Client: Euratechnologies
Date: January 2025
Location: Europe
The Sharing Station is an innovative smart infrastructure designed to support the growing access and sharing economy in urban areas. By leveraging a network of connected lockers placed throughout the city, it enables residents to access goods autonomously – whenever and wherever they need them.
This system creates new opportunities to enhance urban sustainability and liveability. By situating goods directly where they are used, Sharing Stations make it easier to access and share everyday items, such as sports equipment, tools, or leisure gear. This encourages more spontaneous and active engagement with public spaces.
The Sharing Station model also reduces the need for individual ownership of under-utilised items, promoting a shift from ownership to access. This not only saves space in increasingly compact homes but also significantly reduces manufacturing-related emissions and resource consumption. In doing so, the Sharing Station contributes to more efficient urban living while supporting environmental goals and fostering a more inclusive, flexible use of the city.
Challenge
The concept of the Sharing Station is still emerging at the European level. Before the launch of this project, there was no clear definition of what constituted a Sharing Station, nor any data available on the scale or scope of existing initiatives across Europe. Knowledge of established business models was limited, and there was little evidence of structured collaboration between startups and the various types of stakeholders, such as municipalities, public service providers, and private sector clients, needed to support and scale this kind of infrastructure.
Approach
The European market study was carried out using a quantitative and qualitative approach, with data collected through a survey and interviews with 8 sharing station providers from Europe.
20 different partners including European municipalities, start-ups and researchers were consulted on the definition of a sharing station proposed by the study.
Impact
The study delivered the first validated definition of a Sharing Station in Europe and created a clearer understanding of the sector’s current landscape. By compiling data from active providers and engaging a diverse network of partners, it established a solid knowledge base to support future collaboration, policy development, and the growth and expansion of the Sharing Station model across Europe.
