A new model for consumption is emerging, and it is not what you might expect.
A pattern of peer-to-peer sharing, exchanging, bartering and lending is evolving as a way for a generation accustomed to hyper-consumption to still get what they want, but minimise costs and negative impacts.
This global behaviour shift has been explored by a very clever lady based right here in Australia. Sydney based author Rachel Botsman and her New York City based collaborator, Roo Rogers have produced “Collaborative Consumption: Whatʼs Mine is Yours” (published by Harper Collins) which tracks and explores the changing behaviours around this new social, economic and cultural phenomenon.
To celebrate the launch of the book, Melbourne’s new home of collaboration The Hub at Donkey Wheel House, is tonight hosting Rachel to speak and moderate a panel discussion on collaborative consumption. The venue is so fitting, as it is a living testament to the principles of collaborative consumption: a co-working space overflowing with collaborative partnerships, new ideas and skills sharing. What better place could there be?
Contributing to the panel discussion are some of the business leaders who are enabling this new economy including Juliette Anich who is the Director of The Clothing Exchange, Australiaʼs leading clothing swap organisation. The Clothing Exchange is challenging our old ways of thinking about shopping, and forcing us to consider the whole lifecycle of a garment. Where might it end up when you’re finished? How can we keep it out of landfill? Questions that don’t only relate to what we wear, but challenge our patterns of consumption of all kinds of goods.
Directly following the panel discussion and an interactive Q&A session, the words will be put into action – with a goods swap. Attendees are encouraged to bring up to 6 items (clothes, music, video, books) to be swapped for new (or old) ones.
So get along to The Hub tonight from 6.30 to hear a global expert, right here in Melbourne, along with some of the most creative and resourceful business models out there. Tickets to the event are available here through EventBrite.
For more information or to purchase your copy of “What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption” (a really interesting read) head to the website. You can also follow @collcons or @rachelbotsman on Twitter.
Front page image credit: Andrew Zuckerman
