On this grey rainy day we met in the facilities of Reningsborg. We were about 20 persons from different organisations.

In collaboration with Stadslandet myself and Johan Åberg and Jenny Holmlund presented our businesses alongside a lecture about circularity. During the afternoon we held workshops at the second hand shop in Angered. The thematic was furniture, patchwork for fixing worn clothing, and up cycling of clothing that might have worn cuffs or a stain that needed covering up.

My job was to re-do a bulky sofa table made from pine, into a bench with a backrest. It took initially a lot of effort to understand the way it was assembled and we (unnecessarily) cut of a screw that had to be replaced. After a lot of hammering and scratching our heads we finally got the hang of it. With a little help from Ramon the responsible at Reningsborg we could re-assemble the pieces eventually into a bench for two.

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Stadslandet in Gothenburg which was the organizer – is a development and sustainability project that is funded by EU, to create circular food, energy and waste systems and they are working for a long term connection between the city and the countryside. The aim is among other things to facilitate a network for agro forestry within the city and food production that doesn’t need long transportation. Some parts within the project is targeted towards small scale local food producers that can grow their crops within the city borders to feed the local public without needing massive areas or huge farmland.

The reason for the re-use workshop on the 27th of May was to inspire to think in a sustainable and creative manner around waste and products that might be hard to sell as they are when they arrive to the recycling facility.

Reningsborg where the workshop is held is more than just a place for recycling. They also provide jobs through their own car wash services, donations to a variety of local volunteer organisations, and supports with housing for homeless immigrants. All and all, there’s a lot of activities ongoing with the aim to give hope to the citicens both in Gothenburg and to create a better future together.

The organisation started off in an old waste water treatment plant that was worn down as it had not been used. Little by little the facilities were renovated and the re-cycling shop was kicked off in 1992. Even today more than 25 years later, a new location and expanded shops the activities are still ongoing vividly.

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Sashiko was a technique used by peasants that were not allowed to decorate their clothing. The only thing they were allowed to use for sewing was rice long stitches, which was developed to intricate patterns. Read more here if you also love the wonderful technique.

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With thanks to Reningsborg and Stadslandet for organizing the event. I believe all of us learned something that can be brought with us into the future when our jeans becomes worn or a piece of furniture needs a new function.