Journal
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
Volume 158, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104780
Keywords
Sharing economy; Access-based consumption; Washing machine; System dynamics; Environmental impact analysis
Categories
Funding
- Circular European Economy Innovative Training Network (Circ(sic)uit) - European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska Curie Action 2016 [721909]
- Mistra REES (Resource Efficient and Effective Solutions) program - Mistra (The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research) [2014/16]
- Areas of Advance Production at Chalmers University of Technology
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In order to meet the EU's climate and resource efficiency targets, changes in our daily-life behaviours, as well as business models, are urgently necessary. More insights are needed to make real changes based on research with a systems perspective. We developed a system dynamics model to analyse the environmental benefits of a transition from ownership-based to access-based household laundry activities. The model considers demographic, technological and behavioural aspects and thereby assesses the environmental impact of laundry activities. The model is applied to the Swedish as well as the European context and allows cross-country comparisons. The results indicate a significant potential of the sharing economy. The higher utilisation of shared machines and extended lifespans of the machines can cut greenhouse gas emissions by a third and lower raw material usage overall and lower primary raw material in production due to higher recycling rates. The carbon intensity of the energy mix is a crucial factor for the environmental consequences that arise through changes in energy usage due to sharing economy practices. This case study shows the value of adopting policies that could promote sharing and extended life spans.
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