The sharing economy – Can collaboration cure overconsumption?

Could collaborative consumption be the cure for our throwaway culture? Robert Chan, the managing director of car-sharing platform Turo, believes we're on the brink of an ownership revolution. 

“The average power drill is only on for 13 minutes of its life. You don't want (to buy) the power drill; you want (to fix) the hole in the wall. How do we get the benefit without having all the stuff is really what the sharing economy is trying to do.” 

From rideshares to designer handbags, power tools to luxury getaways, the sharing economy is rewriting the rules of how we consume. But as Robert explains, behind the success stories lie a complex web of challenges that can make or break these platforms. 

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The Business Of podcast is brought to you by the University of New South Wales Business School, produced with Deadset Studios.  

This episode is hosted by Dr Juliet Bourke, with insights from Professor Barney Tan. 

The transcript and show notes can be found on our website here. 

Listen to our episode with Roby Sharon-Zipser about how he started hipages, a digital marketplace that connects tradespeople to homeowners, here. 

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