IWA 27-2017 PDF

Full title and description

IWA 27:2017 — Guiding principles and framework for the sharing economy. This International Workshop Agreement (IWA) provides high-level guiding principles and a decision‑making framework to address social, environmental and economic impacts and opportunities arising from sharing‑economy business models, with practical guidance for platform operators, providers, customers and other interested parties.

Abstract

IWA 27:2017 describes a set of principles (integrity; transparency; accountability; accessibility and inclusion; responsiveness; health, safety and environment; confidentiality, privacy and security; capacity; competence; and continual improvement) and a framework to guide decisions and actions across customers, labour, government, environment and broader societal impacts in the sharing economy. Informative annexes provide operational guidance for platform operators, providers and customers, and guidance on handling complaints and feedback.

General information

• Status: Withdrawn (IWA originally published 2017; withdrawn in a later review/withdrawal action).
• Publication date: 2017-09 (September 2017).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: Services in general; Transport and related services; Information technology / general (example ICS codes recorded for this IWA: 01.040.03, 03.080.01, 35.020).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (IWA 27:2017).
• Number of pages: 17 pages.

Scope

IWA 27:2017 sets out guiding principles and a decision‑making framework intended to help platform operators, service providers, customers, governments and other stakeholders identify and respond to the key social, environmental and economic issues arising from sharing‑economy models. It is intended as guidance (an IWA) rather than a prescriptive International Standard and can inform future standards, national guidance or organisational policies. Informative annexes expand the guidance into operational advice for different stakeholder perspectives.

Key topics and requirements

• High‑level guiding principles for platform operators and providers: integrity, transparency, accountability, accessibility & inclusion, responsiveness, health & safety, privacy & security, capacity, competence, and continual improvement.
• Decision‑making and action framework addressing customers, labour/workforce issues, government and regulatory relations, environmental impacts, and broader community and economic effects.
• Guidance on feedback, complaint handling and mechanisms for continual review and improvement.
• Operational annexes offering practical guidance for platform operators, individual providers and customers (roles, responsibilities and suggested practices).
• Recommendations for how the IWA can inform future standardization work or national/regional guidance.

Typical use and users

Primary users include platform operators and designers, sharing‑economy service providers, consumer protection and government agencies, standards developers and policy makers, and researchers examining the social, economic and environmental impacts of sharing‑economy models. Organisations use the IWA as a reference to develop policies, platform rules, complaint procedures, privacy practices and stakeholder engagement approaches.

Related standards

Relevant related documents and standards referenced in or connected to the IWA’s themes include guidance on social responsibility (ISO 26000), quality and customer satisfaction guidance (e.g., ISO 10001/10002/10003 family), and other IWAs or technical reports on service management and governance; national codes and sectoral guidance (for example, various national best‑practice documents and PAS or national standards addressing platform services) may also complement the IWA. The IWA was developed via an ISO workshop process and was intended to be a foundation for future standardization work.

Keywords

sharing economy, platform operators, peer‑to‑peer services, guiding principles, decision framework, transparency, accountability, consumer protection, labour, privacy, complaint handling, ISO IWA.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IWA 27:2017 is an International Workshop Agreement titled "Guiding principles and framework for the sharing economy." It is a consensus document produced through an ISO workshop process to provide rapid guidance for an emerging market area rather than a full International Standard.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers high‑level principles and a decision‑making/action framework to address social, environmental and economic issues tied to sharing‑economy activities, with annexes offering operational guidance for platforms, providers and customers and recommendations for complaint handling and continual improvement.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Platform operators, service providers in the sharing economy, consumer protection bodies, regulators, standards developers, policy makers and researchers use the document as a reference to inform practice, policy and future standardization.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The ISO record indicates IWA 27:2017 has been withdrawn (the document was published in September 2017 and later withdrawn following review). Users should check for any replacement standards, updated guidance or national/adopted documents that have since superseded or taken forward its content.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is an International Workshop Agreement (IWA), part of ISO’s mechanism to publish workshop‑level consensus guidance documents rapidly. While not part of a numbered "series" of IWA documents, it sits alongside other IWAs and ISO guidance publications addressing services, social responsibility and related topics and may serve as a basis for later standards.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Sharing economy, platform, provider, customer, principles, transparency, accountability, privacy, safety, complaint handling, continual improvement.