The first-ever International Day of Zero Waste, held on March 30, 2023, brought attention to the need for sustainable consumption patterns and highlighted the work of social economy enterprises in re-use, repair, and recycling. Re-use, rather than recycling, can often be the better environmental solution, saving materials, energy, money, and time.
RREUSE finds the existing voluntary approach to foster social and environmental considerations in public purchases insufficient to encourage using public procurement to achieve key policy objectives.
Waste prevention is at the top of the waste hierarchy, and the positive impacts of reuse are further multiplied when reuse activities and second-hand sales take place locally. Re-using textiles locally is the most sustainable way to close the textiles loop as well as to deliver local jobs for the circular and just transition.
Our study “Putting people and skills at the core of the circular economy: 18 stories from social enterprises” is officially released today! Through this collection of stories and the extraction of conclusions from them, this report highlights the vital role that social enterprises can play in upskilling and reskilling workers for a more circular economy, and reveals that without a clear understanding of the skills needed in a circular economy, it will be difficult to tailor training programs that ensure a balanced labor supply and demand.
RREUSE is enthusiastic to announce the submission of its first pledge as part of the Transition Pathway for the Proximity and Social Economy ecosystem, which aims at addressing capacity and skills gaps within the circular economy.
In the context of the consideration of the European Parliament’s draft report on the EU Strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, RREUSE, together with 6 civil society organisations recalls the necessary actions to make the textiles strategy an effective tool to shift the sector towards circularity as well as environmental and social sustainability.
RREUSE, the International network representing social enterprises active in re-use, repair and recycling, welcomes the call for evidence on reviewing rules on the Services of general economic interest (SGEI) de minimis Regulation.
RREUSE believes that Member States should make use of the current window of opportunity for updating Value Added Tax (VAT) rules to create a better taxation framework for social enterprises active in the circular economy. Reduced VAT rates and exemptions on the basis of social and environmental activities are an essential instrument to acknowledge social enterprises’ large contribution to fostering work integration opportunities, green skilling, and the objectives of a circular economy, in line with the EU Social Economy and Circular Economy Action Plans.
RREUSE greatly welcomes the Commission’s proposal for the 2023 European Year of Skills which also acknowledges the social economy’s decisive role as a proponent of a socially fair and inclusive twin transition including in the field of upskilling and reskilling.
On November 30, the Commission released its proposal for a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation as part of its second Circular Economy Package, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of packaging by removing its usage where unnecessary while also making packaging more reusable and recyclable.
RREUSE has recently contributed to a report lead by Unpackaged and commissioned by the Rethink Plastic Alliance aiming to outline conditions, criteria, and recommendations for scaling up re-usable packaging systems in line with a just transition.
E-waste is a unique waste stream because it contains both precious materials and hazardous substances, creating a concrete threat of environmental degradation if illegal actors motivated by the prospect of high profits engage in improper disposal.