With the inclusion of Vernier and Versoix, there are now 10 municipalities encouraging consumers to repair, rent or buy items second-hand in order to reduce their environmental footprint. An essential approach in this time of climate emergency.
More and more municipalities are committing to sustainable consumption and endeavouring to enhance public awareness about this key matter. Only a few days before the consumer frenzy of “Black Friday”, it is the perfect time to remember that consumer goods (clothes, shoes, electronic devices and household appliances, furniture, etc.) account for approximately 11% of the greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly by activities within the Geneva area.
The production of one computer weighing 2 kilograms, for example, requires 600 kilograms of raw materials, while production of the cotton used in one pair of jeans requires approximately 10,000 litres of water. It is nevertheless possible to reduce the environmental impact of our consumption by repairing objects, buying articles second-hand or renting objects that we use only occasionally instead of buying them new.
An ever-growing network
With the towns of Vernier and Versoix, there are now 10 municipalities in and around Geneva participating in the “repair instead of replace” and “ge-réutilise” projects. These projects promote repairs, second-hand purchases and the rental of objects from shops and from local operators listed online on the websites www.ge-repare.ch and www.ge-reutilise.ch. The Geneva section of the Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC – western Swiss consumer federation) updates both directories twice a year.
The website www.ge-repare.ch thus provides the public with close to 240 addresses of shops, companies and craftsmen and women who repair items within the 10 partner municipalities (Bernex, Carouge, Geneva, Grand-Saconnex, Lancy, Meyrin, Onex, Plan-les-Ouates, Vernier, Versoix). Every year, approximately 20,000 people consult the website to find the address of a local repairer. The website www.ge-reutilise.ch met provides the public with almost 120 addresses of shops, associations, companies and regular markets renting or selling goods second-hand within the 10 partner municipalities. Since it was launched in November 2021, some 13,000 people have consulted this website.
The fruit of a partnership
The City of Geneva and the FRC initiated the “repair instead of replace” project in 2014. Over the years, they have been joined by other municipalities. The “ge-réutilise” project was launched in 2021. Today, a total of 10 municipalities in and around Geneva (accounting for 76% of the population of the Canton of Geneva) participate in these two projects: Bernex, Carouge, Geneva, Grand-Saconnex, Lancy, Meyrin, Onex, Plan-les-Ouates, Vernier, Versoix.
- Ge-repare.ch - the directory of repairers in Geneva
- Ge-reutilise.ch - the directory of second-hand and rental goods in Geneva
Contact
Anne Bonvin Bonfanti
Département des finances, de l'environnement et du logement
Conseillère de direction
Contact médias
5, rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
1204
Genève
Suisse
Article modifié le 22.11.2022 à 15:25