A Gift for a Stranger: Freecycling as a Current Lifestyle of Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

For Free! Gratis! In a world focusing monetary aspects and profit orientation true gifts are rare and unfeigned presents are often limited to an inner circle of friends. However, passing things to strangers without expecting any financial trade-off is an upcoming unconventional form of sustainable consumption called Freecycling. The Freecycling community continues growing since the last decade becoming a surprisingly huge gift-network based on three fundamental values: reciprocity, identity and solidarity. Accordingly, it is worth looking behind Freecycling as one concept of co-consumption, identifying consumers' motivation to participate and deducing implications for managers.