Collaborative consumption as sustainable consumption: The effects of Uber's platform in the context of Brazilian cities

Abstract

This article seeks to fill the gap in the literature on the potential impacts of the collaborative consumption model in the transport sector based on the use of intermediaries, as an alternative proposal for sustainable consumption. It focuses on the structuring the real world based on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary cooperation, using Uber as a typical case. The question that guided the discussion was: what are the impacts on cities of consumption practices carried out through transport platforms intermediated by large companies (notably Uber), considering the sustainability dimensions? Constellation analysis (CA), which is a visualization and analysis tool that facilitates the dialogue between actors based on scientific and practical perspectives, was applied to enable the intersection between the views of actors dealing with conflicting priorities resulting from socio-environmental responsibility. On the one hand, the study considers economic viability, and on the other, the impacts of this collaborative movement on cities.