Understanding the link between collaborative economy and sustainable behaviour: An empirical investigation

The Collaborative Economy is growing at an exponential rate and the accommodation sector is especially affected. The relevance of the phenomenon is linked with sustainable consumption that encourages resource efficiency, waste reduction, development of better products and surplus reutilization due to overproduction and overconsumption. This paper aims at investigating the relationship between collaborative consumption and the adoption of sustainable practices from the users' perspective. After identifying the gaps existing in the literature, different research approaches were integrated. At first 4 focus groups were conducted to detect the main attributes and benefits attached to Collaborative Economy in tourism. The personal values (Instrumental and Terminal Values) relevant to P2P accommodation renting were identified through laddering technique as the propensity to put in place sustainable behaviour. Thereafter, a Structural Model based on the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs was set and tested to understand its consistency with the above values. An ad hoc questionnaire was projected and administered online, based on a sample of 384 respondents. Quantitative data were analysed through statistical and Structural Equation Modeling software. From an academic perspective, the paper enhances the current knowledge in identifying the desired end states that users want to achieve by renting a P2P accommodation; moreover, it exploits and adapts the TPB to an emerging consumption model such as Collaborative Economy, thus disclosing the relation between collaborative consumption and sustainable behaviour. Moreover, the adaptation of TPB model to the newest context of Collaborative Economy expands the knowledge related to sustainable consumption. From a managerial perspective, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of defining a new business paradigm considering collaborative consumption to support environmental policy and encouraging sustainable behaviour.