In the Netherlands, Branchevereniging Kringloop Nederland (BKN) brings together 67 social enterprises and around 250 reuse stores. Every year, its members collect thousands of tonnes of items and create opportunities for more than 17,000 people, from regular staff to volunteers and employees who are distanced from the labour market.
For over a decade, BKN has been tracking the environmental, social and economic impact of this work. To take this one step further, the network has developed a new digital monitoring system that brings all this data together in one place. Many figures are automatically uploaded from tools their members already use, reducing administrative work and making trends easier to spot.
With this system, members can benchmark themselves against similar stores, follow their progress over time and better understand where to improve. It also provides robust, sector-specific data that BKN can share with municipalities and other partners, helping to show why social reuse enterprises matter and supporting decisions on funding, permits and cooperation.
The digital transition is also building new skills along the way. Staff learn how to collect, manage and interpret data, use digital tools in their daily work and communicate results to stakeholders. Through interactive trainings, small-group sessions and online resources, BKN helps members feel confident using the new system.
Thanks to its work, BKN is not only improving data collection but also highlighting the social and environmental value of reuse, thereby underpinning the sector’s relevance nationwide.
