ReTuna, Eskilstuna, Sweden
"The aim is to make this a unique shopping experience so people don’t just come here because, ethically, it’s the right thing to do, but because they want to; because they know they’ll find wonderful things in a beautiful building; so, what we do here is show that a town can reduce its waste without sacrificing its love of retail therapy. These two things can co-exist" Anna Bergström, ReTuna Centre Manager
ReTuna opened in 2015 and is the world's first recycling mall, revolutionising shopping in a climate-smart way. Everything sold in this 3,000 sqm mall is recycled or reused or has been organically or sustainably produced. Doubling up as a recycling point for the community, visitors drop off their unwanted goods which are then distributed to the tenants of the mall to be upcycled for sale. In 2018 ReTuna sold over SEK 11.7 million worth of recycled goods. But, ReTuna is more than just a marketplace. It also aims to be a public educator. ReTuna organizes events, workshops, lectures, themed open days, and more – all with a focus on sustainability. The local high school Eskilstuna Folkhögskola conducts its one-year education program “Recycle Design – Återbruk“ in the premises. There are also conference rooms, where guests can hold climate-smart meetings.
Blue City, Rotterdam
“The biggest problem in the transition to circular economy: it doesn’t scale – or at least not quickly enough. By accelerating 30+ innovative entrepreneurs, connecting them to big corporations and working with corporate partners in Living Labs, BlueCity shows on a local level that it is possible to change AND what the counter forces are, e.g. legally and fiscally. This gives invaluable insights on the problems of transition on a bigger, (inter)national scale. In this way we accelerate the international transition through local entrepreneurship.” Blue City
Built in a former 12,000 sqm aquapark, BlueCity is a breeding ground for innovative companies that link their residual flows together. Their goal is to provide start-ups and scale-ups with access to circular resources, knowledge and talent, to turn ideas into action and ultimately: to help sustainable entrepreneurs to grow from intention to impact. The coffee grains from bars and restaurants in Rotterdam form a breeding ground for the oyster mushrooms from RotterZwam. The CO2 that is released during this process is used by Spireaux in the production of spirulina. The mycelium is used to develop packaging materials in the BlueCity Lab and the fungi - these can of course be found everywhere on the plates of the Rotterdam hospitality industry – a perfect circle.
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