Drivers and barriers to participation in the sharing economy: Does the environment really matter? A systematic review of 175 scientific articles

The sharing economy (SE) has gained attention in recent years in both academia and practice. This derives from the economic and social benefits that are often attributed to it, but also from its limited anticipated environmental impacts. However, its role as a sustainability enabler will largely depend on the extent to which consumers change the criteria they consider. If consumers engage in sharing motivated by the same drivers as usual, rebound effects can significantly reduce the sustainability potential of the SE. This paper contributes to this debate by illuminating on the existing SE literature and consumer behavior. The research team systematically scrutinized 175 scientific papers through a novel approach that combines bibliometric, epistemological and substantive meta-analysis. 3,191 influential construct-item combinations were collected from the sample and categorised according to a comprehensive typology. The findings highlight the diversity of drivers/barriers studied so far regarding the SE, as well as the limited attention paid to environmental factors. Despite this, environmental factors are often found to significantly influence the willingness to share, particularly in sectors such as mobility, clothing and household goods. Results demonstrate that environmental factors have been analysed at a broad level and almost exclusively as potential motivations (rebounds never being considered).