Library of Things

Library of Things is a mission-driven social enterprise that operates item‑sharing libraries and licences its digital platform and self‑serve lockers to councils, community organisations and businesses to enable local rental and sharing of household goods.

Circularity Relevance

Core

Service is explicitly designed to extend product lifetimes via sharing and rental, reduce waste and keep items out of landfill - core circular outcomes stated on the website Source: Library of Things.

Circular Role

DirectEnabler, SupportEnabler

Operates its own network of item‑sharing locations (DirectEnabler) and also licences its platform, lockers and supply‑chain services to councils and organisations (SupportEnabler) Source: Library of Things.

Circular Type

CircularRetailer

• Products

• B2C

• B2B2C

Functions as a rental/sharing retailer for physical goods (catalogue and consumer reservations). Also licenses platform to organisations, creating B2B2C relationships; classified as 'CircularRetailer' because it operates rental/sharing services and sells access to those services via its platform Source: Library of Things.

R Strategy

R3 - Reuse, R1 - Rethink, R4 - Repair, R2 - Reduce

Primary: reuse (second‑hand use of items through lending) and access-based models (sharing/rental). Secondary: repair/maintenance support and demand reduction are evident in maintenance programmes and behaviour‑change content on the site Source: Library of Things.

Circular Business Model

Sharing / Collaborative Use, Rental / Leasing

Platform enables shared access and rental of physical goods (catalogue, reservations, payments, lockers) and licenses the platform to third parties - described on licensing and platform pages Source: Library of Things.

Organisational Type

ForProfit

Described as a mission-locked social enterprise and registered company in England & Wales (Company No.11804306) - legal registration shown on website Source: Library of Things.

Sector

Retail & Consumer Goods

Platform primarily enables lending and rental of household goods for consumers (online catalogue, reservations, collections, lockers) - evidenced on the organisation's website Source: Library of Things.

Geographical Reach

International

• United Kingdom

Operates across London (primary operations) and offers licensing, training and platform deployment to councils and organisations across the UK and Europe - site and licensing pages reference UK/EU partnerships and an Innovate UK grant to adapt the platform for wider use Source: Library of Things.

Hardware Component

True

• Smart_Devices

• User_Interface

• Asset_Tracking

Provider supplies and helps install self‑serve lockers as part of the licensed offering; lockers provide the physical access point for rentals and integrate with the digital platform Source: Library of Things. Technical details of the locker hardware (connectivity/specs) are not detailed on the site.

Tech Map Relevance

Meets map criteria: provides digital software to power item-sharing and rental operations and licences that software to councils, community organisations and businesses. Evidence: Library of Things licensing and platform pages show purpose-built software and locker hardware for lending and rental Source: Library of Things. Additional independent coverage confirms circular operation and licensing activity Source: Doughnut Economics Action Lab, 2024 and Source: Cooperative City, 2025.

Enablers are initially categorised by an AI agent, then verified by a real human.
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Added: 09 Feb 2026

Updated: 29 Apr 2026