How Digital Platforms Materialize Sustainable Collaborative Consumption: A Brazilian and Canadian Bike-Sharing Case Study

Abstract

Pollution, resource depletion, and to a lesser extent, global warming called into question mass consumption. Political (e.g., politicians), media (e.g., TV broadcasters, tech giants), and supranational entities (e.g., United Nations) nudged societies into alternative consumption forms that have been deemed more sustainable, such as collaborative consumption (CC). This paper aims at proposing a theoretical-empirical model that explains the materiality of sustainable collaborative practices through a bike-sharing system. The study further analyzes how connections, mediations, and inductions occur between individuals, platforms, and providers in collaborative consumption. This study examines the bike-sharing system of Porto Alegre in Southern Brazil and Vancouver's bike-sharing in Canada. We tracked these actants using the Actor-Network Theory through 30 interviews with consumers and managers. The findings suggest a dynamic ecosystem of mechanisms that mediate interactions and enact "sustainable collaborative consumption (SCC)" through digital solutions and physical equipment. The findings illustrate actors' partnerships and hybrid practical relations, establishing connections, inductions, and mediations. The results reveal that SCC is positively influenced by three avenues: 1sustainable individual actions; 2digital platforms; and 3sustainable physical equipment. Moreover, the research contributes to a new view of understanding the collaborative economy in a sociotechnical view.

Sustainable Consumption: Conceptualization and Characterization of the Complexity of “Being” a Sustainable Consumer—A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

“…In the context of CE, consumer behavior implicitly encompasses aspects of SC [50], and consumer intervention can be reflected in the basic concept of the 3Rs [6] and its variants [50]. In other words, the consumer has a sustainable behavior when repairing, extending the shelf life of the product even considering the implicit design limitations [70], how difficult it is to allocate time to repair, and how easy it is to purchase a new product online [71]; recycling, sending products to a treatment process so that their materials serve as raw material for new materials or products, contemplating the differences in product categories and the type of recycling of these [72]; rethinking/reusing, considering the financial and social benefits of renting or buying second-hand products [45,73,74]; refurbishing a product, understood as improving the functional performance of an item (e.g., laptop), to keep it updated [75]; or remanufacturing, which involves the producer restores the product preserving its original function and added value [76]. Ref.…”

Challenges of Business Success in Era of Disruption

“…Entrepreneurs should start actively studying and making updates related to technology. Results of the research of Aulia (2021); da Silveira et al, (2021); Fan et al, (2021); Lynch et al, (2021); Ritz et al, (2019); Oberoi et al, (2021); Siagian et al, (2021); Subawa et al, (2020) concluded that in the changing era of disruption, humans elaborate with information systems and technology, the main goal is to improve the quality of human resources. This is also supported in the research of Dong et al (2020); Faling & Biesbroek (2019); Tajvidi et al (2021); Zhao et al (2021), who stated that the use of digital in entrepreneurship will provide many positive benefits for business success and can provide many conveniences in carrying out entrepreneurial activities.…”

“…In this study, digital literacy is more about marketing shutters and promotions because digital marketing is one of the most widely applied strategies by various companies in promoting disruption (Ritz et al, 2019). Companies can also use an omnichannel strategy, combining digital marketing with conventional methods (Aulia, 2021;da Silveira et al, 2021).…”

Rotulagem ecológica e sua influência na intenção de compra dos consumidores

“…Algumas práticas de consumo sustentável podem ser adotadas no dia a dia. Alguns exemplos que englobam essas práticas são: a escolha de produtos eco-friendly, redução de resíduos gerados, reciclagem, redução de consumo de água e energia e uso de transportes mais sustentáveis (Duong, 2022;Lehtokunnas et al, 2022;da Silveira et al, 2022). Essas são algumas de muitas outras práticas possíveis para inserir o consumo sustentável na rotina da sociedade.…”