RREUSE

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RREUSE (Reuse and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises) is an international nonprofit network that links social enterprises active in the environmental field of reuse, repair and recycling. Its main areas of focus are environmental protection, social equity, and economic viability.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Mission and Activity[edit]

RREUSE supports the social and circular enterprise community at the European Union level for policies in favor of repair and reuse of end-of-life products. RREUSE is currently working towards an inclusive circular economy based on re-use and repair. It's is based in Belgium with 102,000 employees, trainees and volunteers working across more than 29 countries.^[6]

RREUSE is currently representing re-use and recycling social enterprises, awareness, and research.^[6] The association also partners in international projects, working with universities and research centres such as the LOWaste Project or the Quali Pro Second Hand Project II. In 2011, RREUSE received the European Week for Waste Reduction award for that campaign.^{[citation needed]}

Origin[edit]

Interests in social enterprises working together in environmental services increased during 1999-2001. A few events and projects were set by a few organisations from the social economy sector. Some organisations also started working together on the forthcoming European WEEE Directive (adopted in 2001), to address the concern about the possible impact of the WEEE-Directive on social enterprises working in the recycling and reuse sector. In November 2000, a decision was made to develop a European network of social enterprises working in the waste sector to provide a forum for political debates and unfolding legislation in Brussels on a more regular basis.

A network of 17 social enterprises was constituted on 26 February 2001. Representatives from the European Parliament, Belgium Ministry for Social Economy, and the Directorate Environment of the European Commission expressed their general support.^[7] RREUSE was founded in August 2022 under Belgian law with the status of a Non-profit organisation.

In 2003, RREUSE opened a secretariat for Belgium and international environmental and social NGO's at Mundo-B house, an ecologically renovated office building in the centre of Brussels.

RREUSE members are:

The network RREUSE has a non-bureaucratic structure.

The members meet three times a year working on the different waste streams, such as:

• WEEE (Waste electrical and electronic equipment),
• Textiles,
• Bulky waste,
• Bio-waste,
• Resource consumption and product policies etc.

Most of the work is done by volunteer members between the meetings.

Funding[edit]

RREUSE is financed by membership fees. In the first two years, RREUSE received seed funding from the Belgian Government to promote the launch of the organisation. Later, RREUSE received some funding by DG Environment and DG Education.^[8] Recently ^[when?] RREUSE has received funding from Fondation de France.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• RREUSE official website