Great article in the LA Times (run also in today's SF Chronicle) on the growing infrastructure supporting the repair, reuse & sharing economy.
A new consuming philosophy: Reuse, remake, refrain
Plenty has been written about businesses like AirBnB and Relayrides (which I used for the first time recently) to help individuals make money off their idle assets. And there seem to be more and more ways for us to find useful homes (even temporarily) for stuff we don't use much or at all (see Freecycle, Yerdle...) But the increase in corporate America's participation in this trend is encouraging. Lots of shameless commerce, no doubt, but some companies seem to be taking this seriously. There are some very creative new businesses evolving - like jeans rental company Mud Jeans - that tap consumers' growing sensitivities about our over-consumptive lifestyle. And I especially like the fact that Patagonia will be including repair instructions with some of its products.
A new consuming philosophy: Reuse, remake, refrain
Plenty has been written about businesses like AirBnB and Relayrides (which I used for the first time recently) to help individuals make money off their idle assets. And there seem to be more and more ways for us to find useful homes (even temporarily) for stuff we don't use much or at all (see Freecycle, Yerdle...) But the increase in corporate America's participation in this trend is encouraging. Lots of shameless commerce, no doubt, but some companies seem to be taking this seriously. There are some very creative new businesses evolving - like jeans rental company Mud Jeans - that tap consumers' growing sensitivities about our over-consumptive lifestyle. And I especially like the fact that Patagonia will be including repair instructions with some of its products.