Circular Tourism

Albania

Roubaix Zéro Déchet

SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION

SECTION 2: PRACTICE OVERVIEW

  • Short Description of the Practice :

Roubaix’s “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” is a local, practical programme that helps shops, cafés, restaurants and other businesses reduce waste through a clear, progressive checklist of commitments. Participating merchants engage in simple and actionable measures from buying loose and returnable packaging, to avoiding single-use items, favouring refill/repair systems, improving back-of-house sorting and setting up food-waste valorisation (composting or diversion). For example, the twelve commitments for restaurants are:

  1. I inform the clients in order to raise awareness.
  2. I participate in events linked to Zéro Déchet.
  3. I limit packaging when sourcing for produce.
  4. The packaging of my produce or my goods are returnable.
  5. I provide my clients with the packaging that is not returnable (cardboard boxes, etc.)
  6. I limit food waste.
  7. I limit single use packaging or tools and provide reusable alternatives.
  8. I limit single-use items.
  9. I avoid plastic for packaging, and I use materials that are eco-friendly, can be recycled and can be
    composted.
  10. I forbid flushing disposable items in my toilets.
  11. I am mindful of sorting my waste so that it can be more easily recovered and recycled.
  12. I implement a system to recycle my organic waste.

The label is delivered as a community-driven process: commitments are adapted to each sector, actions are promoted publicly, and the most engaged can reach an “expert” level. The initiative combines technical support, awareness-raising and peer learning so that merchants can test solutions, share what works, and communicate their progress to customers. Its objectives are to cut waste at source, keep materials in use longer through reuse or repair, divert organic waste from disposal, and make waste-reduction visible as a business asset that strengthens local circular economy loops and customer trust.

  • Implementation Period: 2015 - ongoing
  • Status:

[  ] Planned [  ] Pilot phase [  ] Fully implemented [X] Ongoing and evolving

  • Thematic Areas Addressed:

[   ] Farm to Fork / Sustainable Food Systems
[X] Waste Management
[   ] Resource Efficiency
[   ] Other: ___________

  • Describe how the practice aligns with the selected Thematic Areas.

The Roubaix “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” label fits the Waste Management theme by tackling waste at every stage: buying, customer service, kitchen and staff areas, as well as how items are disposed of. Its checklist encourages businesses to reduce packaging at the source (buying in bulk, using returnable containers and refill systems), cut single-use items, and replace disposable service ware with reusable alternatives. By combining source reduction, reuse, correct sorting and organic valorisation, the label converts traditional waste management into a proactive circular-economy strategy that lowers disposal costs, reduces greenhouse-gas emissions and keeps materials circulating locally.

  • Explain how this activity fits within the tourism sector.

The “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” label fits directly within the tourism sector because shops, restaurants, cafés, and hospitality businesses are at the forefront of the visitor experience. Tourists increasingly seek destinations that demonstrate environmental responsibility, and waste management is often the most visible measure of sustainability. By adopting zero-waste practices such as reducing packaging, offering reusable alternatives, sorting waste properly, or composting food scraps, labelled businesses not only reduce their footprint but also communicate their values and commitment to tourists and clients. The label also creates a shared identity across the city, allowing tourists to easily identify and support eco-conscious establishments. In this way, Roubaix uses waste reduction not just as an environmental measure, but as a lever to enhance its image as a sustainable tourism destination.

  • What learning value for VET training, curriculum development or capacity-building of professionals does the practice offer ?

The “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” label offers strong learning value for VET training and professional development because it translates abstract sustainability goals into a clear, step-by-step checklist. For students and trainees, working with such a framework makes a complex issue like waste reduction accessible and actionable. They learn how to assess current practices, identify areas for improvement, and implement small but impactful changes in their daily operations. For trainers, the checklist provides a ready-made pedagogical tool that can be added into courses on hospitality, retail, or tourism management. It also mirrors professional realities, since businesses must increasingly comply with environmental certifications and communicate sustainability credentials to customers. By practicing with such structured tools, learners develop problem-solving, project management, and reporting skills that are directly transferable to their future workplace.

SECTION 3: CHALLENGES AND ALIGNMENT WITH CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES

  • What challenges or barriers were addressed (based on the report findings)?

[X] Waste management and disposal
[X] Energy/resource use
[   ] Infrastructure limitations
[   ] Seasonality
[X] Skills and capacity gaps
[X] Low awareness of CE
[X] Behavioural resistance
[X] Financial or funding constraints
[   ] Other : ________________________________

  • How were these challenges overcome?

The “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” label addresses challenges through targeted, practical measures. It deals with waste management and disposal as a priority. The practice offers a financially interesting solution for businesses who often face high disposal costs and limited options for reducing waste, while also lacking training and information regarding circular economy and a greener way of disposing of their waste. The checklist provides clear actions such as reusable packaging, composting, and improved sorting systems that help reduce the waste going to landfill, turning it into a resource instead. Regarding resources, many small businesses lack strategies to cut energy or water consumption, but this label and its curated checklist encourage concrete steps like eco- efficient appliances, reducing single-use items, and offering water from the tap instead of bottled, making resource savings measurable and realistic. Finally, regarding skills and capacity gaps, staff and managers may lack training in sustainability. The initiative provides guidance, examples, and support from municipal experts, transforming sustainability into a skill set. This builds both awareness and competence, empowering businesses to act. The curated checklist makes it easy to implement circular-economy and green principles in a business even for professionals not trained in the areas concerned. By combining small, achievable actions with municipal support, the programme transforms barriers into opportunities for long-term circular practices.

  • Which circular economy strategies does this practice address?

[X] Waste reduction / reuse / recycling
[   ] Renewable energy / energy efficiency
[X] Water conservation
[X] Circular product/service design
[   ] Sustainable food systems / short food chains
[X] Eco-certifications or green standards
[   ] Repair, refurbishment, or reuse of infrastructure/furnishings
[   ] Digital tools for circularity or sustainability

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as a ‘best practice’ and how it contributes to one or more circular economy principles:

This initiative can be considered a best practice because it offers a structured, replicable, and proven method to embed circular economy into everyday business operations. Unlike abstract policies, it translates sustainability into twelve clear, practical commitments that are accessible to small shops, cafés, restaurants, and hospitality businesses. This makes the approach inclusive and scalable, qualities that define a best practice. The initiative directly contributes to several circular economy principles. First, it prioritises waste prevention and reuse, encouraging businesses to eliminate single-use packaging, promote reusable containers, and organise bulk sales.

For example, some restaurants in Roubaix like Coopérative Barka even organise workshops with locals, such as a workshop in March 2025 about composting.

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as innovative. What new, creative or underused approach brings added value to circular tourism development ?

The label is innovative because it transforms a complex sustainability challenge into a structured, actionable and measurable framework for businesses. Unlike conventional waste management guidance, it provides a clear, sector-adapted checklist, making zero-waste practices tangible and achievable for small cafés, restaurants, hotels, and shops. The programme, which mixes municipal support, peer learning, and public visibility, not only encourages change but rewards it with recognition, creating positive social and economic incentives. For the tourism sector, the innovation lies in how it turns environmental responsibility into a visitor-facing asset. Tourists increasingly seek authentic, eco-conscious experiences, and businesses that display the label signal their commitment to sustainability. Because of the simple checklist it is easy for the customer to understand what the label stands for as often consumers remain disconnected from the true meaning of labels and what criteria businesses have to comply with in order to receive a label. The fact that the municipality promotes the initiative helps the creation of a strong identity which local residents and customers have become part of over time and that supports behavioural change within the overall community.

SECTION 4: COLLABORATION

  • Describe any collaboration that were involved in the development of this practice ? Did this practice involve local authorities or other groups?

This initiative is a strong example of public-private collaboration in circular economy implementation. The programme is led by the municipality through the Mission d’Économie Circulaire, which provides guidance, technical support, and monitoring to businesses, while also promoting awareness and recognition within the community. Municipalities can help facilitate training, help adapt the twelve-point checklist to different sectors, and offer visibility to participating merchants, creating both credibility and incentive for adoption. On the private side, shops, cafés, restaurants, and cooperatives like Coopérative Baraka actively implement the commitments, experimenting with reusable packaging, food-waste valorisation, and other zero-waste measures. Their practical insights and feedback help refine the checklist and demonstrate its feasibility. This partnership between public actors and private operators ensures that the initiative is both technically and socially supported, maximising impact on circular tourism and local waste reduction. Beyond environmental metrics, the label has strengthened local networks, enhanced visibility and credibility for eco-conscious businesses, and created a culture of circular economy within the community. Together, these indicators prove the initiative’s effectiveness, replicability, and impact.

SECTION 5: RESULTS AND REPLICABILITY

  • What measurable results or outcomes were achieved?

Since its creation in 2015, the Roubaix “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” initiative has achieved clear and measurable outcomes that demonstrate its success. Since its inception, the programme has grown into a broader effort to help developing the circular economy, supported by local authorities as seen through the creation of the service “Mission d’Économie Circulaire” in 2017. This service seeks to facilitate the growth of economic opportunities that have a low environmental impact, create jobs, and have high social value. All of this comes from a municipal political commitment of “fostering the development of circular economy”, as explained on their website. The programme has grown steadily, and today 64 shops and businesses hold the Commerçants Zéro Déchet label, showing wide adoption across the city’s retail and hospitality sectors. The municipal support structure, the Mission d’Économie Circulaire, was founded in 2017 with a single staff member and now employs three professionals, reflecting the increasing scale and institutional commitment.

  • Why is this practice relevant to the Albanian tourism context?

The Roubaix “Commerçants Zéro Déchet” label and the curated checklists it offers to different shops and businesses can be relevant for the Albanian tourism context because it provides a simple, structured framework for implementing zero-waste practices, which can help address potential skill gaps among hospitality professionals. The twelve-point checklist breaks down complex sustainability challenges into manageable steps, making it easier for staff and managers to understand and act on waste reduction, resource efficiency, and food-waste valorisation. Most importantly, the measures are low-cost and low-technology, requiring minimal investment, which suits small hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and cafés common across Albania. Because the checklist is a flexible framework rather than made up of rigid rules, it can be adapted to local realities, such as available suppliers, urban versus rural contexts, or cultural practices around waste and recycling. Implementing this approach can help Albanian businesses position themselves as eco-conscious, enhance tourist appeal, and train future professionals in circular-economy principles from early vocational education. It is also a proven way to raise awareness about the need for better waste management and the benefits of the circular economy of consumers and bring about behavioural changes of consumers. It creates a dynamic among businesses who are jointly working on going into a direction that benefits the sector as a whole.

  • What is the practice’s potential for further expansion ? How can it be applied or adapted to other
    Albanian tourism destinations or businesses ?

The label and its checklists could be adapted to the Albanian context and have strong potential for expansion across Albanian tourism destinations. This checklist-based approach is scalable and adaptable: small hotels, cafés, restaurants, shops, and agritourism businesses can implement the measures according to their size, location, and available resources. In urban areas, actions like bulk purchasing, reusable packaging, and improved sorting can be applied even in limited spaces, while rural or coastal businesses can combine these with food waste valorisation, composting, or partnerships with local farms. The checklist’s modular nature allows it to be reworked for the Albanian context, reflecting local supply chains, cultural norms, and regulatory requirements. By integrating it into professional training, vocational schools and hospitality programmes can prepare students to adopt and promote these practices. Broad adoption would create a network of eco-conscious businesses (just as in Roubaix), strengthen local circular economy loops, and enhance Albania’s tourism offer by making sustainability a visible and attractive feature.

  • What advice would you give others looking to implement a similar initiative?

For businesses looking to implement a similar initiative, the key is to start with a clear, structured framework that breaks down complex sustainability challenges into actionable steps, like the Roubaix twelve-point checklist.

Furthermore, it would be important to identify the most feasible actions corresponding to the business size and sector, focusing on low-cost, high-impact measures first, such as reducing single-use packaging, improving sorting, and setting up food-waste valorisation. Partnerships with local authorities, circular economy experts, local associations or peer businesses can provide advice, credibility, and visibility. Finally, it is essential to track results and celebrate successes to motivate adoption. Establishing different levels to reward achievements such as the two levels of certification Roubaix gives to businesses, can stimulate uptake and motivate businesses to improve their waste management record.