This is precisely what social enterprise Heca has set out to do. It supports people with physical or mental disabilities and young people who are homeless to access training and quality jobs in waste material reuse.
One of Heca’s lines of business is Patentu, producer of hand-crafted quality furniture from recycled materials such as plastic waste, which is collected from corporate partners. Patentu furniture is designed for accessibility, built with universal design principles that accommodate the needs of children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
Heca contributes to curbing carbon emissions through Tczew Bicycle Couriers, a bicycle-based urban delivery enterprise that trains and hires at-risk youth, many of whom are graduates from Heca’s training programmes. The social enterprise also offers job search mentoring and office spaces to help programme participants launch their careers. During the pandemic, Heca offered career training to more than 400 people who lost their jobs.
To strengthen the local social economy, Heca often partners with other impact-oriented organisations. In 2020, Heca prepared almost 4,000 gift sets with products from partner social businesses for its corporate clients.
