Viridor has committed £50,000 to the charity to support its “network of reuse charities and social enterprise members who continue to find balanced environmental and social solutions for both people and the planet”.
According to Viridor, the money will help fund the development of a nationally recognised program of training and qualifications to support in the creation of “professional repairers”.
This will be in line with the UK government’s new ‘right to repair’ regulations Viridor said, and the Reuse Network will now “collaborate with manufacturers, major retailers, and a number of colleges to establish this new scheme”.
Awareness
Edita Adamcikova, head of ESG at Viridor said: “We are delighted to support the work of the Reuse Network and to work together to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of reuse in communities all across the UK. Building a world where nothing goes to waste lies at the heart of everything we do and reuse is one of the core elements in achieving that goal, helping to create thriving carbon neutral communities”.
She concluded: “Always think twice when you are about to throw something away – you never know, someone else might need just that in this very moment.”
Circular economy
Viridor and the Reuse Network will also work together to raise awareness of reuse and its importance in a circular economy as well as supporting new reuse opportunities with the commercial sector.
Viridor pointed to statistics from 2021 which suggest that the reuse sector reportedly reused 1.5 million furniture and electrical items, helping 652,098 households save £188.5 million when compared to buying the items new. This prevented 50,574 tonnes of products from being wasted, saving 54,355 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The Reuse Network was formerly known as the Furniture Reuse Network until rebranding in 2018 (see letsrecycle.com story).
It aims to support reuse charities across the UK to help them alleviate poverty, reduce waste and tackle climate change.
Craig Anderson, chief executive of the Reuse Network said: “Developing the reuse sector requires partnership, and we are delighted to be working with Viridor to come together as one team to deliver real change in the local communities we call home.
“As the collective awareness of our environmental impact is getting stronger, communities are looking for ways they can take action and become more sustainable. There are simple steps that we can all take to reduce our carbon-footprint and halt our demand on the Earth’s resources”.
He added: “For us at the Reuse Network, favouring reused or second-hand goods over new ones is an obvious choice. By extending the life of products and giving them a second life through reuse, we can vastly reduce the need for new products and in turn prevent and reduce harmful CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.”
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