In an effort to combat waste and planned obsolescence, this mall specializes in recycled products.

Located in the city of Eskilstuna, an hour and a half away from Stockholm, Sweden, ReTuna Återbruksgalleria is a shopping centre that’s entirely dedicated to sellable second-hand items. It combines a traditional municipal recycling centre and a shopping mall, where people can drop off items they no longer want, and purchase other items that have also been recycled.

Between purchases of second-hand products, customers can stop for coffee

The staff at the recycling centre receive and sort incoming products as they’re dropped off, putting aside those that can be given a new life. These products are then sent to fablab type workshops to be refurbished, repaired and sold in one of the mall’s 14 stores. The stores sell a variety of goods, including furniture, computers, audio equipment, clothes, toys, bicycles, gardening tools and construction materials. The one thing they all have in common is that everything is second-hand. The mall also has a coffee shop offering various organic and fair-trade options, a gallery space dedicated to contemporary art, meeting rooms, and a DIY education space where people can learn how to repair and reuse.

The complex has shops specializing in furniture, audio equipment, clothing, toys, bicycles, etc.

This unique shopping centre has also created 50 new jobs. And though the municipality provided financial support to help in the setup of this space, the stores are either private enterprises or social enterprises, with the goal of creating an entrepreneur- and artisan-friendly ecosystem.