Whether the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package is ambitious enough is still under debate, but at least it leaves some flexibility for potential partnerships, industry-led and local government-led initiatives to shape the next economy.
Some cities are already seizing related opportunities: Berlin and London are sharing economy leaders, and the City of Amsterdam is conducting cutting-edge research for its transition to a circular economy.
Gordon Innes, the CEO of London’s official promotional and economic development company, London & Partners, recently wrote on why London has the opportunity to become the sharing economy capital of the world.
“As Europe’s largest technology hub with unrivalled access to talent, growth capital and international markets, we have an ideal environment for sharing economy businesses to scale and grow,” he wrote in Tech City News.
Innes explains that these businesses can benefit from national and local initiatives, including Sharing Economy UK, a trade group, and the Smart London plan, which in part aims to ensure that London “makes the most of new technologies and use its creative strengths” so the city can adequately adapt to its growing population. It is expected that London will be home to 10 million people by 2030.
He also claims that London has more sharing economy businesses than any other city in Europe. Examples of these include accommodation services One Fine Stay and Love Home Swap, peer-to-peer money lending company Zopa, car-sharing services BlaBlaCar and Liftshare, and driveway renting platform Justpark.
“This notion of making the best use of under-utilised assets such as spare rooms and driveways is another benefit of the sharing economy model and has the potential to turn London into a city of micro-entrepreneurs,” writes Innes.
Read more: London, Berlin, Amsterdam: Capitals of the Next Economy | Sustainable Brands
Some cities are already seizing related opportunities: Berlin and London are sharing economy leaders, and the City of Amsterdam is conducting cutting-edge research for its transition to a circular economy.
Gordon Innes, the CEO of London’s official promotional and economic development company, London & Partners, recently wrote on why London has the opportunity to become the sharing economy capital of the world.
“As Europe’s largest technology hub with unrivalled access to talent, growth capital and international markets, we have an ideal environment for sharing economy businesses to scale and grow,” he wrote in Tech City News.
Innes explains that these businesses can benefit from national and local initiatives, including Sharing Economy UK, a trade group, and the Smart London plan, which in part aims to ensure that London “makes the most of new technologies and use its creative strengths” so the city can adequately adapt to its growing population. It is expected that London will be home to 10 million people by 2030.
He also claims that London has more sharing economy businesses than any other city in Europe. Examples of these include accommodation services One Fine Stay and Love Home Swap, peer-to-peer money lending company Zopa, car-sharing services BlaBlaCar and Liftshare, and driveway renting platform Justpark.
“This notion of making the best use of under-utilised assets such as spare rooms and driveways is another benefit of the sharing economy model and has the potential to turn London into a city of micro-entrepreneurs,” writes Innes.
Read more: London, Berlin, Amsterdam: Capitals of the Next Economy | Sustainable Brands
