In 2016, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) came up with the idea of a stakeholder platform for the circular economy. That idea was put into practice together with the European Commission when the Directorate-General for the Environment and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation cooperated with the EESC to establish the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform in 2017. So the EESC is clearly interested in circularity and prepares opinions on the circular economy – but does it do anything about it on a day-to-day basis?

Yes, is the short answer. The EESC works closely with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) when it comes to logistical matters and together they factored circular principles into the recent renovation of their VMA building when materials were kept and upgraded whenever possible, and priority was given to cradle to cradle certified materials.

The Committees also have a Reuse corner for staff members who are parents. It's a simple and effective example of the circular economy: keeping objects in use rather than throwing them away (bad) or recycling them (better) once the original purchaser no longer has need of them. In this case, an area was set up where parents can swap clothes and shoes, toys and games, books and baby equipment that they no longer need. Children do tend to grow quickly after all so items are not necessarily useful for very long. If they are still in good condition though, they can perfectly well be handed over to someone else. ​​​​​​​

The Reuse corner takes various items suitable for children aged up to 12 years. The items are checked to make sure they are suitable before they are added to the collection. There are also plans to build up a library of children's books.

The main aim is to consume less and save money, so parents can borrow items for as long as they need them then return them to be used by someone else. The corner has another advantage though: people in a similar situation are brought together and can share tips, tricks and general advice.

The Reuse corner is part of the Committees' EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) service which focuses on keeping their carbon footprint as small as possible and raising awareness about environmental and sustainability issues. Promoting circular initiatives is naturally part of this process. 

It's a useful initiative which could easily be adopted elsewhere!