Viridor and Reuse Network announce strategic partnership
Viridor and the charity Reuse Network have announced a new strategic partnership to further develop the UK’s reuse sector and extend its environmental and social benefits.
Viridor has committed £50,000 to the Reuse Network, to support the charity and its network of reuse charities and social enterprise members who continue to find balanced environmental and social solutions for both people and the planet. The money will help fund the development of a nationally recognised program of training and qualifications to support in the creation of “professional repairers” in line with the UK government’s new ‘right to repair’ regulations. Reuse Network will collaborate with manufacturers, major retailers, and a number of colleges to establish this new scheme.
The announcement comes today (Friday 22 April 2022) on Earth Day, a day where communities across the globe demonstrate their support for environmental protection. Launched in 1970 as a day of protest, the movement has grown to engage around 1 billion people annually.
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is ‘Invest in Our Planet’, and follows the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that declared that it was ‘now or never’ in the fight against the climate emergency.
Viridor is on a mission to build a world where nothing goes to waste and today’s announcement reinforces its commitment to investing in reuse, one of the highest levels in the waste hierarchy.
Viridor and Reuse Network will 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. Each year, millions of items are sent to landfill sites across the country, and many of these items could be reused and provided to people in crisis.
Despite external constraints, the reuse sector continues to step up to ensure that everyone has access to affordable household items to enable them to create a sustainable home. Last year, the reuse sector as a whole reused 1.5 million furniture and electrical items, helping 652,098 households save £188.5 million compared to buying these items new. Reusing these items prevented 50,574 tonnes of products from being wasted, saving 54,355 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
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. Always think twice when you are about to throw something away - you never know, someone else might need just that in this very moment".
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.
“Seeing how Reuse Network and Viridor are strategically aligned, we didn’t think twice about this partnership. Viridor’s investment in the network will support our charity, and network of charity members, to help even more people access the affordable items they need to build a sustainable 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. 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.”
For further information please contact:
communications@viridor.co.uk
