A Swedish mall is entirely dedicated to reselling everything

A shopping mall just outside Stockholm, Sweden, requires all retailers to sell used and repurposed goods, acting as a community education hub.

We’re seeing ever more initiatives aiming to raise awareness of waste and changing shoppers’ approach to how they purchase products, whether it’s repurposing advertising billboards in Rwanda to make fashionable accessories, or a restaurant serving meals made with expired produce. Now, Sweden-based ReTuna is encouraging consumers to rethink how they shop with the world’s first shopping mall offering exclusively used items.

ReTuna aims to be an educational resource, teaching consumers to think about the value their old products could have by being repurposed. The mall acts as a community centre, providing a restaurant where all produce is organically certified, a conference centre for hire, guided tours through the retail units to hear the stories behind why the businesses believe in repurposing, and repair centres where visitors can learn valuable skills to help prolong the life of their products. Donations are processed by staff of local group Activity, Motivation and Work, where products are repaired and refurbished before being passed on to the retail units, which offer a variety of products from clothing to furniture and electronics. All retailers are required to adhere to ReTuna’s philosophy of minimal waste and environmental awareness. Located in the city of Eskilstuna just outside of Stockhom and operating since August 2015, ReTuna is open seven days a week and holds monthly ‘crazy Monday’ sales.

With the growing number of community maker-centres, sustainability projects and green awareness campaigns, will we see more businesses helping educate their employees and moving towards 100% sustainable business models?