Up to £346 million of social value was created due to product reuse enabled by the resource and waste management sector in 2023/24, according to a new CIWM report.
The new report, funded by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and produced by Tech-Takeback, found that between £120 million and £346 million of social value was created through product reuse enabled by the resource and waste management sector in 2023/24.
The report focuses on technology reuse for digital inclusion and assesses the social value of wider reuse activities.
CIWM said the research shows the “key role” the resource and waste management sector can play in supporting the UK Government’s commitment to moving to a circular economy and accelerating the net zero transition.
The Institution said the resource and waste management sector can help create new jobs in the repair and reuse economy, reduce household expenditure by offering “high-quality” reused items at low prices, and cut carbon emissions by reducing the need for new product manufacturing.
The sector can also assist people back into employment by reducing digital exclusion by providing reused electronics, such as laptops, CIWM said.
Finally, CIWM said the sector can increase the capture of rare earth metals from the disassembly of end-of-life products.
Commenting on the launch of the report, Lee Marshall, CIWM’s Director of Innovation & Technical Services, said: “Waste policy has not always been strong on reuse activities, and it will need to strengthen if we are to move towards a more circular economy.
“By demonstrating the social value associated with reuse activities, we can hopefully accelerate the move toward them becoming more mainstream than they currently are.”
The report also estimates that there are currently around 20 million unused laptops stored in UK homes, which have the potential to generate up to “£44 billion in social value”.
The research used three different tools (TOMS, HACT, and LOOP) to measure the potential social value of technology and other reuse activities.
It found that each of these tools has a different intended function, which means they provide differing assessments of the level of social value a reuse activity will generate.
As a result, CIWM said there is still a high degree of complexity when it comes to measuring social value, with no single tool providing a complete picture.
The report recommends that organisations use two different tools to give as complete a picture as possible.
Jodi Harford, Chief Operating Officer at Tech-Takeback, said the report demonstrates that reuse is more than just an alternative to recycling, calling it a “powerful catalyst for community transformation”.
“Our social value calculations show that every reused item, whether a piece of tech or another everyday product, can create jobs, reduce costs, and boost well-being,” Harford said.
A report last year by CIWM showed that reuse and repair are “likely to create the most jobs in the sector” over the next ten years.
Alongside the report, Tech-Takeback has produced a guide to support reuse organisations measure and articulate the social value generated by their activities.
The full report is available to read here and an Executive Summary can be found here.
