The course introduces to the theory and practice of System Design for Sustainability (Product-Service System design for Sustainability).

The course is structured into two parts: a first theoretical part and a design exercise based on a multilateral and transcultural process framed within the LeNS AFRICA network.

The theory presents the following topics:
- sustainable development and designer’s role;
- evolution of sustainability within design;
- Life Cycle Design: methods, tools,  strategies, guidelines and examples;
- System (PSS) design for eco-efficiency: criteria, guidelines and examples;
- System design for socio-ethical sustainability (emerging context): criteria, guidelines and examples;
- System design in emerging contexts;
- methods and tools for system design for sustainability (SDO toolkit, …);
- methods and tools for system design (system map, interaction story board, ...).

The design exercise it is framed within the LeNSin the International Learning Network of networks on Sustainability, a 3 years project (2015-2018) supported by the European Commission ERASMUS+ program as a follow-up of the former LeNS project and the following LeNSes EU project, both EU funded (see below). The worldwide partners contributing to the course are: LeNS_Brazil Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE); LeNS_India Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati); LeNS_China: Tsinghua University and the Hunan University (HNU); LeNS_Africa:  the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the Stellenbosch University (SUN); LeNS_Mexico: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) and Universidad del Valle de México (UVM). More info on the project at http://www.lens-international.org/

The students (divided in groups) are asked to design a Locally-Based Sustainable System, based on the promising models of Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) and Distributed Economies (DE), for a given theme (e.g. eating and clothing care function) of a given context of the country partners (Brazil, China, South Africa, India and Mexico). The role of local university’s professors is to collect info/data/images about own context and theme and to provide critics and additional info on concepts developed by the student.

LeNS, the Learning Network on sustainability, is a 3 years project (2007 - 2010) funded by the Asia Link Programme, EuropAid, European Commission, and coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano, aimed at the diffusion of Product-Service System design for sustainability teaching in world-wide universities; it is based on a learning by sharing mechanism and a open and copy left ethos (more info at www.lens.polimi.it).

LeNSes, the Learning Network on sustainable energy systems, is a 3 years project (2013 - 2016) funded by the European Commission (ACP-EU Edulink II) involving 3 design schools in Europe and 4 in Africa and coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano, aimedto promote a new shared and articulated disciplinary ground on System Design for Sustainable Energy for all focused on Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) and Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) models, through a series of exchange activities and pilot courses at the partner institutions; it is based on a learning by sharing mechanism and a open and copy left ethos (more info at www.lenses.polimi.it).

For students ATTENDING the course, the exam evaluation consists of:

- a written exam about the theory treated during the ex-cathedra lectures (40% of the evaluation);

- an evaluation of the capability and the correctness in using the sustainability-orienting tools during the exercise conducted in class (done in group) (30% of the evaluation);

- an evaluation of the sustainability quality of the concept developed during the exercise (done in group) (30% of the evaluation).

If the evaluation of the written exam is below the passing mark, or the student was absent during the test, or the students wish to improve the achieved mark, she/he has the opportunity to do an oral exam (same as for the written exam 40% of the evaluation).

Final evaluation consists in the weighted average of the marks achieved in the written/oral exam (40%) and during the design exercise (30% + 30%).

For NON-ATTENDING students, the exam is made up of a discussion of a written relation about an existing sustainable Product-Service System (format will be available on BeeP), and of an oral exam based on the declared theory/bibliography.

Second edition

Patrocinio Nazioni Unite (DESD)

To be published. Included in: Vezzoli C. et al (eds.) Product-Service System design for sustainability