ISO 42500:2021

Sharing economy - General principles

This document provides general sharing economy principles. It is intended to be used by all types and sizes of organization (e.g. commercial enterprises, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations).

Économie du partage — Principes généraux

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 29-Nov-2021
• ICS: 03.080.01 - Services in general
• ICS: 35.240.63 - IT applications in trade
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 324 - Sharing economy
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 324/WG 1 - Terminology and principles
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 30-Nov-2021
• Due Date: 23-Jan-2023
• Completion Date: 30-Nov-2021

Overview

ISO 42500:2021, titled Sharing Economy - General Principles, is an international standard developed by ISO/TC 324 to provide foundational guidelines for organizations participating in the sharing economy. This standard addresses a wide range of entities-from commercial enterprises and government agencies to non-profit organizations-offering a trustworthy framework for sharing economy platforms, providers, and users.

Driven by advances in technology and internet connectivity, the sharing economy enables peer-to-peer exchanges of underutilized assets and skills. ISO 42500:2021 establishes general principles aimed at fostering transparent, accountable, and inclusive sharing economy transactions across diverse sectors globally.

Key Principles

ISO 42500:2021 highlights six core guiding principles essential for the reliable operation and growth of sharing economy models:

• Integrity: All parties should conduct activities in a manner attracting trustworthy and compliant participants, reinforcing confidence in the system.

• Transparency: Platforms and providers must offer clear, accurate, and accessible information to help users make informed decisions.

• Accountability and Authorization: Sharing economy actors must follow applicable rules and regulations, with mechanisms in place for oversight and redress.

• Accessibility and Inclusion: Services should be broadly available, ensuring fair participation without discrimination.

• Respect for Other Interests: Activities must consider the impact on competition, environmental sustainability, health, and public safety.

• Competence: Participants should demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to meet evolving customer needs and drive continuous improvement.

These principles support safe, equitable, and environmentally responsible exchanges and underpin the standard’s goal of promoting sustainable economic growth through asset sharing.

Applications

ISO 42500:2021 is designed to be practical and relevant for all types and sizes of organizations engaging in the sharing economy, including:

• Commercial enterprises running digital platforms for goods, services, or asset sharing.
• Government agencies regulating or supporting sharing economy initiatives.
• Non-profit organizations utilizing shared resources for social impact.
• Platform operators developing governance and operational frameworks.
• Providers and users ensuring ethical and compliant participation.

Organizations adopting this standard can enhance user trust by improving service quality, data protection, complaint handling, and overall transaction safety. Moreover, embracing these principles supports environmental goals through optimized resource use and fosters fair competition.

Related Standards

ISO 42500:2021 complements and aligns with several key international standards, including:

• ISO 9000: Quality management systems-Fundamentals and vocabulary, supporting customer satisfaction and quality control.
• ISO 10008: Guidelines for business-to-consumer electronic commerce transactions, relevant for platform transaction integrity.
• ISO 14024:2018: Environmental labels and declarations, promoting sustainable practices within shared assets.
• ISO 55000:2014: Asset management principles, providing terminology and frameworks for managing shared assets.
• ISO/IEC Guide 76: Recommendations for addressing consumer issues in service standards.

Together, these standards provide a comprehensive regulatory and operational environment enabling safe, fair, and effective sharing economy ecosystems.

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By aligning organizational practices with ISO 42500:2021, entities can build trustworthy sharing economy platforms that advance economic opportunity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability-key drivers of the global digital economy. Implementing these general principles helps resolve common challenges such as quality assurance, privacy, security, and consumer protection in the fast-growing sharing economy sector.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 42500
First edition
2021-11
Sharing economy — General
principles
Économie du partage — Principes généraux
Reference number
© ISO 2021
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Guiding principles . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Integrity . 3
4.3 Transparency . 3
4.4 Accountability and authorization . 3
4.5 Accessibility and inclusion . 3
4.6 Respect for other affected interests . 3
4.7 Competence . 3
Annex A (informative) Figure representing the sharing economy . 4
Bibliography . 5
iii
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 324, Sharing economy.
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iv
Introduction
A combination of widespread internet use, technological developments, economic model innovation
and demographic shifts has led to the emergence of a new economic model often called the “sharing
economy”, which enables otherwise unconnected individuals and/or organizations to make
transactions.
The sharing economy creates opportunities to connect individuals and/or organizations with unused
assets and skills with those who want to use them. It enables services and products to reach a wider
range of consumers, support entrepreneurship, and create new business opportunities with a flexible
working style which contributes to economic growth. The shift from owning assets to sharing them
through the new model enables better resource optimization and is expected to contribute to the
resolution of environmental issues.
Meanwhile, issues of security, service quality and reliability can become an obstacle for users in using
sharing economy services, such as:
― products or assets in the sharing economy platform do not meet the quality expected, or are not
ti
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