Airbnb And Zipcar Join UK’s ‘Sharing Economy’

Airbnb and Zipcar are among the 21 founding members of Sharing Economy UK, a trade group intended to champion companies in the U.K.’s sharing sector, according to The Telegraph.

Other founding members of the voluntary group include Appear Here, BlaBlaCar, Compare and Share, EasyCar, Echo, Hassle.com, Liftshare, Love Home Swap, Nimber, Onefinestay, OuiShare and TaskRabbit. Members of the trade group will agree to a code of conduct, develop a best-practices certification program, and publish research on issues related to sharing-economy businesses and consumers.

In fact, the spark for the new group was an independent report on sharing-economy businesses commissioned by the U.K. government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. That report, “Unlocking the UK’s Sharing Economy,” cited a PwC report that found the U.K. sharing economy is currently worth about £500 million ($750 million), but could unlock as much as £9 billion ($13.5 billion) in economic activity per year by 2025. The report’s author, Love Home Swap founder Debbie Wosskow, will serve as Sharing Economy UK’s chair for the first year.

Matthew Hancock, the Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister who commissioned the report, endorsed Sharing Economy UK at its launch. The group will also be supported and advised by a range of U.K. organizations including PwC, law firm Osborne Clarke, the Institute of Directors, Coadec, Nesta, Tech City and Tech UK.

“While connected consumers have been quick to see the benefits of home sharing or car-pooling, matters of insurance, regulation and tax continue to be a challenge for sharing economy businesses,” said Andrew Saul, a senior partner at Osborne Clarke. “We’re excited to be supporting Sharing Economy UK, tackling legal and regulatory issues to work on practical solutions for this booming industry.”

Sharing economy trade groups have taken root in places like Australia with groups like The People Who Share, while in the U.S., Peers.com has become the defacto trade group, according to National Affairs.

Meanwhile, large sharing-economy startups like Uber that are facing regulatory fights have begun to spend significant money on lobbying in the past year.