A brand new research report creating a common understanding of the 'Urban Circular Collaborative Economy': a concept bringing together the circular and the collaborative (sharing) economy. This study provides a template for local and regional authorities trying to understand the impacts of circular collaborative economy initiatives in their regions.
This study showed the diversity of the impacts of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy initiatives in different circumstances. While some initiatives have a very strong focus and impact on resource use (e,g. waste collection initiatives or renewable energy initiatives), other initiatives are mainly focused on social objectives but can have important environmental consequences nonetheless (urban gardening or repair cafés). Impacts can also depend on circumstances. Car sharing can add to environmental burden if it replaces public transport but can have beneficial impacts if it reduces car ownership and single car use. The research therefore showed the importance of understanding the impact chain of the initiatives so that regions and cities can make use of it. Another key finding is that impacts of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy initiatives are not different by nature from the ones assessed for collaborative economy initiatives in general. The difference is that, due to the small scale and not-for-profit nature of most initiatives, larger impacts can only be achieved through a multiplication of the number of initiatives, not necessarily through the scaling-up on the initiatives in terms of size.
To help regions and cities in that task and to ensure that the initiatives contribute to circular economy objectives, a set of policy recommendations have been developed around three pivotal areas: better knowledge, better regulation and better funding.
Find all key insights, the full research report, 6 case studies and a practical guide at https://www.collaborativexcircular.com.
