The foundations of the environmental rebound effect and its contribution towards a general framework

Vivanco, David Font; McDowall, Will; Freire‐González, Jaume; Kemp, René; Voet, Ester van der

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.02.006

Cited by 100 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, the income gained (by providers and sellers) or freed (by takers and buyers) can be spent on other goods or services; the emissions (e.g., CO 2 ) of this marginal expending can offset partly, fully, or be more higher than the initial gains [68]. This phenomenon is known as re-spending rebound effect [69]. In this respect, to establish how the net environmental impacts of for-profit platforms like Uber and Airbnb differ from platforms that promote a democratic relation among their participants (Fairmondo or Fairbnb.coop, for instance) is a cornerstone to delineate the environmental sustainability of the modern sharing movement.…”

Section: Research Needs From An Environmental Sustainability Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Sharing Economy State of the Research: A Systematic Map

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sharing economy is an emerging niche for innovation capable of disrupting established socio-technical and economic regimes. Because of this potential to cause radical changes in a wide array of domains, research in multiple disciplines addressing various aspects entailing this phenomenon is proliferating. In this emerging body of literature, the understanding and framing of the sharing economy are often different. Without knowledge about the current state of the research related to the sharing economy, delineating research trends, gaps, and needs for directing effectively primary research are not possible. This study aimed to synthesize the state and distribution of existing publications related to the sharing economy in multiple disciplines. We used the systematic mapping technique to scope, identify, and classify the publications at a fine level of granularity. We reviewed 589 journal articles (published from 1978 to 2017), and 454 met the selection criteria. The journal articles reviewed were published in 284 different journals. Intriguingly, 15 journals published five to 13 publications each and 221 journals had a single article about the topic. Journals belonging to the subject areas "business, management and accounting" (42.1%) and "social sciences" (35.2%) published more than 70% of the reviewed publications. Accommodation (19.8%) and car and ridesharing (17.2%) were the two most prominent sectors; 50.2% of the publications addressed C2C transactions (10.6% B2C, 24.4% more than one type); 62.3% were about accessing resources, and 5.1% concerned transfer of ownership (i.e., second-hand or donation); and 19.2% covered access and transfer of ownership simultaneously. While empirical studies were the majority (53.1%, when comparing with conceptual ones), qualitative approaches were most common (51.5% against 24.9% quantitative and 17.4% mixed methods). Literature review (22.9%), survey (13.2%), case study (7.3%) and interview (7%) were the most frequently used methods. User behavior (26.4%), business models and organizational aspects (22.7%), institution and governance system (18.7%), conceptualization matters (17%), and sustainability evaluation (15.3%) are research clusters identified from a grounded approach. The link between user behavior and net environmental impacts of sharing options was the largest gap found in the research needing attention from a sustainability perspective. Accordingly, multidisciplinary investigations quantifying behavioral root causes, magnitude, and likelihood of environmental rebound effects using real-world data are strongly encouraged.

show abstract

Section: Research Needs From An Environmental Sustainability Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Sharing Economy State of the Research: A Systematic Map

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This would also include, for instance, end-of-life (EoL) costs such as waste treatment costs. The consideration of the LCC in rebound calculations has been included in the ERE [12], a framework in which the life cycle environmental burdens and costs can be consistently considered via life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing, respectively. Also in concordance with LCA, the ERE focuses on the ratio between environmental externalities (resources, emissions and waste) and a given functional unit or core function (e.g., travel) that is primarily demanded, rather than between physical inputs (e.g., energy use) and a fixed output (e.g., km driven), and this focus is consistent with including additional attributes.…”

Section: Changes In Product Attributes: From Fixed Output To Comparabmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…adopted [11]. Here, we adopt a broad definition based on the environmental rebound effect (ERE) concept, which understands efficiency changes beyond input-output relationships and includes attention to multiple environmental pressures through a life cycle perspective [12]. The ERE can be defined as the additional demand and associated environmental burdens from behavioural and systemic responses to changes in environmental efficiency.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using the ERE, it is thus possible to study beyond 'pure' energy efficiency (e.g., more fuel-efficient engine) to broader resource efficiency measures (e.g., electric vehicles). Rebound effects are not only a matter of concern for academics, but also for governmental bodies and international organisations [13], and they have been even explicitly considered in policy design [14][15][16].Despite the extensive and diverse literature dealing with the theoretical, methodological, and empirical aspects of the rebound effect [5,11,12,17,18], the study of rebound effects due to policy interventions is mostly unexplored. Barker and colleagues [19] state that rebound studies focusing on the effects of specific policies are scarce, and that such polices usually appear as components in wider cross-sectional studies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the extensive and diverse literature dealing with the theoretical, methodological, and empirical aspects of the rebound effect [5,11,12,17,18], the study of rebound effects due to policy interventions is mostly unexplored. Barker and colleagues [19] state that rebound studies focusing on the effects of specific policies are scarce, and that such polices usually appear as components in wider cross-sectional studies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Roadmap to Rebound: How to Address Rebound Effects from Resource Efficiency Policy

2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing demand for resources has been met with a new wave of resource efficiency policies worldwide. Such policies are, however, vulnerable to rebound effects when increased resource efficiency leads to additional resource use via behavioural and systemic responses. Yet, the implications of policy-induced rebounds are mostly unknown since most studies have focused on costless and exogenous efficiency improvements that are not linked to any specific policy intervention. After reviewing the literature, we provide guidance for the analysis of policy-induced rebounds. With regards to scope and method design, we highlight the untapped potential of life cycle assessment (to capture trade-offs between life cycle stages and environmental pressures) and macro-economic modelling (to reveal economic consequences beyond supply chain effects). We also find striking asymmetries in research efforts, leaving knowledge gaps for key resource efficiency strategies targeting, among others, materials, water, land, biodiversity, and waste. Lastly, rebound effects generally focus on a single resource, usually energy, and much is ignored about their implications in the context of resource interlinkages. A better understanding of such cross-resource rebounds is key to design and to assess the effectiveness of emerging policy paradigms such as the resource nexus and the sustainable development goals.

show abstract

Digital platforms for food waste reduction: The value for business users

Amaral

Orsato

2022

Bus Strat Env

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Food loss and waste have generated environmental and social impacts around the world. One way to address this problem is to make the food supply chain more efficient through novel solutions to food distribution. A new sustainable business model called "digital business platforms for food waste reduction" is emerging to simplify the transaction and donation of food close to the expiration date, preventing its disposal and incineration. Based on multiple case studies, this research sought to answer: How do business users perceive value of digital platforms for food waste reduction? The results demonstrated that the success of a sustainable business model innovation needs to consider the user perception of value. The study reveals new sources of economic and strategic benefits and sacrifices that influence the users' adherence to digital platforms.

show abstract

The foundations of the environmental rebound effect and its contribution towards a general framework

Cited by 100 publications

References 53 publications

Characterizing the Sharing Economy State of the Research: A Systematic Map

Characterizing the Sharing Economy State of the Research: A Systematic Map

Roadmap to Rebound: How to Address Rebound Effects from Resource Efficiency Policy

Digital platforms for food waste reduction: The value for business users

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About