Page 8 - U4SSC Case study: Re-use of consumer goods and tools loaning, June 2020

Promoting circularity

Vision and content

The Toronto Tool Library and Sharing Depot started with the assumption that there are already enough
resources available to meet the demand of communities, not only in Toronto but also globally. This
statement can broadly apply to food (approximately a third of the world’s food production is thrown
away), energy and virtually all consumer and industrial goods if they were designed and used in an
environmentally responsible manner.

The Tool Library’s goal was to provide homeowners, renovators, artists, artisans, community groups
and small businesses with the physical tools required to take on their projects. Rather than buying a full
set of tools, which can take up a lot of space in a home and cost thousands of dollars, the Tool Library
offers an affordable option for clients/members to borrow the tools they need instead of buying them.

The project was launched in 2013 (see below for further details about implementation) and since
then has grown to acquire more than 15 000 borrowable items across three locations in different
neighbourhoods in the city. Over 99 per cent of the available items were donated by the public
(virtually no items came from corporate sponsorship) and a small number of tools were purchased
with government grant funds. Later the same year, a makerspace was launched where members can use
the tools onsite to complete projects rather than transporting them back and forth to the library. Both
programmes, the library and makerspace, generate revenue for the organization and the makerspace
also hosts workshops to teach woodworking, electronics and other skills.

Results

Overall, the Toronto Tool Library and Sharing Depot is satisfied with the results of the project at this
stage. The project has created a great brand and is recognized amongst the city inhabitants for being
an innovative programme that is inclusive and reduces waste. Since launching in 2013, more than 80
000 items have been loaned and this has generated over USD 750 000 in revenues. Each borrowed
item had been donated earlier and did not, therefore, end up in a landfill. In addition, the item was not
purchased by the user, so generating less waste down the line. Some of the tools have been borrowed
over 100 times each, resulting in several million dollars of saving for communities over the lifetime of
the project.

At the same time, the Toronto Tool Library and Sharing Depot has stayed true to its values of maximising
the lifespan of their resources and supplying this abundance to people. The membership prices are
less than the cost of even one of the items (memberships start at USD 55/year while the cost of a
power drill can easily exceed USD 100) and Pay-What-You-Can memberships are offered to those
who cannot afford the modest fees. Each week, a Free Community Night is hosted at the makerspace
where people with all skill levels can learn to use tools under the guidance of expert woodworkers and
artisans. This programme did not exist before the project, and the Toronto Tool Library and Sharing
Depot is proud to have hosted thousands of people at the Tool Library through this programme alone.

2 Case study: Re-use of consumer goods and tools loaning, June 2020