The sharing and reuse of products can also cut down the overall use of resources as these are cost-effective ways to reduce waste generation and landfilling. This approach can provide a number of benefits, including reductions in environmental pollution, material consumption and the need for additional landfills. In addition to environmental benefits, it can also provide employment opportunities in secondary markets and increase societal cohesion by promoting sharing culture. The increase in the use of items, especially those of temporary use, can also reduce individual consumers' expenditure. Furthermore, sharing services like transportation, affordable meals or medical equipment is particularly beneficial to people who face mobility, food or health care challenges. Lastly, this approach can also supplement supply in periods of peak demand: for instance, a tourist location can benefit from a sharing platform through which multiple owners make accommodation available during peak season, rather than turning to additional construction.^[1]

These approaches include both sharing among individuals and communities as well as among city governments. In the former category, the sharing economy has entered nearly all urban spheres and includes solutions related to mobility and transport (for example, Uber and Zipcar), spaces (for example, Airbnb and WeWork), skills and talent (for example, Upwork and Fiverr), financing (for example, Zopa and Kickstarter), health (for example, CrowdMed), utilities (for example, Gridmates and Vandebron), food (for example, VizEat) and learning (for example, Coursera). With regard to the latter category, cities can also leverage the potential of the sharing economy, in municipal goods, municipal spaces, civic assets, municipal services and the skills and talent of city residents. An example related to municipal services is the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework in Alberta, Canada.^[2]

Policies supporting these sharing approaches both among individuals and among city administrations include the provision of physical and IT-based infrastructure that is necessary for product sharing and for second-hand markets to take place. Policies also include initiatives aimed at raising awareness and changing people’s mindsets. Today, various city governments have institutionalised sharing practices through innovation offices (Seoul and Amsterdam), working groups (Vienna), a task force (Denver) or similar institutions dedicated to advocacy, awareness and furthering the agenda of sharing in cities.

As outlined above, solutions related to the reuse of products are primarily driven by the private sector or charities. City governments can also take on a combination of roles, depending on the socioeconomic environment in the city. An example is the Sharing City Seoul project, which is being implemented based on cooperation between the private and public sectors, steered by the Sharing Promotion Committee. The initiative has certified 50 sharing projects that provide people with an alternative to owning things they rarely use and has given grants to a number of these projects.

Sharing economy companies are called on to promote inclusive corporate policies and practices, as well as to introduce more human-centred products or services. Given their vast potential to provide local employment opportunities, companies should aim to diversify their workforce and propagate greater inclusion – some well-known companies like Etsy, Lyft and Airbnb have already developed equal opportunities anti-discrimination policies. Also, city governments should support companies that adopt a human-centred approach for product or service design. For example, ride-sharing companies that address safety and accessibility concerns for women and people with disabilities need to be encouraged (see policy option T7).