sharing increases emissions by improving the ease of car use. In fact, this effect is
analyzed using basic economic theory, namely, the substitution effect of consumption and the income effect. There are antagonistic effects of car sharing: on one hand,
the substitution effect leads to reduced emissions through the use of new, more
efficient cars and reduced fuel consumption. On the other hand, the income effect
promotes increases in demand, mileage, and emissions due to reduced costs. It is
widely believed that the substitution effect should be greater than the income effect.
For example, Leismann et al. (2013) view the economy as a resource-saving model.
Schor (2014) states that lenders may purchase products with a more severe environmental impact due to the money they earn, and the use of old objects stimulates the
purchase of new objects. Reduction of expense also stimulates increased consumption, with a range of other negative ramifications of the sharing economy.
These discussions are based on the form of the sharing economy up to the present
and demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of its impact on the economy,
environment, and sustainability. At this stage, many sharing businesses are being
targeted by capital as new markets, and economic value is emphasized over environmental value. Therefore, national and local administrations should adjust their
policies as soon as possible to promote corporate environmental responsibility and
social responsibility (CSR) and introduce environmental assessments, such as life
cycle assessments of goods and services, during the development of proposals for
sharing businesses (Mi and Coffman 2019).
Human society has transitioned from inland civilizations in the non-globalized
era (agricultural civilization, river civilization): the hunting society (Society 1.0) and
agricultural society (Society 2.0), to marine society plus inland civilization, with the
industrial society (Society 3.0) and information society (Society 4.0). Japan was the
first to advocate Society 5.0 as the fourth industrial revolution in its Fifth Science and
Technology Basic Plan. This is described as a society where economic development
and the resolution of social issues are both achieved through a system that fuses
cyber space (virtual space) and physical space (real space) (Cabinet Office 2019).
Society 5.0 is a smart society (maximizing utility and minimizing cost and risk) that
aims to optimize social, economic, and technological systems, with innovation in all
fields as the driving force. In the future, the sharing economy is expected to evolve to
a more mature and sound stage, allowing it to make a significant contribution to
maximizing use of the Earth’s finite resources and minimizing environmental
impact.
References
Belk R (2007) Why not share rather than own. Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci 61:126–140
Belk R (2014a) You are what you can access: sharing and collaborative consumption online. J Bus
Res 67:1595–1600
Belk R (2014b) Sharing versus pseudo-sharing in Web 2.0. Anthropologist 18(1):7–23
Botsman R (2015) Defining the sharing economy: what is collaborative consumption -and what
isn’t. Fast Company 27:2015
13 Social Innovation Toward a Low-Carbon Society
261
analyzed using basic economic theory, namely, the substitution effect of consumption and the income effect. There are antagonistic effects of car sharing: on one hand,
the substitution effect leads to reduced emissions through the use of new, more
efficient cars and reduced fuel consumption. On the other hand, the income effect
promotes increases in demand, mileage, and emissions due to reduced costs. It is
widely believed that the substitution effect should be greater than the income effect.
For example, Leismann et al. (2013) view the economy as a resource-saving model.
Schor (2014) states that lenders may purchase products with a more severe environmental impact due to the money they earn, and the use of old objects stimulates the
purchase of new objects. Reduction of expense also stimulates increased consumption, with a range of other negative ramifications of the sharing economy.
These discussions are based on the form of the sharing economy up to the present
and demonstrate advantages and disadvantages of its impact on the economy,
environment, and sustainability. At this stage, many sharing businesses are being
targeted by capital as new markets, and economic value is emphasized over environmental value. Therefore, national and local administrations should adjust their
policies as soon as possible to promote corporate environmental responsibility and
social responsibility (CSR) and introduce environmental assessments, such as life
cycle assessments of goods and services, during the development of proposals for
sharing businesses (Mi and Coffman 2019).
Human society has transitioned from inland civilizations in the non-globalized
era (agricultural civilization, river civilization): the hunting society (Society 1.0) and
agricultural society (Society 2.0), to marine society plus inland civilization, with the
industrial society (Society 3.0) and information society (Society 4.0). Japan was the
first to advocate Society 5.0 as the fourth industrial revolution in its Fifth Science and
Technology Basic Plan. This is described as a society where economic development
and the resolution of social issues are both achieved through a system that fuses
cyber space (virtual space) and physical space (real space) (Cabinet Office 2019).
Society 5.0 is a smart society (maximizing utility and minimizing cost and risk) that
aims to optimize social, economic, and technological systems, with innovation in all
fields as the driving force. In the future, the sharing economy is expected to evolve to
a more mature and sound stage, allowing it to make a significant contribution to
maximizing use of the Earth’s finite resources and minimizing environmental
impact.
References
Belk R (2007) Why not share rather than own. Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci 61:126–140
Belk R (2014a) You are what you can access: sharing and collaborative consumption online. J Bus
Res 67:1595–1600
Belk R (2014b) Sharing versus pseudo-sharing in Web 2.0. Anthropologist 18(1):7–23
Botsman R (2015) Defining the sharing economy: what is collaborative consumption -and what
isn’t. Fast Company 27:2015
13 Social Innovation Toward a Low-Carbon Society
261