One of Springwise’s highlights of 2014 was the Swiss initiative Pumpipumpe, which encouraged neighbors to lend each other items by putting the relevant stickers on their mailboxes. Now, Peerby from Amsterdam is a high-tech version of that same idea, and enables people to borrow expensive items from their neighbors, rather than splashing out on new products.

Based on the knowledge that 80 percent of items are used less than once a month, Peerby is an app that helps people engage with the sharing economy and live a little greener and cheaper. To begin, lenders download the app and list all items they would be happy to lend out. It can be anything from a lawnmower to a disco ball. Then borrowers can search the database for a particular item they need or browse categories for nearby offers. When they find what they are looking for they can negotiate with the owner within the app and arrange to meet and borrow the item. Borrowers can also create posts with requests for items that they haven’t been able to find.

Could the app work in other countries too?