In support of our sustainability programmes, the University partners with the Edinburgh Remakery, a re-use and repair store which relocated to Leith Walk last year. The store is a social enterprise which teaches repair skills to the general public and campaigns for consumer goods to be built to last. The store also sells second-hand goods, including refurbished computers and furniture, as well as books and other useful items. The project is backed by Zero Waste Scotland and by the Scottish Government as part of it's Circular Economy strategy, ‘Making Things Last'. The University of Edinburgh is a project partner and donates computers between five and eight years old which are then sold to the community at a low cost, making them highly affordable. The importance of re-use Re-use has a key role to play in Scotland’s economy and environment, helping us get better value from products by moving away from the model of buying items and throwing them away after little use. Many items which could be used by someone else currently go to landfill. Every year, thousands of re-usable items end up there, including 304,000 individual 3-seater sofas and 151,000 washing machines (Zero Waste Scotland 2016). Strengthening this sector in Scotland is essential. Not only can it reduce landfill, but it will benefit the environment and relieve pressure on scarce raw materials, while also creating local jobs. The University of Edinburgh as a project partner Dave Gorman, our Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability, said: "We are delighted that the Edinburgh Remakery has opened its doors in Leith, giving the city another hub for re-use and repair. "We live in a world with finite resources, and one of the best ways we can protect those resources is to re-use and repair the things we already have." The Remakery champions the idea of a Circular Economy which is about moving from a ‘take-make-dispose’ linear approach towards circular systems which encourage re-use and extraction of maximum value from resources before returning them to the biosphere. We wish the Remakery every success in its endeavours. Dave GormanDirector of Social Responsibility and Sustainability Find out more Edinburgh Remakery SHRUB Zero Waste Scotland Making Things Last: A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland This article was published on 2024-07-22
