ReTuna – The world’s first recycling mall

Challenge

The large goal of the recycling park (Återvinningscentralen and Återbruksgallerian) is to reduce waste in the municipality. In that goal, ReTuna will be an arena for various businesses to explore sustainable and climate-smart business ideas, and to be a platform for circular trade and a sharing economy

Target group

Entrepreneurs, consumers, businesses and individuals.

Solution

The mall was inaugurated in August 2015 and is located next to the Retuna Recycling Center at Folkestaleden 7 in Eskilstuna. It is easy for visitors to sort materials in the containers and then take the opportunity to leave reusable toys, furniture, clothes, interior items and technology in the mall’s “Return” depot. Here the material is received personally from AMA (Eskilstuna municipality’s resource unit for Activity, Motivation and Work) who makes an initial thinning. The items are then distributed to the recycling shops in the mall. The shop staff does a second thinning and selects what they want to repair, fix, transform, refine – and sell. That way, the material still comes to life.

Innovation

They are a circular economy for real, that is easy to understand, and to practice.

Unique Selling Point

ReTuna is more than a trading platform. The assignment is also to be a public educator. Events, workshops, lectures, theme days are organized here – all with a focus on sustainability. Eskilstuna Folkhögskola conducts its one-year education “Recycle Design – Återbruk” in the premises. There are also conference rooms here where guests can have climate-smart meetings. Café Returama offers organic lunch and coffee.

Impact

The business idea works: in 2020, recycled products worth 15.4 million were sold at ReTuna Återbruksgalleria. An increase of almost 92% from the start.

Feasibility / Transferability

The Retuna approach has the potential to be transferred to other locations that have similar economic and cultural conditions.