Open Access

Stephanie Fasen

• The Sharing Economy: Bartering, Lending, Renting or Swapping peer-to-peer is an increasing phenomenon in Consumer Behaviour. As a result of overconsumption in society the past few decades and the financial crisis in 2008, consumers’ awareness towards consumption shifted to a more sustainable use of resources to prevent rising CO2 emission, climate change, global warming, pollution of oceans, massive interventions in ecosystems and to support global fairness. Even though this Collaborative Consumption is still in its infancy, the participation of caring consumers is still rising. But how sustainable is this new way of consumption, if it is a new phenomenon at all? By describing the Sharing Economy as a rising business model, its history and the four major drivers for its success the topicality and brisance of this fast-changing appearance get illustrated. The Transportation Technology portrays, how intense Sharing, Bartering, Lending or Selling influences the daily consumer behaviour in twenty-first century. Mostly, this Thesis evaluates advantages and disadvantages of the Sharing Economy, and finally concludes if Collaborative Consumption is as sustainable as it is proclaimed by its supporters and how influentially and environmentally-sustainable collaborative consumption might be for the future.