Every week, the Lab selects a document or project deemed particularly interesting and relevant and presents it in a few lines. This week, the Lab focused on an article published by Environnement magazine titled "Collaborative Consumption: A Real Ecological Bonus?"
A booming collaborative economy with mixed effects
It appears that the most significant environmental benefits occur in the context of unavoidable consumption, such as the commute for which carpooling allows for significant benefits. Thus, at the scale of Greater Lyon, carpooling for this type of journey would avoid the emission of 1,250 tons of CO
In contrast, long-distance carpooling has developed very well, but the environmental benefits associated with it are lesser, representing a CO2 emission savings of only 12% at the crew level. This environmental benefit must, however, be nuanced in light of potential rebound effects, such as an increase in trips. Indeed, by facilitating access to mobility, carpooling can contribute to an increase in travel.
In its article, Environnement magazine reviews the existing data and links between collaborative consumption and environmental benefits.
Carpooling: real but variable gains
Generating savings for the user, collaborative consumption is thus confronted with the rebound effect phenomenon. Hyper-consumption is one of the main risks: in the case of purchasing or renting second-hand goods, 50% of people would not have bought the new item.
The durability of goods is also a key link in the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of the collaborative economy. In the case of sharing a car, wear and tear can be accelerated by increased use of the vehicle and the rapid increase in mileage. This can lead to premature replacement of the vehicle, which is unfavorable to the environmental balance of the practice. The collaborative economy must therefore encourage consumers to buy more durable goods and encourage manufacturers to produce products with a longer lifespan.
The rebound effect: the flip side of the coin
On this topic, Vertigo Lab is currently working with ADEME on evaluating the environmental impacts of local and complementary currencies with an environmental purpose. To learn more about this mission, click here.
The durability of goods: a determining factor.
In the case of sharing a car, wear and tear can be accelerated by increased use of the vehicle and the rapid increase in mileage. This can lead to premature replacement of the vehicle, which is unfavorable to the environmental balance of the practice.
The durability of goods is also a key link in the potential for reducing the environmental impacts of the collaborative economy. In the case of car sharing, wear and tear can be accelerated by increased use of the vehicle and rapid mileage growth. This can lead to premature replacement of the vehicle, which is unfavorable to the environmental balance of the practice. The collaborative economy must therefore encourage consumers to buy more durable goods and encourage manufacturers to produce items with a longer lifespan.
Finally, more studies are still needed to quantify the environmental impacts of collaborative consumption and to build monitoring and evaluation indicators.
[[[NUM]]]http://www.environnement-magazine.fr/article/[[NUM]]-collaborative-consumption-real-ecological-bonus/
It calls for more ambitious measures regarding environmental resilience and economic viability, such as targeted support for conversion to organic farming, and laments the inadequacy of current systems.
[[[NUM]]] A study by IDRRI titled "Sharing Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Ecological Transition" published in [[NUM]] highlighted the importance of the collaborative economy in the context of ecological transition.
References
- http://www.environnement-magazine.fr/article/45994-consommation-collaborative-vrai-bonus-ecologique/<
- Carpooling, swapping, renting between individuals, the collaborative economy is gaining more and more followers. Claiming to be more social, economic, and ecological, it seems to be a solution to the current challenges of our society. But in light of these promises,
the reality of the environmental benefits associated with these practices remains uncertain and often falls into the realm of hypotheses.
