There have long been plenty of opportunities to buy secondhand clothes, furniture and similar items, whether from charity shops, online marketplaces including eBay, or independent outlets specialising in lines such as vintage and retro. In Sweden, though, one organisation has taken this a step further with an entire shopping mall dedicated to reclaimed products.
Calling itself “the world’s first recycling mall”, ReTuna Återbruksgalleria (which translates as ReTuna Recycling Galleria) in Eskilstuna resells items donated by the public, from trousers to tables and electronics to toys. The goods are restored or upcycled by the mall’s staff before being placed on sale in whichever of the centre’s 14 shops is the most appropriate. Any new products purchased by the outlets (such as the café) must be organic and sustainable.
The mall opened back in 2015 and is situated next to the city’s recycling centre, making it convenient for the public to take their items to ReTuna Recycling Galleria for resale (and likewise making it easier for rejected products to be handed over to the waste management facility). And ReTuna sees itself as more than a retail exercise – it hosts educational seminars, workshops and other activities based on sustainability, and the mall has conference rooms where organisations can host environmental-based meetings.
further reading…
There have long been plenty of opportunities to buy secondhand clothes, furniture and similar items, whether from charity shops, online marketplaces including eBay, or independent outlets specialising in lines such as vintage and retro. In Sweden, though, one organisation has taken this a step further with an entire shopping mall dedicated to reclaimed products.
Calling itself “the world’s first recycling mall”, ReTuna Återbruksgalleria (which translates as ReTuna Recycling Galleria) in Eskilstuna resells items donated by the public, from trousers to tables and electronics to toys. The goods are restored or upcycled by the mall’s staff before being placed on sale in whichever of the centre’s 14 shops is the most appropriate. Any new products purchased by the outlets (such as the café) must be organic and sustainable.
The mall opened back in 2015 and is situated next to the city’s recycling centre, making it convenient for the public to take their items to ReTuna Recycling Galleria for resale (and likewise making it easier for rejected products to be handed over to the waste management facility). And ReTuna sees itself as more than a retail exercise – it hosts educational seminars, workshops and other activities based on sustainability, and the mall has conference rooms where organisations can host environmental-based meetings.