215
market economy, based on the maximization of utility and the meeting of needs
towards pecuniary goals. On the other hand, the sharing economy could be seen as
part of the solidarity economy, including activities that aim towards solidarity and
mutual support. In the latter reading, ‘sharing’ would be less about maximizing
unused resources and more about placing resources ‘in the commons’, drawing
from theories in environmental governance and alluding to forms of voluntary, collective action around resource usage (Ostrom 2001 /1990). A key distinction here is
to understand sharing not as the distribution of pieces of a pie, albeit in collaborative
ways, but rather ‘sharing’ based on an understanding of identifi ed and recognized
societal needs, through democratic processes, and with regards for current and
future generations (Servet 2014 ) – or as part of the social and solidarity economy.
In either defi nition of sharing – as part of the competitive market economy or the
solidarity economy – the notion of optimizing resources is highly compatible with
industrial ecology principles. The de-materialization of the economy has been a
central theme in industrial ecology these past years. Placing value on under- or unused resources is also promoted in the ‘sharing’ economy. Industrial ecology
approaches could help consider the wider system, beyond a unit or transaction, to
determine whether there are any rebound effects associated with such forms of sharing. By renting fashionable clothing, for example, does overall private acquisition
of consumption increase or decrease? Has car sharing led to increases in private car
ownership or increases in public transportation, and over what scale? In terms of
describing activities within the sharing economy, industrial ecology could help provide a lens through which to understand where ‘sharing’ is actually taking place: is
there only ‘end of pipe sharing’, once a resource has already been developed and
privately owned; or is ‘sharing’ built into the entire process, in how a product or
service is conceived, delivered and maintained? As an operational tool, industrial
ecology could help suggest how certain practices within a sharing economy could
be restructured, towards a normative goal of more effi cient resource usage and lessened environmental impact. Industrial ecology has a role to play in helping to better
defi ne whether the sharing economy is leading to a more optimal system overall and
to what extent, based on biophysical considerations.
The sharing economy, in all different forms, is well underway and provides an
opportunity for industrial ecology practitioners to break with the notion of ‘production and consumption’ to consider new ways of maximizing resources, from peerto- peer exchanges, as well as new business models. The ‘sharing’ taking place in the
social and solidarity economy could therefore be a rich terrain for further study and
practice. Industrial ecology methodologies could be applied for better evaluating
and guiding activities towards more effi cient ‘resource’ sharing; but perhaps more
importantly, advances in sharing in the social and solidarity economy could further
inform the industrial ecology community towards a more holistic reading of socioindustrial ecosystems – integrating questions of current and inter-generational solidarity and mutual support, as well as questions related to power, trust, wellbeing
and governance, towards collaborative industrial eco-systems.
The emphasis on maximizing local resources towards symbiosis could benefi t
from some of the approaches being developed in the sharing economy, not least the
use of information and communication technologies that distinguish from more tra10 The Social and Solidarity Economy: Why Is It Relevant to Industrial Ecology?
market economy, based on the maximization of utility and the meeting of needs
towards pecuniary goals. On the other hand, the sharing economy could be seen as
part of the solidarity economy, including activities that aim towards solidarity and
mutual support. In the latter reading, ‘sharing’ would be less about maximizing
unused resources and more about placing resources ‘in the commons’, drawing
from theories in environmental governance and alluding to forms of voluntary, collective action around resource usage (Ostrom 2001 /1990). A key distinction here is
to understand sharing not as the distribution of pieces of a pie, albeit in collaborative
ways, but rather ‘sharing’ based on an understanding of identifi ed and recognized
societal needs, through democratic processes, and with regards for current and
future generations (Servet 2014 ) – or as part of the social and solidarity economy.
In either defi nition of sharing – as part of the competitive market economy or the
solidarity economy – the notion of optimizing resources is highly compatible with
industrial ecology principles. The de-materialization of the economy has been a
central theme in industrial ecology these past years. Placing value on under- or unused resources is also promoted in the ‘sharing’ economy. Industrial ecology
approaches could help consider the wider system, beyond a unit or transaction, to
determine whether there are any rebound effects associated with such forms of sharing. By renting fashionable clothing, for example, does overall private acquisition
of consumption increase or decrease? Has car sharing led to increases in private car
ownership or increases in public transportation, and over what scale? In terms of
describing activities within the sharing economy, industrial ecology could help provide a lens through which to understand where ‘sharing’ is actually taking place: is
there only ‘end of pipe sharing’, once a resource has already been developed and
privately owned; or is ‘sharing’ built into the entire process, in how a product or
service is conceived, delivered and maintained? As an operational tool, industrial
ecology could help suggest how certain practices within a sharing economy could
be restructured, towards a normative goal of more effi cient resource usage and lessened environmental impact. Industrial ecology has a role to play in helping to better
defi ne whether the sharing economy is leading to a more optimal system overall and
to what extent, based on biophysical considerations.
The sharing economy, in all different forms, is well underway and provides an
opportunity for industrial ecology practitioners to break with the notion of ‘production and consumption’ to consider new ways of maximizing resources, from peerto- peer exchanges, as well as new business models. The ‘sharing’ taking place in the
social and solidarity economy could therefore be a rich terrain for further study and
practice. Industrial ecology methodologies could be applied for better evaluating
and guiding activities towards more effi cient ‘resource’ sharing; but perhaps more
importantly, advances in sharing in the social and solidarity economy could further
inform the industrial ecology community towards a more holistic reading of socioindustrial ecosystems – integrating questions of current and inter-generational solidarity and mutual support, as well as questions related to power, trust, wellbeing
and governance, towards collaborative industrial eco-systems.
The emphasis on maximizing local resources towards symbiosis could benefi t
from some of the approaches being developed in the sharing economy, not least the
use of information and communication technologies that distinguish from more tra10 The Social and Solidarity Economy: Why Is It Relevant to Industrial Ecology?