Towards a sustainable business model for smartphones: Combining product-service systems with modularity

Alice Frantz Schneider, Sepideh Matinfar, Eoin Martino Grua, Diego Casado-Mansilla, Lars Cordewener

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Based on the Sustainable Development Goals introduced by the United Nations and on the circular economy concept, ICT providers are adapting to become more sustainable. Some assess the CO2 emissions in the whole life cycle, while others propose to use renewable energies during manufacturing and assembling. In contrast with the current smartphone business models that rely on ongoing patterns of production and consumption, this paper proposes a more sustainable approach by combining product modularity, Product-Service Systems (PSS), and design for attachment. With a modular design, it becomes easier to repair the product or to replace parts, allowing for an extended lifespan. In combination with PSS, we propose that the modules, when no longer used by one customer, return to the market to be reused by another one. Lastly, we discuss the impact of the users’ behaviour through emotional bond, personalization, and technology appropriation as predictors of attachment to the product and consequently an extended lifespan. Through comparing case studies and using Life Cycle Assessment to calculate the CO2 equivalent emissions, we argue that our approach would directly reduce the environmental impact of the smartphone on the production phase, which accounts for most of the emissions throughout its life cycle.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)82-99
Number of pages18
JournalEPiC Series in Computing
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes
Event5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technology for Sustainability, ICT4S 2018 - Toronto, Canada
Duration: 14 May 201818 May 2018

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Towards a sustainable business model for smartphones: Combining product-service systems with modularity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this