design approach and capabilities required by strategic designers/project managers/consultants. The argumentation is accompanied by the discussion of an experimental design experience: the Cape Town Sustainable Mobility project.

System Design For Sustainable Energy For All: A New Role For Designers

We understood in the previous chapters that Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) represents a win-win opportunity to extend the access to sustainable energy to All.

Sustainable Product-Service System Applied to Distributed Renewable Energies

We argued in previous chapters that Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) generation is a promising approach towards sustainable energy for All.