Reuse Centers in the Czech Republic
Reuse Centers in the Czech Republic

Author(s): Martin Zelený
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Economy
Published by: Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze
Keywords: ReUse; zero waste; sustainability; charity; used goods
Summary/Abstract: Purpose:The purpose of the following study is to analyze institutional presence of the ReUse phenomenon in the Czech Republic using publicly available data. The aim of the research was to investigate regional distribution, diffusion in terms of time and ownershipcharacteristics of ReUse centers in the territory of the Czech Republic. Design/methodology/approach:The ReUse centers list is based on online research using search engines google.com and anopress.cz. We have searched for terms reuse centrum (reuse center), reuse shop and reuse, thrift store, dobročinný obchod, charitní obchod (charity shop), charitní bazar, dobročinný bazar, charitní šatník, dobročinný šatník, repair center, repair café, zero waste and cirkulární ekonomika with limitation on Czech websites. Each organization and center were individually checked and if they met the ReUse concept, the information about the date of establishment, type of ownership, number of operated centers and locations of organizations and centers were added. Then the organizations were categorized by their ownership, the date of establishment and location. Findings:Result of this study is a list of 47 organizations that operates 166 ReUse centers. 30 centers are located in Moravskoslezský region, followed by Jihomoravskýregion(20) and Prague (20). Only 2 organizations were established before 2006, the largest number of the organizations were founded in years 2014 (11) and 2016 (9). Only 1 organization is municipal, 2 are private, 3 are non-profit and 41 organizations are a charity. No charity presents its centers as ReUse, even though they meet the criteria of the ReUse concept. Research/practical implications: The paper provides implications for further research of the ReUse centers in the Czech Republic, among others concerning reasons for their regional distribution, awareness of ReUse, measuring ReUse centers activity and performance, benchmarking, impact on waste management etc. As for practical implications, the paper suggests new funding opportunities for charity organizations. Originality/value:This paper fulfils the need to study the ReUse phenomenon in the Czech Republic, which is expected to undergo a major development in the coming years and yet there has been no effort made to systematically analyze its institutional presence in the Czech Republic. The list of ReUse centers in the Czech Republic can be used to further research, future comparisons and to measure the impact of upcoming governmental and European Union programs.

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