Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Innovation & New Business Models Dialogue Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Dialogue Position Paper 2013

The document defines the sharing economy as the technology-enabled reinvention of traditional market behaviours like renting and swapping to unlock the value of underutilized assets. It categorizes the sharing economy into redistribution markets, product-service systems, and collaborative lifestyles, while distinguishing between B2C, P2P, and B2B models. The paper argues that the sharing economy is complementary to the circular economy, focusing on 'access over ownership' to reduce environmental impact and foster community. It highlights the role of trust and reputation as essential 'social glue' and identifies key challenges including outdated regulatory frameworks, the need for critical mass in marketplaces, and potential incumbent backlash from traditional industries. The report recommends that city leaders pursue 'shareable city' paradigms and that business leaders integrate access-based models to remain competitive amidst shifting millennial preferences toward 'asset light' lifestyles.

• The sharing economy is driven by three primary benefits: economic efficiency in financial resources, environmental sustainability through innovative use of natural resources, and the creation of deeper social and personal connections.
• Collaborative consumption is categorized into three principal systems: Redistribution Markets (moving items from where they are not needed to where they are), Product Service Systems (paying for the benefit of a product without owning it), and Collaborative Lifestyles (exchanging intangible assets like time, skills, or space).
• The sharing economy is complementary to the circular economy, as both prioritize efficient and sustainable resource use, though the circular economy specifically focuses on restorative industrial design and cradle-to-cradle principles.
• Trust and reputation are critical for the functioning of sharing marketplaces, acting as the 'social glue' that allows transactions between strangers to occur without friction.
• The sharing economy is experiencing rapid financial growth, with estimated revenues from transactions reaching over US$ 350 billion in 2013 and venture investments in startups exceeding US$ 431 million in 2012.
• The 'shareable city' concept envisions urban environments where car sharing, accessible office spaces, and skill-sharing reduce pollution and traffic while promoting local investment and community-building.
• Significant barriers to the scaling of the sharing economy include 'gray areas' in legal and regulatory frameworks designed for the ownership era, the difficulty of achieving critical mass in smaller cities, and resistance from incumbent industries, such as the hotel sector.
• The Seoul Metropolitan Government has implemented a 'Sharing City' paradigm, passing Act No. 5396 (Act for Promoting Sharing) on 31 December 2012 to resolve economic, social, and environmental issues through sharing-based platforms.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Innovation & New Business Models Dialogue Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Dialogue Position Paper 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_CircularEconomyInnovation_PositionPaper_2013.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Innovation & New Business Models Dialogue Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Dialogue Position Paper 2013. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_CircularEconomyInnovation_PositionPaper_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Innovation & New Business Models Dialogue Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Dialogue Position Paper 2013 |date=2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_CircularEconomyInnovation_PositionPaper_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013young, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Innovation \& New Business Models Dialogue Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Dialogue Position Paper 2013}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_CircularEconomyInnovation_PositionPaper_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }