Developing the circular economy and REmarket

Markets are central to the life of communities. It's the place where people exchange the fruit of their labour. It's also the place where one can learn about others' crafts. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the economy has been moving towards a linear model in which resource extraction, production, and consumption have become specialized. We buy items made of Canadian oil in Toronto, fabricated in East Asia and assembled in Europe. 

The circular economy model offers another way to fill our needs through reuse.

In a suburb of Canada's main metropolis, the economy is a mix of linear and circular elements. Large industrial spaces are key to the City, and between those big industrial zones, plaza malls thrive with vibrancy and are the backbone of our communities. At SZW, we truly believe that the inner suburb's urban fabric is a great place to revitalize a circular economy. Small businesses are the right size to listen to their clients' needs and transform their processes. 

The reason why the circular economy is the third goal of SZW is that it is the answer to the problem of waste. The Repair Cafés SZW organize is only one part of this. Our REmarket's goal is to focus on the last R of the 5 R's: Rethink. The vision here is to organize an event where people can repair, reuse, reduce, and rethink the whole system through inspiring talks and workshops. The Scarborough REMarket looks like the one downtown, yet it has its own uniqueness.