Shortcomings in mainstream housing provision are increasingly met by alternative - particularly collaborative - initiatives addressing sustainability. We explore how sustainability in alternative housing is framed in Swedish media and policy, and map prevalent categories. Findings indicate a gap between claims and practice. Key aspects concern the framing of housing as collaboration or as a service, that the emphasis on sharing is not necessarily translated into typological innovations, and that few projects unify multiple sustainability aspects. Further examinations should address how alternative practices are moving into the mainstream and what sustainability potentials are gained or lost along the way.