Accessing the future of consumption
The Access Economy Alliance is a European network of public authorities, businesses and researchers delivering a circular economy through access-based services.
Watch our Video to find out more
Why access?
Because we need a circular alternative to buying, storing and discarding everyday goods.
Buying new things is currently the main way to get many household goods we need – even if we use the item for a few minutes or occasions in its lifetime. Multiplied across the world, this represents a huge amount of material-intensive goods getting dusty in cupboards.
Access is the circular economy alternative.
It’s a way to access goods without having to buy them. It takes many forms, from borrowing to a library of things, to renting from a local retailers or sharing with your neighbours.Â
Think of it like the library – one of the oldest and most beloved forms of
access – but for all kinds of everyday goods.
The access economy is...
Sustainable
By allowing an entire building to share items only needed occasionally, access solutions reduces the need for citizens to purchase unnecessary consumer goods in cities, and avoid their associated carbon emissions.Â
Affordable
Access solutions allows cities and housing providers to provide access to high quality everyday goods that would be unaffordable for families on lower incomes.
Convenient
Access economy solutions allows goods to be accessed where they’re needed, when they’re needed.
Our Vision
The Access Economy Alliance is committed to advancing accessing in all its forms. Within the Alliance, we believe in creating a credible alternative to the all-buying, by embracing a systemic perspective to the access economy: We need to approach the access economy as a whole ecosystem of different access-services. Explore the different access-services in the map below.
Join the Access Economy Alliance
Our membership of public authorities, service providers and researchers are leading the movement towards the access economy.
Events
The Access Economy Alliance runs networking and information events around the access economy, bringing together the organisations advancing the access economy to share best practices.
Advocacy
The Access Economy Alliance works to shape policies that support the development of the access economy in Europe. We engage with policymakers, industry leaders, and communities to promote an access-based economy.
Knowledge
The Alliance is committed to providing high-quality information on access services to anyone interested in our movement. Read our Knowledge Platform for an introduction to the access economy in Europe.
Community
The Access Economy Alliance is Europe’s leading community of practitioners for the access economy. Join our movement towards a society that enjoys more and buys less.
Who is part of the Alliance
The Alliance has representatives from the full ecosystem of the access economy, including cities, access economy providers, non-profits, housing associations, research organisations.Â
What our members say
“Resource efficiency and circular economy is a focus area of the integrated climate protection concept of Hamburg-Wandsbek. As such, the development, diversification and upscaling of new and innovative concepts for sharing stations is an important action. We are excited to work with other inspiring European cities and solution providers on moving forward the idea of a more resource efficient and climate-friendly society.”
Tim Roesler
Head of Climate Protection Unit, Wandsbek District of Hamburg
The city of Sint-Niklaas believes in collaboration and innovation for a more sustainable future and robust economy. With the Access Economy Alliance, we are creating a strong partnership/network to implement and test sharing stations in the North Sea region. By measuring, observing, adapting, evaluating together and learning from each other we will be able to develop workable tools and share them widely. We are delighted to be a privileged partner in this pioneering work and contribute to accelerating the transition to access economy.
Veronique D'Haeyer
Project Leader for the Circular Economy, City of Sint-Niklaas
“Joining the Access Economy Alliance will help sharing providers collectively advocate for connected lockers. Together, we are stronger.”
Quentin Geromin​
Head of Business Development, Equip Sport
“We are therefore thrilled to be part of the Access Economy Alliance and we look forward to positive collaboration to change the way we use our daily equipments in the years to come.”
Yann Lemoine
President, Les Bien en Communs
Alliance News
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