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19th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production – Circular Europe for Sustainability: Design, Production and Consumption

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Can disownership save the world

In the new circular business models little attention is paid to customers’ acceptance so far. In some researches a few users have shown a positive acceptance rate of such alternatives, but in the product as a service and sharing systems there is a huge potential to be unlocked. Therefore many questions, also for the consumers side, are still out there: can some of the modern problems be solved if we would go beyond ownership? Can our homes and wardrobes be redesigned to prioritise access over ownership, save materials and, at the same time, allow to low income people to have access to high quality products that would not be able to afford otherwise? Going beyond ownership needs bold companies, a change in their business models and in their relationship with consumers. It also need bold governments and law changes using incentives and taxes to promote the development of a performance economy. Many questions are open: how, as society, can we make sure the consumers, especially the low income ones, will take full advantage of the accessibility to better goods? How can appliances and clothes be designed to increase consumer acceptance? What do companies need to do to change the perception of remanufactured, pay-per-use and shared products? How do laws need to change? How can we push on this direction? What education can do about it? Especially the product-as-a-service system is a way to call companies to their responsibility and an alternative to a society of overexploitation of resources. It is fundamental indeed to increase the consumer and community acceptance towards the adoption of circular and sustainable alternatives.

Antonella Ilaria Totaro
University of Turin
Italy

Nadia Lambiase
University of Turin
Italy

 


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