Publications

RREUSE, in accordance with ENSIE, proposes adding another exception to Article 1 of the De Minimis Regulation. With this proposal, RREUSE joins partner organizations’ call to advocate for the development of the job creation potential brought by work integration social enterprises.

While most Member States address circular policies to foster the green transition within their recovery and resilience plans, still too many fall short of designing holistic environmental measures with a strong social component. Within a current context of economic uncertainty and multiple global crises, besides the necessity of a green transition that is both fair and inclusive, RREUSE emphasises the importance of an economic and environmental agenda characterised by strong social and circular economy principles.

The take, make, use, and dispose economy is fuelling the climate emergency. Re-use and preparation for re-use contribute to climate change mitigation by preventing resource depletion, diverting products and materials from landfills and incineration (therefore preventing associated emissions), and reducing energy demand.

RREUSE calls for a more comprehensive monitoring framework for the circular economy (MFCE). While the environmental, economic and social benefits of re-use are well documented, re-use is inexplicably not covered in the MFCE adopted in 2018. Hence, the revision of the MFCE is a much-needed opportunity to include re-use and preparation for re-use indicators, in line with the waste hierarchy and following the Commission Implementing Decision laying down a common methodology and a format for reporting on re-use.

RREUSE welcomes the revision of the Ecodesign Directive through the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) as a major opportunity to enhance product sustainability and to pave the way for a transition towards sustainability within European markets.

Aiming at accelerating the green and digital transitions of the EU industry, the European Commission has prepared a Staff Working Document to outline possible scenarios for a transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable, and digital textiles ecosystem. RREUSE reflected on the issues and possible output scenarios for 2030 that were presented in the Staff Working Document, and put together the response below.

To maximise the opportunities envisioned under the Social Economy Action Plan’s potential, RREUSE puts forward a series of recommendations related to four priority areas.

RREUSE is delighted to announce the publication of the “Research study on developing re-use networks in Europe”, which aims to analyse networks of social economy re-use operators in Europe. RREUSE was selected by Kierrätyskeskus to conduct the study and draft the report in the framework of CIRCWASTE, a seven-year LIFE project aiming to promote the circular economy in Finland.

RREUSE is enthusiastic to be among the cosignatories of the Pact for Skills Partnership and believes it can be a useful instrument to support the decades-long work of social enterprises active in the circular economy for the promotion of green and transferable skills and lifelong learning opportunities.

RREUSE and EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius had a conversation on the social value in the circular transition, as part of the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of RREUSE. This discussion was the third part of a conversation series, the first two parts of which included meetings with Lakshmi Narayan, Co-founder of the trade union Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), and Adam Minter, Columnist with Bloomberg Opinion and author of Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale and Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade.

To complement the extension of the scope of the Ecodesign Directive, which should in the future apply to other types of products than electronics and pay particular attention to making products more durable and repairable, the Commission has recently launched a public consultation on the “Sustainable consumption of goods – promoting the right to repair and reuse”.