On one level, the links between the circular economy and the sharing economy appear clear-cut. Countless assets around us exhibit ‘idle capacity’, with car sharing the example that we’re all most familiar with: the average European car is parked 92 percent of the time. When the car is used, there’s still surplus capacity, with only 1.5 of the 5 seats being used. The 2015 Growth Within report studied this embedded waste, connecting to systemic impacts on the shape and size of our cities.
So what if we could move to a model in which improved upon that 8 percent usage statistic? Whether it’s in purchasing a small portion of car time through Zipcar, a share in a car through Audi Unite, or a seat with a driver on a similar route with BlaBlaCar, incumbent businesses and entrepreneurs alike have established models around sweating these assets. This higher utilisation of automobiles and their embedded energy and materials – through sharing – certainly ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to the circular economy.
But that’s not the full story. As a term or way of thinking, the ‘sharing economy’ has been through turbulent times in the past few years. There’s been confusion and a proliferation of other terms such as ‘gig’, ‘platform’ and ‘on demand’ economy, and many pointing out that with services being bought and sold, businesses in the sharing economy are rarely ‘sharing’ anything. Questions have been raised around the safety of those participating in such activities, not only as users but as workers too. Others have asked about the ownership of such platforms, and the data contained within. When it comes to the resources and energy piece, the picture isn’t always clear either. The panacea of tool libraries in every community remains far off – most of us are still buying that drill that we’ll apparently only use for 12-13 minutes in its lifetime. Research into the reduction in resource throughput is lacking, and some predict rebound effects from the rapid increase in use of some of the more ubiquitous and convenient services.
One thing that onlookers can agree on is that this space is fast-moving, brimming with innovation, and has the potential to change the way we live our lives. The question that ought to be asked now is whether there are a set of values or principles that can ensure that these new practices contribute to a prosperous economy that works in the long term. One such framework could be the circular economy, which takes a systems view of flows of resources, energy and information in order to transition to an economy that is regenerative and restorative by design.
Fortunately, there are organisations that are thinking along these lines. This week, OuiShare Fest 2016 takes over the Cabaret Sauvage in Paris. This year’s theme is the intriguing ‘after the goldrush’, and will offer a close scrutiny of the disruptive trends in society, business and education, looking at the impact beyond headline-grabbing valuations and startup buzz.
Over four days 2000 ‘pioneers and settlers’ from creative leaders and entrepreneurs to purpose-driven organisations and communities will explore these crucial shifts occurring at ‘the edges of the economy’. OuiShare Fest also continues to attract interest from more established businesses such as Castorama and AccorHotels, as mainstream movements in business and policy seek to connect to these user needs or preferences in a meaningful way.
The event programme spans across a host of subjects currently found at ‘the edges’, including blockchain, open source, civic tech and citizen collectives, and the future of work. The relationship between these trends and the circular economy is in need of exploration, and Luisa Santiago, CE100 Brazil Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will be in attendance to do just that, also participating in Thursday’s panel discussion on ‘Citizen producer: needs and desires’. Based in Rio de Janeiro but with an overview of the circular economy transition worldwide, during this session Luisa will consider how this new wave of entrepreneurship could help build natural, financial and social capital not just for the few, but for those at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.
The OuiShare Fest has been catalytic in bringing disruptive ideas to the debate of new economics thinking to a broad audience and in this third edition, themed “after the goldrush”, the audience will be challenged to think ahead of the curve on topics like the role of work in the digital revolution, new ownership models and the relationships among start ups and corporations to shape a new economy. I am excited to be participating in the agenda and looking forward to sharing disruptive ideas in Paris in the coming days!
– Luisa Santiago
Elsewhere on the schedule, Brieuc Saffré will be introducing festival-goers to the ‘Circulab’ game on how to co-design a regenerative business model, Zero Waste France and ShareNL will ask what it takes to design zero waste and sharing cities, and startups will explore how open source and decentralisation can transform our food system.
The post Is sharing circular? Exploring the links at OuiShare Fest appeared first on Circulate.
Source: Circulate News RSS