The latest news and updates from the access economy, and how item renting and sharing became that little bit easier in March 2026.
ACCESS Hubs project kicks off in Antwerp
Led by Kringwinkel Antwerpen, ACCESS Hubs brings together SMEs, municipalities and social enterprises from across Europe to launch new rental and sharing services and make them a truly convenient and attractive alternative to buying.
Over the next 3.5 years, the project will expand Europe’s rental and sharing services and make them easier to find and use through new digital platforms.
The partners met for the first time in March for the kick-off meeting, which marked an energetic start to what promises to be a transformative few years for the access economy.
EU-funded Digital Kiosks partners meet to advance Europe’s sharing station infrastructure
Bringing together six municipalities, one housing provider and one second-hand & repair shop across seven European countries, Digital Kiosks aims to expand the number, quality and visibility of sharing stations across Europe. These are self-service rental lockers where you can borrow common household goods and other items, like DIY, kitchen or sports equipment.
With many of the project’s pilot sharing stations now launched and active, partners discussed how to ensure their sharing stations – and the broader concept – remain operationally and economically viable in the long term.
New research highlights the scale of underused household goods
New research from Hogeschool Utrecht sheds light on a core challenge — and opportunity — for the access economy.
Across eight European cities, the study explored ownership rates, usage patterns, spatial impact and cost of common household goods. The research team found that in Gothenburg (SE), for example, there are 163,107 drills owned by its 267,000 households, but that 123,810 of those drills are used less than once per month. That means 76% of all privately-owned drills in Gothenburg sit idle for 353 days of the year, while costing households a collective €13.6M. Meanwhile in Bergen (NO), 61% of sewing machines are used less than once per month. The same is true for 86% of pressure washers in Saint Quentin (FR), and 84% of hand sanders in Sint Niklaas (BE).
These figures reinforce a familiar pattern: households a lot of stuff that ends up sitting idle for the vast majority of time. For access-based models, this represents a significant untapped opportunity to optimise resource use and reduce unnecessary consumption.
New Library of Things opens at London’s Barbican Library
A new Library of Things is opening at Barbican Library in London, expanding access to affordable household, DIY and cleaning equipment in the City of London.
Residents and workers will be able to borrow items such as drills, carpet cleaners and sewing machines for a low daily fee.
Beyond convenience, the initiative contributes to broader goals: reducing cost-of-living pressures, lowering environmental impact, and helping people build repair and maintenance skills.
Les Biens en Commun expands network of sharing stations with major retail group
Les Biens en Commun has expanded its partnership with Groupe Casino, bringing sharing stations into well-known retail chains including Franprix, Naturalia, Spar, Vival and Monoprix.
This move significantly increases accessibility, placing affordable equipment rental services within walking distance for millions of Parisians.
The development signals an important shift: sharing is increasingly integrated into existing retail ecosystems, making it more visible, convenient and mainstream.
Circularity emerges as an industrial strategy
Recent insights by the World Economic Forum highlight how circularity is no longer seen purely as a sustainability concept. Around 80% of business leaders now consider it important or very important, with expectations that this will rise to 95% in the coming years.
Three drivers are accelerating this transition: increasing supply chain risks and material scarcity, the emergence of new revenue models through circular business approaches, and the need to reduce emissions and resource use across value chains.
Together, these trends point to a fundamental shift – from circularity as an environmental ambition to circularity as a core economic and industrial strategy. We should remain mindful of this shift in the way we communicate about the value of rental and sharing services, and the wider access economy.
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