Publications
Vision for a New Fashion Season: Social and Circular
Each EU citizen consumes a staggering 26 kg of textiles per year on average with the textile supply chain responsible for 15 % of primary raw material consumption of EU households[i]. The ‘fast fashion’ phenomenon shapes the way we consume clothes and has soared per...
Joint statement: Social enterprises as an integral part of the fair, green and circular transition in Europe
Every day in Europe, 2.8 million social economy enterprises employing some 19.1 million people are dedicated to solving societal challenges whilst running a sustainable business. All in all, this accounts for some 6.3% of the total paid workforce in Europe.1 Unlike...
WEEE preparation for re-use: Position on CENELEC standards for the sector
A professional approach to the preparation for reuse[1] of WEEE[2] is essential both in terms of consumer safety and confidence when purchasing second-hand goods. It is also important because of health, safety and environmental issues, particularly considering the...
10 Priorities to Transform EU Waste Policy
Almost 90% of material resources used in the EU are lost after their first use. A lot more effort is needed to accelerate a systemic transition to a circular economy, to drastically reduce the EU’s absolute natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions, respecting...
Drawing to a close on the centenary ILO celebrations of 2019
RREUSE presented at the ILO’s 11th SSE (Social and Solidarity Economy) Academy during the year, contributing to the session in mid-October (14-18 October) which took place in the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security in Madrid, Spain. Approximately two...
RREUSE 2018 Impact & Activity Report
RREUSE Activity Report 2018 Read more about our network and the policy work, communication activities and projects we undertook in 2018. Download the report here RREUSE Network Impact 2018 RREUSE members annually...
Why we need to tackle food waste and what social enterprises are doing about it
With 88 million tonnes worth of food wasted annually in Europe,[1] there are strong reasons for the new Commission to keep the fight against food waste at the top of its agenda. By 31 December 2023, the EU Commission will establish food waste reduction targets for...
RREUSE comments on the European Semester
The European Semester provides a structure to coordinate the economic policies of the European Union. In this framework, EU countries discuss their economic and budgetary plans, while monitoring their progress throughout the year. The European Semester consists of an...
Open letter: Google threatens existence of independent repair service providers
At the initiative of Runder Tisch Reparatur, a German organisation composed of repairers, NGOs, consumer organisation, scientists and local repair initiatives, a joint letter was sent to the European Commissioners Margrethe Vestager (Competition) and Karmenu Vella...
Social public procurement for environmental services: examples from the RREUSE network and beyond
55 % of procurement procedures still use the lowest price as the only award criterion [1], without considering any potential added social or environmental value they could support through making purchase choices between competing products or services. With public...
Response to the Public consultation on sustainability requirements for batteries
The 9th of January 2019, the European Commission published a roadmap on sustainability requirements for batteries. RREUSE welcomes this commitment from the European Commission to take action towards an improvement of the sustainability requirements linked to batteries...
RREUSE comments on EU VAT rule proposals
On 18 January 2018, the European Commission published proposals to revise the current VAT directive, part of an effort to create a harmonised and simplified VAT system across the EU. The proposals are now under the scrutiny of the European Parliament which is set to...