For as long as you can remember you've probably been told that sharing is caring -- which is evidenced by these sustainable sharing platforms. Trend Hunter's Laura McQuarrie shares her top picks from food-swapping websites to energy sharing networks.
The Miami Ad School's generous food-sharing platforms ask people to fill up a Ben and Jerry's ice cream container with food scraps to be donated to homeless people. This charitable endeavor is based on the behavior where people leave food on their plates to make room for dessert or ice cream.
Peer-to-peer network Gridmates focuses on sharing leftover energy instead of food. Taking a social feed literally, social meal-sharing initiatives allow brands to buy ad space on Facebook with the proceeds going towards alleviating hunger for African children. Meanwhile a German food-swapping website helps you find edible but unwanted food so it doesn't go to waste. There's probably a lot of fruitcake on these sharing platforms.
Sustainable Sharing
Editor Laura McQuarrie Discusses Her Favorite Charitable Sharing Platforms
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Sharing Platforms - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Develop a platform that facilitates sharing of various sustainable resources such as food, energy, and more.
2. Peer-to-peer Sharing Networks - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Create a platform that enables individuals to share surplus resources with others to reduce waste and benefit those in need.
3. Social Meal-sharing Initiatives - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Establish a system where brands can contribute to alleviating hunger by purchasing ad space on social media platforms.
Industry Implications
1. Food Sharing Platforms - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Develop an online marketplace that connects individuals and businesses with surplus food to organizations or individuals in need.
2. Energy Sharing Networks - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Build a digital platform that facilitates the sharing of excess energy between households or businesses to reduce carbon footprint.
3. Charitable Sharing Platforms - Opportunity for disruptive innovation: Create a digital platform that supports various charitable initiatives by enabling people to share resources, donate, or volunteer.