Collaborative consumption and sustainability: A discursive analysis of consumer representations and collaborative website narratives

Abstract

In this article, the authors analyze the collaborative consumption model and its contribution to sustainable consumption. Indeed, collaborative consumption is considered as an alternative, ecological consumption mode (Bostman & Rogers, 2011), but previous research has no yet deeply explored to what extent it contributes the sustainable scheme and values. The study therefore investigates both the producer side (collaborative websites) and consumer side (blog participants) to decipher how sustainable ideals are shaped in this context and how consumers attend to them. Six segments of consumers have been identified which can help marketing and sustainable levers better frame their offer.