In a regular town in Sweden, an hour by train from Stockholm with a population of about 100,000 according to the city council’s website, you can find something unusual, a mall where you cannot buy anything new. The shops here only sell either second-hand or recycled/upcycled products.
(https://www.retuna.se/sidor/bilder/) Products sold at Ecofloor
ReTuna Återbruks Galleria, or ReTuna Upcycling Mall as it would be translated to in English, opened in August 2015. The name is a play on what it does and where it’s located: recycling and Eskilstuna. It is run by the Eskilstuna City Council-owned EMM which is tasked with the running of energy and environmental tasks in the area (electrical grid, electricity market, water and sanitation, and recycling) and works with as minimal effect on the environment as possible, at least according to themselves.
The mall is located next to one of EMM’s recycling centers in order to make it easy for people to sort materials to discard and then drop reusable things such as toys, electronics, clothes, and furniture off at the mall’s depot “Returen” (the return).
(https://www.eem.se/privat/atervinning/atervinningscentraler/retuna-atervinningscentral/) The recycling center and the entrance to the mall.
The depot is a drive-through, under a cover in case it rains, as it been known to do quite often in Sweden, and signs make it super easy to drop things off at the right place. Here, the staff go through everything to see what is usable and what is not. After the staff sort everything, the material is then distributed in the shops where the shop staff go through everything again to see what they can upcycle, repair, convert etc. with the aim to then sell it. The mall also houses conference rooms and a Café, Returama, that sells organic lunches, treats, and drinks. They also hold events, workshops, lectures, and theme days and aim to be a public educator in sustainability. Eskilstuna Folkhögskola (folk high school/sort of college) also holds a one-year course in recycling design at the mall.
It is a fun and smart idea and though the building looks quite boring from the outside, it is actually really nice inside. The café is lovely and though a lot of the shops sell similar things, they all put their own spin on it. They also seem to be doing quite well, as they report to have made sales of about 10.2 million SEK (Just under £850000) in 2017. During November and December 2018 they also had a pop-up shop in Eskilstuna city center featuring the shops in the mall (think sort of like a market)
(https://eskilstuna.nu/gora/aktiviteter/retuna-aterbruksgalleria) Café Returama
Shops and what they sell
AMA Outlet – Building material, bathroom sinks, toilets, doors, nails, wood, planks, windows, tools etc.
Stockholm Stadsmisson – second-hand clothes, shoes, furniture, tableware, books, DVDs etc.
Ecofloor – Plants that are eco-labeled – chosen with humans and the environment in mind – and upcycled/second-hand flower pots.
Ecohome – furniture, home décor, plants etc.
Axelina manufaktur & diverse – Clothes (upcycled converted into something new), you can hand in clothes for repair or tailoring, sewing equipment, textiles.
Rebuyke – Bicycles, rollerskates, skates, skis, helmets, garden equipment, riding equipment.
ReKidz – Children’s clothes, shoes, and toys.
ReTuna Design – Upcycled furniture and home décor.
ReModa – Romantic and shabby-chic home décor and furniture.
For You – Second-hand clothes for women, men, and children.
re:Compute-IT – Electronics, both upcycled and second hand.
ReBox – Boxes? (To be honest, I don’t really get this one).
Evas Bokhörna – Books.
Re: Pets – Pet equipment and “new” equipment made from materials handed in at ReTuna.