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processes and products in particular among industrial end users and the energy
industries. There is also a global dialogue on, and practical implementation
of, the shift from fossil-fuels to renewable energy sources.
New and innovative sustainable business models are emerging with potential to
realign technological development with sustainable consumption and practice
(Mont 2004). Experts, supported by an increasing number of businesses (e.g.
Xerox, DuPont, Interface), advocate a closed-loop economy and greater design
for durability and recycling (Wells and Seitz 2005; Stahel 2006). Others propagate
the so-called product service economy (Stahel 1994), where the negative
economic impacts of slower throughput of products are offset by repair services,
reuse of products and re-manufacturing.
A process of open innovation
implies that businesses and
producers engage explicitly
with their environment,
other businesses and
potential consumers to
develop and share ideas and
technologies, acknowledging
the abundance of knowledge
outside the business sphere
that is widely distributed and
highly relevant.
Collaborative consumption
is based on the idea that
sharing instead of owning
lowers consumption levels.
It can take many forms,
including shard ownership
or lending, recycling and
swapping personal goods.
This can be enabled through
online technology platforms
that match supply and
demand for products or
services.
Such innovative business models are not built on the premise of selling ever
more material products, but on the idea of creating value and generating profit
by satisfying consumer needs through access to, and use of, products (Mont
2001). Rather than being the object of a consumer purchase, a product is hired,
leased or rented for as long as it is needed. These innovative models are supported
by, for instance, extended producer responsibility legislation and examples
have already emerged in many sectors, including washing services and
chemical management services. In business-to-consumer markets, examples
include car sharing and do-it-yourself (DIY) tool sharing schemes where consumers
can be users of products without the need for ownership. Open innovation,
whereby businesses engage more directly with consumers, helps businesses
design products and services that connect to (changing) customer needs
and values.
Examples of social innovation are closely linked to business innovation cases
and include systems of collaborative consumption (Botsman and Rogers 2010).
This increasingly popular approach means that people share their possessions
with other people while not in use through various types of (mostly informal)
social networks. Some of these networks and schemes have been established
as an entrepreneurial activity, others without a profit-making interest.
Examples of collaborative consumption include swapping child and adult clothing,
sharing expensive but rarely-used items, such as party bags or artwork,
and swapping houses for holidays. Other schemes aim to share and swap skills
– rather than products – among private individuals. Technology can play a significant
role in facilitating these new practices by creating durable products and
materials and by providing the necessary logistics and make these schemes
accessible.
Where are current trends leading us?
This chapter outlined current global and European trends that shape unsustainable
lifestyles of people in European countries. Together with these trends a
number of promising emerging trends have been identified that can shape and
enable sustainable lifestyles. The macro-trends described above have different
effects on a variety of lifestyle areas (consuming, living, moving and health). The
chapters that follow provide an overview of trends, challenges and opportunities
within each lifestyle area.
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SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES: TODAY’S FACTS & TOMORROW’S TRENDS