Trends and alternatives for production and consumption towards to a new system's dynamic

Abstract

The paper aims to study alternative forms of production and consumption and their convergence as a way to create a new system’s dynamic. Firstly there is a theoretical discussion of the themes, then empirical evidence is discussed to make the case, and finally findings are discussed. The alternative forms of production and consumption, such as social business and collaborative consumption, are proven to be economically viable, and may satisfy also social and environmental concerns, in alignment with sustainable development concepts. This suggests they represent an opportunity to leverage a significant transformation in the whole system. The analysis performed can serve to the elaboration of public policies for development, by fomenting these alternative forms; and to incentivize entrepreneurs to create similar enterprises to create positive impact and simultaneously generate profits. The empirical evidence collected is restricted. For further and more conclusive findings the range of the examples researched must be increased.