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Spotted: The UK is the second-highest generator of electronic waste globally, at 23.9 kilogrammes per person. And amidst growing urgency to cut down on resource extraction, solutions that promote sharing over ownership are gaining traction. Faced with the triple challenge of reducing clutter, costs, and carbon emissions from products, an innovative solution is helping communities rethink consumer culture across London and beyond.

Library of Things is a social business aiming to bridge the gap between convenience and sustainability through ‘libraries’ of tools and other household items that individuals can hire. This enables access to rarely used equipment without users having to commit to making a purchase themselves. 

Using convenient self-service kiosks or lockers, and with borrowing organised through an online platform, Library of Things empowers users to borrow items ranging from power tools to projectors at an affordable cost. To enrich the experience and make it more community-focused, the platform also offers workshops where users can learn the basics of skills like DIY and upcycling. “We’re all about cutting household expenses, reducing carbon emissions, and tackling the endless cycle of unused items gathering dust. We want a world where the Amazon rainforest outlasts Amazon.com”, Co-Founder Rebecca Trevalyan told Springwise. 

This borrowing business model benefits from partnerships with well-known brands like Bosch and Kärcher, bringing users access to premium tools that would otherwise be too costly for one-off or occasional use cases. Library of Things connects neighbourhood residents and aims to make shared resources as convenient and reliable as ownership, helping to build a more sustainable, circular economy in the process. The organisation embeds and enforces this mission from the ground up: “We’re a mission-locked, steward-owned business, which means our directors and investors are legally bound to keep the mission – people and planet – at the heart of every decision,” explains Trevalyan.

Library of Things was named as one of the BE100 winners at this year’s Blue Earth Summit. Now in 19 locations around London, the Library of Things model continues to grow, with plans to add more libraries across the UK and Europe. To help scale this, the company is now licensing its platform and forming partnerships with local governments, housing providers, and communities. Next, it plans to launch a Sharing Library Seed Fund & Incubator, to support communities that need help establishing their own borrowing libraries and to bring the benefits of shared resources to even more neighbourhoods.

Written By: Oscar Williams