A large surface area selling only second-hand and upcycled goods. Welcome to ReTuna, the first sustainable shopping mall to break away from unrestrained consumption and planned obsolescence.
The depletion of resources
The improvement in our productivity levels has brought us an abundance of new products and with it our societies have seen a rise in shopping malls. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of new products are sold here each year. Ultimately, some of them prove to be useless, others end up as rubbish after travelling thousands of kilometres. Our consumption practices are doubtless the primary factor up for review if our future generations stand a chance of a viable life.
The shopping mall for recycled and upcycled goods
Around a hundred kilometres to the west of Stockholm, the town of Eskilstuna has had a revolutionary idea. It has created the world’s first shopping mall for recycled and upcycled products. ReTuna is a shopping mall dedicated to recycling, upcycling and zero waste. Crucially, it is adjacent to the city’s recycling centre so a team sorts through any goods brought in and ReTuna’s shopkeepers and volunteers work to give them a new life. The new consumers are not necessarily looking for new products, rather they are after more functional goods. In this way, Upcycling could well be the future of shopping malls. Everyone harbours forgotten treasures at home and through upcycling they can begin a whole new life here.
