{"id":29652,"date":"2021-11-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fundacionbankinter.org\/noticias\/collaborative-economy-when-sustainability-is-profitable-social-and-simple\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T11:38:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T10:38:22","slug":"collaborative-economy-when-sustainability-is-profitable-social-and-simple","status":"publish","type":"noticias","link":"https:\/\/www.fundacionbankinter.org\/en\/news\/collaborative-economy-when-sustainability-is-profitable-social-and-simple\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaborative economy: when sustainability is profitable, social and simple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes also known as the sharing or peer-to-peer economy, in the sharing economy <\/strong>\u2013 which we analyse in depth in our Disruptive Business Models<\/em><\/a> report \u2013 participants depend on each other to meet their wants and needs. This model is based on giving, exchanging, borrowing, renting, and sharing products and services for a fee<\/g>, between a person or company that has something and another that needs it. On many occasions, there is usually an intermediary who manages and facilitates the procedure. <\/p>\n\n

Uber or Airbnb are just two examples of companies that promote the collaborative economy among the many that have already joined this trend.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>Threat or opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n

The collaborative economy offers new opportunities for citizens and entrepreneurs, but, like any disruptive movement, an adaptation process is necessary to facilitate the entry of new service providers into the environment of existing market operators.<\/p>\n\n

In order to smooth this transition and provide a level playing field, the European Commission<\/a> is looking at how to encourage the development of new and innovative services<\/strong> and the temporary use of assets, while ensuring adequate social and consumer protection.<\/p>\n\n

Beyond the private sphere, this type of economy can also allow and promote participation and dialogue with public administrations<\/strong> in matters such as urban rehabilitation, making it easier for residents themselves \u2013 either individually or in the form of associations \u2013 to be involved in decision-making for the actions carried out in their neighbourhood. for example.<\/p>\n\n

Already in 2017, a study by the European Union<\/a> concluded that the advantages of this system were also felt in the environment. The environmental impact<\/strong> of making a trip through a company that is based on a collaborative economy model is generally less than or equal to traveling with traditional transport. <\/p>\n\n

<\/a>How to make sustainability profitable?<\/h2>\n\n

The majority of CEOs interviewed in Accenture’s 2019 United Nations Global Compact sustainability study<\/a> recognize that sustainability must be a top priority for all companies, especially in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

While these managers recognize the opportunity to make these sustainability<\/a> efforts as a competitive advantage, they also wonder how to make this contribution while being profitable<\/strong>, a concern that arises especially from economic constraints and competition.<\/p>\n\n

The other side of the coin is the Carbon Disclosure Project<\/a>, which ensures that the companies best positioned in their leadership index when it comes to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> also generate superior returns in the stock market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Innovating in textiles<\/h2>\n\n
\"Bankinter<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A good example of how innovation<\/strong> can be made in a sector as traditional as textiles and make it more sustainable and compatible with the collaborative economy is Jeanolog\u00eda<\/a>, a company that was born in 1994 with sustainability as its flagship and that, in addition to being part of the <\/a>Cre100do Foundation<\/a> programme \u2013 of which FIBK is a patron and founder \u2013 has also collaborated with the Bankinter Innovation Foundation through Akademia<\/a>, giving several sessions. This technology manufacturer offers sustainable textile solutions with which it aims to promote new operating models<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

His resume highlights being responsible for the creation of a third of all jeans<\/a> manufactured in the world. The direct consequence of this is to have managed to save, to date, 15,417,870 cubic meters of water in the process. <\/p>\n\n

But Jeanologia’s is not an isolated case, fortunately. B-Corp<\/a> is an international movement with a presence in Spain, which brings together companies that not only seek to be profitable,<\/strong> but also to have a social, environmental and economic impact<\/strong> for all their stakeholders: workers, suppliers, customers, communities, the environment and, naturally, shareholders. They commit to working to reduce inequality and poverty, care for the environment, strengthen communities, and create high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. <\/p>\n\n

Daniel Truran<\/a>, an expert at the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, explains very well all the implications of seeking sustainability and how to make it profitable:<\/p>\n\n

\n