Society is facing a great Sustainability Challenge. The designs of our social and economic structures are creating enormous stress in our social, environmental and economic systems and across the world, citizens, businesses and governments have begun to take notice. Adopting more Sustainable Consumption behaviours have been identified as a necessary step in the move towards sustainability. This thesis explores the idea of Collaborative Consumption within the context of Cohousing in cities. Cohousing is defined as housing comprising of individual apartments or homes with shared spaces and facilities designed to create a community, oriented towards collaboration among residents and collective organisation of services. This research sought to identify key barriers and enablers for moving towards Sustainable Lifestyles and study the role of Cohousing as a catalyst for Collaborative Behaviour that triggers Collaborative Consumption leading urban communities towards Sustainable Lifestyles and ultimately towards Sustainable Development. By combining the Strategic Sustainable Development approach and Cohousing, this thesis provides a set of recommendations that could help Cohousing communities move strategically towards sustainability.

Dagens konsumenter blir allt mer uppmärksammade på modeindustrins konsekvenser för miljön. Samtidigt har intresset för kollaborativ konsumtion ökat under de senaste åren och kan ses som ett alternativt till en mer hållbar konsumtion. Att handla kläder second hand samt att hyra kläder ingår under kategorin kollaborativ klädkonsumtion. Studiens syfte är att undersöka konsumenters attityder till kollaborativ konsumtion genom att handla second hand respektive hyra kläder. Genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer riktat till personer som någon gång handlat second hand ämnade studien få en djupare förståelse kring deras attityder gentemot secondhand respektive att hyra kläder. Sammanfattningsvis kom studien fram till att attityden till de båda kollaborativa tjänsterna skiljer sig åt och att uthyrningstjänster inte kan applicera samma logik som second hand. / Today's consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the fashion industry's consequences for the environment. At the same time, interest in collaborative consumption has increased in recent years and can be seen as an alternative to a more sustainable consumption. Shopping for second-hand clothes and renting clothes are included in the category of collaborative clothing consumption. The purpose of the study is to investigate consumers' attitudes to collaborative consumption by buying second-hand and renting clothes. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews aimed at people who have shopped second-hand, the study intended to gain a deeper understanding of their attitudes towards second-hand and renting clothes. In summary, the study concluded that the attitude to the two collaborative services differs and that rental services cannot apply the same logic as secondhand.

Kollaborativ konsumtion är en slags ekonomi som handlar om att människor konsumerar genom att hyra, dela, byta eller låna saker av varandra. Den här rapporten handlar om hur en sådan typ av konsumtion skulle kunna implementeras och utvecklas i stadsbebyggelse. För att undersöka detta gjordes en fallstudie över stadsdelen Norra Djurgårdsstaden som är ett stadsutvecklingsprojekt i Stockholm med fokus på miljö och hållbarhet. Där studerades i vilken utsträckning Stockholms stad har tagit med kollaborativ konsumtion i sitt hållbarhetsarbete samt vad som planeras göras i framtiden. Dessutom tog författarna till den här rapporten fram förslag på hur kollaborativ konsumtion skulle kunna utvecklas ännu mer i stadsdelen. Syftet med det här arbetet var således att genom fallstudien redogöra för hur kollaborativ konsumtion skulle kunna bidra till mer ekologisk och social hållbar stadsutveckling. Dessutom undersöktes vilka aktörer som skulle kunna tillhandahålla kollaborativ konsumtion och vilka som skulle använda sig av den i Norra Djurgårdsstaden. Resultatet i rapporten visar att Stockholms stad, och särskilt Östermalms stadsdelsförvaltning, redan idag arbetar med vissa typer av kollaborativ konsumtion i Norra Djurgårdsstaden. Exempelvis finns stads- och biodlingar och bilpooler. Stockholms stad satsar även mycket på utbildning och information till de boende för att inspirera till hållbarare livsstilar och därmed förändrade konsumtionsmönster. Det finns många utvecklingsmöjligheter för den delande ekonomin i Norra Djurgårdsstaden. Exempelvis skulle fler lokaler för olika typer av byteshandel kunna finnas, mer delande av transportmedel och även byten av tjänster mellan de boende i området (exempelvis barnpassning, rasta hunden, matlagning, och så vidare). Dessutom skulle fler samarbeten mellan Stockholms stad och andra aktörer, såsom företag och organisationer, kunna uppstå. Fallstudien visade att det finns en viss problematik när lokala beslutsfattare planerar för att skapa förändrade konsumtionsmönster hos de boende i en stadsdel eftersom sådan planering kan inskränka på människors egna val och personliga integritet. Planeringsarbete som handlar om att styra människors vardagsvanor är kontroversiellt. Samtidigt krävs det att människor förändrar sina livsstilar till att bli mer hållbara. Förvisso är det inte givet att en mer delande ekonomi i en stadsdel ger mer hållbarhet, men den här studien visar att det finns positiva effekter av kollaborativ konsumtion, både miljömässiga och sociala, och att den delande ekonomin har potential att utvecklas i stadsbebyggelse. / Collaborative consumption is a kind of economy where people consume through sharing, hiring, swopping and borrowing. This report investigates how the sharing economy can be implemented and developed in urban areas by doing a case study over the Stockholm Royal Seaport (Norra Djurgårdsstaden). This district in Stockholm was chosen because it is an ongoing urban development project that focuses on sustainability. In the case study researches were made on how the City of Stockholm (the Stockholm municipality) uses collaborative consumption in the sustainability program of the Stockholm Royal Seaport, and also their plans for the future. Furthermore suggestions on how collaborative consumption could be developed in the district were presented. The purpose with this project was thus, with the use of the case study, to outline how collaborative consumption can contribute to ecological and social urban development. The result of this report shows that the City of Stockholm, and especially the district administration of Östermalm, already today works with different types of collaborative consumption in the Stockholm Royal Seaport. For example they have planned for urban framing, beekeeping, and car- sharing. The City of Stockholm also focuses on education and information to the inhabitants to inspire to more sustainable lifestyles and thereby changed consumption patterns. There are many opportunities to develop the sharing economy in the Stockholm Royal Seaport. For example they are planning for facilities for different kinds of trading, more sharing of transport and also swopping services between the inhabitants, such as babysitting, walk the dog, cooking, etc. The case study showed that planning for changed consumption patterns can be difficult for the local stakeholders. The reason is that such kind of planning can reduce people’s own choices and personal integrity. It can be controversial with planning that approaches controlling of people’s living habits, but at the same time people must change their lifestyles to be more sustainable. However, the sharing economy does not definitely bring more sustainability, but this study shows that there are positive effects by collaborative consumption, both ecological and social, and the sharing economy has potential to develop in urban areas.

[pt] A dissertação em questão aborda o tema de carsharing, relacionando as políticas públicas para estacionamento de veículos do sistema e as teorias de ocupação e uso do solo. O estudo aborda o histórico do sistema desde a sua aparição na Europa a partir do final da década de 1940 até à presenta data, contextualizando a sua inserção junto à antropologia do consumo e às teorias do planejamento ambiental e urbano. O objetivo do estudo é relacionar as boas práticas para a operação do sistema de carsharing, levando em consideração as diferentes teorias de uso e ocupação do solo e as diferentes políticas de estacionamento adotadas em diversas cidades. O trabalho baseia-se em variados estudos a respeito do tema de carsharing e nas práticas adotadas em municipalidades no Brasil e no exterior. Os dados apresentados neste estudo foram coletados em sites de municipalidades, artigos e publicações relacionadas ao tema. Os dados coletados são apresentados por meio de exemplos e tópicos com a ótica da mobilidade urbana sustentável. As conclusões apontam para as práticas ideais e as alternativas para a inserção do sistema de carsharing a rede de transportes públicos das cidades atuais. / [en] According to the IPCC report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), 2004, 23 percent of greenhouse gas emissions effects related to energy were originated in the transport sector. More than half of these emissions were generated by the use of light vehicle ride and motorcycles, defined as individual motorized transport. Half of the energy consumed in the transport sector is intended for individual motorized transport. However, it is carrying less than 25 percent of the world s passengers. Despite this low number, traffic accidents are responsible for one million deaths annually and ten million injured people. This number is part of a list of the ten leading causes of death recorded and reported by health agencies around the world, a rate next to malaria and HIV. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Cities in Brazil in conjunction with the National Department (National Traffic Department) in the year of 2005 shows that the costs of traffic accidents in Brazilian roads reached the number of twenty-two billion reais, a figure that represented 12 percent of the Brazilian GDP, taking into account the loss of production associated with the death of individuals or the interruption of its activities, the costs for health care and care with vehicles.

Background: Fast furniture is a growing trend similar to fast fashion and fast food, implying that manufacturers produce large quantities of inexpensive furniture. At the same time, consumers use the furniture shorter and replace it more frequently. Fast furniture relies on high resource consumption, outsourced production, and furniture design that makes it necessary to replace it more often. This causes a decrease in quality and an increase in produced quantities. Most of the furniture worldwide is landfilled as it is not recyclable due to low-quality materials. One potential solution is implementing Circular Economic practices, including furniture rental as an alternative way of consumption. Consumer acceptance of this model is scarcely researched, but the formation of consumers' attitudes and intentions has been the subject of publications in other consumption contexts. The recent literature is reviewed, and a research framework was built based on the Theory of Reasoned Action and additional intrapersonal barriers and drivers. Purpose: This research aimed to explain the relationship between intrapersonal barriers and drivers with attitude and behavioral intention towards furniture rental. Further, it was aimed to show which furniture categories are most likely to be rented. Method: A quantitative approach deploying a self-administered online survey was chosen. 235 usable responses were gathered, which were analyzed using PLS-SEM to assess the hypothesized relationships. Conclusion: The findings show that the overall attitude towards furniture rental is positive. Trend orientation and perceived risk are the most influential antecedents of attitude and behavioral intention. Supporting the Theory of Reasoned Action, attitude is the strongest predictor of behavioral intention. Perceived sustainability value, perceived economic value, and materialism also significantly influence the intention to rent furniture. Familiarity with the Sharing Economy shows no significant influence. The study contributes to the existing literature on consumer intentions to use alternative consumption. A new research model was developed based on existing theory and literature. Managers can use the findings to alter, adapt, and build their furniture rental service offerings.

During recent years the sharing economy has had an increased impact on the modern business climate, and the level of engagement among researchers has increased. The sharing economy is changing the way individuals perceive business and challenges traditional business models. Sharing economy firms are implementing innovative business approaches to face the dynamic business climate. Its peer-to-peer sharing philosophy is fighting against the increasing hyper-consumption we are facing. Previous scholars have discussed how traditional firms can gain market shares and internationalize through M&As and strategic partnerships. However, the research on how M&As and partnerships can be implemented among sharing economy firms is minimal. Also, the empirical studies regarding this field are inadequate. Accordingly, examining this research gap in practice and gaining a deeper understanding of the subject is highly relevant. This thesis aims to shed light on the motives behind sharing economy firms internationalizing, mainly through mergers and acquisitions or strategic partnerships, involving at least one sharing platform in the process. To accomplish the intentions of this study, a qualitative research approach has been conducted, with a diverse group of respondents from different parts of the world and operating in various areas within the sharing economy. Moreover, the empirical data has been collected through conducting findings from four semi-structured interviews. The outcome of this research implies that the motives for sharing economy firms to internationalize using M&As or strategic partnerships are beneficial regarding the sharing economy characteristics. For instance, the paper highlights how sharing economy firms have a comfortable path internationalizing into foreign markets but can struggle to gain platform user activity in the early stages in new markets. Therefore, are M&As and strategic partnerships strategic tools for sharing economy firms to acquire an already existing customer base or have strategic alliances that can ease cultural barriers and such when entering foreign markets.

The rising trend of over consumption has led to threatening environmental consequences. A solution to this would be collaborative consumption, as it promotes environmentally friendly sharing behaviors. Collaborative consumption can be enabled with digital tools, such as digital sharing platforms. The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about how digital sharing platforms can be successfully established in order to build a good foundation for collaborative consumption. This qualitative research, influenced by grounded theory as a method, aims to explore the question “what are the barriers for establishing a digital sharing platform?”. Based on related research and by investigating a digital sharing platform called Umigo, we conducted six semi-structured interviews based on three technological frames and identified multiple barriers. With this research we make two main contributions. Our first contribution is that digital sharing platforms are unique in comparison to other platform types and should therefore be studied further. We also found an overview of the barriers that could prevent the successful establishment of digital sharing platforms.

El objetivo de esta investigación científica fue contrastar investigaciones que sostienen que consumo y economía colaborativa son lo mismo con aquéllas que sostienen que el consumo colaborativo es causa de la economía colaborativa. Se hizo una revisión de la literatura existente sobre ambos modelos de negocio aplicando un enfoque de revisión minucioso. Se compararon las distintas posturas en cuanto a la terminología, alcances y exclusiones. Se analizaron distintos grupos de interés de diversos sectores para determinar los factores que impulsan, inhiben y sustentan el éxito de su participación en la economía colaborativa y en el consumo colaborativo. Los resultados mostraron que se hace un mayor hincapié en los factores motivadores ya que impulsan el desarrollo y apogeo en estrecha relación y concordancia con la sostenibilidad y el aspecto social. Se determinó que ambos modelos cumplen un rol indispensable al generar valor a la sociedad mediante el ahorro de recursos y la extensión de la vida útil de los mismos. Se mostró el aspecto social y su relación con ambos modelos, determinando que el ser humano es social por naturaleza y que, al sentirse motivado, está dispuesto a recomendar el uso de un bien o servicio. Todos estos temas se plantean considerando que ambos modelos económicos se iniciaron en el siglo XX con la aparición de internet y las redes sociales y que, al ser nuevos, se plantean a su vez nuevas líneas de exploración con el propósito de comprender mejor otros nuevos modelos económicos que están surgiendo en el mundo. / The objective of this scientific investigation was to contrast investigations that argue that collaborative consumption and shared economy are the same with those that maintain that collaborative consumption is the cause of the shared economy. A review of the existing literature on both business models was done using a thorough review approach. Different positions were compared regarding terminology, scope and exclusions. Different interest groups from various sectors were analyzed to determine the factors that drive, inhibit and sustain the success of their participation in the sharing economy and collaborative consumption. The results showed that a greater emphasis is placed on motivating factors since they drive development and growth in close relationship and in accordance with sustainability and the social aspect. It was determined that both models play a mandatory role in generating value to society, by saving resources and extending their useful life. The social aspect and its relationship with both models were shown, determining that the human being is social by nature and that, feeling motivated, is willing to recommend the use of a good or service. All these issues are raised considering that both economic models began in the twentieth century with the emergence of the internet and social networks and that, being new, new lines of exploration are in turn proposed in order to better understand other new economic models that are emerging in the world. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

The concept sharing economy (collaborative economy or collaborative consumption) has recently gained attention in several cities over the world, with its promotion offering a prospective new path to sustainable development. In current research, most scholars cover global initiatives or initiatives in larger cities, but very few to none of them seem to have investigated the situation and potential in smaller cities. This empirical study therefore investigates both existing initiatives and work with collaborative consumption as well as the future potential and possible challenges for further promotion in a small town context, using Norrtälje town in Sweden as a case study for exploring the topic. In this study, a sharing economy is defined as a socio-economic system enabling consumers to gain access to commonly under-utilized physical assets in collaborative practices of sharing, borrowing, bartering, swapping, renting, redistributing, buying second-hand, repairing and rebuilding goods, instead of consuming new goods and/or owning privately, taking place either via online platforms or through physical infrastructure, possibly in exchange for financial compensation. A mixed method approach, including both qualitative and quantitative methods, was used in this study. The data collection included semi-structured interviews with both sharing economy initiators and the Norrtälje municipality Sustainability strategist, an online survey shared with residents in Norrtälje, as well a qualitative desk-based study. The collected results were then analysed though the lens of a formed theoretical framework, covering the themes of conditions for success and important stakeholders in a sharing economy context, as well as drivers for starting or using these initiatives and possible environmental, social and economic benefits of implementing a sharing economy. The findings showed that 11 initiatives currently exist in Norrtälje, and that the Norrtälje residents generally are very positive towards using sharing economy services. Further, it was found that the municipality is not actively working with collaborative consumption, but has been, and still is, involved in a few sharing economy activities. The findings of this study contribute to discussions on the actual role of the municipality in a sharing economy context, suggesting that the involvement of the municipality indeed is very important in regards to sharing economy initiatives, but that it is unclear from a municipal perspective whether it is actually included in the role of the municipality to promote and work with sharing economy initiatives. The results from this study suggests that the future for sharing economy initiatives in Norrtälje town looks bright. However, some challenges were found in relation to the promotion of a sharing economy in a small town context, including the current political situation not prioritising municipal involvement, the economic situation of the municipality not being able to prioritise municipal involvement, difficulties in understanding the concept among those who work for the municipality, negative mindsets among municipal workers, and lack of funding to existing and possible future initiatives. These challenges might have to be overcome in order for sharing economy initiatives to be able to grow and thrive. Further, this study found that it is believed from a small town municipal perspective it most likely is easier for a larger city to work with sharing economy initiatives, while on the contrary existing scholars suggest that the small town context might indeed be more beneficial for these types of initiatives.

The fashion industry's progress towards sustainability is often a complex journey and changes within the industry, both ongoing changes and those required to achieve sustainability, cannot be singled out as something only of material considerations or bound to a specific stage within a lifecycle. This paper examines how a selection of environmentally inclined sustainability strategies within the fashion industry, contributes to or counteracts the industry's progress towards environmental sustainability. Including the overall work towards a sustainable development. The aim is also to understand how to lead the fashion industry toward an environmentally sustainable development and understand how sufficient they are in their current work. Strategies that aim to improve the environmental sustainability within the fashion industry are plenty, which can cover large and significant parts of the industry. Many depart from innovative approaches and aim to bring significant change and contribution to the fashion industry's work toward sustainable development. As concluded within this study, one strategy is not enough to solve the entire sustainability conundrum, since each strategy has proven to contribute with significant environmental impact reduction potentials, however the resulting environmental impacts' counteractions are equally significant. Thus, the most considerable potential for environmental sustainability can be gained when combining various strategies and implementing them during certain stages - because where one strategy is lacking, another can contribute, complement and/or reinforce. / Modebranschens framsteg mot hållbarhet är oftast en komplex resa. Förändringar inom branschen, både pågående förändringar och de som krävs för att uppnå hållbarhet, kan inte pekas ut som något enbart materiellt eller bundet till ett specifikt skede i en livscykel. Denna studie undersöker hur ett urval av miljöanpassade hållbarhetsstrategier inom modebranschen bidrar till eller motverkar branschens framsteg mot miljömässig hållbarhet. Syftet med studien är att delvis förstå hur man leder modebranschen mot en miljömässigt hållbar utveckling samt förstå hur tillräckliga de är i sitt nuvarande arbete.  Det finns ett antal strategier som syftar till att förbättra den miljömässiga hållbarheten inom modebranschen och kan täcka stora samt betydande delar av branschen. Många vilka utgår från innovativa tillvägagångssätt som strävar efter att åstadkomma betydande förändringar och bidrag till modebranschens arbete mot hållbar utveckling. Slutsatsen i denna studie är det inte är tillräckligt med en strategi för att lösa hela hållbarhetsproblemet, eftersom varje strategi inom denna studie har visat sig bidra med betydande potential för att minska miljöpåverkan, men även resulterat till lika betydande motverkningar. Den största potentialen för miljömässig hållbarhet är när man kombinerar olika strategier och implementerar dem under vissa skeden.