Society’s most well-intended efforts to solve sustainability challenges have not yet achieved the expected gains due to rebound effects (i.e., negative consequences of interventions arising from induced changes in system behaviour). Rebound effects offset about 40% of potential sustainability gains, but the understanding of design as a key leverage point for preventing rebound effects is still untapped. In this position paper, three fundamental scientific gaps hampering the prevention of rebound effects are discussed: (1) limited knowledge about the rebound effects triggered by efficiency–effectiveness–sufficiency strategies; (2) the influence of the counterintuitive behaviour of complex socio-technical systems in giving rise to rebound effects is not yet understood and (3) the bounded rationality within design limits the understanding of rebound effects at a broader systemic level. To address the aforementioned gaps, novel methodologies, simulation models and strategies to enable the design of reboundless interventions (i.e., products, product/service-systems and socio-technical systems that are resilient to rebound effects) are required. Building on the strong foundation of systems and design theory, this position paper argues for the need to bridge the interdisciplinary gap in the interplay of design and rebound effects, qualitative and quantitative models, engineering and social sciences, and theory and practice.

Despite its importance, the understanding of the behavioural mechanisms underlying rebound effects triggered by sustainable design is still limited. Through a systematic literature review, this study analyses and discusses 18 behavioural mechanisms. The key gaps of behavioural research on rebound effects are (1) limited in-depth analysis of different mechanisms (2); lack of clearly defined concepts; and (3) neglect of various research topics. To bring the behavioural understanding of rebound effects and sustainable design to a higher level, four key steps for future research are suggested.

The discourse surrounding sustainable consumption and production has evolved to encompass sufficiency strategies in addition to efficiency and effectiveness. Product-service systems (PSSs) can promote sufficiency by replacing traditional product-intensive systems with dematerialized services and changes in ownership structures. Sufficiency-oriented PSS may, however, generate rebound effects which offset potential sufficiency benefits or even result in backfire. This paper examines the connection between sufficiency-oriented PSS and rebound reviewing 12 empirical studies addressing rebound.