Abstract
This study aimed to define the use of product–service system (PSS) associated with laundry businesses, such as coin-operated self-service laundromats (CL) and laundry services (LS), in order to get a better understanding of the environmental implications of PSS in laundry habits in Bangkok, Thailand. The motivation to use PSS could vary according to the specific consumer needs often defined by cultures, and therefore the environmental impacts from the PSS use would result differently from country to country. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were conducted with Bangkok residents to determine the laundry habits related to the use of PSS. As a result, the use of private washing machines (PW) was found to be the main option, and CL and LS were used as an additional option in the laundry habits. The most widely observed use pattern in Bangkok was the use of CL as an alternative to PW instead of buying a new machine for a new life in dormitories or other residences away from home. At that time, hand washing (HW) was also used for saving money and for the cleanliness. Regarding the environmental potential, the relationship between the PSS users and laundry habits was specifically analyzed. The group who uses PSS frequently tended to do laundry less often than those who only use PW. Meanwhile, the need for even more services is also expected to increase among the PSS users. The need to improve the quality of laundry is expected to increase with the improvement of quality of living in Bangkok in the near future. However, at the same time, these observations imply that a change of consumer behaviors related to the use of PSS determines the resulting energy consumption and environmental burdens. To further clarify sustainable consumption and production systems, a quantitative analysis of the environmental impact of the laundry habits remains as a future task.
Highlights
In the past, laundry has been a considerable burden on households in terms of time and effort
The results indicated that laundry habits of Bangkok have the following characteristics
Even though the use of washers is becoming more common, some respondents still pre-wash their clothes by hand before using a washer to ensure the quality of the laundry, such as cleanliness
Summary
Laundry has been a considerable burden on households in terms of time and effort. Following the mechanization of laundry work, various types of laundry-related businesses offering services and the utilization of product functions were introduced as an alternative to doing laundry at home [3] It is possible to increase energy efficiency through the use of advanced equipment in the use stage [4] For these reasons, the use of PSS by consumers is widely considered as a useful contribution to environmental sustainability by departing from the conventional framework of mass production and consumption [3,5,6,7]
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