Reuse centres implement climate mitigation policies, and numerical results are important for proof of climate impact.
The consumer choices play significant role in climate mitigation policies and good way to measure the effectiveness is to use CO2 calculations. The example here is from reuse goods but the same principles apply to virgin goods also. . In 2019, the reuse centres in Helsinki region saved more than 54 000 tons of natural resources which equals to 15 000 tons of CO2 together with the customers.
There are number of reuse centres around EU countries implementing the environmental and waste management targets of the authorities but what really makes a successful one from the policy implementation point of view? When the target is to save natural resources or have climate mitigation effects, these should be proven with numbers for the climate impact to be clear.
The HMARC has developed a system where the natural material consumption of every item is estimated, and the savings of natural resources are reported every year. Now this system has been extended to include climate mitigation impact in the form of CO2 savings of consumers reusing different kinds of goods. These are all part of the environmental report and the calculations are conducted as part of the yearly reports.
The CO2 savings are also presented to every customer on the receipt as a concrete motivational act. It is an easy way to communicate to patrons, how their actions have had direct positive effects on the climate change mitigation.
Resources needed
Development of the system takes a significant time but the costs of running it varies from 3000 eur to 10 000 eur for larger operators. The costs come from the updates on the system. When the system is inserted to ERP or cash registers, it runs on it’s own.
Evidence of success
The system has been in operation for more than a decade now, and it has been used for strategic planning of the reuse activities. The reuse operations have yearly natural and CO2 saving targets as well as financial goals. In 2019, the reuse centres in Helsinki region saved more than 54 000 tons of natural resources which equals to 15 000 tons of CO2.
Difficulties encountered
The goods we use change all the time in composition and environmental considerations in the product planning make the goods lighter and smaller in environmental footprint. These changes should be considered, and applicable changes made yearly.
Potential for learning or transfer
Climate change mitigations are on the policy agendas of authorities throughout EU. The reuse of items offers a concrete way for every citizen to take part in the mitigation actions. The actual results of the actions can be given to customers and reported to authorities for better decision making in climate change mitigation.
We all consume variety of items everyday and considering the environmental and especially climate impacts of those items should be the priority of all.
