Yuman in Brussels is Belgium’s first shopping centre that is immersed in the circular economy. Measuring 1,000 sqm, it offers a temporary place to eight stores that focus on sustainability.
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The stores sell all kinds of circular products, ranging from decorative items to second-hand clothing. Most of the entrepreneurs come from the Brussels area: “This is not a coincidence”, co-founder Christel Droogmans explains to local news website Bruzz: “Working locally also means fewer movements of materials, and it also means employing local people.”
As the founders also want to get more people involved in the circular movement, the pop-up shopping centre will also include restaurants and bars. “We noticed that more people are interested in other ways of consumption, and that more stores aim to have a shorter supply chain. We wanted to bring these two groups together”, Ingrid De Roo from one of the partners told Bruzz.
The project also wants to give chances to start-ups that are too small to rent regular store space from their own means: “It is a unique opportunity to have a store here”, Natasha Ghiste told the same website. “It must also be the only shopping centre that shares my values: a circular economy and responsible distribution. I really wanted to be a part of this.”
