RSL recycles. Circular home furnishings and appliances for OCMW homes

Cooperation with local and social partners to set up social welfare patrimony

Roeselare's social welfare centre (OCMW) has more than 100 homes for temporary accommodation. Partial refurbishment follows every six months on average, with a lot of materials often being lost. On the one hand, appliances and furniture are too quickly declared unsuitable due to a cumbersome logistical collaboration, and on the other hand, many difficult-to-repair short-lived products are purchased. 

With this project, Roeselare wants to work out a more circular approach through collaborations with local and social partners. We set up two test cases, one with a focus on furniture, and one with a focus on white goods. 

For furniture, we started a collaboration with Kringwinkel Midwest. In it, they offer us second-hand furniture from their range to temporarily furnish public social welfare centres. They also repair or replace defective furniture from existing locations. 

For white goods, through a co-creation process, we explored how to work out an as-a-service model with a role for local traders and social economy. Together with various stakeholders, all steps of the innovative chain operation were mapped and a new collaboration was designed. We then drew up specifications for a framework contract regarding the provision of washing machines via an as-a-service model with a local/social focus.