#WeChooseReuse newsletter: back with a new focus on more than just packaging

Subject: #WeChooseReuse newsletter: back with a new focus on more than just packaging

June 12th, 2025

Welcome to the latest newsletter by #WeChooseReuse - wrapping up the latest reuse news from across Europe.

Redesigning Systems, Reclaiming Power: Reuse in a world of overproduction

What does a future without plastic pollution really look like?

It’s not just about ditching straws or swapping single-use bags for cotton bags. It’s about confronting a deeper problem: the systemic overproduction of disposable goods and the harm that waste, toxic chemicals, and throwaway culture cause to people and planet alike.

The reuse movement is gaining momentum across Europe because it offers something more radical than surface-level solutions. It’s about redesigning systems that are healthier, fairer, and more sustainable. And as the movement grows, it’s becoming clear: reuse is about more than packaging.

Broadening #WeChooseReuse's Horizons

Over the past years, #WeChooseReuse has shone a spotlight on single-use packaging and pushed for strong legislation like the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). But throwaway culture doesn’t stop at packaging.

Fashion is flooded with fossil-fuel based textiles and toxic chemicals. Over 60% of clothes are made from fossil-fuel-derived synthetics, most worn just a few times before being exported for landfill or incineration. Reuse offers another path, through secondhand, repair, rental, and sharing.

Electronics are often designed to break or become obsolete. E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste, stream. But across Europe, repair cafés, take-back schemes, and right-to-repair campaigns are helping people keep devices in use and out of landfill.

That’s why we’re expanding. We’re excited to launch the new website for WeChooseReuse, a hub for reuse solutions not only in packaging, but in textiles and electronics too. Sectors deeply entangled in the crisis of overconsumption and plastic production.

Explore stories, tools, and sector insights at the new #WeChooseReuse site, because everyone has a role to play in building the reuse economy.

Reuse That Works: The RSVP Blueprint for European Cities

At the end of May 2025, at the Reuse Economy Expo in Paris, policymakers, business leaders, and civil society gathered to discuss what it takes to make reuse the norm, not just the niche.

One of the standout presentations was the launch of the RSVP Blueprint, developed by Zero Waste Europe under the ReuSe Vanguard Project. This strategic guide offers a harmonised approach to

building reuseable takeaway food and beverage packaging systems across European cities.

It showcases how municipal support is key to making reuse systems a success, as seen in cities like Aarhus where a return rate of 85% was achieved in a recent Reuse pilot programme, The Reuseable Pilot.

The Blueprint lays out what needs to happen and how for reuse targets under the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation to be met, meanwhile offering guides on how to support small business resilience and create local jobs.

The RSVP Blueprint makes it clear: reuse isn’t just a climate or waste issue. It’s an opportunity to rebuild urban systems around sustainability, affordability, and collective action.

When Reuse Protects More Than the Planet

Sometimes, the danger of single-use products hits closer to home. Literally.

An investigation by the UK charity Women’s Environmental Network recently revealed alarming levels of glyphosate, a toxic pesticide, in tampons sold across the UK. These products, used internally and often without full ingredient transparency, expose people to harmful chemicals on a regular basis.

WEN is calling for stronger regulation through the UK's Menstrual Health, Dignity and Sustainability Act, and promoting reusable menstrual products,

like cups and cloth pads, as safer, more sustainable alternatives.

This is what the reuse movement is about at its core: protecting people while tackling pollution. Whether in urban takeout culture or menstrual health, reuse gives us tools to say no to toxic systems and yes to long-lasting, health-centered solutions. You can find out more in their report, Blood, Sweat and Pesticides.

Reuse in Action: From Borrowing Drills in Barcelona to Redistributing Essentials in Lisbon

Borrow, Don’t Buy: Libraries of Things Thrives in Spain

Do you really need to own that power drill, pasta maker, or camping stove? For most of us, the answer is no. In fact, the average household in Europe owns between 3,000 and 4,000 objects, many of them rarely used, quietly gathering dust until they’re eventually thrown away.

Enter the Library of Things, a simple but transformative concept that Rezero and Nusos helped bring to life in Sant Martí, Barcelona, with the support of local residents. Since opening in 2020, this community lending space has:

- Saved 5,500 kg of waste

- Prevented over 22,500 kg of CO₂ emissions

- Engaged 1,000+ users in a sharing-based model of consumption

The idea is spreading fast. Inspired by an initiative in the town Sant Martí, more than 15 new Libraries of Things have launched across the region, including in Tiana, Poble-sec, and two secondary schools in the Maresme region. Rezero and Nusos are actively supporting these spin-offs, offering guides, outreach tools, and training to help new lending libraries thrive.

What’s powerful here isn’t just the environmental impact, it’s the community spirit. Neighbours collaborating, schools getting involved, and a growing network of spaces proving that sharing can be the norm again.

Photo credit: Rezero, Group photo on the third anniversary of the Library of Things of Sant Martí.

Redistributing What Matters: The Bank of Donated Goods in Portugal

In Portugal, another reuse story is reshaping how surplus goods find their way to those who need them most.

The Bank of Donated Goods, set up by the social solidarity network ENTRAJUDA, channels non-food items from companies and individuals to charities and families experiencing poverty and exclusion. Think of it as a carefully managed bridge between what’s unused and what’s urgently needed.

Whether it’s office furniture, cleaning supplies, electronics, or equipment, the goal is the same: extend the life of valuable goods, prevent waste, and support dignity-driven social care.

ENTRAJUDA’s motto captures the mission perfectly: "Making the most of what's available to distribute where it's lacking."

Through its professionalised donation system, ENTRAJUDA not only promotes circularity but also ensures that reuse serves social justice. It's an inspiring example of how a circular economy must be people-centred to truly succeed.

These stories show that reuse isn’t just a policy idea or a trend. It’s happening now, in neighbourhoods, schools, charities, and cities across Europe. And with the right support, these local actions have the power to reshape entire systems.

Got a reuse story from your region? Share it with us and we may feature it in an upcoming issue. Let’s keep lifting up the practical, powerful work happening all around us.

Don't miss out: upcoming reuse events

World Refill Day, taking place on 16th June 2025, is a Global Day of Action dedicated to inspiring a reuse revolution across the world. Take part in the #5DayChallenge, download the revamped Refill App or simply amplify the campaign!

Find out more

Following World Refill Day, take a moment to learn about what reuse looks like across the world with a webinar hosted by GAIA and Break Free From Plastic.

Register here

Thank you for reading! Make sure to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues who are curious about the future of the reuse economy.

Don't forget to keep an eye on the #WeChooseReuse website and if you have any reuse news you would like to share in the next newsletter, get in touch with Break Free From Plastic's Solutions Coordinator, Laura Díaz Sánchez: Laura@breakfreefromplastic.org

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Subject: #WeChooseReuse newsletter: back with a new focus on more than just packaging