Page 13 - U4SSC Case study: Re-use of consumer goods and tools loaning, June 2020

– Training
The Library of Things also provides technical training when an item is borrowed. As illustrated
by the co-founder Rebecca Trevalyan, ‘If you haven’t used tools before then it can boost your
confidence in having someone to ask questions from and demonstrate how you use it. You don’t
get that with Amazon!’ By doing so, the library is also performing a social function by saving people
money they would otherwise spend on a handyman. The sense of achievement people feel once
they’ve learned how to do something themselves is palpable, Trevalyan said, describing a lady who
had never used a drill before as ‘beaming’ when she returned it, having put her curtain rail up by
herself (Early, 2017).
– Reinforced sense of community for a greater impact

As said by Emma Shaw, ‘the Library of Things isn’t just about things – the ultimate goal is connecting
people to each other’. Besides borrowing items, people can attend practical events such as DIY
classes or mending meet-ups, where skills are shared and acquired, and the communal spirit is
strengthened (Lambeth Life, 2018).

Promoting circularity

Vision and content

The vision of the Crystal Palace Library of Things is to reduce consumerism by changing people’s mind-
set and behaviour on waste reduction and prevention whilst, reinforcing the sense of community
through a circular economy. The latter offers a sustainable alternative to the current linear economy,
which is considered to be incredibly wasteful as it relies on the use and disposal of virgin resources. On
the other hand, a circular economy is one where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, in
order to extract the highest value from them by designing for re-use, remanufacturing and recycling.
This sharing economy is one of the most direct ways to cut down consumption and move towards
a zero-waste economy, thus sparing the planet the impacts of yet another fondue set, which will
inevitably end up in a landfill after years of gathering dust at the back of a cupboard (Vasil, 2016). This
project is in alignment with the Circular London programme endorsed by the Mayor of London, which
envisioned that by 2050, sharing, leasing, remanufacturing and re-using products will be the norm in
London. Consequently, it is predicted that London could achieve a benefit of at least GBP 7 billion per
year by 2036 and according to the WRAP’s analysis, the city has the potential to create over 12 000
job opportunities in the circular economy sectors by 2030 (London Waste and Recycling Board, 2015).

Furthermore, the Crystal Palace Library of Things was backed by the Transition Town movement to set
up camp at the Upper Norwood Library Hub, as this project integrates the Transition Town movement’s
vision to reduce the community’s carbon footprint in a sustainable manner while creating a strong
sense of community.

The key features of the Library of Things include the items available to the borrowers. These items,
as opposed to other existing models of sharing platforms, are sourced primarily from companies’
sponsorships thus enabling the Library of Things to provide higher-quality products than organizations
proposing donated second-hand items. The items acquired through this system are catalogued on a

Case study: Re-use of consumer goods and tools loaning, June 2020 7