BALTIC2HAND

The joint cross-border challenge that the project tackles is the underuse of textile. It is caused by a lack of circularity in the textile and fashion industries leading to an overflow of textile waste. All CB countries must work together to find solutions to prevent unnecessary used textile exports from Finland and Sweden to Estonia, Latvia, and elsewhere.
The project aims to improve textile reuse and reduce textile waste, which will be achieved through improving the business models of second-hand companies and other companies that want to add a second-hand operation to their business and also through enhancing consumers’ use of second-hand market as both sellers and consumers.
The main outputs of the project are: a set of improved business models and concepts; a library of consumer nudges; a set of stakeholder management and commitment activities; an open-access digital platform; online educational materials for industry professionals and students; scoping reviews of the current state, problems and opportunities in the second-hand textile market.
The main groups that benefit from the projects are second-hand companies (charities, SMEs) and other fashion and textile companies that would like to add second-hand operations to their business, business support organizations, and consumers.
The project applies a service design approach. It offers a carefully-designed and industry-tailored set of innovative co-creation activities with organizations, consumers, experts, and other stakeholders. The activities include research for defining current problems and needs of the industry and consumers; regional cross-border workshops for ideation, concepting, prototyping, testing and piloting of innovative solutions; local co-creation workshops; implementation coaching; stakeholder management and commitment activities and open online education. The solutions will be piloted by UFF Finland along with other companies.