An exploratory expansion of the concept of product-service systems beyond products and services

Product-Service Systems (PSS) are seen as an important part inmoving towards increased environmental sustainability within the holisticconcept of a circular economy. While PSS are increasingly prevalent inindustry and a multitude of methods and tools have been developed to aidtheir implementation and use, this paper argues that the concept may bemeaningfully extended beyond the design and provision of products andservices alone to include large technical systems. Through a literaturereview and the analysis of four case studies, commonalities anddifferences between PSS and large technical systems are identified. Whilethis only constitutes a first step into the expansion of the scope of PSSand additional, more applied research is required, the PSS concept isdiscussed as a key facilitator of improved environmental performance ofindustrial activities and consumption if applied on a system-level