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    Spree: Project Objectives

    SPREE project proposes to face the environmental challenge through Servicizing policy directed at achieving absolute decoupling together with positive societal advantages. The objectives of SPREE project are: (1) to understand the basic components of Servicizing systems; (2) to develop tools to explore the economic, social and environmental impacts of restructuring the economy towards servicizing economy; (3) to evaluate Servicizing systems, using three sector-specific Agent Based Models in the water, mobility and agri-food sectors, within the partners’ local countries conditions; (4) to integrate societal objectives into the environmental agenda; (5) to test the effect of different Servicizing policies; (6) to provide a set of methods for pursuing and evaluating policies and to consider a set of scenarios in which different policy mixes are implemented, as a way of offering guidelines to progress towards Spree and; (7) to translate the knowledge gained throughout the project to tangible resources – ‘Servicizing Policy Packages’.

    Methodologies

    SPREE project will use existing tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Input-output Analysis (I/OA) and hybrid I/O-LCA, and develop new tools, e.g. dynamic LCA, to capture the sustainability of the fundamentally different production structure and value chains of Servicizing systems. In addition, in order to measure absolute decoupling and social impacts, the project will use novel Agent Based Modelling (ABM) stimulating how Servicizing systems emerge and test outcomes of proposed policies and their effect on achieving absolute decoupling. The social aspects will be evaluated through the development of social metrics related to Servicizing impacts (for example, equity access to opportunities). Qualitative methodologies will be used such as household surveys and ‘Triple Task’ participatory methodology bringing together key actors and policymakers. Finally, Policy Packages methodology will allow ex-ante identification of possible contradictions among proposed policy measures and synergies between such measures, thereby producing packages where total contribution exceeds the sum of its parts.

    Expected Outcomes

    The key outcome of SPREE Project is ‘Servicizing Policy Packages’ to achieve a truly sustainable EU economy and assess the contribution of policies to decoupling, mitigation of rebound effects and social desired outcomes. In addition, SPREE project will provide: (1) a thorough understanding of the transition dynamics of Servicizing systems from the current conditions into a truly Servicizing economy; (2) a quantitative tool (ABM) for testing adaptive policies directed at promoting the transition to Servicizing opportunities; (3) a bottom up effect explorations of policies; (4) the development and use of new ways to measuring and visualizing decoupling success through the modelling simulation outcomes; (4) a better understanding of the existing differences within the European Union and the extended region countries with regards to customer approach, production standards, overall advancement on environmental issues and available infrastructure and; (6) contribution to methodology and research development coupled with support to actual policymaking.

    A Glance at Servicizing

     

    Servicizing is a transaction where value is provided through combination of products and services and where satisfaction of customer needs is achieved by selling function of the product rather than product per se and/or by increasing the service component of the offer. Thus, each offer represents a continuum of products and services, which can be further servicized.

     

    Servicizing can take place both on supply and demand side, i.e. it can focus on systems of provision, e.g. production processes or servicizing products in the design stage, as well as on consumption systems, i.e. the way product functions and services are offered to and used by consumers. Servicizing can lead both to increased and decreased environmental, economic and social impacts.

    SPREE Consortium

    SPREE project has brought together 10 partners consisting of 2 governmental bodies and 8 research entities. The project is coordinated by the Research Council of Lithuanian (LMT) – a governmental body who act as an expert on science policy and as an advisory body to the Parliament of Lithuania. The position of LMT between research and policy together with its intensive experience in managing complex and visionary programs places it as an ultimate body to coordinate this project. The consortium is also consulted by an Advisory Board of world known distinguished representatives of ‘sector-specific’ experts, ‘subject-specific’ experts and policymakers. The combination of skills, backgrounds and expertise brought into the project by the different partners provide it with the necessary capabilities to accomplish its goals.The consortium’s partners are all having long tradition of joint collaborating in both projects and research activities. Past experience in collaborative projects of the partners creates a working environment that is based on respect and trust and increases the certainty of the partners to work effectively together towards reaching the project’s objectives.SPREE project focuses on three sectors which are well recognized as being at the core of environmental concerns: water, mobility and agri-Food. The research’s objective is to analyse the potential contribution of applying the concept of Servicizing towards reaching absolute decoupling. In this area, the research consortium’s partners do not only bring into the project the state-of-the-art research and academic knowledge, but in some cases are leading the world research in these fields.

     

    The consortium is composed of partners who are experts in quantitative methods aside partners who have extensive experience in implementing qualitative research methodologies. These two types of expertise are being used in parallel in the project and are crucial for its success. For example, part of the project’s objectives is to build a practical, computer based, model (the Agent Based Model- ABM) for testing the impact of different – sector oriented – policies on absolute decoupling. The design and the calibration of this model also require the use of qualitative research methodologies that will be gathered by the other partners.
    The dissemination and exploitation of the SPREE project’s results is ensured by the participation of the two public bodies involved: The Research Council of Lithuania (LMT) who is also the coordinator of SPREE project and who acts as an expert on science policy and advices the Parliament of Lithuania, and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) which acts as the research and development centre of the Finnish Ministry of Environment. Each of these bodies has significant and direct influence on environmental policies, innovation, and economic growth in its country. Three of the consortium’s partners: the JIIS, USC and SYKE are specialized in policy research and policy formation. They all have vast experience in bridging between the academic sphere and the realm of policy making and policy implementation. Their expertise will ensure that the process of translating the research results, achieved by the academic partners, into policy “language” in a professional manner while closing the common gaps that exist between academic and policy institutions.

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