World’s first sharing economy kitemark launches in the UK
A kitemark for the sharing economy industry has been developed by a UK trade body as part of an effort to make platforms like Uber and Airbnb safer. Sharing Economy UK announced its “TrustSeal” kitemark on Thursday, which will only be awarded to sharing economy companies that successfully meet a list of “Good Practice Principles”. Sharing economy giant, Airbnb, is firmly behind the move, with the director of public policy, Patrick Robinson, stating: “We’re excited to see the UK keep driving the sharing economy forwards and to be part of this latest innovation in the near future”. Companies hoping to receive the kitemark will apply through PwC, who will conduct a full review before reporting back to TrustSeal’s Expert Advisory Panel, which has been formed to award and govern companies with the TrustSeal stamp of approval.

A programme in the UK to issue sharing economy-related companies with a so-called Kite Mark of high standards has won the approval of global giant Airbnb.

The TrustSeal scheme is one of the first initiatives to come out of a wide-ranging project led by the UK government, under the auspices of the Sharing Economy UK trade group, to give confidence to consumers that might be wary of such new businesses.

The project was initially launched by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills in September 2014, led by Debbie Wosskow, chief executive of sharing economy home rental startup Love Home Swap (TLabs here).

The idea is that businesses involved in the sharing economy will be given the TrustSeal mark if they adhere to certain criteria, such as identity verification, transparency with products and customer service.

A pilot version of the scheme was launched this week, with four consumer brands under scrutiny, including London-based apartment/house-share brand Under The Doormat taking part.

Airbnb says it is supporting the project as an "important development to set standards and expectations for users and to continue building trust".

Director of public policy in EMEA for the company, Patrick Robinson, adds:

"The sharing economy is growing fast as it delivers great experiences. "We're excited to see the UK keep driving the sharing economy forwards and to be part of this latest innovation in the near future." Share this quote

Wosskow concedes that the larger, well-known brands such as Airbnb will have less to gain from the Kite Mark, as it is the lower-profile sites that will likely face scepticism or concerns from consumers as to their validity or standards.

Although the UK is believed to be the first European country to launch such an initiative (China has an organisation of its own, launched December 2015), Wosskow hopes that others will follow suit, with the prospect for a unified or continent-wide initiative on the table at some point in the future.

The Sharing Economy UK organisation has 60 members, including the likes of Zipcar, HomeStay and Airbnb, an increase of 40 from 12 months ago.

NB:Sharing economy image via BigStock.