Day 3 of the staff exchange in the region of Styria revolved around the topic of reuse of textiles. Around 25 SUBTRACT stakeholders and project partners from Finland and Spain participated in the session on January 20, 2021.
This virtual exchange, organized by the Office of the Regional Government of Styria, offered participants an opportunity to engage with experts in the field of reuse of textiles in the region, including Elisabeth Schiefer, the head of public relations at Caritas Graz-Seckau and Astrid Schabus, the head of vocational rehabilitation for the regions Graz, Voitsberg and Feldbach at pro mente Styria.
Elisabeth Schiefer shared comprehensive insights into the concept and operational fields of Carla - the most widespread and largest re-use initiative of Caritas Styria. With its six messages, including “smart fashion”, “regional & cooperative” or “help & donate”, Carla’s main objective is to create employment for marginalised people on the labour market. In 2019, Caritas collected approx. 3000 tons of donations in Styria. Collected re-use goods are sold at the 33 Carla re-use stores in Styria and in bigger quantities also via a Europe-wide wholesale trade. Within the framework of the so-called “Carla basic” – a new system to support people in need – 10-euro vouchers are issued to approximately 10,000 people each year. “Carla basic” has been tested in recent years in Graz. Currently, the system is being rolled out in the entire region of Styria. In 2020, Caritas in Styria employed over 350 people, within the occupational fields of collection, processing and sale of re-use goods, with the number of employees having increased in recent years.
Another important organization dealing with reuse of textiles at regional level is pro mente Styria. Pro mente Styria is mental health care service company offering a wide variety of vocational rehabilitation and reintegration as well as work training. Many of the work training facilities are located in the re-use sector. In Styria, pro mente operates three second-hand stores, five flea markets, two re-use furniture stores with workshop, three bicycle repair shops with bicycle sale, two re-use electrical & electronic markets and one upcycling store.
In the Q&A sessions stakeholders inquired about Carla’s collaboration with traders from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the online shop, or the costs of textile management in Styria in general, among others.
The activities on day 3 rounded off the staff exchange in the region of Styria. The two other sessions, organized back in November 2020, focused on the topic of the Resource Parks in Styria as well as on the framework regarding waste management in Styria in general. These virtual meetings were organised as part of the staff exchange within the SUBTRACT project as a contingency plan during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, the project partners hope that a physical meeting can be organised later this year.
