Innovative re-use partnership forged
A new lease of life for second-hand furniture
The vision of this partnership is to save unwanted items from destruction to the benefit of customers, the circular economy and the wider community.
What are the benefits?
- Re-use creates transition from linear to the circular economy.
- Rebates benefit and incentivise customers.
- Users of the quality second-hand items receive great quality items at a fraction of the normal retail price.
Since March 2022, SUEZ commercial customers in the south-east can easily repurpose their unwanted furniture and equipment and in the process deliver social value whilst making a valuable contribution to the circular economy.
There are many advantages to participation in this re-use initiative. Not only do unwanted items get a second life, but SUEZ commercial customers also receive a 25% rebate of the resale value when their items sell. Customers can also take advantage of moving the weight of these repurposed items from waste to recycling so achieving even greater savings on their waste bill.
We were delighted to team up with SUEZ in the launch of a new re-use service. We think partnering a market leader in the waste industry and a re-use specialist such as TRACO will be game changing for a lot of organisations.
Andrew Jamieson-Director of Operations - TRACOuk
Universities are leading the way in using this initiative to bolster their sustainability and social value credentials.
Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth universities have already benefitted from this new partnership. So far 11020kg of furniture have been collected. University of Portsmouth has repurposed reception furniture, metal shelving and lobby furniture. University of Southampton and Bournemouth University have utilised the service for 750 chairs to date.
Commercial benefits from this re-use initiative were generated right from the start. In March 2022, SUEZ collected 260kg of furniture. A reception desk, weighing in at 80kg, has already been sold. Its university owner was delighted with the £18.00 rebate from the sale and that the desk is still delivering value in its second life.
The SUEZ - TRACOuk partnership is forecast to deliver substantial carbon savings and social value contributions through re-use, whilst delivering rebates on waste bills for participating customers.
