Page 35 - U4SSC Case study: Re-use of consumer goods and tools loaning, June 2020

Case Study 5 – Sustainable sharing platform and facility for urban
consumers

Author:

- Heikki Waris

Introduction

Background

Finland is a country of 5.5 million people with a high standard of living and level of consumption,
which results in a high per capita carbon and material footprint. The situation is manageable due to
low population densities, a temperate climate, significant investment in infrastructure and services, as
well as the still-powerful welfare state. The situation is even better in the Helsinki region with its 1.5
million inhabitants thanks to its efficient public transport system and a more dynamic economy that
can embrace new technologies and business practices faster than other cities. This ‘good life’ makes
it difficult for the government to pursue consumer-driven solutions to sustainability challenges, and
for the growing large cities to implement public sustainability objectives when developing new or
city districts. The squeeze on public spending is making it difficult to utilize expensive, conventional
solutions that require overhauling the existing infrastructure and public services, especially when the
consumption patterns change towards online and on-demand.

The traditional Finnish agrarian culture emphasized fair and sustainable sharing within the local village.
However, 50 years after people migrated from smaller to larger cities in search of work, they have fully
adopted a consumer mindset. The traditionally lively grassroots urban community initiatives, such as
recycling, buying local food or local volunteering, are struggling to appeal to the newer generations. It
is easier to be active and to contribute through social media than to take part in an organized activity
with schedules and responsibilities. But recently even local communities that are self-organizing using
social media are facing difficulties as their communications are disrupted by the change of algorithms
on the platform.

Challenge and response

In cities, services keep concentrating in malls that are accessible only by car. Consumers would want to
move into more sustainable and dense urban residential areas to avoid the need to drive in order to
access social services. In rural and suburban areas, services disappear into nearby cities, and the local
economy cannot sustain any new development projects except for areas destined to be suburbs for
commuters. At the same time, people would like to tell themselves and others that they live sustainably
and are good members of the society and the local ‘village’, even if they do not want to give up the
lifestyle of a modern consumer.

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