Microfoundations for Sustainable Growth with Eco-Intelligent Product Service-Arrangements

Abstract

This paper argues that the contemporary growth paradigm needs to be reconsidered on a micro level of consumption and product service-systems. This becomes necessary since a dynamic link between macro strategies and micro implementation of sustainable growth is missing up to date. Therefore, mainstream sustainability strategies of efficiency and consistency are extended by sufficiency in order to integrate strategies for individual welfare within their social environment. Limits to and drivers for growth are revised and updated socially in terms of qualitative values, diminishing marginal utility or symbolic social distinction. We elaborate a definition of sustainable growth that fosters individual welfare by enhancing social enactment within the boundaries of environmental space. Shifting focus on social aspects in design fosters more sustainable production and consumption patterns while sustaining individual welfare. We derive latent indications for eco-intelligent product service-arrangements and evaluate to concepts by referring to introduced definitions and according indications. With doing so, we illustrate new pathways for the translation of sustainable growth and strategies into product service-systems.

Eight Tons of Material Footprint—Suggestion for a Resource Cap for Household Consumption in Finland

“…For example, someone who is not travelling at all could have a higher material footprint for housing and, thus, "afford" more living space. This serves the establishment of a diversity of possible development paths, as well as strategic acceptance, awareness and responsibility for the desired change with the actors involved (see [17]). …”

“…They can, on a more holistic basis than earlier benchmarking approaches (e.g., [15]), provide a benchmarking framework to which the material footprint of products and activities can be compared. However, it is noteworthy to mention that these are only suggestions because user behavior and social practices of households greatly vary (e.g., [16][17][18]) and technological development in the coming decades can hardly be anticipated [19,20]. Therefore, Section 4 shows only one possible profile of sustainable household consumption.…”

Eco-Friendly Brands to Drive Sustainable Development: Replication and Extension of the Brand Experience Scale in a Cross-National Context

“…The links between the micro level (where the consumers are), the meso level (where companies operate), and the macro level (where markets evolve on a global scale) all have an impact on sustainable development; in particular, the micro-macro link is of crucial importance, as it is needed for the implementation of sustainable strategies [96]. The micro level of sustainable behaviors in consumer markets can be linked to the macro level so that the behavior of individual consumers is monitored and treated as feedback on consumers' perceptions of macro-level sustainable development [27].…”

Transition and Social Practices

“…Actually reaching a dematerialization by a factor 10 ( Schmidt-Bleek, 1993) is necessary to reach a sustainable resource consumption of eight tons per capita per year (Lettenmeier, Liedtke & Rohn, 2014). Doubtless, technological innovations are an important pillar for this, however, rebound effects of efficiency gains (Sorell, 2007;Buhl & Acosta, 2016) or wrong application of potentially sustainable innovations (Liedtke, Baedeker, von Geibler & Hasselkuß, 2012) show the limits of the presently anticipated technology oriented strategy to comply with a sustainable development and accomplish a factor 10 dematerialisation (Liedtke, Buhl & Ameli, 2013a). Taking the perspective of social practice theories in a transition framework helps to foster this integrated approach.…”

“…An important field is the transition of current (mainly western) consumption (and production) patterns (Jackson, 2005;Røpke, 2009;Spangenberg & Lorek, 2002;Baedeker et al, 2008;Liedtke et al, 2013a;Schneidewind & Palzkill, 2011;Stengel, 2011). Production and consumption form an integrated value added system; transition, thus, needs to address both as permanently influencing each other.…”