Chapter 6
State-of-the-art on Product-Service
Systems and Digital Technologies
Clarissa A. González Chávez, Mélanie Despeisse, and Björn Johansson
Abstract Digitalization has undoubtedly revolutionized the way businesses think,
plan and operate. This transition finds origin in the dramatic increase in demand
of digital solutions, from those that target every day activities to highly-specific
manufacturing processes. The last decades have been characterized for having both
researchers and practitioners join efforts to innovate through solutions that are
smarter, more productive and more efficient. This constant effort has accompanied
the appearance of other impactful phenomena, often considered as a new industrial
revolution. In a historically parallel line, companies made leaps towards exploring
alternative ways to organize their business structure and relate to their customers. So
is the case of Product-Service Systems (PSS), which have called for increased attention in the last years due to the extensive opportunities they offer. Recent literature
raises the question of which and how sustainability advantages can be derived from
PSS implementation. This study aims to understand the interactions of digital technologies and PSS through a state-of-the-art review. The authors have identified that
academic literature encounters the challenge of finding digital technologies under a
large cloud of different terminologies, which complicates systematization. Therefore,
increased efforts will be applied to clarify the area of study and provide novel insights
and results. This process will include the dissemination of enablers, constrains and
possible effects of integrating digital technologies with PSS. The authors aim to
contribute to the on-going discussion regarding the relationship between PSS and
sustainability, specifically in applications that have high impacts, such as digital
technologies.
Keywords Product-service systems · Digital technologies · Sustainability
C. A. González Chávez (B) · M. Despeisse · B. Johansson
Department of Production Systems, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
e-mail: clarissa.gonzalez@chalmers.se
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Kishita et al. (eds.), EcoDesign and Sustainability I, Sustainable Production, Life Cycle
Engineering and Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6779-7_6
71
State-of-the-art on Product-Service
Systems and Digital Technologies
Clarissa A. González Chávez, Mélanie Despeisse, and Björn Johansson
Abstract Digitalization has undoubtedly revolutionized the way businesses think,
plan and operate. This transition finds origin in the dramatic increase in demand
of digital solutions, from those that target every day activities to highly-specific
manufacturing processes. The last decades have been characterized for having both
researchers and practitioners join efforts to innovate through solutions that are
smarter, more productive and more efficient. This constant effort has accompanied
the appearance of other impactful phenomena, often considered as a new industrial
revolution. In a historically parallel line, companies made leaps towards exploring
alternative ways to organize their business structure and relate to their customers. So
is the case of Product-Service Systems (PSS), which have called for increased attention in the last years due to the extensive opportunities they offer. Recent literature
raises the question of which and how sustainability advantages can be derived from
PSS implementation. This study aims to understand the interactions of digital technologies and PSS through a state-of-the-art review. The authors have identified that
academic literature encounters the challenge of finding digital technologies under a
large cloud of different terminologies, which complicates systematization. Therefore,
increased efforts will be applied to clarify the area of study and provide novel insights
and results. This process will include the dissemination of enablers, constrains and
possible effects of integrating digital technologies with PSS. The authors aim to
contribute to the on-going discussion regarding the relationship between PSS and
sustainability, specifically in applications that have high impacts, such as digital
technologies.
Keywords Product-service systems · Digital technologies · Sustainability
C. A. González Chávez (B) · M. Despeisse · B. Johansson
Department of Production Systems, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
e-mail: clarissa.gonzalez@chalmers.se
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Kishita et al. (eds.), EcoDesign and Sustainability I, Sustainable Production, Life Cycle
Engineering and Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6779-7_6
71