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Abstract:

This report addresses blind spots in current research about the understudied circular phenomenon of reuse and the variety of formal (i.e. included in our economy through regulated economic units and protected workers) and informal (i.e. part of an informal economy in which transactions do not get registered) channels through which it may occur. It is part of the research line on employment and actor analysis for the circular economy of the Flemish Circular Economy Policy Research Centre. The most important questions addressed in this report are which amount of reuse is currently realised in Flanders, which environmental, social and economic impact reuse has, which barriers and opportunities for reuse exist now and in the future and which actors are involved in reuse in Flanders. Based on these insights, we provide policy recommendations to increase reuse in Flanders. This report is based on existing literature, and available data, interviews and communication with actors in the field, and a survey study that was conducted in the fall of 2019. Based on the results of the survey, we map reuse in Flanders and we develop a new indicator for measuring reuse.