Evolution of sustainable product service system in the water management practice

摘要

Water management is a complex interplay between climate changes, population growth, civilization, water scarcity and living environment. Today, the rising water crisis and water pollution control have prevailed to be the greatest challenge for the environmentalists and researchers. This has called for an integrated, coordinated and novel approach for the sustainable protection of water resources. In parallel to this development, the concept of "Sustainable Product Service System (SPSS)," an interconnection between the key management elements, particularly in relation to energy and carbon emission, water conservation, environmental preservation, and the associated water scarcity and pollution control has been adopted. The sustainability of water supply and management systems is a continuous process of cumulative learning, analysing, repetitive reviewing and updating of the services, quality of end products, system and resources requirement throughout the operations. With the aforementioned, the present work attempts to highlight the novel concept of SPSS and its implementation in different industries. This article reviews the historical evolution of SPSS practice in the water supply and consumption practice in response to the development needs and environmental alterations. The fundamental importance of data management and the network system in relation to the water footprint management tools and water conservation strategies is emphasized. The significance of the online management information is outlined, and the key challenges and future prospects of water resource management are elucidated.