ESA Social Value Case Study: Greater Manchester Renew Hub

The Greater Manchester waste and resources contract is the largest of its kind, with SUEZ managing around 1.1million tonnes of municipal waste on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) every year from over one million households. Social value commitments made up 15% of the contract procurement process and 54 social value actions were included as part of SUEZ’s bid, including the creation of a Renew Hub.
In partnership with GMCA and nine local authorities in Greater Manchester, the Renew Hub, along with three Renew shops, opened in 2021. At more than 5000m², the award winning Renew Hub is the UK’s largest re-use operation, delivering re-use on an industrial scale. Items are donated from recycling centres across Greater Manchester and thousands of pre-loved household items have been donated by residents, which would have otherwise gone to waste. The items are delivered to the Hub, made available directly to charities or refurbished, and sold in the Renew shops, or online via an eBay page to the local community at affordable prices.
All of the money raised goes to good causes within Greater Manchester - a minimum of £100,000 to the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity and £220,000 to the Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) community fund every year, which funds local community group projects focused on reducing waste.
SUEZ is a member of the ESA. In 2023, the ESA published a Social Value Charter which provides a framework for organisations across the recycling and waste management sector to identify opportunities to create social value.
Social Value Charter: www.esauk.org/application/fil...