Spotlight On Upcycling: Sunderland’s Furniture Re-Use Network
The city of Sunderland in Northern England has started a programme aimed at upcycling furniture, reducing landfill waste, and assisting people in need.
According to the European Federation of Furniture Manufacturers, this report found that furniture waste in the EU accounts for more than 4% of the total municipal solid waste stream. Furthermore, waste arising from commercial sources contributes to 18% of total furniture waste generation across the sector.
In line with the goals of a circular economy, solutions must be looked at across sectors to address resource constraints and consumer value in a more environmentally friendly way. For inspiration to reduce furniture wastage, we can turn to the port city of Sunderland in Northern England, where the Re-Use Network aims to upcycle furniture, reduce landfill waste, and assist people in need.
According to its website, the Re-Use Network is a collaborative digital platform that prevents reusable furniture and household items from being destroyed. It does so through an online platform that connects furniture owners with reuse centres, which collect the furniture to be upcycled. Once the furniture is ready for use, specialist service providers working with vulnerable families can source affordable furniture.
In a statement by the Re-Use Network project, it is explained that the project relieves pressure on public services. It does so by reducing the amount of bulky reusable furniture that ends up in landfills while also giving people suffering from furniture poverty access to functional upcycled furniture.
“Up-cycling second-hand furniture increases capacity, improves efficiency, and enables multiple partners to scale their operations in a cost-effective manner, testing new ways of working in collaboration to deliver public services,” the Re-Use Network explains.
This project is a simple but efficient way to reduce furniture wastage while also helping community members in need by relieving poverty. Many Sunderland residents embraced the project; within the first nine months, Re-Use Network diverted 78 tonnes of furniture. This resulted in 357 people receiving upcycled furniture, with 190 households to have benefited. Re-Use Network also said that they expected these figures to increase.
Realising how much furniture goes to waste and how many families suffer from furniture poverty really makes you think twice about simply throwing an old couch away! Donate your unwanted furniture to a local charity, or upcycle it for other use. No matter how small you think your contribution is, we all need to work together towards a caring and resourceful society.
Let me know which projects you are supporting to reduce waste. Read more about the EU furniture industry and the aims towards improving the industry within a circular economy here.
