Environmental Benefits of PSS Strategies: A Bicycle Sharing System Case Study

Current business models base activities on classical product lifecycles (manufacturing, distribution, sale, use and end-of-life). The essential implications on use phase activities are therefore dictated by products with single use phases. However, environmental concerns seek to readapt and reduce the effect of industrial activities. For this reason, PSS offers with multiple-usage strategies have been proposed. Many authors stress on environmental benefits and sustainable potentials of PSS approaches, often taking for granted advantages such as the intensification of use and the extension of the product life cycle through better maintenance. This paper contributes to determine how far this may be true.