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What use is it really for sustainability? Potentials and impacts of peer-to-peer sharing in the domains of accommodation and mobility

Author

Listed:
  • Maike Gossen

    (Institute for Ecological Economy Research)

  • Jonas Pentzien

    (Institute for Ecological Economy Research)

  • Jan Peuckert

    (Institute for Ecological Economy Research)

Abstract

The sharing economy has become a global phenomenon that increasingly transforms how we move, travel, work, and consume. Given that consumption practices such as swapping, gifting, reselling, co-using, lending or renting (summed up as peer-to-peer sharing) can facilitate an extended or more intensive use of products, sustainability was early linked to the idea of access instead of ownership. From an ecological perspective, a more equitable and sustainable distribution of resources is feasible, through reducing the costs of accessing products and services and save scarce resources. Apart from having positive environmental effects, peer-to-peer sharing is expected to foster new forms of collaboration, solidarity and social bonding among individuals and to lead the way towards a collaborative economy that is characterized by a greater sense of community, decentralization and solidarity. In recent years, however, the sharing economy has also increasingly provoked considerable criticisms. This paper provides an analysis of the sustainability potentials of peer-to-peer sharing in the domains of accommodation and mobility and contrasts these potentials with its actual impacts in Germany. We show that in order to put peer-to-peer sharing on a sustainable development path, particular changes of consumption habits, organizational innovations and political interventions are needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Maike Gossen & Jonas Pentzien & Jan Peuckert, 2019. "What use is it really for sustainability? Potentials and impacts of peer-to-peer sharing in the domains of accommodation and mobility," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 125-138, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:sumafo:v:27:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s00550-019-00488-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s00550-019-00488-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Pia Szichta & Ingela Tietze, 2020. "Sharing Economy in der Elektrizitätswirtschaft: Treiber und Hemmnisse [Title sharing economy in the electricity sector: drivers and barriers]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 109-125, December.
    2. Martina Jelinkova & Libena Tetrevova & Jan Vavra & Simona Munzarova, 2021. "The Sharing Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility: The Example of the Czech Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Ackermann, Laura & Tunn, Vivian S.C., 2024. "Careless product use in access-based services: A rebound effect and how to address it," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).

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