R.U.S.Z is a social enterprise that initiated changes in EU policies. Its primary objectives are resource efficiency and social inclusion. R.U.S.Z provides repair services for household appliances, consumer electronics and IT. It sells certified, high-quality used equipment as well as new washing machines that were diagnosed in the in-house R&D department as particularly durable and easily repairable.
From 1998 to 2007, R.U.S.Z was commissioned by the Viennese labour market authority, AMS. R.U.S.Z was successfully transformed into a non-profit private enterprise in 2008 and now operates on a cost-recovery basis and employs more than 20 people (mostly former long-term unemployed people).
R.U.S.Z has been leading many initiatives, to replicate its model and also lift the barriers it is facing and change policies, both in Austria and Europe. R.U.S.Z was among the initiators of the Austrian umbrella organization RepaNet ( www.repanet.at ) and its EU equivalent RREUSE ( www.rreuse.org).
In 2005 R.U.S.Z created “Ö3 Wundertüte” the most successful mobile phone collection system worldwide in cooperation with Ö3 (the most widely heard radio station in Austria) and Caritas Austria.
In 2008 a long-term partnership with the Austrian unemployment service ended which was not only a major change in the organisation’s setup but also heavily influenced R.U.S.Z in its today’s shape. R.U.S.Z became a non-profit company organised as an association later in 2011 it changed to R.U.S.Z Ltd.
Since 2010 the initiative makes use of the Ö3-Wundertüte-knowhow and collects household appliances donated by private households. The resource efficiency project “Spenden Sie Ihre alte Waschmaschine – Die ökosoziale Umverteilung von Haushaltsgeräten” enables the inhouse accredited ReUse Center to refurbish and sell some 1.000 second-life products per year.
2010-2011 the inhouse R&D unit developed the so called ’Tuning of Washing Machines’. A technical development to increase the energy efficiency of old washing machines.
2011 R.U.S.Z GmbH (Ltd.) was added to the non-Profit R.U.S.Z It is an employee stock ownership plan, which, since then, is responsible for operative repair and sales business.
2012 R.U.S.Z started its media campaign against planned obsolescence. In the following years 350 awareness-raising articles in newspapers and TV-contributions could be launched.
2014-2015 the R.U.S.Z based, unique Austrian standard on durable, easily repairable electrical and electronic equipment was updated and used to test 28 new washing machines. Currently R.U.S.Z develops a White List which will be communicated by the Austrian consumer protection organizations.
Link to H2020 SI Priorities
Eco-solutions to reduce raw materials use
Resource efficient sustainable lifestyles
Climate action by sustainable lifestyle
Eco-innovation and green economy transition
Climate action eco-innovation policies
SI Type
Service / Process - R.U.S.Z. is a service for consumer protection, social economy and sustainability. It´s aims are
social: reliefs of consumers, for people on the periphery of the labour market,
environmental: conservation of resources and prevention of waste
economic: creation of working places, cration of value, recycling,
Organisational / Business model - R.U.S.Z is a business model with social and environmental impact, its founder Sepp Eisenriegler one of Austria’s most famous social entrepreneurs.
SI Objectives
Provide education for unemployed people: R.U.S.Z not only offers jobs, much more they give the chance to get technical trainings.
Contribute to waste prevention: Through repairing old machines R.U.S.Z essentially contributes to especially electronic scrap prevention. Through repairing more than 5 million kilogrammes electrical appliances in the last 18 years, R.U.S.Z contributes to resource conservation, climate protection and waste avoidance.
Fight against the “metastases” of the economic system, such as planned obsolescence: They blame that many electrical and electronic devices are designed to be replaced within 5 years. R.U.S.Z works on the development of a “white list” of long-lasting and repair-friendly built new drives.
Achieve an economic hedge of reliable repair services and the creation of further challenging green jobs.
Offer qualitative high standard and still low-priced repair services.
Provide customers with reliable Information about possible alternatives.
Offer a broad offer of second life-devices with warranty.
SI Origin
R.U.S.Z initially started as a project dealing with long-term unemployment. The goal was to train long-term unemployed citizens (mostly men over the age of 45) as service technicians thus helping them gain employment again. With a success rate of 71% re-employed the project with its environmental repair and refurbishing approach openly campaigning planned obsolescence long before the term became popular in the wider public, R.U.S.Z established itself well in Austria’s social enterprises landscape. At that time, the project was financed by the Austrian labour market service organisation AMS and the EU and was running in a rather unstable project status. It changed into an autonomously acting organisation much later, from 2008 on operating as an association and from 2011 on as R.U.S.Z Ltd.
SI Factors of success
Economic - Developed a business model making money with ressource efficiency on a cost recovery basis.
Environmental - Through resource saving and waste prevention R.U.S.Z contributes to environmental and climate protection.
Proves that energy and resource efficiency are no contradiction.
Social - R.U.S.Z provides jobs plus trainings for unemployed people in Vienna.
Sources
Primary - The website of R.U.S.Z gives information about the initiative, its aims and its success. We also lead a long interview with the founder, Sepp Eisenriegler.
Secondary - R.U.S.Z is well known in Austria’s alternative economy landscape and also often in the media (more than 350 Austrian media appearances by now).
