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CRNI Newsletter Fómhar 2021
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Milestone for Ireland's reuse quality mark
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CRNI is delighted to be awarded Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications’ Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme (CEIGS) funding to prepare our quality mark ReMark for national roll out, which we believe can be a game changer in Ireland’s circular economy transition.
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The CEIGS funding will enable CRNI to streamline the quality mark and prepare it for national roll out through bringing processes online, developing templates and supporting peer to peer mentoring. CRNI members and private sector reuse enterprises will be encouraged to become accredited to the scheme and promotional materials will be developed to align with the Government’s expansion of national circular economy branding.
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By encouraging more people to buy second hand, upcycled or refurbished instead of new, the quality mark can also help reduce the carbon footprint of our everyday purchases. To find out more about ReMark please visit www.crni.ie/re-mark.
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Reuse through Green Public Procurement
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The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy acknowledges Green Public Procurement (GPP) as a vital policy lever in driving the prevention of waste and recognises the role that public authorities can play in supporting the transition towards a circular economy. Specifically, the plan proposes the introduction of a minimum target for the procurement of used goods.
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The EPA's new Green Public Procurement (GPP) guidance will help to support this ambition, with fully updated Irish green and circular criteria for ten priority sectors. These criteria are designed to be inserted directly into tenders and contracts and are applicable to a range of different modes of procurement.
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Reuse and repair are included throughout the guidance, from the early stage assessment of needs (e.g. can resources be shared or reused?) to designing tenders to accommodate the emerging reuse sector by allowing small scale pilots or lots (e.g. for just one floor of an office block to be
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furnished with 100% reused furniture) and ensuring any new products procured are designed to be repairable or reusable.
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Developing circular economy approaches to building fit out and furnishing is also identified as having huge potential to reduce GHG emissions. Examples of specifying reused furnishings and fittings in buildings include CRNI member the Rediscovery Centre's Boilerhouse.
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The EPA guidance and Government ambition for GPP, with buy-in from public bodies, will be highly valuable in leveraging State funds to deliver carbon savings, resource efficiency and social good. For more case studies of reuse in GPP see here.
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Upcoming Events
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For full calendar, visit here
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1pm 7 Oct: RREUSE "Let’s get talking" webinar: Exploring social value in the circular transition, with Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries. Register here.
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10am 16 Nov: RREUSE 20th Anniversary Conference: The evolution of social enterprises in the circular economy. Past, Present and Future. Register here
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Welcome to three new members
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Funding success with bike scheme, SEDF and Communities go Circular
Fifteen CRNI members have been awarded funding recently to expand and develop their reuse, repair or recycling activities. This represents important and timely investment in the circular and social sector and includes:
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- Expanding bike repair training and reuse with multiannual funding under the Pilot Bike and E-Bike Upcycling Initiative for An Mheitheal Rothar, Cork Community Bikes with Deaf Enterprises, Rediscovery Centre and Renew Enterprises.
- Expanding digital services through the Circular Econonmy Innovation Grant Scheme award to thriftify
- Supporting communities to reduce waste with Communities go Circular grants for ReCreate Ireland with Attention Attire, Ecomattress Recycling, An Mheitheal Rothar, Carrickmacross Toy Library and Refill Ireland.
- Supporting social enterprise growth with Social Enterprise Development Fund supports for Habitat for Humanity, KASI, RecycleIT, Revamp 3R (Longford), Carrickmacross Toy Library and An Mheitheal Rothar.
- Supporting a fairer, more equitable society on the island of Ireland with the All-island fund going to An Mheitheal Rothar and Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) member Cloughmills Community Action Team.
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CRNI recruiting National Executive
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The network is currently recruiting for a national network executive to manage the network. This is an exciting opportunity to help develop and raise the profile of reuse, repair and recycling in Ireland, support network members and implement reuse activities and projects. Closing date 6th October. For more details see here.
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Paint Reuse on a roll
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Two CRNI members Northside Community Enterprises and CycleSense are now reblending unwanted surplus paint and selling it under the new brand "Revive Paint". These initiatives build on the Rediscovery Centre's research into paint reuse opportunities and are part of an expanding network of paint reuse projects which will eventually provide access to reused paint for communites across the entire country. Reblended paint can now be purchased from these members and the Rediscovery Centre at a fraction of the cost of new paint, while making a positive contribution to the Circular Economy.
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Native Events pilot reuse at event
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CRNI member Native Events was engaged by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) over summer to trial event sustainability solutions at a festival in Kilmainham. This included implementing, measuring and reporting on a reusable cup system and a ban on single-use plastic. For more see here.
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Resources and Best Practice
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Circular Procurement Webinars
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On the theme of Green Public Procurement, the Interreg project ProCirc has held a number of excellent webinars on different aspects of GPP. Recordings are now available for:
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Green Taxation supporting circular
This talk was held as part of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform Circular Talks series, to explore how green taxation can support the transition towards a climate-neutral & circular economy. Watch back here or contribute online via the #EUCircularTalks on Economic Incentives policies group in LinkedIn.
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German and Austrian repair bonuses
Since mid-June, consumers in the German state of Thuringia are eligible to the repair bonus program. Consumers can be reimbursed up to a maximum of 100 euros for a repair. Read the full article here
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Carbon impact of consumption video
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This excellent Zero Waste Scotland video explains the carbon impact of our everyday goods. Climate change is linked to what we buy because there is a carbon cost to all we consume. Watch this video to see how: https://t.co/gMwdhMHMZo
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