(source: Lindsay Kenzig & Cindy Kohtala, 2005)

The main goal of the association is to provide work for unemployed, rehabilitated, immigrant and/ or disabled people. The second goal of the association is to ‘promote the policy of sustainable development by increasing the life cycle of consumer goods, by finding new ways of recycling, and by boosting the recycling activities in Helsinki area’, and it runs a second-hand store selling the goods. Other benefits: employment is kept local, workers have high motivation, and immigrants are able to adapt to Finnish working culture. 30% of workers find employment after working here. The scheme reduces a large amount of industrial and consumer waste, and provides household goods to the community and disadvantaged countries at reasonable prices. In the future, it hopes to collaborate even more with artists and designers in reusing material that cannot be recycled. 

A private limited company “social firm” (called Neo-Act Ltd) has recently been registered and activities will move from the non-profit association to the social firm. Its dual mission is to create jobs while making a profit according to legal social firm regulations. This association seems to be well organised and appropriate to its culture and society. The Job and Action Association cooperates with other Finnish social firms (supported by the national ‘Elware’ project) and is also part of the European-wide network, RReuse, a network of social firms operating in a similar way.

(source: Poniedzialek, 2005)

The Bicycle Flea Market repairs and resells donated bicycles. Funded by Uusi Tuuli ry it is run by volunteers, mostly unemployed, who are willing to work for the common good, and want to maintain their repair skills. The flea market began by selling everything, but was not profitable. Pepe, one of the volunteers, came up with the idea of a bicycle flea market which takes donated bicycles from all over Turku, and stores them in a basement before they are either repaired or dismantled for spare parts. Volunteers work two to four hours every weekday. Sometimes they are joined by people sent by the Unemployment Office, who are taught how to use tools and repair bikes, and leave three months later with a new skill. Repaired bikes are displayed next to the entrance. New owners are given a one-month warranty. 

The scheme has been working well since 1990. In Finland, where bicycling is popular and bicycle prices high, recycling bicycles is not new now and happens in most cities. However, using voluntary work is unique to Turku. The main aim of Bicycle Flea Market is to make enough profit to maintain the fair trade promotional ship Estelle. The flea market only makes 10,000 to 15,000 euros per year, too little to pay even one person. About 75% of the profit goes to maintain Estelle, with the rest used for buying spare parts, and paying bills.