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collaborative/sharing economy

In this cluster, the following questions stand in focus:
• How can the sustainability effects of various sharing approaches be assessed?
• What are the definitions and typologies of sharing approaches? What language is used in these approaches? What role does the differentiation between, on one hand, social innovation (private sharing) and, on the other, commercial sharing business models, play?
• How can users be motivated to use sharing approaches more actively, encouraging their spread and increased use? What are the win-win options with regard to various sharing approaches?

Theorizing the Sharing Economy

Variety and Trajectories of New Forms of Organizing
This picture shows the cover page of the book.
Cover page of the book.

The sharing economy is one of the most influential developments of the last decade. The emergence of new forms of organizing it brings with it has affected modern (business) life at multiple levels: sharing organizations have blurred the distinction between the individual roles of provider, user, and employee; they have introduced organizational practices of coordinating members and communities; and they have sparked societal, political, and economic debates in multiple fields.

Developing sustainability in vocational education and training

Date of publication: 
12.09.2016

Vocational education and training for sustainable development promotes competency in sustainable living and economic activities in order to preserve the natural basis of life for future generations. This requires bringing economic, social and ecological responsibility together in a harmonious way.

What can we do at the work bench, in the office or behind the counter in order to promote sustainable development? Which professional skills are necessary for a more sustainability-oriented work model? And what does a place of learning that facilitates these kinds of changes look like?

TransNIK Designing transitions for sustainable innovations – initiatives in the municipal fields of energy, water, construction and homes

May 2015 to Apr 2018

TransNIK aims to analyze the drivers for and the obstacles to the development and diffusion of innovative sustainable approaches in the three fields of activity and to identify key points for the transition to new solutions. The focus is on approaches that contribute to a more sustainable economy and in which innovative organizational, technical and social structures, production and utilization patters can emerge/become better established/and evolve.

Webseite: 
http://www.transnik.de

Internet driven business modells for collaborative consumption contributing for a sustainable economy (PeerS)

Feb 2015 to Jan 2018

The project aims to assess the sustainability potential of peer-to-peer sharing. With the help of a strong partnership with practioners, the project shall contribute to a professionalization of the platforms and their establishment as a sustainable consumer alternative. Through a dialogue with practice partners from sectors such as mobility (Drivy, flinc), accommodation (Wimdu) and clothing (Kleiderkreise), the environmental and social impacts of peer-sharing will be examined. The project will also determine to which extent rebound effects can occur

Webseite: 
http://www.peer-sharing.de/

Innovative logistics for sustainable lifestyles (ILoNa)

May 2015 to Apr 2018

The main objective of logistics is to co-ordinate activities in a way that meets customer requirements at minimum cost. In the past this cost has been defined in purely monetary terms. As concern for the environment rises, companies must take more account of the external costs of logistics associated mainly with climate change, air pollution, noise, vibration and accidents. ILoNa is examining ways of reducing these externalities and achieving a more sustainable balance between economic, environmental and social objectives. Through a better understanding of the interaction of consumer behavior and logistics services, ILoNa intends to develop innovative, integrative models and concrete measures for sustainable economic activity with forward-looking options.

i-share: Impact of the sharing economy in Germany

May 2015 to Apr 2018

Various business models of sharing economy organizations promise to contribute to achieving economic, social, and ecologic goals. However, whether this promise is fulfilled, is still an open question. We lack a systematic comparison of different business models, an analysis of their positive and negative impacts and an estimation of the current and future societal contribution of the sharing economy.

As a result, the aim of the research project i-share is to capture the economic, ecologic and social impact of the sharing economy in Germany. To do so, we have developed an approach in which we answer the following questions:

Webseite: 
http://www.i-share-economy.org/

GetMobil - combining ride sharing with public transport in rural areas

Apr 2015 to Mar 2018

GetMobil also researches how mobility can be ensured in rural areas. For that, traditional modes of public transport shoud be linked to private individual traffic. This could offer people without cars some mobility while saving unnecessary rides and concomitant emissions. Hence, GetMobil provides to the transformation to a more sustainable economy. The project elaborates on how to motivate clients to use ride sharing.

Commons-based Peer Production in Open Labs (COWERK)

Nov 2014 to Oct 2017

The project COWERK intends to examine the adoption of cooperative ways of organizing the economy by using the example of open-access labs. The project has the aim of analyzing the adoption of new technological methods in the context of decentralized and community-based production, and relating them to ways of sustainable development.

Webseite: 
COWERK