System design for sustainability in practice

Transitioning towards sustainability requires radical changes in the way we produce, consume and live.

System innovations are therefore necessary for achieving sustainable transitions.

The aim of this book is to describe and support the practice of System Design for Sustainability (SDS) focused on two promising models: Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) and Distributed Economies (DE).

Sustainable Product-Service Systems offer win-win opportunities by combining the three pillars of economic, environmental, and socio-ethical sustainability.

Whereas Distributed economies are promising models for locally based and resilient sustainability.

When coupled together and appropriately designed, they result in resilient solutions that could reduce the environmental impact with an economic benefit for the providers, while extending the access to goods and services to the low and middle-income contexts as well.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the practice of designing Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Economies (DE).

It describes practical strategies, guidelines, and examples to support the design of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable Product-Service Systems.

In addition, it presents strategies and guidelines enabling the design of Distributed Economies as Sustainable Product-Service Systems.

Finally, it showcases the Method for System Design for Sustainability (MSDS) and its main tools, which are developed for designers to support the design of S.PSS and DE.
Carlo Vezzoli
is Full Professor of Design at the Politecnico di Milano University. He has been researching and teaching design for sustainability for more than 20 years. In 2007 he founded the Learning Network on Sustainability (LeNS), which is a worldwide network consisting of nearly 150 Universities across all continents, with the aim of spreading design for sustainability with an open access ethos.
Luca Macrì
worked as Research Fellow and Operative Manager at LeNS_Lab Polimi, within the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano. He has been contributing in research, consultancy and education about Design and System Innovation for sustainability on a national and international scale, within both private and public-funded projects.
Berill Takacs
is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience, University College London (UCL). She is passionate about food, the environment and healthy living. Her research focuses on designing healthy and sustainable food systems which operate safely and delightfully in the natural world without compromising the health and well-being of humans, other species, and our planet.
Dongfang Yang
is Operative Manager of LeNS_Lab Polimi, within the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano University. She has been working on research activities related to Design for Sustainability with special attention to the furniture sector. She has been involving in research projects on design and system innovation for sustainability focusing on Life Cycle Design and Sustainable Product-Service Systems design.