Circular economy and social inclusion in practice: an enlightening visit to Kringwinkel ViTes

On 26 March, the RREUSE team, along with representatives from 3 DGs of the European Commission, the Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union, the European Climate Foundation, and OVAM (Flanders Public Waste Agency), visited Kringwinkel ViTes in Leuven, Belgium. This visit aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of social enterprises in the circular economy, their activities, impact, and the challenges they face.

Kringwinkel is a partnership of social enterprises that creates sustainable added value with second-hand goods and is a flagship example of how to organise reuse activities on a regional level, with over 20 years of tradition. They provide jobs, education, and a future perspective to more than 6,000 people with little chance in the mainstream labour market. Annually, they collect about 84,000 tonnes of various materials, with about half of these finding a new home through one of the 132 Kringwinkel shops and thus being locally reused.

Kringwinkel ViTes Leuven is a large reuse shop and a 5,000 m² warehouse showcasing the essence of Kringwinkel – a well-organised reuse facility and an attractive second-hand shopping experience with social value.

Additionaly, Kringwinkel ViTes also runs Kilomet, a unique second-hand shop in Anderlecht, where goods that do not get sold in the normal second-hand shops are offered at a cheaper price per kilo. By serving people on a budget and various creatives in need of materials, they make sure that as much as possible is locally re-used.

Our guests had an enriching afternoon at Kringwinkel ViTes, actively participating in discussions and expressing their keen interest in the subject matter.

Special thanks to our Belgian members Herwin and RESSOURCES for their active participation and to the whole Kringwinkel ViTes team for their warm welcome!