Inclusive zero waste and circular city
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Roubaix is a multicultural and the poorest french city. Social and ecological urban regeneration is a concrete process that has been accelerated due to the Zero waste and Circular economy Project. It's based on a large mobilisation of thousands of citizens, all schools, hundred of merchants, social - sport and cultural actors, a circular network of hundreds of entrepreneurs and big companies. It creates new local jobs, citizens pride, health and ecological benefits and lots of beautiful stories.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Other Funds
Since December 2019, a very little part of the project has received EU funds by Interreg 2 seas Program. The project calls : "Upcycle your waste". It's a transnational cooperation with Belgian (Oostende, Katholieke Hogeschool Vives Zuid, ...), dutch (South Holland Province, North Holland Province... ) and English (Kent Region, ...) partners. The objective is to share methodology for small businesses involvement in circular economy.
For one year, the Interreg project has payed 1 of the 8 professionals who work on the project.
Description of the project
Summary
Roubaix is a multicultural, young and the poorest french city. For 20 years, the City has tried to regenerate its territory by innovative and participative methods. With a resilient approach, we work at urban, social, artistic and ecological scales with a transversal vision.
For 7 years, the Zero waste and Circular Economy Project has accelerated the city's transformation by maintaining this innovative and participative DNA. It's based on a large mobilisation of thousands of citizens, all schools, hundred of merchants, social - sport and cultural actors, and a circular network of hundreds of entrepreneurs and big companies. It creates new local jobs, citizens pride, economic attractiveness, health and ecological benefits, social relationships and lots of beautiful stories.
We began in 2014 with citizens mobilisation : one hundred families involved in the Zero Waste Family Challenge, managed by the City. The objective was to start a territorial dynamic by showing "Another consumption is possible" and creating our first ambassadors. And it works ! Every six months, we engaged new stakeholders : merchants with the "ZW merchant label", the schools (4, then 10 and finally 70), cultural actors (museum, public library, artists, etc.), the sports actors (from neighborhood NGOs to future olympic sites), social world (senior residences, care NGOs,...), etc. This energy attracts circular business creators and convince big companies to change their practice towards circular and zero waste economy.
A sustainable future is a desirable future. It means opened, beautiful and accessible. Maybe more than anywhere else, a disadvantaged territory needs high quality. We works with designers, artists, young architects, ... to create new solutions and attractive concepts.
Today, we share our methodology with other French cities, the Walloon Region, and european cities, and Sao Luis (Brazil). And, we are creating a Zero Waste training and some capitalisation tools (videos, ..).
Key objectives for sustainability
We have 3 major objectives :
- Environment : reduce our ecological footing, our waste production and the natural ressources consumption
- Social : involve all stakeholders and all communities, increase quality of life especially for the poorest people, increase social relationship
- Economy : create new local and attractive jobs especially for low-qualified people, increase economic attractiveness
The involved families reduce their waste production by an average of 45%. Their experience is so positive that each family convinces about ten other families. Today, about 20% of the population does zero waste actions. The family profiles are very diverse, like local population. ZW actions reduce the family's monthly budget by minimum 25% until 3000€ per year. In this way, some families come out of poverty. Also, they relocalize their purchases to local shops which revitalizes the neighborhood life. They reduce their consumption at source, and then, spend more time in activities with their children or their communities ; some learn how to garden, to cook, to do DIY, etc... Experience increases citizen's behavior and empowerment.
Schools reduce food waste by 50%, disposable plastics by 100%, school supplies, etc.
About 200 jobs are created due to zero waste and circular economy. Low-qualified jobs are representing about 50%. More than 70 stakeholders are involved in the circular network : small businesses, big companies and ZW/circular business creators.
Construction/demolition waste and economic waste are a priority target. After a positive prototype, a plant will be built to reuse local construction/demolition waste. Also, a call for project has been launched tu reuse 600 tons of the 3200 tons of economic waste.
Now, we are creating connections between all these actions and the many stakeholders to create a spiderweb, increase interactions and impacts.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
We need that people and stakeholders have a new look at :
- waste : understanding waste are ressources
- consumption : getting out the consumer society to preserve natural resources and increase their quality of life
New look needs new aesthetic. We have to replace negative codes of waste (dark colors, unaesthetic forms, invisible objects, ..) with attractive codes/experiences of sustainable future. It means :
- bright colors : giving hope towards a positive future and creating a positive look at these materials
- modern forms : dynamic and contemporary reinterpretation of local culture and commun practices
- accessible/inclusive : easy to use and to understand by everyone, affordable to low incomes families or people (students..)
- sense holder & educational : making sense to understand why you do it, and what it contributes to
We work with designers, architects, artists and creative stakeholders to reinvent services, experiences, objects and business models. As example, we coach creators and help design ZW/circular businesses models (upcycling centers, bulk stores, toy repair center, ...), create new objects (garden tower, attractive bins, ...), support the creation of new services (washable packaging laundry, washing diaper rental, ...). As good example, the Net Promotor Score of the ZW family Challenge, managed by the City, is +77 and 81% of engaged families are ambassadors.
The Design methods help us to propose products and services with a User centric vision. To progress in this way, we ask for professionnals and we increase the internal skills in the municipality. Thus, the project pilot is training a "Innovation by design" Master at ENSCI School (Paris) and some new employees are designers.
Key objectives for inclusion
42% of the Roubaix's population lives under the poverty line, and most of people has low incomes. In Roubaix, 90 nationalities live together. That's the reason why inclusion is so important for us. Inclusion has 5 aspects : getting out poverty, winning pride, increasing skills, finding a job, increasing social links.
Since the beginning, the involved families have been diverse. Due to consumption behavior and DIY trainings, some low incomes families get out of poverty. ZW actions reduce the family's monthly budget by minimum 25% until 3000€ per year. These families are used to serve as an example and a motivation for other low incomes families. Also to involve more people, we work with social NGOs which mobilize very social population. Each involved family is like a Trojan horse in its community. Thus, the project is spreading to various communities.
At the community level, citizen's pride is spectacular. Before ZW project, Roubaix was only known as the poorest French city with social problems. Then, the city is known for its energy and population mobilization. This positive brand image restores people's trust and pride. At the individual level, people regain their dignity.
New skills are developed. In the ZW Family Challenge, each family learns something : how to repair, to cook, to garden, to choose natural and healthy materials, etc. Now we are offering ZW families a training program to become a ZW facilitator or trainer. Thus, the skills of some people will be valued and they teach others.
The new jobs in circular business create or value creative skills, as Fibr&Co which creates design furniture with recycled wood pallets. It creates 15 jobs for young low qualified people, and 50% are women. After this positive professional experience, they find a permanent job or continue their studies in new ways because they discover their talents.
Results in relation to category
Roubaix's history is based on textile industry at the end of 19th century - beginning 20th century. It was a city of workers and immigrants. In the 70s-80s, because of textile crisis, the city declined. Unemployment, poverty and delinquency explosed. Because of chemical materials used in textile industries, soil and water were polluted. Factories gave way to abandoned spaces. For 20 years, we have been trying to regenerate our territory.
Since the ZW and circular economy Project in June 2014, social, economic and ecological urban regeneration has been accelerated. Economic attractiveness is improving. Business creators are implementing their activities in Roubaix because of ZW project. They look for a dynamic territory and they find a very friendly authority which helps them towards innovative ways.
Due to ZW project, many high incomes families want to live in Roubaix. They bring with them their energy, their skills and their sustainable thought. They look for diversity and melting pot.
Also, new circular business or projects are implemented in abandoned spaces. They contribute to the circular ecosystem and create local jobs.
Because of the mix of this new population and the grown existing population, the city becomes gradually more diverse, more dynamic and attractive, but not less inclusive.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens involvement is the heart and the starting point of the project. Thanks to citizens support, we find the energy to continue and go further. We started with one hundred families involved in the ZW Family Challenge, managed by the City. We coached them during one year to ZW transition. At the end of this first challenge, their results were spectacular and their testimony really upsetting. They explained their new habits and the impacts on everyday's life, on health, on pride and pleasure, on family and community life, ... They explained they took things back in hand. Most of them disseminate around them, with their colleagues, their family, their friends, etc. (one involved family convinces 10 others). Some created NGO's or took part of NGOs which works in Zero Waste.
Getting out of poverty is the most spectacular impact : "I no longer have to choose between paying my rent and giving food to my children", said a woman. Also, health impacts : due to chemicals reduction, some of them cured diseases ; due to industrial food reduction, some explained how their child had become calmer. Since the experience was positive, they had continue on other dimensions of environment protection : water and energy savings, ecological transport, gardening, etc.
This citizens involvement generates other stakeholders involvement : schools, businesses, companies, etc. and its consequences : new businesses, new jobs, attractiveness, etc. Thus, gradually, the territory is changing profoundly. ZW actions, partners, spaces, people, etc. are becoming more and more visibles and numerous, which leads new people into the ZW adventure. It creates a positive spiral to regenerate the territory.
Innovative character
The major innovative character of the project is : how to engage an entire territory towards ZW and circular economy, with a participative approach. It declines in 5 subjects :
- design positive and attractive involvement methods for people, and transforming their behavior in a sustainable way
- design a local ecosystem of very diverse stakeholders based on cooperation, which generates a positive spiral of change
- create new business models, services, products and objects
- use design methods for each stage of the project
- transform public authority's action : designing, creating, coaching, facilitating, supporting, swarming, sharing, training, educating, ... instead of only respecting laws and managing public services.
