Stop consuming clothes, start using them! How can product-service systems be designed to be accepted as the norm?

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this research was to find the influencing factors, which might hinder or facilitate the normalization process of product-service systems in the clothing industry. Hereby, the researchers tried to understand the influence of established norms and their affect on the normalization process. Methodology: The researchers took a position as social constructionists by following nominalistic viewpoints. They consequently tried to understand the interviewee’s norms and perceptions affecting the openness towards product-service systems. The qualitative research approach incorporated the concept of grounded theory, which lead towards the generation of new theoretical concepts in terms of combining product-service systems and normative theory. Theoretical Perspective: The researchers combined the research fields of product-service systems and the normalization process. Areas of circular economy concepts and normative theory were scrutinized, which were then applied to green family consumption. Empirical Data: The study was carried out by conducting nine semi-structured interviews. The chosen sample contained environmentally conscious parents that were interested in a sustainable lifestyle. All interviews were either executed as face-to-face or remote interviews. Conclusion: The researchers created contributions on two levels. First, they could contribute theoretically to the research field of product-service systems and normative theory by conceptualizing influencing factors for the normalization process of product-service systems in the clothing industry. The thesis thus highlights the influence of complexity, flexibility, practicability, quality, potential risks, people’s aspirations, communities and added value. Second, they developed practical recommendations that are based on these theoretical influencing factors and are then applied to the cyclical model of normalization. Companies can use these insights and design their product-service systems accordingly. As a result, all four stages, communication, implementation, public engagement and deliberation are optimized to facilitate the acceptance of PSSs in the clothing industry.