The potential of sharing economy business models for sustainable value creation

Abstract

While the sharing economy is often linked to the discussion on sustainable development, relatively little research has explored the potential of sharing economy business models to create sustainable value. Based on a review of the prior literature on sharing economy business models and sustainable value creation, in addition to exploring the empirical examples of companies under sharing sphere, this study shows that business model choices do matter; it is not self-evident that sharing economy business models advance sustainability. This study contributes to the current literature by introducing a specified categorization of 13 different sharing economy business models and a conceptual framework to help analyze the sustainable value creation potential of different business models. For managers, this study offers insights into the sustainability potential of different sharing economy business models and highlights the most crucial points to be considered in managerial decision-making.