Used Kitchen Exchange

Used Kitchen Exchange (UKE) is a UK-based business specialising in the resale of used and ex-display kitchens.

After buying their own used kitchen, the business founders saw the opportunity to change how the industry operates, pioneering sustainability and contributing to a low carbon, circular economy.

Having developed a calculator for trees saved from the reuse of kitchens, UKE approached LJMU for an evaluation and validation of their calculator. Eco-I NW assisted UKE to develop an alternative calculator, with the aim of supporting the company to improve its sustainability profile.

Eco-I NW produced a carbon calculator with tree saving, which made for better and more impactful trees saved calculations. This enabled the business to add new material or change the dimensions of the tree, to better gauge the age of trees when harvested. The total number of trees saved by UKE customers currently stands at 6,080.

Following this, UKE were awarded the Queens Award for Sustainability 2022 and Barclays Entrepreneur Award for Sustainability 2022. The business is now looking to rebrand to 'Rehome', to include bathrooms, bedrooms, and fitted/unfitted furniture. UKE have partnered with Magnet and are in the second phase of implementation in 8 stores, 'Rehome or Recycle'. UKE were also awarded the Most Impactful Business Innovation Award at the Eco-Innovation Awards 2023.