Providing self-service access to everyday equipment

Self-service bicycles have made it possible to share them on a massive scale. Couldn't we do the same with everyday equipment? What's the point of each of us having a hoover, a screwdriver, a raclette machine, etc. that we don't use much? All the more so as this over-consumption has an impact on the community and the planet. Sharing makes sense, but sharing with neighbours and renting in shops doesn't work very well, because these alternatives are restrictive: proximity, 24-hour availability, autonomy in use, etc. Yann Lemoine and Les Biens en Commun offer a rental system that combines the advantages of ownership and sharing. His French company installs connected lockers that contain equipment that can be booked via an app for 1 euro an hour and picked up with a code. ‘Nice idea, but it won't work’, was he told. However, student residences, Decathlon, Leroy Merlin and SEB all backed the idea and the company took off.