On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of RREUSE, we give the floor to different people active in the social and circular sector to hear their reflections and perspectives on opportunities and challenges facing the social circular economy.
This time we give the floor to Sarah de Heusch, Director at Social Economy Europe. In this interview, she shares on the importance for social economy stakeholders to come together to voice that we cannot build a strong Europe on a social desert.
Social Economy Europe was created to align the different families of the social economy ecosystem; it therefore federated from the start associations (or non for profit organisations, charities etc), foundations, cooperatives, mutuals and social enterprises to come together with a common voice at EU level. Over the years SEE opened up to national umbrella organisations representing social economy at national level and other more sectorial networks of social economy or promoting social economy.
SEE’s growth allowed to progressively form alliances and work with other networks, like RREUSE, on important files (like the General Block Exemption Regulation or MFF). SEE and RREUSE were brought to work together within the GECES (Commission Expert Group on the Social Economy and Social Enterprises), in public hearings and working groups organised by the Commission. Given the ongoing collaboration and the importance of circular economy within the social economy ecosystem, having RREUSE, the most representative network of reuse, repair and recycling social enterprises, as a member felt like a natural step.
This membership can only be beneficial in reinforcing common views and strategic actions which we need now more than ever. RREUSE brings strategic insights in many different files, having you onboard allows SEE to reinforce the circular economy view, increase outreach to these grassroots initiatives and allow a more integrated approach of this ecosystem in the strategic thinking of SEE. And given the EU industrial autonomy, social and environmental challenges this is particularly important. It is just the beginning of a promising strengthened collaboration between the 2 networks.
The EU Parliament intergroups are informal cross-grouping yet formalised space where MEPs focus on a specific topic while engaging with stakeholders. Through meetings, hearings and events involving civil society organisations, businesses, researchers, experts and other stakeholders, MEPs receive unique insights to bring forward a specific topic. It is a political networking and agenda-setting platform.
When it comes to the Social Economy and services of general interest Intergroup specifically, it is key to ensure that social economy remains a key transversal policy addressed across EU policies. The intergroup allows dialogue between different EU groupings and for them to defend social economy in different files, beyond their political beliefs. It is a cross-party policy forum that helps keep social economy subject politically visible and builds common actions around it. SEE holds the secretariat together with SGIE: having the role of secretariat is important to feed MEPs with the ecosystem expertise, to raise awareness about what is happening on the ground and share objectives. We are blessed with very diverse and very involved MEPs that understand the importance of keeping the Social Economy high on the EU agenda, and the importance of implementing the Social Economy Action Plan. Especially in these challenging times.
Circular economy is one of the fields that best embeds altogether social, environmental and industrial approaches. Circular economy brings solutions to the climate and environmental crisis by addressing specifically waste reuse and upcycling. It usually does it with a social dimension of integrating in their production chain those usually excluded by the labour market (such as workers integration social enterprises), and by upskilling these workers. Beyond that, it also addresses affordability as a key element to combat inequalities; reused, repaired and refurbished products can provide more affordable alternatives to buying new, particularly for households with lower incomes. These unique approaches bridge the green transition with social fairness.
At SEE, we strongly believe that circular economy is a key component of the EU industrial agenda. Reusing raw materials, and in particular those needed for technology, is essential for the EU to lower its resource dependency. It can also play a key role in catering environmentally sustainable low carbon emission data centres the UE needs. In addition, we believe the EU industrial autonomy requires a stronger resilience of locally rooted economies. This angle is missing in the current EU agenda: in fact, in the ongoing EU budget negotiations (the MFF 2028-2034 ) very little means are put into supporting local supply chains when the EU economic fabric is made of over 95% of small and medium enterprises. Circular economy is a key actor in reinforcing local supply chains and locally anchored economies that benefit communities where they are created.
Social economy is about building an economy that benefits society through applying at enterprise and organisations level 3 simple principles: the primacy of the social objective over profit, reinvesting most of the profits in the social objective and putting into place democratic and/or participatory practices to ensure the principles are maintained over time.
Currently, the EU and many Member States are focusing most of the budgetary efforts on defence and competitiveness (understood as supporting export companies) at the expense of all other policy areas, and in particular social policies. Therefore, it is crucial that social economy actors come together to voice that we cannot build an EU defence on a social desert, inequalities are the biggest threat to democracy, which is under attack more than our frontiers. Furthermore, the EU competitiveness also lies on the capacity of SMEs to strive and citizens to have purchasing power and social cohesion. And most of all there is no competitiveness in a planet that cannot regenerate itself or when businesses are threatened by environmental and climate disasters. Together the social economy and circular economy have common battles to boost real economy, reduce inequalities save our planet and our unique democratic model.
