To Rent or Not to Rent: A Question of Circular Prams from a Life Cycle Perspective

Abstract

Product-as-a-service business models have been strongly promoted to support a transition to a circular economy. Prams for babies are an ideal product for this type of business model since they are widely used, are mature products, have established design cycles, and are very durable. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment was conducted to compare the environmental impacts of the pram rental business model and the traditional pram ownership business model to serve all children born in Singapore over a period of 5 years. The results revealed that the total environmental impacts of the rental business model were lower than the ownership business model by 29–46%, depending on the impact category. However, the impacts of the pram rental business model were shown to be higher than the ownership business model if rental prams undergo heavy cleaning more than 10 times per year. It is generally recommended that pram users rent a pram if the alternative choice is to own a pram, use it for only 3 years, and then dispose of it. This study provides policy recommendations focused on partnerships between government agencies and pram rental companies to facilitate greater collection, refurbishment, and recirculation of used prams in the market.