The sharing economy is one avenue that can advance key business imperatives such as minimising carbon footprints, raising productivity and increasing societal contributions.
Industries that are capital intensive, have similar operations, and feature overcapacity and geographical concentration are likely to benefit most from the sharing economy.
The sharing economy is a mature concept in the B2C segment, however it is in its early days to become business as usual in B2B.
Businesses strive to minimise their carbon footprints, raise productivity and increase societal contributions. Yet sustainable solutions can be costly and may not result in higher yields through a business-as-usual approach. These trade-offs are of particular relevance against a backdrop of increased economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is that there are avenues which can advance these key imperatives without the need to choose between the environment, society, cost and productivity. The sharing economy offers one such avenue.
An exact definition of the sharing economy might be up for debate, however the basic concept includes elements of the sharing of underutilised assets in ways that improve efficiency, sustainability and community contributions. The sharing economy has grown exponentially in the last decade and is expected to continue growing at double-digit rates. It has been enabled by rapid digitalisation and cultural shifts. Some of the best-known examples include Airbnb and Uber, which revolutionised the accommodation and transportation service industries to the point where “uberization” has become a business term.